The renegotiated contract will save Metrorex around 83.87 million lei (EUR) in maintenance expenses, says a press release by the Tarnsport Ministry.
Metrorex’s rolling stock includes old Astra Arad-type trains and newer Bombardier trains. The subway operator and Alstom have agreed to improve maintenance plans for both types, as well as for auxiliary machines.
The price of services provided by Alstom will be adjusted only by the general inflation index published by the National Statistics Institute.
Alstom will also install folding windows in Bombardier trains, to improve passenger comfort, at its own expense. Costs are estimated at RON16.9 million.
As per the new agreement, Metrorex will not have to pay RON20.6 million in penalties for debts incurred in 2007-2010.
Alstom Transport Romania, a subsidiary of French conglomerate Alstom, has a EUR240 million contract with Metrorex, signed in 2003 for 15 years, to provide maintenance services for subway trains. Additional agreements setting the service costs are signed every year.
For the first three years, the contract was paid for by foreign financial institutions. In 2007, the state budget took over and the company began incurring debts and penalties.
In 2008, the subway operator’s debts to Alstom amounted to RON55.04 million, without VAT. They were paid the next year from state subsidies, but Metrorex incurred new debts worth RON116.48 million (without VAT) in 2009. Last year, the operator paid RON42.53 million (without VAT), but incurred a further RON61.9 million in debts, in addition to the remaining RON73.95 million.