Alstom wins infrastructure contract for rail line in
southern suburbs of Tunis

The Tunisian national rail company, SNCFT,
granted a contract to the consortium lead by Alstom for
installation of electrical work and signalling on the Tunis-Borj
Cedria rail line (southern suburbs of Tunis). The contract is
worth a total of 54 million, of which 36 million
will go to Alstom.

Alstom is in charge of installing a substation
(25 kV) that will power the rail line and its 105 km of overhead
lines along 23 km of double track. Alstom will also supervise
construction work to raise train station platforms. The rail
operating system on the rail line (signalling and
telecommunications) will be handled by Alstoms partner,
AnsaldoSTS.

Electrification of this line marks the first
step in the construction of a rapid rail network (RFR) for the
greater Tunis region. By restricting diesel in favor of
electricity, this project is contributing to improving the
quality of the environment. This new network will ultimately
include five lines totalling 85 km of track. It will be able to
carry over 20,000 passengers per hour per line between the
suburbs of Tunis and the city centre. Commercial service is
expected to begin during 2010.

This new contract shows Tunisia's confidence
in Alstom's ability to support the country's development of large
urban (tramway) and suburban railway projects. Before the end of
2008, Alstom will deliver 39 tram Citadis trainsets that will be
used on Line 1 of Tunis's tramway system.

Alstom Transport's Infrastructure activity
The company's Infrastructure activity includes electrification of
railway lines, track laying, modernization of existing lines and
electromechanical systems for new railway lines, tramways and
metros. Alstom has already electrified more than 10,000
kilometers and has laid more than 2,000 kilometers of track. When
it comes to laying tramway track, Alstom has developed Appitrack,
an automated construction tool that reduces both laying time and
project costs. In terms of infrastructure, Alstom has been
awarded large-scale contracts for Singapore's automatic metro,
China's high-speed Shi-Tai line, the Paris-London link, Turkey's
Marmaray project and, most recently, Argentina's high-speed train
line between Buenos Aires and Cordoba.