CORADIA LIREX
Mock-up of the world's longest articulated train unveiled

"Let´s pull the rope" was the starting signal for the unveiling of the fair highlight of the international railway manufacturer ALSTOM at the InnoTrans 2004 in Berlin. The German Minister of Transport, Dr. Manfred Stolpe, and Lars Nordstrand, Deputy Managing Director of the Stockholm transport authorities SL AB, as well as Philippe Mellier, President of ALSTOM Transport, pulled together. At ALSTOM?s stand they unveiled an 18-metre-long mock-up of the regional train of type CORADIA LIREX, with its 107 metres in length the world?s longest articulated train of this type. CORADIA LIREX had been developed from the LIREX Experimental prototype which attracted great attention at the InnoTrans 2000 due to its technical innovations. ALSTOM also realized numerous technical and ecological innovations in the series train. All in all, ALSTOM develops and produces 55 six-car CORADIA LIREX trains for the Stockholm transport authorities Stockholms Lokaltrafik AB (SL) on its Salzgitter site in Lower Saxony. This large-scale order amounting to approx. 400 million euro comprises an option for a further 50 units. The electric multiple units run up to 160 km/h and are planned to be used for the rapid connection between the Swedish capital and its suburbs from 2005. Besides their impressive length, these trains offer space for more than 900 passengers and are equipped with a powerful traction system: They accelerate faster than average in only 30 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h. The 12 wide doors on either side allow a quick entry and exit of the passengers and substantially shorten the travelling time.

Well-proven roof technology of the LIREX Experimental As in the LIREX Experimental ("Light Innovative Regional EXpress"), the main equipment of ALSTOM?s CORADIA LIREX for Stockholm is also mounted on the roof of the vehicle, which leads to a flat continuous floor and a barrier-free travelling. Another advantage offered by this technology is the reliable operation of the train under the extreme climatic conditions of the Swedish winter at temperatures of down to minus 35°C. Moreover, the access to the equipment for maintenance work is quicker and more comfortable. Individual components have already been tested in the Railtec climatic testing centre in Vienna. Further climatic tests of the vehicles are planned for January 2005 and on Swedish tracks for February 2005. One of the first trains is presently being tested in test runs in Germany, which will continue in Sweden from Mid-October to end of November 2004.

Ecologically optimized: recyclable up to 95 percent and energy-saving Special attention was paid to the environmentally friendly design of the vehicles. The CORADIA LIREX trains are recyclable up to 95 percent. The materials used are mainly pure, environmentally friendly and easily dismountable. ALSTOM?s train life cycle concept includes the ecological optimization of rail vehicles right from the beginning. ALSTOM gained this environmental know-how from a research project for the optimization of the new underground trains for Hamburg. In addition, the CORADIA LIREX trains are characterized by a very low energy consumption which, inter alia, could be achieved by the state-of-the-art lightweight steel construction on the Salzgitter site.

Passenger service from 2005 The first vehicle is planned to be handed over to SL in May 2005 and is expected to start passenger service on the tracks around Stockholm from August 2005. The following trains will be delivered every fortnight. All 55 trains will be in regular service by February 2007. The modern CORADIA LIREX trains are suitable thanks to their high modularity to numerous services: between the regions as regional train, regional express or replacement for an inter-regional train, in conurbations as suburban trains as well as for border-crossing traffic. "The CORADIA LIREX trains for Stockholm impressively prove that ALSTOM is among the pioneers of innovative technologies and sets new standards in rail transport in cooperation with its customer SL" said Philippe Mellier.

With more than 35 product lines and a presence in more than 60 countries, ALSTOM's Transport sector offers complete products and services for new rolling stock, signaling, and electrical and mechanical infrastructure as well as maintenance and rehabilitation services to four distinct types of customers: urban transit authorities and operators; intercity passenger rail operators and rolling stock owners; rail freight operators; and intercity railway infrastructure owners. ALSTOM's Transport sector, with sales of 4.9 billion euros in financial year 2003-2004, is among the world's leading suppliers to the railway industry.

Press contact: Helen Connolly Tel.: +33 (0) 141 66 91 43 helen.connolly@transport.alstom.com Susanne Trabitzsch Tel.: +33 (0) 141 66 97 16 susanne.trabitzsch@transport.alstom.com