Siemens Mobility and the French company Technis will set up a maintenance network for the future Vectron locomotives that will operate in France. The German manufacturer will have access to 11 service centers located along France’s main rail corridors, as well as mobile teams and nearly 500 specialized employees.
Siemens Mobility is preparing its service infrastructure for the upcoming introduction of Vectron locomotives to the French market.
The German manufacturer has signed a partnership agreement with Technis, a company specializing in rolling stock maintenance in France. Under the agreement, Siemens will be able to use the network of 11 maintenance centers to provide services to operators that will run Vectron locomotives.
The locomotives have not yet entered commercial service in France, but the partnership aims to have the service network ready before the first fleets arrive.
Maintenance Centers Along Major Rail Corridors
The Technis network includes centers located in cities such as Lens, Dijon, and Thionville, which lie along major French freight and passenger routes.
The company also has mobile service teams and nearly 500 specialized employees, which should enable work to be carried out near the areas where the locomotives will operate.
The French centers will be connected to Siemens Mobility’s European network of depots and service facilities.
“The French rail market plays an important role in the continued development of Vectron in Europe. By utilizing Technis’s local centers and combining them with our expertise, digital tools, and spare parts logistics, we are laying the foundation for high fleet availability,” said Elmar Zeiler, head of the Customer Services division at Siemens Mobility.
Siemens Prepares Services Before the Locomotives
The partnership shows that Siemens is working to prepare maintenance services in advance, before the Vectron locomotives actually enter the French market.
For operators, the existence of a local service network can be a deciding factor in choosing rolling stock. Locomotives must be able to be serviced quickly, without long trips to depots in other countries and without extended periods of downtime.
Technis says it is ready to support the locomotives throughout France and links the agreement to the development of rail freight transport as well.
“The Vectron is already a true success story in Europe, and we look forward to seeing it in operation in France as well. Technis is ready to welcome it and provide maintenance services nationwide,” said Tristan Rouzès, president of Technis.
Over 8,000 reference numbers for spare parts
Siemens Mobility already maintains Vectron locomotives in several European countries and uses diagnostic and predictive maintenance systems to identify issues before they cause vehicle downtime.
The manufacturer also has a centralized logistics system through which over 8,000 spare part reference numbers can be accessed.
For future operations in France, the identification, ordering, and delivery of parts will be supported by Siemens Mobility’s digital platform MoBase.
The company states that integrating the Technis centers with its digital tools and European network will reduce the time locomotives spend in workshops and increase fleet availability.
The agreement strengthens Siemens Mobility’s presence in the French market and paves the way for the expansion of the Vectron platform into one of the few major European rail markets where the locomotive is not yet in widespread use.
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