Bombardier Transportation France Signs 2.7 Billion Euro Contract With French National Railways SNCF To Supply 372 Trains For The Greater Paris / Ile-De-France Suburban Network

Montréal, Canada – Bombardier Transportation signed a contract 2006-11-22 with French National Railways (SNCF) for the supply of 372 trains to be used on the Greater Paris / Ile-de-France suburban network. The total contract is valued at about 2.7 billion euros ($ 3.5 billion US). The initial firm order for 172 trains is valued at about 1.4 billion euros ($ 1.8 billion US). Deliveries of trains should start in November 2009 and continue to 2015. Bombardier Transportation was selected as the preferred bidder for the future Ile-de-France commuter train on October 25, 2006.

Bombardier Transportation’s future Ile-de-France commuter train is an articulated train featuring extra-wide carriages which provide an unusually large internal volume for passengers, wide seats and especially wide doors to increase the ease and speed of passenger flow. Each train consists of seven or eight carriages in a single unit and it can also be operated as a double or triple unit. The capacity of the trains will vary from 800 to 1,000 passengers, depending on the configuration and layout. The new train is designed for maximum comfort, safety and security and is based on Bombardier’s proven technology already in commercial service, providing a high level of reliability.

The train will be designed, manufactured and built at the French site of Bombardier Transportation, located in Crespin in the Valenciennes region. Bombardier Transportation France will sub-contract part of this contract to Alstom Transport. This work will include engineering hours to be carried out by the Alstom engineering team in Reichshoffen and the construction of some of the intermediate carriages and bogies in their Reichshoffen and Le Creusot factories.

Commenting on this announcement, André Navarri, the President of Bombardier Transportation, said: “We are proud to have won this contract, one of the largest ever, awarded by one of the world’s leading rail operators. I’d like to express our sincere thanks jointly to the President of the SNCF, Mrs. Anne-Marie Idrac, and to the President of the Ile-de-France region, Mr. Jean-Paul Huchon. I’d also like to thank the teams from SNCF and the Transport Authority of Ile-de-France (STIF) for their outstanding efforts in managing a very complex tender process, starting in 2004 and continuing up to completion today, and for their determination to respond as quickly as possible to the increasing need for modern, reliable and comfortable transport for the Greater Paris population. We at Bombardier are happy to contribute to this ambitious policy by delivering innovative, rapid, new trains in which the level of comfort and amenity will transform the daily travel of passengers in the Paris region – at recognized standards of operational economy.”

In France, Bombardier Transportation operates primarily at its Crespin factory in the Valenciennes region, which employs 1,600 people and is the leading French manufacturing site in the railway industry. Bombardier Transportation is involved in all TGV (high-speed rail) programs. The group manufactures a wide range of rolling stock for public transport. Among these products are the MF2000 vehicles for the Paris metro, the Marseille, Nantes and Saint-Etienne tramways, and the recent RER (commuter train) vehicles. Bombardier is a major player in regional transportation with its TER2N NG railcars and the AGC (Autorail Grande Capacité/high-capacity rail liner) which 21 French regions have ordered to date. Bombardier Transportation is recognized as a global partner of the transport authorities in France.