Russian Railways (RZD) has awarded a 40-year maintenance and repair contract to Siemens for 294 Lastochka regional trains.
Valued at €1.7bn, the deal covers 54 trains manufactured in Germany and another 240 trains produced by a joint venture between CJSC Sinara Group and Siemens.
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The contract provides maintenance and repair services necessary for the operation and functionality of these Lastochka trains, and all services will be carried out in the Russian Federation, in a depot near Moscow or in Adler.
Russian Railways president Vladimir Yakunin said: "Today’s document shows that Siemens and Russian Railways intend to work for the next 40 years.
"In the current difficult economic and political situation in the world, this is a major achievement. The agreement also provides for combined payment in euros and roubles for the first time.
"As a result of our negotiations, the cost of servicing the trains has been reduced almost threefold."
The company said that if the actual annual mileage is 175,000km for each of the 294 electric trains, the servicing cost will be €0.8 excluding VAT for each train-kilometre.
In 2011, Siemens agreed to build the new trains as part of an order reportedly worth €2bn.
Siemens is delivering a total of 1,200 cars of which ten trains have already been produced and certified, with the outstanding order for 230 trains expected to be delivered by 2020.
Image: First Russian ‘Lastochka’. Photo: courtesy of Black leon via Wikipedia.
