Alstom must pay fines of around 20 million euros due to delays in the delivery of metro trains for the capital, Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu said on Tuesday. He also noted that considering that Romania has many contracts with Alstom, it is time for our country to become a priority for the company.

When will the first Alstom metro train arrive in Romania? There have been so many delays that no one knows what to say and there is no point in proposing a deadline.

The contract with Alstom for the metro trains was signed at the end of 2020, and the trains are manufactured in Brazil. The value of the contract for the first 13 trains is more than 100 million euros. Each train consists of six cars, has a length of 114 meters and a capacity of 1200 passengers/train.

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The contract was awarded in late 2020, but there were numerous production delays. It was once hoped that all the trains would arrive in the country by 2023. Last summer, it was hoped that at least the first train would arrive in Bucharest by the end of 2023. It wasn’t like that.

The new trains will be tested for several months, so it will be some time before they are put on the M5 towards Drumool Taberey.

Fines to be paid by Alstom amount to around 20 million euros due to delivery delays, Grindeanu says.

Asked if there was a chance the first Alstom train to Bucharest would arrive in February, Grindeanu said he did not think it was possible.

“What can I say?? They promised, they don’t keep their word, the penalties are pouring in. Now I have no other leverage, because there are no other leverage. I don’t think they want to pay these fines, I only want one thing: we are talking about a conglomerate, a huge company. Maybe Romania, if you talk about all these contracts signed in recent years with this supplier – for the metro and new trains – becomes more important from a global point of view for this company and maybe we will become a priority. It’s just a call , which I can do. If not, the penalties will continue,” Grindianu said.

“No one forced any company to come and say: we have the capacity to build new metro lines or new train lines. All this was foreseen when you signed the contract. If you can’t comply, there will be penalties,” the minister said.

He says it’s important that these contracts are completed, not terminated. He recalled that there were ministers of transport who “rubbed up contracts in front of the press, and those who came after them fought for two or three years to correct such steps.”

“The invoice is about 20 million and the explanation (from Alstom no) is that due to the war in Ukraine certain supply lines around the world were affected and new suppliers had to be found for these materials and that takes time. I understand, but I think when you sign a contract, you’re looking at different scenarios. If not, you pay. In this case, these fines are paid and will be accrued in the metro,” Grindyanu said.

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