PBTS to offer maintenance services for Chinese monorail lines

CRRC Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems (PBTS) has secured a contract for the maintenance of the Innovia Monorail 300 platform in Anhui Province, China.

PBTS is Alstom’s Chinese joint venture (JV), owned at 50% by Alstom Group and consolidated by equity-method.

According to the 27-year contract, the JV will offer maintenance services for Wuhu Yunda Rail Transit Construction and Operation’s new monorail.

This monorail is expected to commence operations by the end of this year.

For Innovia fleet’s corrective and preventive maintenance, PBTS will supply materials and labour, along with spare components and technical support.

The JV will also maintain the system’s guideway switches and depot equipment.

In 2017, PBTS secured a $270m contract to deliver the Bombardier Innovia Monorail 300 platform and a total of 240 railcars to Wuhu City in Anhui Province.

After completion, the new 12-station on 16.5km Line 2 Phase One and 24-station on 30.3km Line 1 will become the first two monorail lines in Wuhu.

In a statement, Alstom stated: “Alstom’s fully automated and driverless Innovia monorail systems provide an energy-efficient, comfortable, and cost-effective mobility solution, particularly suited for rapidly growing or dense cities.

“These modern and quiet vehicles run on elevated guideways that are built off-site to permit fast assembly with minimal on-site disruption.”

After the acquisition of Bombardier Transportation at the beginning of this year, Alstom China has 13 JVs.

These JVs have supplied more than 5,900 railway passenger cars, 1,530 electric locomotives, 7,194 metro cars, 168 automated people mover cars, 536 Monorail cars, and 191 tram cars.

Currently, Alstom has nearly 2,252 metro cars under maintenance contracts in China.

Alstom recently signed a contract exceeding $335.54m (€275m) to supply 60 Flexity light rail vehicles (LRVs) to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in Canada.