Hello Paris picks Alstom for CDG Express line trains

French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom has received an order to deliver 13 trains to the Hello Paris consortium, which operates the CDG Express.

As per the terms of the €160m contract, trains delivered by Alstom will be based on the Coradia Polyvalent range.

The trains will be wholly designed and manufactured in France with unique interior fittings and on-board passenger information systems.

Six of the 13 Alstom sites will participate in the project, namely Reichshoffen, Ornans, Le Creusot, Tarbes, Villeurbanne and Saint-Ouen.

The project is expected to create 400 direct jobs at Alstom and 1,200 indirect jobs in the French rail sector.

Alstom France senior vice-president Jean-Baptiste said: “Alstom is delighted to support the Hello Paris consortium as part of the CDG Express project.

“Manufactured in France, this train will be a showcase of French expertise, which millions of passengers will discover when arriving at and departing from Charles-de-Gaulle airport, and it is a source of great pride for all our employees.”

Currently, a total of 220 Coradia Polyvalent trains are in circulation, covering 50 million km.

The express train line will link the centre of Paris with Charles-de-Gaulle international airport.

Recently, Alstom signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) to develop digital technologies for railway signalling.