BERLIN (AP) -- Siemens AG has been chosen as the preferred bidder for a multibillion-euro (dollar) order for up to 300 new German long-distance trains, the national railway said Monday.
Railway operator Deutsche Bahn AG is looking to replace some of its older InterCityExpress high-speed trains as well as other long-distance rolling stock.
The government-owned company said that it expects to place the order by this summer. It will be worth "several billion euros" in total, Deutsche Bahn added.
"The quality of the technology will be a central issue with the new trains," Deutsche Bahn board member Volker Kefer said.
Further negotiations with Siemens, an industrial conglomerate based in Munich, will focus on technical and design specifications.
