SNCF announced Thursday that it had won a contract worth 583.8 million euros from the Grand Est region to renovate 166 regional trains at mid-life by 2031. The contract covers the renovation and modernization of 125 AGCs (self-propelled large capacity, built by Bombardier) between June 2022 and January 2031, and 41 TER2N NG (double-decker trainsets built by Alstom) between May 2023 and January 2030, the two sides said in a statement.
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These operations will mainly be carried out at the technicentre of Bischheim, in the suburbs of Strasbourg, they specified.
The “
mid-life operation
” consists of completely dismantling, overhauling and renovating the trains after about twenty years of operation, in order to put them back on the rails in almost new condition for another fifteen to twenty years.
40% of TER could be affected
This concerns in particular the body with corrosion treatment, the powertrain, major components (bogies, brake panels, air conditioning, etc.) and interior fittings (seats, windows, toilets, etc.).
It is also an opportunity to upgrade the video surveillance or the door closing system, and to introduce new elements at the request of the regions such as electrical outlets or wifi on board, said SNCF.
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SNCF estimates that 931 trains - or 40% of the TER fleet - will be affected in the next ten years by such a program, which requires the immobilization of trains for ten to twenty weeks.
While it still operates all the TER while awaiting the opening up to competition, SNCF does not own the trains and the regions can choose which manufacturer will renovate them.
The public group recently signed an agreement with Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur for the renovation of 23 trains.
