Serbian Railways (ŽS) on Monday in Belgrade signed a contract with Swiss company Stadler Bussnang on the acquisition of 21 new passenger trains. The deal, worth EUR 99mn, was signed by Serbian Railways General Director Dragoljub Simonović and Stadler Marketing and Sales Vice-President Peter Jenelten.
Simonović told a press conference that the first train would be delivered in late September of next year, while the last will arrive to Serbia in August 2015.
“A single train’s capacity is 464 passengers, with 234 seats, which is great improvement compared to the trains that Serbian Railways currently has,” he noted, and added that the new trains will be able to travel at maximum speed of 160 kmph.
They are “mostly meant for regional lines”, Simović noted.
Beside the trains, the Serbian public company will receive spare parts, special tools, expendable supplies and technical documentation, it has been specified. The Swiss company has also taken the obligation to train the staff that will drive and maintain the new trains.
Stadler’s Peter Jenelten also addressed reporters today to say that the trains his company will deliver to Serbia are its “best-sellers” – with a total of 890 sold so far to 13 countries.
The new trains will be up to the modern standards, including GPS and RDU systems, entry ramps for disabled persons, autostop devices, air conditioning, and universal access toilets.
Serbian Railways are making the acquisition with the money secured from an EBRD loan – a part of the Railway Renewal III project.
Source B92
