The Spanish railway manufacturer CAF has taken over the production plant for regional trains in Reichshoffen in Alsace, sold on Monday by Alstom.
The railway manufacturer Alstom has sold its Alsatian factory in Reichshoffen to its Spanish competitor CAF and the rights to two series of regional trains, French and German, the two groups announced on Monday. This transaction, which also includes the sale of the French regional train platforms Coradia Polyvalent and the German Talent3, was the last commitment made by Alstom to the European Commission to obtain the green light for the acquisition of Bombardier Transport, finalized in January 2021. operation amounts to 75 million euros, according to CAF.
The Spanish group, already present in France in Bagnères-de-Bigorre (Hautes-Pyrénées), will integrate more than 700 employees in Reichshoffen in the fields of engineering, purchasing, project management, manufacturing and administration, includingthe proven experience (…) will allow the manufacture of a wide range of vehicles“. “In addition, its strategic location also makes (the site) suitable to address customers from other European markets.“said CAF in a press release. “With this acquisition, CAF intends to consolidate its position as the second largest railway manufacturer in France“, where it must already deliver Intercity trains and, with Alstom, the future RER B trains, underlined the Spanish Basque group.
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The Coradia Polyvalent, a regional train called Regiolis by the SNCF, represents a market of around 500 million euros, according to CAF. In particular, it must equip the CDG Express, a fast link under construction between Roissy airport and Paris, and serve as a basis for the development of the first French hydrogen train. In Germany, the agreement concerns the transfer of intellectual property on the Talent3 platform, and the integration into CAF of a team of German engineers. “This will boost CAF’s design and certification capabilities in the German and Central European markets“, rejoiced the Spanish manufacturer.
Reichshoffen and the Coradia Polyvalent come from the historical perimeter of Alstom, while the Talent3 was produced by Bombardier Transport in its factory in Henningsdorf, near Berlin. “Alstom will continue to honor its obligations related to existing orders for Talent3 and will work in consortium with CAF to fulfill existing contracts which provide for the delivery of rolling stock from the Reichshoffen site.“, said the French group in a separate press release. Also as part of its commitments to the European Commission to be able to buy Bombardier Transport, Alstom already sold on July 1 to its Japanese competitor Hitachi Rail Bombardier Transport’s share in the V300 Zefiro high-speed train, better known in Italy under the name of Frecciarossa 1000.
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