AUSTRIAN Federal Railways (ÖBB) has issued two tenders for a combined total of 660 EMUs. The contracts will include the development, design, manufacture, approval, delivery and commissioning of the fleets. There is an option for maintenance to be part of the contracts as well.
The first tender is for 540 single-deck 160km/h EMUs. These will be split into 270 105m-long EMUs and 270 73m-long EMUs.
ÖBB envisages seven bidders for this contract. The tender notice states that the closing date for applications is December 10. ÖBB told IRJ that because it was “in the very early stage” of the procurement process it cannot provide any dates for the project in terms of when the trains would be built or begin operating. The fleet could also be used by ÖBB’s subsidiaries as well as companies including City Airport Train (CAT), Graz-Köflacher Bahn (GKB) and Südtiroler Transportstruktur (STA).
The second tender is for up to 120 65m-long 160 km/h EMUs fitted with alternative drive. ÖBB told IRJ that it is open to what that alternative drive could be. ÖBB envisages there will be five bidders for this contract. The closing date for expressions of interest is December 13.
ÖBB began trialling the Cityjet eco BEMU in Lower Austria in August 2019 and conducted tests using Alstom’s hydrogen-powered iLint last year. In March, ÖBB launched a market survey to procure battery electric multiple units (BEMUs) to operate in Austria in Germany ahead of launching a full tender.
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