Alstom, Ferrovial, EMA and SNTF Sign Framework Agreement

Image courtesy of Alstom

Alstom, EMA (Entreprise Métro d’Alger), Ferrovial and SNTF (Société Nationale des Transports Ferroviaires) have announced that they have signed a framework agreement relating to Cital, a joint venture pertaining to the assembly and maintenance of regional and intercity trains. The agreement was signed in the presence of French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, and the Algerian Prime Minister, Abdelmalek Sellal.

The agreement also allows SNTF to join the Cital joint venture as a shareholder, and will order 98 Coradia trains from Cital. Those trains will be similar to the bi-modal version of Alstom’s Coradia Polyvalent model. This will enable SNTF to expand its rail network from 3,000km to 12,500km by 2025 with a sizeable, modern fleet.

The agreement also allows for the Annaba Cital facility to be expanded from 46,000 m2 to 190,000 m2, with an engineering department, production lines and maintenance depot, giving it the capacity to manufacture one Coradia train a month, creating 270 direct jobs and several hundred indirect jobs. Alstom will deliver training and skill transfer to Cital employees.

Gian Luca Erbacci, Senior Vice President of Alstom Middle East and Africa said:

“This signature represents a very significant agreement with our partners in CITAL, EMA and Ferrovial, with whom we have carried out successful tramway projects in several cities in Algeria and now also SNTF, who will join the Joint Venture. Cital’s extended activity will certainly contribute to the emergence of a railway hub in Annaba, reinforcing Algeria’s industrial sector while offering a larger number of people the opportunity to travel via reliable, safe and environmental-friendly modes of transport. This new milestone is an important step in Alstom’s global strategy and efforts to be closer to its customers.”