Coradia contract

German railway operator

has placed an order with

for 26 Coradia Continental regional trains.

The contract, worth up to €100m (approximately £78.5m), covers 26 electric propulsion trains, including 21 three-car trains and five four-car trains.

The trains will be manufactured at Alstom's site in Salzgitter, Germany and will be put into service in the Regensburg-Donauthalbahn regional network in late 2010.

Coradia Continental trains can operate at speeds of up to 99mph and are said to be 95 per cent recyclable.

According to Alstom, their high degree of modularity means that the length of the coaches, number of doors and the interior design can be adapted to the needs of operators.

Roland Kientz, senior vice president for Northern Europe at Alstom Transport, said: ‘This contract firmly establishes the success of Coradia Continental. Perfectly suited to passengers' and operators’ requirements and demands, the Coradia range offers high-capacity regional trains that are reliable, available, easy to maintain, accessible and clean.’