Siemens has finalised a contract worth €1.7 billion for 82 double-deck Desiro units for the Rhine-Ruhr Express (RRX).
Described by Siemens as the largest regional rail transport order the company has ever won, the contract includes the supply of the electric multiple units (EMU) and a 32-year maintenance agreement.
Delivery of the new trains will start from 2018 and RRX services will begin later the same year.
To fulfill the maintenance contract, Siemens will build a new facility in Dortmund-Eving.
Jochen Eickholt, chief executive of the Siemens Mobility Division, said: “This is a huge success for Siemens’ rail business. The project will secure existing high-quality jobs in North Rhine-Westphalia and create new ones.
“Our state-of-the-art train is good news for millions of commuters along the Rhine and Ruhr rivers in Germany’s most densely populated region.”
