Alstom has already paid €80 million in fines for delaying the delivery of electric trains to Belgium

According to Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet at a plenary meeting of the House of the Federal Parliament, Alstom has already paid €80 million in fines for delaying deliveries of electric trains to Belgium. Railway Supply magazine writes about this, citing RollingStock.

In 2015, the national carrier SNCB and the consortium Alstom-Bombardier Transportation (the latter taken over by Alstom in 2021) signed a €3.3 billion framework contract for the supply of up to 1,362 double-deck M7 cars, designed to travel at a maximum speed of 200 km/h. The firm order initially amounted to 445 wagons, and options for another 302 units were later exercised. The delivery of the first batch was planned in 2018-2021, but, according to Gilkinet, only 222 cars were delivered at the end of last year.

Ukrzaliznytsia presented the first modernized Ukrainian electric train from Luhansk

Alstom attributed the delay to the Covid-19 pandemic, delays in the supply of components and a shortage of some parts. However, Alstom says the average delivery speed has “significantly increased” since early 2022. All ordered railcars are planned to be delivered by the end of 2026.

Railway news you might have missed:

UZ accepted 50% fewer wagons for transportation in 2022