Rolling stock manufacturer Alstom has won a contract worth €538m with the Greater Wellington Regional Council to design, build and supply 18 Adessia Stream B battery-electric multiple unit (BEMU) 5-car trains and 35 years of FlexCare Perform fleet maintenance.

The trains will be the first BEMU commuter trains to operate in New Zealand.

They will facilitate trains to run without harmful emissions on segments of the Wellington rail network, on the Wairarapa and Manawatu lines, which are not electrified, including sections of the 9km Remutaka Tunnel, a critical network corridor.

Alstom will manufacture the fleet of 18 trains at its Savli manufacturing facility in India. To carry out maintenance, Alstom will run a facility purpose-built by the Greater Wellington Regional Council in Masterton.

The facility is equipped with up-to-date technologies for fleet maintenance and battery servicing.

The new trains will replace the current fleet of diesel locomotive-hauled trains, which are due to be withdrawn from service in 2028 and 2029.

The trains will each carry a maximum of 475 passengers and will run at speeds up to 120kph. They are based on Alstom’s Adessia commuter trains platform, which has already supplied vehicles to Perth in Australia.

Alstom promises a “comfort-centric passenger experience” and points out that the trains will be equipped with facilities for wheelchairs, bikes, luggage and prams, and will have toilet, vending machine and water dispenser facilities on board.

The trains are named ‘Tūhono’, which means “to connect” or “to unite”. The fleet’s livery will feature Te ao Māori and cultural elements relevant to Aotearoa / New Zealand, with designs led by Māori design agency Indigenous Design and Innovation.

The maintenance regime will include HealthHub condition-based and predictive maintenance technologies, which Alstom already uses on other contracts, for example, its maintenance agreement with DB Cargo Belgium and the Netherlands. It also includes a connected driver advisory system.

“This achievement is a clear testament to Alstom’s commitment to advancing sustainable mobility and empowering our customers as they transition to green technologies. The contract will see us bringing our zero-emissions rail technology to the Asia-Pacific region for the first time and I look forward to even greater expansion and partnership in the region, as we continue supporting our clients in building a cleaner, more sustainable future.”

Ling Fang, Region President Asia-Pacific