French manufacturer Alstom and the Railway Reform Authority (Autoritatea pentru Reformă Feroviară – ARF) from Romania signed a contract on Monday for 16 multi-system electric locomotives, capable of speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour, provided they have the necessary infrastructure.
The procurement contract was signed between ARF, as the contracting authority, and the ALSTOM Association (Alstom Transport SA – leader, Alstom Transportation Germany GmbH-associate), as supplier. The locomotives will be produced in Germany at an Alstom production facility.
The event was attended by Ștefan Roșeanu – President of ARF and Gabriel Stanciu – General Manager Alstom for Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova. The contract involves the purchase of 16 new 4-axle electric locomotives with ERTMS systems, capable of running at a maximum speed in the range 160 km/h – 200 km/h and of pulling up to 16 passenger carriages, for rail passenger transport, including maintenance and repair services, for a period of 20 years, necessary for the locomotives to operate in optimum conditions of safety and comfort.
According to Gabriel Stanciu, it is a Traxx Generation III multi-system locomotive, which can run on 25kV, 15 kV or 1.5 kV and 3 kV direct current networks, i.e. almost anywhere in Europe. It could run from Constanta to Rotterdam, he explains, calling the locomotive sold “the most modern in manufacture”.
98% availability for the 16 multi-system electric locomotives
The financial offer amounts to RON 767,510,640 (EUR 150.000.000), excluding VAT, consisting of the delivery value of 16 electric locomotives and the maintenance costs for 20 years.
It should also be noted that the purchase contract includes a revision clause concerning the possibility of extending the maintenance period by a further 20 years, without a competitive procedure, by concluding an additional act. The degree of availability is 98%, they informed.
Funding for the project is provided from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, “Component 4 – Sustainable Transport” and from the state budget, through the MTI, within the limit of the amounts approved annually for this purpose, according to the public investment programmes approved by law.
The delivery period for the first locomotive is 24 months from the signing of the contract. However, they will all be delivered in the first part of 2026, when the PNRR ends.
Traxx electric locomotives offer a flexible design based on a robust, modular platform approach and are equipped with complex control technology (diagnostic/display computer, GPS and communication via mobile communications standard etc), including the state-of-the-art Alstom ERTMS system on board.
They also provide increased operational performance and reliability, greater energy efficiency and a high level of safety and security, while offering full interoperability.
The rolling stock purchased by ARF under this project will be used to fulfil the public service obligation.
“We are honoured that Alstom’s rolling stock portfolio in Romania is now completed with electric locomotives for our customer ARF. The new locomotives will significantly contribute to the country’s transition towards sustainable mobility, aligning with Alstom’s commitment to promote greener and smarter mobility solutions worldwide,” said Gabriel Stanciu, Managing Director Alstom for Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova.
The four-axle electric locomotives can reach a maximum speed of 200 km/h and will be able to pull up to 16 passenger cars. They will be equipped with Alstom’s state-of-the-art ERTMS on-board system for optimum efficiency and a high level of safety and security, while ensuring full interoperability. The locomotives are designed to improve mobility within the country as well as between Romania’s major cities.
Locomotives homologated in 20 countries
Traxx locomotives offer a flexible design, based on a robust, modular platform approach, compatible with many applications (freight and passenger transport in one or more countries) and available in different configurations (AC, DC and multi-system).
Traxx locomotives have been homologated in 20 countries, covering a total annual distance of more than 300 million kilometres, with more than 2,700 units sold since 2000.
Alstom has been active in Romania for 30 years and is the market leader in electrification and signalling solutions for the railway industry.
For the maintenance of locomotives and electric trainsets sold in Romania, Alstom has investments of EUR 54 million underway in a modern maintenance centre with two depots, Gabriel Stanciu said.
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