MINSK, 16 June (BelTA) – The Stadler trains for the Minsk subway will be produced entirely at the Belarusian enterprise Stadler Minsk, Stadler Rail Group CEO Peter Spuhler told the media on 16 June, BelTA has learned.
“We have won a tender to supply trains for the Minsk subway. Our engineers are busy designing the new rolling stock. The trains for the subway will be assembled entirely at the factory in Minsk,” Peter Spuhler said.
He believes that this order will be a milestone in the development of Stadler Minsk. “We need examples of such successful projects to work on the markets of other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. This order opens the market of the whole post-Soviet space for us. This means new jobs, work for our employees, and the contribution to GNP,” Peter Spuhler emphasized.
He also spoke about the order portfolio of Stadler Minsk and Stadler Rail Group. The Belarusian plant is making double-decker trains for Moscow and Metelitsa trams for Saint Petersburg. Besides, the company has won a tender to produce trams for Ostrava, the Czech Republic. Peter Spuhler pointed out that this is the first order of the kind.
Another large project is to manufacture 40 double-decker trains, each 150m long, for Hungary. “Approximately 70% to 80% of the value added will be produced using the capacities of our company in Minsk. The work on the project will begin in early 2018,” Peter Spuhler added.
He noted that the past several years have not been easy from the economic standpoint for all the countries of the CIS. The decline in the number of orders at Stadler Minsk was vastly due to the reduction of the rail transport tariffs, and the fall of the Russian ruble. However, the company did well and become the biggest exporter in 2016.
“The situation with orders is improving, and we plan to create new jobs. We are very glad that we made the wise decision to come to Belarus. Five years has elapsed since the opening of our factory in Minsk, and we do not regret investing the money,” Peter Spuhler remarked.
Minsk is hosting a meeting of the Belarusian-Swiss Business Council co-chaired by Peter Spuhler. The event was organized by the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Stadler Rail Group. The Council was established in 2013.
Stadler Minsk is a subsidiary of the Swiss company Stadler Rail Group. The factory manufacturing electric trains is based in Fanipol.
