Alstom originally won a contract in April 2016 to conduct a mid-life overhaul of seven locomotives. This was supplemented in June by a contract to overhaul an additional 23 units.

 

The BB36000 locomotives were originally designed and manufactured at Alstom’s Belfort site and entered service from 1996 onwards. The overhaul is designed to extend the service life of the locomotives, which have covered nearly 2 million kilometres so far, by 15 years.

The work covers the bogies, obsolescence monitoring, repair of parts, and modernisation of the drivers’ cabs. The Belfort plant is in overall charge of the project, while Le Creusot is responsible for the bogies, Ornans for the traction motors, Tarbes for traction systems, and Villeurbanne for the electronics.