MONTREAL – Bombardier Transportation will deliver 54 additional double-deck cars to Israel Railways, the company announced June 10.
The order, which is valued at $94 million, represents the exercise of an option for 23 cars included in the initial contract signed in 1999, and its extension by 31 additional units. The new order brings to 147 the number of double-deck cars purchased by Israel Railways, 89 of which have already been delivered. The new cars are scheduled to be delivered between December 2005 and mid 2006.
“This order testifies to our excellent relationship with Israel Railways,” said Olof Persson, president, Mainline and Metros, Bombardier Transportation. “The fact that our customer more than doubled the number of vehicles that they had originally planned to purchase clearly shows their trust and appreciation in our trains. I am proud that our state-of-the-art double-deck vehicles will contribute to further extend a safe and highly comfortable rail transport in Israel.”
The new 47 intermediary coaches and seven cab cars will be mainly manufactured at Bombardier’s facility in Görlitz, Germany. Some of the final assembly, including the installation of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems as well as the seats, will be carried out locally by Israel Aviation Industry.
In view of the very hot Israeli summers, the new double-deck cars will feature powerful air conditioning systems. Furthermore, 29 of the cars will be equipped with special ramps and large and easily accessible lavatories in order to meet the needs of passengers in wheelchairs.
These double-deck cars, which are derived from the most successful new generation of double-deck coaches in the world, have gained recognition from operators and travelers alike. More than 1,500 units have already proven their operational reliability with a number of operators such as the German State Railways (DB), the Danish State Railways, and Israel Railways. Similar cars are also on order from the Luxembourg Railways.
