Eurostar said on Friday that the decision of the British justice system not to respond to the injunction request Alstom meant he was free to sign the order with Siemens.
The operator of the Channel Tunnel, which provides commercial links between Paris, Brussels and London since the tunnel opened in 1994, announced Oct. 7 that it intends to buy ten trains to the German group at the expense of the incumbent supplier Alstom some 800 million euros, a move that has angered the French government.
The French State Secretary for Transport Dominique Bussereau argued that proposed by Siemens trains were not long enough and pose risks in terms of safety, especially in case of fire, due to a different architecture in terms motorization and power.
The European Commission had indicated its side as the component related to safety in the tunnel and the modification was not within its purview.
Alstom announced on October 19 have filed a complaint with the Court of Justice in London on the bid.The court on Friday rejected a request by the French group seeking an injunction against the choice of Eurostar.
"We are very pleased that the situation has been resolved and we can now proceed with the signing of the contract for our new fleet of trains with Siemens," Eurostar said in a statement.
"We have always believed to have led a process of rigorous tendering and choosing the best trains for our passengers," said the operator.
No comment could be obtained immediately from Alstom.