French train maker Alstom to continue investing 'significantly' in Türkiye: CEO

By Bahattin Gonultas

BERLIN (AA) – French train manufacturer Alstom SA will continue investing in Türkiye “significantly,” with its CEO telling Anadolu that the nation, which connects Europe to Asia, represents an incredible market opportunity for the company.

“Now that we have a neutral base (in the northwestern Turkish province of Bursa), we are going to invest in capacity and capabilities to move from bogie frames to car body shells, to large trains, and to entire trains. That, of course, will link the success of the Turkish market and the investment of the Turkish railway and the expansion of this base,” said Henri Poupart-Lafarge.

Poupart-Lafarge noted that Turkish firms in this sector are “excellent” collaborators, saying he sees working with Türkiye “not only as a market, but (for) a number of partnerships for supplies, as there is a very large industrial footprint for many trains in Europe.”

He said he met Turkish Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu in Berlin, Germany at the bi-annual InnoTrans railway expo.

“We want to thank Türkiye for the trust that we have together and for our collaborations in all the largest investments, which will continue in the coming years, in railway development,” he said.

“As we are trusting and extremely hopeful of Türkiye and Turkish railway development, we are here to invest a lot for Türkiye,” he added.

- Alstom and Türkiye

Alstom, operating in 64 countries with 85,000 employees, has been present in Türkiye for more than 70 years as a leading signaling and train control technology provider for vehicles on rail, including metros and trams.

The French firm develops their products with the focus of leading societies towards a future of low carbon emissions, ranging from high-speed trains, metros, monorails and trams to integrated systems, customized services, infrastructure and other digital mobility solutions.

In 2023, Alstom launched its engineering and technology center in Türkiye as a start to its long-term investment plan.

Last year, Alstom acquired Duray Transportation Systems in northwestern Türkiye in July.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim in Istanbul