Bombardier Wins Deutsche Bahn Contract Worth $2 Billion

Jan. 5, 2009

Government says despite difficult times it wants to invest in the future

The German railway Deutsche Bahn (DB) said on Jan. 5 it would buy up to 1.5 billion euros (US$2 billion) worth of train cars from Bombardier.

The contract was for options on up to 800 double-decker train cars for regional German service, a DB statement said.

"In these difficult economic times, we have decided to invest in the future," the statement quoted DB head Hartmut Mehdorn as saying. "We wanted to send a signal on economic policy," he added.

The head of Bombardier Transport, a subsidiary of the Canadian group specializing in rail operations, Andre Navarri, noted that "it is the biggest framework agreement ever signed between Deutsche Bahn with a single supplier."

Transformation of the options to firm deliveries could begin in 2011, and the contract would run until 2020, a DB spokeswoman said.

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