Swiss train manufacturer Stadler Rail has announced it will take legal action against the awarding of a multi-billion-euro contract by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) to its German competitor Siemens Mobility. “After a thorough review of the award decision,” Stadler “still cannot understand” why Siemens was commissioned by the SBB to build 116 double-decker trains, explained Stadler’s Chairman of the Board, Peter Spuhler, on Friday. He added that the Federal Administrative Court should “review the award decision for its correctness.”
Stadler filed a complaint on Thursday. The company argued that Siemens Mobility’s bid was only 0.6 percent cheaper than Stadler’s. The Swiss company’s offer was “undervalued compared to a train that exists only on paper,” the company stated. Stadler further explained that 153 trains of its double-decker Kiss model have been operating on the SBB network since 2012 and have proven their reliability.
“Stadler does not want protection of its home market and has never demanded it,” the Swiss manufacturer emphasized. “The SBB order would have been manufactured entirely at Stadler’s plants in Switzerland,” the company added. Approximately 80 percent of the company’s added value remains in Switzerland.
The Swiss trade union Unia had also criticized the awarding of the contract to Siemens. Had Stadler been awarded the contract to build the trains, more than 170 suppliers in Switzerland would have benefited.
SBB stated that it was aware of the appeal filed with the Federal Administrative Court. Siemens had “clearly submitted the more advantageous offer,” the company added. The small price difference cited by Stadler referred only to the investment costs. If the operating costs over a 25-year period were added, the difference would amount to “hundreds of millions of Swiss francs.” SBB awarded its contracts in a “transparent, fair, and competitive manner” and placed great importance on not wasting taxpayers’ money.
The state-owned company pointed out that over the past 25 years, 72 percent of the order volume for rail vehicles went to Stadler Rail. According to the company, 21 percent of the order volume of 14 billion Swiss francs (15 billion euros) went to Bombardier/Alstom and seven percent to Siemens.
Siemens Mobility also announced that it had taken note of Stadler’s complaint. The company stated that it was “convinced” it had submitted an “attractive” offer to SBB. It also plans to invest 110 million Swiss francs by 2029 at its railway operations site in Wallisellen, north of Zurich.
AFP – Translated by Blackout News