Deutsche Bahn refuses to buy 25 new trains from Bombardier - Sueddeutsche Zeitung

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German railway operator Deutsche Bahn [DBN.UL] is refusing to buy 25 new intercity trains from Canada's Bombardier <BBDb.TO> due to technical defects, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported without giving details of where it obtained that information.

The order is worth 400 million euros (337.80 million pounds), the newspaper said, citing industry sources, adding that Deutsche Bahn was assessing whether or not to claim damages.

At the heart of the problem lies the operating system of the trains which takes too long to boot up and crashes regularly if trains have to change direction, the paper said.

Deutsche Bahn confirmed that it was currently not accepting 25 intercity trains from a supplier it did not name, adding it was hoping the technical problems would be resolved soon. The company said it was examining whether to take legal steps.

A spokesman for Bombardier said the trains were currently not operating as expected, adding the company was working with Deutsche Bahn to solve the issues and guarantee the trains' reliability.

"Bombardier regrets any inconvenience for Deutsche Bahn and the passengers," the spokesman said in emailed comments.

(Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Michelle Martin)