Alstom faces record penalties after six‑year delay of Metrorex M5 trains. Metrorex has imposed penalties totalling more than 58 million euros on French maker Alstom for failing to put 13 new “Metropolis” subway cars into service on the M5 line. The contract, signed in December 2020 for 103.2 million euros, required delivery within two years for the first unit and three years and six months for the full lot, but Alstom cites supply chain, pandemic and Ukraine war disruptions. Twelve cars have been delivered, none operational; the prototype is still in testing for safety approval. Metrorex has taken the matter to court to recover the penalties. The delay has forced Metrorex to keep older Bombardier cars on M5, causing crowding at stations such as Drumul Taberei. The dispute mirrors earlier problems with Romania’s railway authority, where Alstom was sued for delayed delivery of 37 Coradia Stream units.

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