Budapest transport company BKV may be forced to abandon a contract with France’s Alstom to provide trains for the second metro line if the Metropolis-type vehicles fail to get a final permit by the end of June this year, BKV told MTI in a statement on Wednesday.
Plans envisaged fully deploying the trains in the second half of 2009, but several faults were spotted in tests and Alstom has yet to submit documentation needed to obtain the final permit, said BKV.
“Negotiations [with Alstom] are continuing and the ‘patience deadline’ comes at the end of June,” said BKV.
Ripping up the contract is favourable for neither side, the transport company said in its statement. BKV has the right to abandon the contract if Alstom fails to deliver the trains by the deadline.
Alstom told MTI in a statement that the testing and deployment of the vehicles were not only its responsibility but BKV’s, too.
“We should draw attention to all sides – including BKV and the National Transport Authority – of the importance of cooperation and that each side should observe its obligations in the interest of obtaining the final permit,” Alstom’s statement said.
BKV awarded the contract to provide trains for the second metro line and the new fourth metro line in May 2006. In April last year several faults were detected in the course of testing.
After submitting documentation on the testing phase to the transport authority, doubts were raised by the authority about whether the prototype fully conformed with applicable regulations.
Nevertheless, Alstom took on responsibility for pressing ahead with manufacturing the trains without the final permit, according to BKV.
The S— is so deep when it comes to BKV, but who really cares. The corruption is still just as bad if not worse, and nothing is likely to change. Hell, why should it? After all, it is only the average, hard working, honest Joe that suffers.
This is NEWS?