Canada’s Bombardier Transportation and Turkish light rail vehicle (LRV) car body manufacturer Bozankaya have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to bid for a high-speed train production contract.
The MoU will see the companies jointly bid for Turkish national rail operator TCDD’s forthcoming tender to build 80 high-speed trains.
TCDD is expected to call for tenders later this year for the new trainsets, which would support the expansion of Turkey’s high-speed rail network and will require a large number of trains up to 2025.
“We at Bombardier see great potential in these plans and are pleased to have found a strategic partner in Bozankaya.”
If the two companies win the contract, Bombardier will invest around $100m to build a new production facility in Turkey for high-speed rolling stock and transfer technology to Bozankaya.
The partnership will combine Bombardier’s engineering experience, with Bozankaya’s expertise in manufacturing vehicles both locally and internationally.
Bombardier Turkey managing director Furio Rossi said: “Turkey has a clear vision of the critical role rail plays in sustainable economic development and is making strategic investments necessary to ensure that vision is realised.
“We at Bombardier see great potential in these plans and are pleased to have found a strategic partner in Bozankaya.”
With factories in Ankara, Turkey and Salzgitter, Germany, Bombardier produces trolleybuses and light rail vehicle bodyshells.