Bombardier awarded $303mn commuter trains order to serve France

The Canada-based company, Bombardier, has been awarded an order of 36 Francilien train sets from the French national railway corporation, Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF).

The order is believed to be valued at $303mn and is part of a 2006 contract which was signed by the SNCF.

Consisting of 18 short train sets and equating to 126 cars, the new order will see the SNCF control a fleet of 313 Francilien commuter trains in total.

The new trains are set to include a number of upgrades designed to improve the comfort of passengers.

Included in the enhancements are USB ports, new and ergonomic handrails as well as large panoramic screens to aid the readability of passenger information.

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The trains also include large seats, wide doors and open gangways in a bid to increase passenger flow, in addition to offering room for up to 1,000 people.

Laurent Bouyer, president of Bombardier Transport France said: “Fully adapted to this urban transportation ecosystem, it’s the most reliable fleet operating on the network.

“The trains offer exceptional energy efficiency, optimized maintenance costs and of course a sleek design with amenities that are particularly appreciated by travellers.”

There are currently 230 Francilien trains in operation.