Talgo, a leading Spanish company in the design, manufacture and maintenance of high-speed, lightweight rail vehicles, signed today in Stockholm an agreement with the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) for the supply and comprehensive maintenance of a new fleet of long-distance daytime and overnight trains, which will cover routes from the south of the country to the northernmost cities, running through latitudes above the Arctic Circle.

The award, worth approx. €756 million, includes an initial firm order for the supply of 10 locomotives, 9 daytime compositions, and 11 overnight compositions of the Talgo 230 intercity platform, as well as their maintenance for a period of 10 years, including the supply of spare parts and special tools.

The client has also the option to extend the initial order by requesting the supply of 9 additional locomotives, 7 daytime compositions, and 11 overnight compositions, as well as extending the maintenance period by two years.

The signing ceremony of the contract was attended by the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing of Sweden, Andreas Carlson, the CEO of Trafikverket, Roberto Maiorana; the Spanish ambassador to Sweden, Luis Cuesta; and the president of Talgo, José Antonio Jainaga.

Jainaga has indicated in Sweden after the signing of the contract that “these trains, which will be part of the Talgo 230 platform, will be able to run at 200 km/h. Due to the extreme weather conditions they will endure, reaching temperatures of up to -40°C during the northern winter, Talgo will develop a complete set of technical solutions aimed at ensuring the safety, operational reliability, service availability of these trains, and above all maximum passenger comfort.”

Overnight, cross-border trains

The signed order consists of modular trains capable of operating at a maximum commercial speed of 200 km/h in Sweden and Norway, with full interoperability enabling seamless cross-border operations, which may be extended in the future to other Central European countries.

The trains will run over long distances and on latitudes above the Arctic Circle, and Talgo has thus guaranteed their full functionality, comfort and safety. They will be able to operate normally in scenarios where temperatures can drop to -40ºC during the boreal winter. Talgo has extensive experience in the design, manufacture and operation of trains in the range of -40ºC (in Russia and Kazakhstan) to +50ºC (in Saudi Arabia).

The award after a competitive bidding process open to all manufacturers, shows Trafikverket’s confidence in Talgo and in its ability to supply trains for extreme climate conditions. It also consolidates the position of the Basque company as a reliable partner for the largest European railway companies.

With this new contract Talgo increases its order book which, after the recent award of trains for Saudi Arabia, stands at a new historical record for the company: c. 6,500 million euros.

The Talgo 230 trains

The product selected by the Swedish company will have a maximum speed of 200km/h and is part of the Talgo 230 platform, already in service in Scandinavia in the fleet of the Danish operator DSB (commercial name EuroCity) and connecting Copenhagen with Hamburg daily.

In Germany, the Talgo 230 platform operates on the route between Berlin and Cologne (commercial name ICE L) with Deutsche Bahn: the largest company on the continent. Talgo 230 trains will also soon operate in Germany with Flix, soon to be world’s biggest private passenger train operating company.

With this new award, Talgo achieves a fourth iteration for the Talgo 230 platform and consolidates its role as the supplier of the leading long-distance (Intercity) passenger transport solution in Europe.

As a technologically interoperable platform, the 10 locomotives for Talgo trains will be manufactured for Talgo by a third party (Siemens Vectron), a technological solution that has amply demonstrated its compatibility in commercial service conditions in Germany and Denmark.

With a smart and innovative interior designed by Talgo, the overnight trains will offer a real and attractive alternative to the most carbon-intensive transport modes (road and plane), and all the comfort of rail travel with a range of options guaranteeing hygiene and privacy. With this contract, the client will replace a nearly four-decade-old fleet of sleepers from previous generations.

Talgo 230 trains are manufactured entirely by highly qualified personnel at the company’s plants in Rivabellosa (Álava) and Las Matas (Madrid).

www.talgo.com

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