28 May 2013 17:51

Stadler, Aeroexpress sign 685 mln euro contract for double-decker commuter trains

MOSCOW. May 28 (Interfax) - Switzerland's Stadler Rail Group has signed a 685-million-euro contract to supply Russia's LLC Aeroexpress with double-decker commuter trains, the Russian company said in a statement.

The firm contract was signed after a tender of which Stadler was declared the winner in February. In total, Stadler secured the right to provide Aeroexpress with 172 railcars. Under the firm contract, Stadler received orders for 118 railcars, or 16 four-wagon trains and nine six-wagon trains.

The train deliveries are to finish up by May 2016.

Later, Stadler will supply 54 railcars to Aeroexpress under an option. According to Aeroexpress chief Alexei Krivoruchko, the option might be exercised within several years. The 685-million-euro price tag includes both the contract and the option. Aeroexpress plans to finance the contract with loans, he said.

"These forthcoming Aeroexpress trains will be developed on the basis of the already well-known Swiss KISS trains. The railcars will be produced of light aluminium, which enables lowering their weight as compared to railcars traditionally made of steel, thereby reducing operating costs. The new trains will be able to achieve a velocity of 160 kilometers per hour," the press release said.

The railcars will be offered in two classes - business and economy.

"Aeroexpress' passenger traffic is increasing from one year to the next by almost 20%, and introducing new double-decker trains is a logical solution, allowing us to not only significantly enlarge our trains' seating capacity, but also provide our passengers with even greater comfort during their journey," Krivoruchko is quoted as saying in the press release.

At the signing ceremony, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that Aeroexpress plans to transport around 18 million passengers this year, but its trains' seating capacity is already exhausted, which is why the company has decided to engage new rolling stock.

"The double-decker railcars are adapted for people with limited mobility," Sobyanin said.

Krivoruchko said that Stadler's first railcars will arrive on Russian soil in 2015.