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Russian Railways has an agreement with Siemens on joint production of 1,200 carriages for commuter trains until 2020

MOSCOW, April 26 (Itar-Tass) —— The memorandum on the creation of the joint venture for production, delivery and servicing of new generation trains with a Desiro series asynchronous pulling system was signed by and between Russian Railways Company, Siemens and Aeroexpress in May, 2010, in the Russian Black sea resort city of Sochi.

Furthermore, a contract was signed in Berlin between Russian Railways and Siemens for delivering 16 Lastochka electric trains for commuter passengers, beginning localisation of their production in Russia (about 35 percent) on September 21, 2010.

Russian Railways has an agreement with Siemens on joint production of 1,200 carriages for commuter trains until 2020.

The increased localisation of regional train production in Russia is due to start in 2012 with the manufacture of the remaining 16 trains under the contract.

One standard Lastochka (Swallow) train will cost 8.6 million euros, which is 20 percent less than the cost of the trains currently supplied under effective contracts with Siemens.

The two companies also plan to set up a special engineering centre for designing and modernising the rolling stock. It will allow carriers to have Russian-made Lastochka trains customised according to their needs.

The Russian Railways official stressed that 54 trains made in Krefeld, Germany, will arrive to Russia. The first contract to supply 38 trains was signed on December 17, 2009, followed up by a second contract on September 21, 2010 to deliver another 16 electric trains whose production will be partially localised in Russia.

Russian Railways CEO Vladimir Yakunin, who signed the new agreement with Siemens, said, “Lastochka trains are comfortable, energy efficient and environmentally friendly trains.”

In late April 2011, Yakunin and Peter Loscher, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Board of Siemens, signed the documents giving the green light to the production of the Lastochka electric trains and the procurement of components.

On April 26, 2011, the official signing ceremony was held at the Siemens plant in Krefeld, where the Lastochka will be built on the Desiro platform. The ceremony was also attended by Peter Ramsauer, Germany's Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs.

Russian Railways will be taking delivery of 54 Lastochka trains in all from Siemens. The first train is expected to arrive in Russia in 2012.

In 2014, the Lastochka will provide passenger service during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi.

Lastochka trains will carry passengers on commuter routes in central and southern Russia.

EP20 passenger locomotives are made by the Novocherkassk Locomotive Plant (controlled by Transmashholding) in cooperation with French Alstom.