ALSTOM has unveiled two new types of double-deck EMUs for the Hauts-de-France region.
Set 135XL is the first of 19 10-car Omnéo Hauts-de-France trains with inter-city-style 2+2 seating which will enter service later this year on between Paris Nord and Maubeuge/Cambrai and Amiens, replacing locomotive-hauled trains.
The new trains, costing €250m, have been financed by the central government as part of a deal to transfer responsibility for these services to the regional government. Hauts-de-France agreed in December 2016 to take on TET services and became the organising authority for Paris - Amiens - Boulogne and Paris - St Quentin - Maubeuge/Cambrai Intercités services on January 1 2019. The deal came with €400m in state funding for new rolling stock.
Set 251XL is the first of 33 10-car Régio 2N trains with the same bodies but with suburban-style 3+2 seating. Set 251XL will shortly be dispatched to the Velim circuit. Although the Régio 2N design is authorised to operate in France and is in service across the country, this new version is equipped with ETCS, requiring new authorisation.
The remaining 32 sets will be delivered in 2024-25 and will operate over the new Roissy - Picardie line north of Paris, linking Roissy/Charles-de-Gaulle airport with Amiens and Compiègne. They will also replace locomotive-hauled trains on outer suburban services from Paris Nord to Amiens and Saint Quentin.
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