October 20 (SeeNews) - The Romanian government announced it has approved the acquisition of 20 long-distance electric trains by the transport ministry for 184.3 million euro ($180.8 million).
Funding for the acquisition is secured from the National Recovery and Resilience Program, PNRR, and from the state budget, the government said in a statement on Wednesday.
The long-distance interregional electric trains will connect big cities, aiming to increase the efficiency of transport services, reduce pollution and boost comfort on several routes.
The purchase is necessary as the current fleet of trains owned by rail service operators has already exceeded or is about to end its life cycle, adding to the risk that no train sets will be available by 2023, the government explained.
The procurement contract covers not only the delivery of trains, but also includes services like maintenance and repairs, staff training, train operation, software applications, and technical assistance during the warranty period, the Railway Reform Authority, RRA, revealed in a press release in July, after launching the tender for the acquisition.
The maintenance and repair period covers 15 years, but the contract has a renewal clause that allows its extension by another 15 years.
In the past 15 years, no new trains dedicated to railway passenger transport have been purchased in Romania, the RRA said at the time.
($=1.0192 euro)