SWITZERLAND: Alstom has signed its first service contract with Swiss Federal Railways. The €22m deals covers the maintenance of Alstom ATLAS ETCS Level 2 equipment fitted to trains using the Mattstetten - Rothrist section of the Bern - Zürich route, for which Alstom also supplied trackside equipment.

The company's Charleroi site will be responsible for the contract, which runs for 10 years from January 14. The Services business now represents more than 20% of Alstom Transport's turnover, and it sees maintenance and modernisation as having strong growth prospects over the next decade.