SNCF Réseau of France Launches Tender for Procurement of 150 Hybrid Locomotives

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 14, SNCF Réseau, the French national railway network company, issued a tender for the procurement of LUCIE medium-power locomotives, planning to procure 50 to 150 diesel-battery hybrid locomotives through a single-supplier framework agreement. The deadline for suppliers to submit participation requests is October 16 at 12:00. The procurement scope also includes technical and maintenance documentation, initial spare parts, dedicated maintenance support, and subsequent vehicle support services. The first batch of locomotives is scheduled for delivery from 2032 onward.

The new locomotives will primarily undertake French railway infrastructure maintenance, engineering vehicle traction, shunting, line inspection, and construction tasks, and are required to reduce operational emissions in tunnels and densely populated areas. The vehicles must be equipped with a hybrid power system comprising a diesel engine and traction batteries, capable of operating independently on the diesel engine as well as performing work using battery power. The locomotive's continuous power at the wheel rim must be no less than 750 kW, with a maximum speed of 100 km/h, a maximum vehicle mass of 80 tonnes, a maximum axle load of 20 tonnes, and compliance with the French railway G1 vehicle gauge requirements.

SNCF Réseau requires that the new vehicles be able to autonomously access the vast majority of lines on the French railway system, equipped with KVB and ETCS Level 2 train control equipment, and be unsuitable only for sections equipped solely with the TVM signaling system. The vehicles must also meet requirements for reactivation after extended idle periods, with a maximum standby period of 6 weeks. In the initial delivery phase, a production rate of approximately 20 units per year is planned, which may subsequently be increased to 30 units per year depending on order execution progress.

The framework agreement adopts a competitive negotiation procedure, with an execution period of 240 months, setting a minimum procurement commitment of 50 units and a maximum procurement scale of 150 units, with SNCF Réseau selecting one supplier to undertake the entire batch of vehicles and associated support. The tender also reserves arrangements for long-term subsequent spare parts procurement. Contract pricing is denominated in euros, with fixed costs using an agreed price mechanism and variable costs adjusted according to contract conditions. The payment term is 60 days after receipt of the payment application.

The LUCIE project is intended to replace SNCF Réseau's existing BB 69000 and BB 69400 series infrastructure work locomotives, which will begin reaching their renewal cycle around 2032. The SNCF Réseau Board of Directors authorized the launch of the LUCIE procurement competitive procedure on July 24, with the procurement plan approved at that time having a baseline scale of 100 units; the formal framework tender issued in September set the minimum procurement quantity at 50 units and expanded the maximum procurable scale to 150 units.