Swiss railway operator BLS annouced that four companies are shortlisted to bid the contract on 60 EMUs acquisition project. Alstom, Bombardier, Siemens and Stadler will have to submit the detailed offer.
The winner of the contract will be announced in the second half of 2017, and the trains will be delivered between 2021 and 2026. The new trains will be put into operation on S-Bahn lines and on Regionalverkehr network.
From 2026, the BLS will thus have only three families in fleet use and keep their trains thus efficiently repaired and able to operate.
For this tender, BLS has been conducting a test on new seat designs on the Bern–Neuenburg–La-Chaux-de-Fonds. According to the survey, passengers demand was concentrated on ‘softer seats’ and ‘soft headrests’ in first and second class.
The survey involved more than 700 passengers.
Share on:
