Bombardier Transportation will supply 19 Omneo Premium double-decker electrical trains to French National Railway Company (SNCF) at a cost of 256 million Euros. The new units will run in the Hauts-de-France region on the Paris – Amiens line and the Paris – Saint Quentin – Maubeuge / Cambrai line. The trains will be delivered in 2022.

“Passengers taking the new Omneo train will discover a new level of rail mobility, combining space, greater comfort and increased accessibility”, said President of Bombardier Transportation France Laurent Bouyer. The EMUs will have a new interior design which optimises available space to the benefit of passengers and seating arrangements. The trains will be tuned in the region’s colour scheme.

The 135-metre long EMUs will offer 463 seats, large baggage racks, a dedicated area for two wheelchairs and space for twelve bicycles. It will be capable of operating in multiple units of two offering up to 926 seats per train. The seats are wide, with integrated lighting and power and USB plugs.

Big deal

The batch is a part of an 8-billion Euros deal, signed between SNCF and Bombardier in 2010 for supplying 860 electrical multiple units (EMUs) of  the Omneo platform. This includes the OMNEO Premium and the Regio 2N trains. The platform offers trains for suburban, regional and intercity services. To date, ten French regions have ordered a total of 401 Omneo/Regio 2N trains: 91 Omneo Premium and 310 Regio 2N units.

The Omneo Premium EMUs for the order will be produced in the Hauts-de-France region, where Bombardier Transportation has its industrial facility. “These trains are designed and produced by Bombardier’s Crespin site in the Hauts-de-France region, a region highly committed to the rail industry and its local rail ecosystem”, noted France Laurent Bouyer. The French subsidiary is specialised in the development and construction of double-decker platforms. Besides the Omneo platform, the company is working on other train projects: Francilien, an ultra-modern commuter train for Greater Paris, and RER NG, the units for the suburban rail system in Paris.