The Authority for the Reform of Railways (ARF) reports that on March 26, 2023, an announcement was published on the SEAP platform for the procurement of 12 hydrogen fuel cell electric traction vehicles for passenger rail transport. On February 7, the previous tender procedure was automatically canceled because none of the registered participants submitted a technical and financial proposal by the deadline for submission of proposals.

The contract will also include the purchase of maintenance services and hydrogen supply for a period of 15 years.

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12 vehicles will be used on public contract routes on the non-electrified lines Bucharest – Pitesti, with extensions to Piatra Olt – Craiova, Bucharest – Henri Coanda Airport, Bucharest – Tirgoviste and Bucharest – Pitesti – Curtia de Arges.

“The procedure for purchasing rolling stock, which is based on new technology, should be a pilot. Depending on the development and implementation of this project, the fleet of rolling stock will be expanded in the future, as well as refueling services on other routes. We also emphasize the fact that the ARF is a public body and not an economic operator, as such it cannot manage hydrogen production and supply stations and these services must be included in the tender procedure as an element provided by the economic entities interested in participation in the awarding procedure,” ARF reports.

The term of provision of services – both technical maintenance and repair, as well as hydrogen supply, provided for in the contract, is 15 years, with the possibility of extending the term for another 15 years by concluding an additional act.

The purchase price ranges from 2,446,534,076.64 lei without VAT to 4,168,505,273.28 lei without VAT, depending on the duration of the services related to the contract – 15 and 30 years, respectively, and the duration of the contract will be 213 months.

Project financing is provided by the National Plan for Recovery and Sustainability of the PNRR “Component 4

The award criterion is the best ratio of quality and cost. Evaluation factors and their weights:

70% – Financial component – ​​Total cost of the life cycle, consisting of:

– the purchase price of 12 RE-N cars

– cost of maintenance of 12 RE-H vehicles for 30 years (maintenance)

– the cost of supplying hydrogen for 30 years

30% is a quality component, of which:

10% – availability of electric traction vehicles on hydrogen fuel cells during the warranty period and maintenance period;

12% – delivery schedule (of which 4% for the delivery of the entire quantity with a monthly delivery rate of 4 RE-H and 8% for the delivery of the first unit into operation on the CFR network within 24 months from the date of signing the contract);

8% – Value Added – Proposals that include additional seats beyond the minimum requirement of 120 seats will be evaluated.

Any business entity has the right to participate in the winner’s procedure as an individual participant or jointly with other business entities, including in the form of a temporary association created for the purpose of participating in the auction procedure.

The deadline for submitting proposals is May 8, 2023 by 3 p.m.