Alstom and Bombardier are pursuing legal action against Dutch national rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen’s (NS) after it awarded a contract for 60 new trains to Switzerland’s Stadler.
On December 5, the Dutch operator confirmed a €500 million contract with CAF for new electric multiple units (EMUs) for its next-generation Sprinter train project (SNG).
In the same announcement, NS said it intended to order an additional 60 trains from Stadler, which would be delivered from the end of 2016.
In a statement, NS chief financial officer Engelhardt Robbe said the operator “regrets” that the two manufacturers had decided to begin legal proceedings.
NS claims that a the direct award contract was necessary because of the urgent need for new trains.
This is another contract awarded by NS without a tender after the contract with Bombardier for locomotives for FYRA service. Looks like NS is calling all the consequences of its own blunders as “urgent needs”. Hope that the new order for Sprinters won’t go the FYRA way after NS once again went for cheap trains with CAF just like they did with Ansaldobreda for the FYRA trains.