19 February 2002
DRD MINISTER HERALDS NEW TRAINS AS ‘ONCE IN A LIFETIME EVENT’
Regional Development Minister, Peter Robinson, MP, MLA, today joined chairman of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, Joan Smyth, to announce the largest ever single investment in railway rolling stock in Northern Ireland.
Spanish company CAF were today named as the preferred bidder for the £80 million contract for the replacement of all Class 80 trains.
Speaking at Bangor Integrated Transport Centre, where the announcement was made, Mr Robinson said: "For most of us, this is a once in a lifetime event and I feel very privileged to have played my part in bringing this about.
"Northern Ireland Railways last purchased new trains back in 1994 for the modernisation of the enterprise service and then it was only two trains. Today, we are announcing 23 new train sets.
"Investment in our public transport infrastructure is long overdue and I see this as just the beginning of our efforts to revitalise rail travel in Northern Ireland.
"The travelling public is well aware that standards of passenger comfort and the reliability of our trains in Northern Ireland falls far short of what is required.
"New rolling stock, combined with the extensive track and infrastructure programme that is being undertaken by NIR, will greatly enhance the experience of rail travel and I fully expect that the number of people using the trains will increase significantly in the years ahead."
Mr Robinson went on to outline that the announcement today is as a result of a rigorous procurement process undertaken by NIR following the recommendations of the Railways Taskforce in late 2000.
He said: "It seems quite a while since the findings of the Railways Taskforce were made known, but those of you who are familiar with the rail industry will know that major projects such as this must be meticulously planned to ensure we get best value for money from scarce resources.
"In that context, I wish to congratulate the board of NITHCo and Translink management and staff on the progress made and wish them well in the next critical stages of the project which will see our trains built to the design specification and brought into service.
"I would also like to thank the members of the independent panel of experts which oversaw the process and fully endorsed the decision to select CAF. We can all look forward to the introduction of comfortable and reliable rolling stock on our domestic network in the not too distant future."
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- The procurement process for the purchase of 23 new Diesel Multiple Units (DMU) has been overseen by a Rolling Stock Strategy Group comprised of NITHC / NIR management and staff, Departmental officials and consultancy expertise from the rail industry.
- In December 2000 the Budget approved by the NI Assembly provided funding for NIR to implement the ‘consolidation’ option in the Railways Taskforce Report which involved purchasing these new trains and upgrading the core railway network.
- A total of three detailed responses were received to the tender notice for the new trains by the closing date of 16 November 2001, CAF, Alstom and Bombardier. A fourth potential supplier the Japanese company Mitsui withdrew.
- The trains being purchased from CAF are diesel versions of the trains which operate the Heathrow Express service.
- CAF has production plants in Beasain and Zaragoza in Spain.
For media queries please contact Eamon Deeny on 028 9054 0004 or 07768 798916.
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