The initial contract concluded between Siemens and CFR Calatori for buying 120 trains stipulates 104 more trains worth nearly 300 million euros (the 120 had cost 320 million euros) may be bought, Octavian Udriste, head of the Transport Systems Division of Siemens SRL, said during a business forum organised by Forum Invest in Vienna.
Minister of Public Works, Transports and Housing Miron Mitrea, who visited a Siemens factory on Tuesday, said he had asked the German producer to make another offer for new electric trains, in addition to cars for the long haul trains.
CFR Calatori's stock currently comprises approximately 850 engines and more than 3,200 cars. The contracts signed lately show it is willing to upgrade its vehicles to bring them in line with the European standards.
The company last year signed a deal to buy 120 trains (known as the Blue Arrow in Romania) from Siemens for about 321 million euros. The first two trains from Germany became operational early in February. The contract stipulates the Germans should deliver 120 trains until 2007, with 63 of them assembled in Romania together with Astra Vagoane Calatori Arad.
The trains purchased from Siemens are short and medium haul trains (300 or 400 km). They burn about 25 l of fuel per 100 km on the average, that is eight times less than the old engines.
"If he had called me, I would have told him what to do," Mitrea answered when inquired about the recent malfunction of a Siemens train upon departure from Timisoara. Udriste said the situation in Timisoara was caused by the insufficient training of the locomotive engineer, who did not know how to get the train rolling. The Siemens official added talks were carried out at the moment in order to select the suppliers for the trains to be assembled in Romania, but that they were far from being over.
stelian.negrea@zf.ro
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