Alstom has booked an order of 35 trains from Veolia in Germany
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Private German rail operator Veolia Verkehr has awarded Alstom Transport a contract for a maximum of 35 regional Coradia Continental trains for the Bremen network in Lower Saxony, to be operated by NordWestBahn. This contract has an order value of about 150 million in total. The trains will comprise three or five coaches, depending on requirements. They will be designed and manufactured at the Alstom facility in Salzgitter, Germany. The first trains will come into commercial service in late 2010.
Coradia Continental trains, which can operate at speeds of up to 160 kph, are characterised by their high degree of modularity. The length of the coaches, number of doors and interior design can be tailored to suit operator requirements and fluctuations in traffic. The Coradia Continental can be used as a regional express or suburban train, giving operators great flexibility of usage.
The continuous low floor, mobile steps into the train and gangways between coaches facilitate access and onboard movement, particularly for people with reduced mobility. Technical equipment is installed on the roof, freeing up more space inside the coaches. The trains are also equipped with tactile pictograms for partiallysighted people and toilets for disabled passengers.
Coradia Continental trains exemplify Alstoms approach to the environment: they are 95% recyclable and their distributed power optimises the braking and acceleration of each coach, decreasing energy consumption. The energy generated during braking is recovered to the national electricity grid, thus resulting in significant savings. Lastly, the trains electronic management systems ensure optimum power usage, hence minimising its energy consumption.
"This order strengthens our position in the private German railway market", declared Roland Kientz, Alstom Transport's Senior Vice President Northern Europe. "After BeNEX, Veolia is the second private rail operator to have chosen Alstoms Coradia Continental trains." Since the range was launched in 2002, Alstom has sold a total of 269 Coradia Continental and Nordic (winterized) trains in Germany and Sweden to public and private rail operators (including this new order).