Alstom unveils the first Régiolis train for French regions

Alstom Chairman and CEO, Patrick Kron, today unveiled the first Régiolis train at a ceremony attended by the Vice-President of the Association des Régions de France, Martin Malvy, and SNCF President, Guillaume Pepy. Part of the Coradia Polyvalent product line, the Régiolis represents the latest generation of regional single-decker trains.

The new train was presented to an audience of 300 VIPs, regional representatives, SNCF personnel and journalists at Alstom’s site in Reichshoffen (Alsace, France), where it was designed and manufactured. Employees from France’s regional governments, SNCF, Alstom and its suppliers, who have all worked in close cooperation for months to develop and manufacture the train, were also present. The preliminary test phase, set to begin in late June, will involve some 10 trainsets taking part in running trials throughout France.

France’s regions placed an order with Alstom on 27 October 2009 as part of a contract signed with the SNCF. The initial contract consisted of a first tranche totalling €800 million for the supply of 100 trains, and 166 trainsets have already been ordered by the regions of Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Haute-Normandie, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrénées, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. Delivery of the trainsets ordered to date is scheduled to begin in March 2013 and will continue through mid-2015.

The on-time delivery of this first Régiolis train is an excellent example of the performance of the entire French rail industry. With manufacturing operations slated to continue for many years, the Régiolis will also be helping to sustain dynamic regional economies. It was designed, manufactured and assembled in Alstom Transport sites in France, with train engineering and assembly in Reichshoffen (Alsace), motors in Ornans (Franche-Comté), bogies in Creusot (Bourgogne), traction drives in Tarbes (Midi-Pyrénées) and onboard computing systems in Villeurbanne (Rhône-Alpes). In all, 300 employees at these sites will be involved in the manufacturing of these trains, which will also generate about 600 jobs among Alstom’s subcontractors.

Régiolis: a product of Alstom’s range of regional Coradia trains

The highly modular Coradia Polyvalent range is a single-level regional train offering various technical configurations and passenger amenities. It can travel at up to 160 km/h in both its electric and hybrid versions and operates at two different voltages (25 kV and 1,500 V). It is also available in a cross-border version for operation on the German and Swiss rail networks at a voltage of 15 kV. Its platform-height floor provides travellers with optimal accessibility and full all-point visibility for improved security. Motor bogies are positioned at the ends of the carriages to limit vibration and noise levels.

The Coradia Polyvalent consumes about 15% less energy than its competitors – and hence less CO2 – and its design features eco-friendly, sustainable materials. It is equipped with permanent magnet motors that are more compact and efficient than conventional electric motors. The technical choices incorporated into its design serve the dual purpose of facilitating maintenance and optimising life-cycle costs.

Thanks to over 30 years’ experience in regional rail transport, Alstom’s Coradia range of regional and suburban trains provides solutions to the sharp rise in road traffic, both within cities and on motorways, and to continued suburban sprawl. At its French, German and Italian sites, Alstom has built over 3,000 regional trains, which have already covered more than 4 billion kilometres.

About Alstom Transport France

Operating from nine sites in France, Alstom Transport is the leading manufacturing company in the French rail sector and helps boost local economies. Alstom’s 8,800 employees in France deploy their know-how in the service of customers in both France and abroad, and one job at Alstom creates about three jobs for its suppliers.