The court invalidated the contract between the Railway Reform Authority (ARF) and the Poles from PESA (the Polish manufacturer Pojazdy Szynowe Pesa Bydgoszcz Spolka Akcyjna).
So we won’t have new Polish trains on the railways in Romania soon.
The contract worth over 3 billion lei was signed in January and provided for the construction and delivery of 62 new trains by 2027.
However, the Bucharest Court of Appeal announced on Monday that it had upheld the French company Alstom’s challenge, just as it happened with the contract for another 20 trains, reports Economedia.
Now the Railway Reform Authority must decide whether to suspend or cancel the contract.
The Ministry of Transport, through ARF, signed the contract with PESA after the favorable decision of the National Council for Solving Contests (CNSC). It is rare for the court not to uphold the decision of the CNSC, but it happens.
The total value of the project is 3.038 billion lei, excluding VAT, and the financing is provided by the Transport Program (PT) 2021 – 2027, with co-financing from the state budget.
At this moment, Romania still has a contract in force for 37 new trains from Alstom.
However, the first train delivered by Alstom broke down as soon as it arrived in Romania, and the authorities hope that only in the autumn will the first electric set from this contract start operating.