Alstom to supply Pendolino trains for the Helsinki to St. Petersburg rail link

pendolino order 2007.jpg

Alstom has been awarded
a contract to supply four high-speed Pendolino trains for the Helsinki
to St. Petersburg rail
link. The contract is worth € 120 million. It provides, in addition, for an
option for two further trains. The new Pendolino trains will operate on a
450-km, high-speed line connecting the cities of Helsinki and St. Petersburg in
3.5 hours at speeds of up to 220 kph.

The customer, Karelian
Trains, is a joint venture between Russian Railways (RZD) and Finnish Railways
(VR), which will co-manage the trains. This is the first contract won by Alstom
in the Russian mainline rail sector. The new Pendolino trains will operate on a
450-km, high-speed line connecting the cities of Helsinki and St. Petersburg in
3.5 hours (the journey currently takes 5.5 hours) at speeds of up to 220 kph.
The trains will comprise seven carriages, making a total of 336 seats, with a
business class fully equipped to allow business meetings during the journey.
Customs and passport checks will be carried out onboard in a dedicated
carriage.


The trains, scheduled for delivery in early 2009 and ready for service in 2010,
are based on the Pendolinos which already operate in Finland, featuring the same
front-end and interior fittings and adapted to extreme winter conditions. They
also include components taken from the very latest generation of Alstom tilting
trains, the New Pendolino (traction system, braking system and hydraulic
tilting mechanism), and come with a dual voltage power supply system and
safety and signalling systems, making them suitable for the Finnish and Russian
networks. The trains will be manufactured at the Alstom site at Savigliano, Italy.


Alstom supplied electrical equipment for the Moscow underground system in 2001. In Finland, 18
Pendolino trains and 30 suburban trains manufactured by Alstom are currently in
service.


“This
new contract represents a major step in the development of Alstom’s presence in
the Russian Transport market and also strengthens the Group’s long-standing
successes in Finland”, stated Philippe Mellier, President of Alstom
Transport Sector

• Alstom Transport