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Alstom has secured a contract from Bulgaria's Ministry of Transport and Communications to supply 35 electric Coradia Stream interregional trains, along with a 15-year maintenance agreement.
The BULEMU consortium, which includes Alstom and local firm RVP Invest, will provide maintenance services for the trains.
The total contract value is €720m ($817.9m), with Alstom's share amounting to €600m ($681.6m).
The maintenance programme will cover preventive maintenance, scheduled repairs, overhauls, and emergency repairs over the 15-year period.
The Coradia Stream trains are tailored for the European market and feature the ERTMS Level 2 traffic control system.
The EMUs are designed for passenger and intercity services, with expected journey times of four to five hours.
The trains will reach a maximum speed of 160km/h and will consist of six cars, accommodating more than 320 passengers. Each middle car will have two entry doors, while the end cars will have one door on each side.
The passenger information system will include audio and visual displays, and each car will feature large luggage racks and designated areas for bicycles and strollers.
Additional features of the Coradia Stream trains include a low-floor design for accessibility, a digital passenger counting system, charging sockets for electronic devices, and four modern controlled emission toilets, one of which is designed for passengers with reduced mobility.
The final design and finishes will be customised to meet the requirements of the Contracting Authority during the design phase.
Alstom Europe president Gian Luca Erbacci said: “The new electric interregional Coradia Stream trains for Bulgaria will contribute to more modern and sustainable transportation in the country, in line with our ambition to lead the way towards greener and smarter mobility worldwide.”
The Coradia Stream series also offers emission-free options, including battery and hydrogen-powered traction for non-electrified routes.
Countries such as Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain have already integrated these trains into their services.
In Bulgaria, Alstom is also engaged in providing maintenance services for the national passenger rail operator BDZ and is involved in railway infrastructure modernisation projects, with one already completed and in the warranty phase.
Recently, Alstom won a contract exceeding €60m ($66.5m) from S-Bahn Hamburg to upgrade the technology of 82 BR 490 S-Bahn trains, preparing the fleet for digital rail operations in Hamburg.
"Alstom wins $682m contract for 35 electric trains in Bulgaria" was originally created and published by Railway Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.