The order is part of a contract signed in 2006 with the French national railway corporation, Société Nationale des Chemins de fer français (SNCF) for a maximum of 372 trains, and is valued at approximately 261 million euro ($303 million US), according to a news release on Monday.
The trains are being entirely financed by Ile-De-France Mobility and will be rolled out on lines L, J, and P on the SNCF Transilien network. They will also be debuting some new features for increased rider comfort. Bombardier notes that the new trains will also support the SNCF’s rolling stock renewal program, speeding up the production pace from 2019 forward.
“This train, specially designed to meet the challenges of the dense and congested Transilien network, has proven its strengths. 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 travelers,” said Laurent Bouyer, president of Bombardier Transport France.
New creature comforts coming
The new trains will feature USB ports as well as new more ergonomic handrails, and large panoramic screens to increase readability of passenger information. From the very start, Bombardier focused on passenger needs when designing the trains, creating a modern and spacious rail transportation system.
The Francilien offers room for up to 1,000 people and includes large seats, wide doors, and open gangways to increase passenger flow. In addition, they are equipped with the latest energy efficient and “intelligent” technologies as well as with improved security systems.
The vehicles use an articulated design using Jakobs bogie inter-carriage articulation. of seven or eight carriages; seating layout is [3+2] formation giving over 400 seats in a seven-car unit, over 500 in an eight-car set. Total occupation exceeds 800 (or 1000 in eight-car trains) including standing passengers at 4 per square meter.
The train cars are extra wide, at 3.06 meters (10.0 feet), achieved by having a short standard carriage’s length of 13.24 meters (43.4 feet). All interior lights are provided by light-emitting diodes (LED), so power consumption is lessened.
Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in 28 countries across the segments of Transportation, Business Aircraft, Commercial Aircraft and Aerostructures and Engineering Services. Bombardier’s Transportation division is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, Bombardier posted revenues of $16.2 billion US.
