Renewal of the RER B: Ile-de-France Mobilités threatens Alstom with legal proceedings

The future RER B double-decker trainsets, promised for 2025, are still far from being on track.

After Alstom's public renunciation of honoring this order for 146 new trains awarded to Bombardier and CAF, the crisis does not seem to find an immediate solution.

This Thursday, the board of directors of Ile-de-France Mobilités, (IDFM) the regional transport authority which finances this market at 2.56 billion euros, banged its fist on the table.

Rarely, one of Alstom's biggest customers is threatening to take legal action.

“The Board of Directors unanimously demands that Alstom and CAF honor without delay the MI20 rolling stock supply contract notified by the RATP-SNCF Voyageurs consortium, which accepted the offer submitted by Bombardier-CAF and mandates the RATP and SNCF to initiate any recourse before the competent courts in the event of non-performance of the contract by one of the signatory companies of the said contract.

"

Towards a “loyalty clause”?

IDFM also plans to modify its future calls for tenders, by introducing the notion of “loyalty”.

“In light of this situation, the board of directors reserves the right to work on future calls for tenders for rolling stock that will be launched on behalf of IDFM upon the introduction of a loyalty clause concerning companies participating in these future calls for tenders based on the respect of their past and current commitments.

"

RATP and SNCF awarded the contract on January 13 to a consortium bringing together Bombardier Transport and CAF.

But Alstom, whose (more expensive) offer was not accepted, has multiplied the remedies, preventing the signing before its takeover of Bombardier Transport.

The Alstom group convened by RATP and SNCF

The French group finally withdrew the offer from Bombardier, deeming it too risky technically and financially.

But RATP and SNCF consider that this offer was unconditional, and therefore signed the contract on Friday.

They called the two manufacturers on Wednesday.

If Alstom went to the invitation and notes that "the dialogue could take place", the group has not confirmed that it would honor the contract, according to the two operators.

Spain's CAF would lose 1 billion euros

The Spanish manufacturer CAF said it was starting, and also threatened Alstom with legal action in the event of the rupture of the planned consortium with Bombardier.

In the Spanish press, CAF claims that the unilateral cancellation of this contract would represent a loss of more than one billion euros, or 12% of its order portfolio.

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If an industrial agreement between the two parties is not found, an appeal by CAF is likely, as well as the launch of a new call for tenders, which could delay the construction of the trains by at least two years.