The Railway Reform Authority (RRA) informs that Friday, March 25, 2022, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (MTI), the procurement contract for inter-regional electric multiple units (EMUs-IR) was concluded between the RAILWAY REFORM AUTHORITY, as the contracting authority and ALSTOM FERROVIARIA SPA, as supplier.
The event was attended by Ionel Scrioșteanu and Ionuț-Cristian Săvoiu, Secretaries of State in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, and the signatory parties were represented by Ștefan-Adrian Roșeanu, President of the Railway Reform Authority and Gabriel Stanciu, General Manager of Alstom Romania, Bulgaria & the Republic of Moldova.
The contract involves the purchase of 20 long-distance electric units and their maintenance for a period of 15 years, with the possibility of supplementing, by addendum, the initial order. Thus, it is possible to reach a purchase of 37 units, with a maintenance period of 30 years. The provider will also provide staff training services in the operation of trains and the use of software applications.
The total value of the contract for the purchase of the 20 multiple electrical units and their related maintenance services for a period of 15 years amounts to RON 1,309,065,880.00, excluding VAT (approximately EUR 263 million), of which RON 931,065,880 represents the value of the units and 378,000,000 lei maintenance services.
Supplementing the order as mentioned above (another 17 frames and doubling the maintenance to 30 years) can lead to a total cost of 3,714,279,851.00 lei, excluding VAT (approximately EUR 748 million). Funding for the project is provided by European Grants and the State Budget.
The delivery of the first unit will be made at the end of 2023, the complete package of 37 frames will be delivered by the end of 2024.
The electric frames consist of six units (two end units with driver’s cabins and four intermediate units) and provide 351 seats. The units are equipped with ERTMS level 1 and level 2 signaling and safety system, as well as the national PZB90 system.
From the point of view of passenger comfort, the units have a bar/bistro area, an area for disabled passengers, with two locations according to the standards in force, but also an area for the automatic distribution and validation of tickets. In terms of comfort, the units have air conditioning systems, as well as wi-fi connection.
Top speed is 160 km/h. The EMUs-IR will be used to ensure the connection of the capital with the main urban centers of the country, but also to facilitate the inter-regional connections. Thus, the routes served by the new trains will be: Bucharest North – Constanța, Bucharest North – Brașov – Arad – Timișoara, Bucharest North – Brașov – Cluj, Bucharest North – Brașov – Deda – Cluj, Bucharest North – Brașov, Bucharest North – Iași, Bucharest North – Suceava, Bucharest North – Galați, Bucharest-North – Craiova – Târgu Jiu- Petroșani – Simeria, Bucharest-North-Craiova-Timișoara-Arad, Cluj-Timișoara, Cluj-Suceava-Iași.
The acquisition of new inter-regional units will help ensure mobility, reduce travel times and improve the overall level of public services provided for rail public transport.
On the occasion of the signing of the procurement contract, the president of the RRA, Ștefan Roșeanu appreciated “the efforts made by the project team of the Authority, which supervised all the stages of the tender procedure”. He also noted the contribution of the European Investment Bank (EIB), which “supported the RRA in preparing the award documentation, including the specifications, but also with technical expertise in evaluating bids.”
Railway Reform Authority