Locomotive manufacturer Siemens Mobility has inked a maintenance contract with the French maintenance provider Technis for the Vectron locomotive family. Siemens will make use of the eleven Technis maintenance sites across France once the Vectron locomotives are greenlighted to operate in the country.
The two partners will prepare maintenance capabilities for future Vectron operations in France. Siemens explains that it will provide its Vectron expertise, digital maintenance tools, spare-parts logistics and European service network. Technis will make its industrial capabilities available: workshop coverage, mobile maintenance teams and nearly 500 specialised employees.
“The French rail market plays an important role in the continued growth of Vectron in Europe”, commented Elmar Zeiler, CEO of Customer Services at Siemens Mobility. France will be the twenty-first country with Vectron access once its homologation process wraps up.
“This partnership marks a milestone in preparing best-in-class service capabilities for future operations in France”, added Zeiler. The Technis sites are located along major French freight routes, according to Siemens. By joining Siemens Mobility’s service network, these facilities will enable the development of scalable maintenance offerings for future Vectron operations.
Siemens explains that it supports Vectron maintenance in Europe with its own predictive maintenance and diagnostic tools. It also has a centralised spare parts logistics system, which, in the case of France, will be supported via an in-house digital platform. This should reduce downtime, optimise fleet availability and support reliable locomotive operations, says Siemens.
Vectron anticipation
The market has been anticipating the entry of the Vectron locomotives into France. Already in 2024, locomotive lessor Alpha Trains ordered 35 Vectrons with the plan to use them on the French network.
Still, a big advantage is the Vectron’s capability to operate on the North-South corridor across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, France and optionally Luxembourg, Siemens highlighted at the time. Siemens also emphasises the Vectrons’ flexibility to RailFreight.com: it can be configured to match the user’s needs.
“We are very pleased to be able to further increase our fleet of Vectron locomotives yet again and to further strengthen our market position, especially in the French market”, said Vincent Pouyet, Managing Director of the Locomotives Division of Alpha Trains, upon the 2024 deal’s announcement. “There is a growing demand from our existing and new customers for efficient and state-of-the-art multi-system locomotives. With this latest order, we can ensure that our customers have the highest possible operational flexibility on all their routes with a proven and highly available platform.”
The first Vectron deliveries were expected to take place towards the end of 2026.