Eurotunnel entrusts the mid-life renovation of its Passenger Shuttles to Bombardier Transportation

BERLIN, March 20, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As part of the 2018-2026 mid-life programme, Eurotunnel is signing a contract with Bombardier Transportation to renovate nine "PAX” Shuttles. Composed in total of 254 wagons, each 800-meter long shuttle is made up for passengers’ vehicles with passengers remaining in their vehicles during for the 35-minute Channel crossing. In the 25-year period since the opening of the Channel Tunnel, these Shuttles have each travelled an average of 300 round trips per month and have enabled over 236 million passengers to travel very comfortably between France and Great-Britain.

The contract is valued at €150 million ($171 million) over a period of 7 years. Deliveries of the newly refurbished Shuttles will start in mid-2022 and continue until mid-2026.

Teams from Bombardier France and Belgium¹ originally designed and built these unique vehicles in the 90’s and launched Bombardier’s activities in France. This year, the company celebrates 30 years since its establishment at the Crespin facility in the Hauts-de-France Region.

¹ Who won the historic cross-Channel Fixed Link contract as a member of the Euroshuttle Wagon Group consortium 

"Mobility technology leader Bombardier brings its expertise and experience to Eurotunnel to renovate the shuttles it uses in the Channel Tunnel. This project, the largest in Europe in terms of scope and ambition, marks a milestone in the development of our refurbishment activities and places Bombardier as the leader of this market in France. As well as their own know-how, our French teams will be able to tap into the overall engineering expertise and processes across the Bombardier group to make a success of this unique project” said Laurent Bouyer, President of Bombardier Transportation France.

"Eurotunnel has chosen to put its trust in Bombardier Transportation for the renovation of its Passenger Shuttles. We are celebrating 25 years of operation of these unique Shuttles that were built 30 years ago. This strategic investment, our most important in 25 years, allows Eurotunnel to maintain the highest level of quality service and to affirm trust in its long-term perspectives”, said François Gauthey, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Group.

Bombardier will be responsible for the renovation of 26 wagons on each of the nine Shuttles, including 12 single-deck carriages for coaches, minibuses, caravans and vehicles over 1.85 meters high, 12 double-deck carriages for cars and motorcycles, and 2 double-deck loader wagons, in addition to two spare loader wagons. As project technical advisor, Bombardier will lead the integration and renovation operations except for the single-deck loaders and will lead on engineering design and procurement for onboard equipment.

Eurotunnel will undertake design and procurement of key equipment such as brakes, doors, fire doors, fire detection, HVAC and the double-deck loaders. Eurotunnel will manage the homologation process of the renovated Shuttles with the appropriate authorities. Bombardier will provide the technical support to prepare the required documentation.

About Eurotunnel
Eurotunnel, a subsidiary of Getlink SE, manages the Channel Tunnel infrastructure and operations Truck and Passenger Le Shuttle services (cars and coaches) between Folkestone, UK and Calais, France. Eurotunnel holds the Channel Tunnel concession until 2086 and remains the fastest, most reliable, easiest and most environmentally friendly way to cross the Channel. In 25 years, more than 430 million people and 86 million vehicles have travelled through the Tunnel. This unique land link has become a vital link between the United-Kingdom and continental Europe. https://www.getlinkgroup.com

About Bombardier Transport France

Renowned as France's first industrial rail site, about 2,000 people work on Bombardier's facility in Crespin (Nord), including 500 engineers and managers. The company designs, builds and commissions different types of equipment and is specialized in double deck platforms. Supporting operators, specialized Bombardier teams optimize maintenance and fleet management through predictive maintenance and renovate rolling stock such as the Lille and Grenoble tramways, the Lyons metro and regional trains for the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Three emblematic projects are now in production: 1) OMNEO (in the Premium and Regio 2N regional versions) is an extra-capacity, double-deck train for the various French regions, which ordered 401 train sets in a contract signed in 2010. 2) Francilien is an ultra-modern commuter train for Greater Paris. Île-de-France Mobilités has ordered 313 trains. Operating since December 2009, it is the best performing train of the SNCF Transilien network, servicing the P, L, J, K and H lines 3) RER NG, under a contract signed in 2017 as part of a consortium for Île-de-France Mobilités, will operate on the E and D lines of the RER

About Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation is a global mobility solution provider leading the way with the rail industry’s broadest portfolio. It covers the full spectrum of solutions, ranging from trains to sub-systems and signalling to complete turnkey transport systems, e-mobility technology and data-driven maintenance services. Combining technology and performance with empathy, Bombardier Transportation continuously breaks new ground in sustainable mobility by providing integrated solutions that create substantial benefits for operators, passengers and the environment. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Bombardier Transportation employs around 39,850 people and its products and services operate in over 60 countries.

About Bombardier

With over 69,500 employees across four business segments, Bombardier is a global leader in the transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability and safety.

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in 28 countries across the segments of Transportation, Business Aircraft, Commercial Aircraft and Aerostructures and Engineering Services. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, Bombardier posted revenues of $16.2 billion US. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter @Bombardier

Bombardier Contacts
Anne Froger, France +336 07 78 95 38 – anne.froger@rail.bombardier.com
Will Tanner, UK +447768031663 – will.tanner@rail.bombardier.com
International press desk +49 30 98607 1687 – ress@rail.bombardier.com