Alstom Secures Over Six Hundred Million Dollar Contract To Supply New Zealand’s First Emissions-free Train Fleet

Published on September 10, 2025

Alstom, a world leader successful obstruction transport, has been awarded a awesome statement worthy NZD 1.065 cardinal (USD 634.5 million) by nan Greater Wellington Regional Council. The statement will spot Alstom proviso and support 18 Battery Electric Multiple Units (BEMUs) for nan Wellington commuter network, marking a important milestone successful New Zealand’s obstruction infrastructure. These will beryllium nan country’s first-ever fleet of BEMUs, and their preamble aligns pinch New Zealand’s increasing committedness to sustainable and eco-friendly carrier solutions.

This statement is portion of nan Lower North Island Rail Integrated Mobility (LNIRIM) programme, which intends to modernize nan region’s obstruction strategy while reducing its c footprint. The caller fleet will chiefly run connected nan Wairarapa and Manawatu lines, which see non-electrified sections of nan network. The trains will tally emissions-free connected these parts of nan system, representing a important leap toward cleaner, greener obstruction transport.

Key Features of nan New Fleet

The BEMU fleet consists of 18 five-car trains designed to connection some comfortableness and biology benefits. The caller units will service nan Wellington commuter network, including a challenging conception of nan statement that runs done nan 9km-long Remutaka Tunnel. Currently, these sections are powered by diesel locomotives, but pinch nan caller BEMUs, they will modulation to zero-emission, battery-powered trains.

Each of nan caller BEMUs will person nan capacity to transportation up to 475 passengers. The trains are designed pinch respective passenger-friendly features, including onboard toilets, abstraction for wheelchairs, bicycles, pushchairs, and luggage, on pinch vending machines for nutrient and portion and h2o dispensers for added convenience. The units will beryllium tin of reaching a maximum velocity of 120 km/h, making them perfect for nan commuter routes they will service.

These trains are being built astatine Alstom’s Savli installation successful India and will switch nan older diesel-powered trains that are group to beryllium retired by 2028 and 2029. The replacement of these older trains pinch cleaner, much businesslike BEMUs is expected to drastically trim emissions connected nan Wellington commuter network, contributing to nan region’s broader sustainability goals.

Long-Term Maintenance and Support

In summation to supplying nan trains, Alstom will besides beryllium responsible for nan semipermanent attraction of nan fleet for nan adjacent 35 years. This semipermanent committedness ensures that nan trains will stay successful optimal condition, providing reliable work to nan Wellington organization for decades to come. A caller attraction installation will beryllium built successful Masterton to support nan upkeep of nan fleet, and this installation will beryllium purpose-built to accommodate nan circumstantial needs of nan BEMU trains.

Alstom is besides introducing a scope of precocious technologies for nan first clip successful New Zealand arsenic portion of this project. One specified invention is nan HealthHub system, which uses condition-based predictive maintenance. This strategy will show nan trains’ capacity and supply real-time insights into their condition, allowing for much businesslike attraction and preventing imaginable issues earlier they arise. Additionally, Alstom will deploy a connected driver advisory system, which will assistance train drivers by providing real-time accusation and recommendations connected really to optimize train operations, starring to much businesslike and safer journeys.

Impact connected New Zealand’s Rail System

The preamble of nan BEMU fleet represents a awesome leap guardant for New Zealand’s obstruction system. The expertise to tally emissions-free trains connected non-electrified sections of nan web will importantly trim nan c footprint of Wellington’s commuter services. This displacement to cleaner exertion aligns pinch New Zealand’s broader biology goals, peculiarly successful nan proscription sector, which is simply a cardinal contributor to nan country’s greenhouse state emissions.

These caller trains will not only thief New Zealand meet its biology targets but will besides amended nan value of work for commuters. With improved rider amenities, greater reliability, and zero-emission operation, nan caller fleet will make obstruction carrier a much charismatic action for mundane travel.

Expanding Alstom’s Presence successful nan Asia-Pacific Region

This task marks a important description of Alstom’s operations successful nan Asia-Pacific region, pinch nan institution bringing its zero-emission obstruction exertion to New Zealand for nan first time. The statement besides strengthens Alstom’s increasing beingness successful nan region, arsenic nan institution continues to activity connected innovative and sustainable carrier solutions for nan future.

By introducing cutting-edge obstruction technologies specified arsenic BEMUs and predictive attraction systems, Alstom is helping to lead nan measurement successful sustainable carrier solutions. The statement underscores Alstom’s committedness to supporting nan world modulation to cleaner, much businesslike obstruction networks, and it is expected to beryllium a cardinal milestone successful nan company’s ongoing description wrong nan Asia-Pacific region.