Siemens expects to soon sign contract with RZD for 30 Lastochka trains
ST. PETERSBURG. Jan 28 (Interfax) - Siemens plans to soon sign a contract with Russian Railways (RZD) for the delivery of 30 Lastochka high-speed electric trains in 2016, the head of the German company's Russian division, Dietrich Mueller told reporters on Thursday.
This concerns the joint venture Ural Locomotives, which builds the Lastochka trains, he said. There is an understanding with RZD that 30 trains will be delivered this year and the companies are in the process of signing an agreement, Mueller said.
He said there is a big, framework contract for 1,200 railcars, but the scale of annual deliveries is determined separately, and Siemens hopes to sign the contract for Lastochka deliveries in 2016 in the next few weeks.
Asked about the possibility that purchases might be called off this year, Mueller said that he does not see any risk of this happening.
The Lastochka trains are needed and they are being produced, he said, noting that localization of production of these trains is now at 60%.
Mueller said he expects the level of localization to increase due to economic considerations, given the ruble's exchange rate.