A factory of Siemens (Germany) in Krefeld (North Rhine-Westphalia) has started production of the Lastochka electric train for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, within the contract signed with the company Russian Railways, RIA Novosti reports.
The first portion will consist of 38 trains, President of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin said.
Lastochka was developed on the basis of Desiro. They will operate on lines with constant and alternating currents. Each electric train can carry up to 850 passengers at a maximum speed of 160 km/h.
Russian Railways and Siemens signed a contract on the purchase of 54 Desiro trains worth a total of 580 million euros in December 2009. 38 of them will be produced in Germany, the rest in Russia, based on Siemens, Aeroexpress and Sinara enterprises.
A full-scale carriage of Lastochka was presented in Moscow at the Kazansky Railway Station in October 2010. Yakunin said that the first Lastochka will be launched in February 2012. All 38 trains will start operating in October 2013.
Siemens, Aeroexpress and Sinara have a contract on 16 trains. Russian Railways and Siemens signed preliminary deals on the purchase of 1,200 carriages (240 trains).
Yakunin said that Russia will start full production of the Lastochka in 2018, to replace old electric trains in Southern Russia and the Central Region. Localization is expected to reach 80% in 2017.
