Alstom and Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), the Netherlands’ rail operator, opened the new fitting line dedicated to the Intercity Next Generation (ICNG) trains to be produced in Alstom’s Katowice facility.
The new fitting line features the latest technologies and processes applied to improve performance and reduce manufacturing time.
Covering 6,500 square metres, the brand-new fitting hall includes 20 work stations representing the full process from pre-fitting to cabling and interior fitting. Car body shell welding and erection, painting and final testing are performed in separate halls. Over 500 employees are currently involved in the ICNG project in different Alstom units throughout Europe, with over 110 on this new fitting line in Katowice. It is designed to produce one train car every working day.
According to the contract awarded in July 2016, Alstom will supply to NS 79 Coradia Stream trains in their intercity version with a maximum speed of 200 km/h and a total passenger capacity of the fleet of 25,000 seats. The complete trainset is based on three types of cars – driving, intermediate and end cars – offering optimised capacity to the operational requirements.
The flexible design allows the train’s length to vary from three to ten cars. For NS, Alstom will supply an 8-car as well as a 5-car version. The first trains will be delivered from January 2020 onwards. They will run on the Dutch national network on the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Breda high-speed line in 2021 and on the Den Haag-Eindhoven corridor in 2022. The total contract is worth over EUR 800 million, with options for more trains.
“NS congratulates Alstom and the people working in the Alstom Katowice site with the opening of their new fitting hall, ready to produce not only the Coradia Stream trains for NS, but for many more future projects. After the mock-up presentation in 2017 Dutch railway customers can today see that their new Intercity is coming to life in this state-of-art production facility,” said Roel Okhuijsen, Director new rolling stock NS.
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