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Train manufacturer Alstom-Bombardier to cut 150 jobs in Switzerland

train
New long-distance double-decker train produced by Alstom for the Swiss Federal Railways. / Dario Haeusermann

The French group Alstom-Bombardier will be reducing its workforce by a third at its Villeneuve factory.

According to the newspaper Le Temps, a total of 150 jobs will be cut. The staff was informed of the decision on Thursday. A social plan is to be negotiated. 

Alstom-Bombardier intends to continue to build rolling stock on its Villeneuve site. However, it wants to diversify its offerings.

“We especially want to transform Villeneuve into a service centre,” said Cora Hentrich-Henne, Alstom-Bombardier’s general manager for Switzerland.

Rough patch

In October, the French firm lost a Swiss Federal Railways contract for 286 singe-decker trains worth CHF2 billion ($2.16 billion) to Swiss competitor Stadler Rail. Alstom-Bombardier has filed an appeal.

The company’s existing contract with the national rail company also ran into obstacles. In 2010, Alstom-Bombardier won a contract worth CHF1.9 billion to build 62 double-decker trains for the Federal Railways.

The project was delayed by four years after an organisation representing people with disabilities complained that the new trains were not accessible. The Federal Court ruled in favour of the railway company and Alstom-Bombardier eventually managed to deliver 54 trains that were built at the Villeneuve plant.

Although the initial contract left open the possibility of an order for 100 additional trains, this does not seem to be on the cards, according to Le Temps. 

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