METRO Magazine Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Alstom to supply 22 Coradia trains to France

The $166M order is part of the contract signed in Oct. 2009 with SNCF. The Coradia Polyvalent is a single-level regional train that can travel at up to 99 mph in both its electric and hybrid versions.

January 4, 2011
2 min to read



The Poitou-Charentes and Auvergne regions of France recently placed an order with Alstom Transport to supply 10 and 12 regional trains, respectively, from the Coradia Polyvalent range for some $166 million. The Auvergne region is already operating 37 regional Alstom trains and the Poitou-Charentes region is running 18 trains.

The order, which was booked in the third quarter of fiscal year 2010-2011, is part of the contract financed by the French regions and signed in Oct. 2009 with SNCF. The initial contract consisted of a first installment totaling $1 billion for the supply of 100 Coradia Polyvalent trains.

Ad Loading...

The two order options exercised in January and March 2010 brought the total number of trainsets ordered to 142 units. To date, 164 trainsets have been ordered and will be distributed among the regions of Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Haute-Normandie, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrénées, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The total volume of trains may eventually reach 1,000 Coradia Polyvalent trains, for total orders of more than $9 billion.

The production delivery of the contract dated Oct. 2009 is currently ongoing. The first carriage frame is being finished at Alstom's plant in Reichshoffen, Alsace, and the first train will roll off the assembly line in June 2011. The deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2013 and end in mid-2015.

Coradia Polyvalent will be entirely designed, manufactured and assembled in Alstom Transport facilities in France and Belgium.

 

 

More Rail

Graphic from Amtrak promoting the B&P Tunnel Replacement and Frederick Douglass Tunnel project, featuring the Amtrak logo, project title and an illustration of a high-speed train near the West Baltimore MARC Station.
Railby News/Media ReleaseMarch 17, 2026

Amtrak Announces Community Grants for Projects Near Baltimore’s New Frederick Douglass Tunnel

Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.

Read More →
Amtrak train with logo
Railby StaffMarch 16, 2026

Amtrak Marks Restoration of Two South Carolina Stations

The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.

Read More →
A view looking down the rail across the new Portal North Bridge.
Railby Staff and News ReportsMarch 13, 2026

NJ Transit, Amtrak Prepare to Open First Track on New Portal North Bridge

The new bridge will begin carrying passenger trains on March 16, replacing a 116-year-old swing bridge that has long caused delays.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Caltrain trains on tracks
Railby StaffMarch 6, 2026

Caltrain Adopts Corridor-Wide Right-of-Way Safety Strategy

Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.

Read More →
A photo of rail tracks in Ottawa, Canada

Building a National Framework for Transit Safety and Consistency

On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.

Read More →
Stairs in a New York rail station with text reading "USDOT Invests $686 Million to Modernize Aging Rail Stations."
Railby StaffMarch 2, 2026

FTA Invests $686M to Modernize Aging Rail Stations

Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
A purple MBTA train at a Mansfield Station platform.
Railby StaffFebruary 27, 2026

MBTA Updates Rail Modernization Plan to Expand Reliability and Accessibility

The strategy outlines near- and long-term upgrades to ease congestion, support housing growth, and advance statewide climate goals.

Read More →
LA Metro underground station with vehicle
Railby StaffFebruary 27, 2026

LA Metro Sets D Line Subway Extension Launch Date

The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.

Read More →
MBTA railcars
Railby StaffFebruary 26, 2026

Boston's MBTA Marks Progress in Regional Rail Modernization

The procurement advances the agency's broader efforts to modernize its rail fleet and position Regional Rail for long-term improvement.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
An Amtrak Acela
Railby StaffFebruary 26, 2026

Amtrak Sets New Course for Long-Distance Fleet Renewal

Under the plan, all long-distance routes will transition to a universal single-level fleet, replacing today’s mix of bi-level and single-level equipment.

Read More →