DUE to what it describes as its “strained financial situation,” Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) is seeking external finance for its new fleet of up to 40 high-speed trains for cross-border services, looking to enter into a 15-year leasing agreement.
A two-stage procurement process has been initiated with the publication of prequalification documents on the Simap procurement platform. SBB says that this will enable it to narrow down the pool of potential lessors to the most suitable companies, resulting in targeted bids.
Those bidders prequalified by SBB will then proceed to the second stage of the leasing tender, expected to start next year and culminating in the submission of bids. The tender to supply the new fleet is also scheduled to take place in 2026.
In March SBB published a request for information (RFI) from prospective manufacturers and lessors, looking to either purchase the new fleet outright and enter into a 15-year maintenance agreement, or conclude a 15-year operating lease agreement.
SBB later reported considerable interest from both rolling stock manufacturers and leasing companies during market consultation, which concluded at the start of June. It also said the findings of the RFI exercise would be incorporated into tender documents and taken into account when decisions are made, while being unable to provide more detailed information as procurement is live.
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