Russian Railways (RZD) has finalised a 40-year maintenance agreement with Siemens for its fleet of 1520 mm-gauge Desiro trains.
The deal is an extension of a maintenance contract signed in 2011 for the first 54 vehicles ordered by RZD in the run up to the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
The new agreement will cover a total of 294 trains, bringing in the 240 new EMUs Siemens is currently building for RZD.
Siemens began production of 1,200 new Desiro cars in 2013. Ten have been completed and certified to date. Deliveries will continue until 2020.
Siemens will complete maintenance work at RZD’s Adler and Moscow depots. Siemens will be responsible for conducting regular inspections, managing the servicing of the vehicles and supplying spare parts.
