TESTING of the first new Alstom Regiolis for cross-border services between Eastern France and southwest Germany has begun at the Velim test centre in the Czech Republic.
Alstom is building 30 160km/h four-car sets. These have diesel engines and will be dual-voltage – 25kV ac and 15kV 16.66Hz so that they can operate services linking eastern France with German states of Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden- Württemberg.
The trains have a maximum speed of 160km/h and will also have first-class accommodation and bicycle spaces.
Funding for the trains is via an agreement between Grand Est and the Council of Ministers of the German state of Saarland. Delivery of the trains will continue until 2024.
Also on test at Velim is the first of 255 NG trains built by Alstom and Bombardier for the RER lines D and E in Paris.
A €3.75bn framework contract was awarded by French National Railways (SNCF) in January 2017 for the X’Trapolis Cityduplex trains, which are due to enter traffic this year.
The order is for 56 six-car 112m-long and 15 five-car 130m-long trains. The latter will be able to carry up to 1860 passengers.
Fitted with air-conditioning, the trains will have single-deck end coaches and double-deck intermediate coaches, with wide inter-coach gangways, 2m-wide doors and larger vestibules designed to help speed up boarding and alighting.
Paris RER New Generation train design unveiled | International Railway Journal (railjournal.com)
