Category: Railroad (Page 16 of 16)

Alstom to Equip Regional Trains in Sweden with ERTMS Onboard Control System

March 25, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Alstom has been awarded a contract by AB Transitio, Region Skåne through Skånetrafiken, Region Blekinge, Hallandstrafiken AB, and DSB SOV to equip a fleet of 77 X31 regional trains with ERTMS onboard train control system, with an option of an additional 34 trains. All trains will be ready by end of 2023. The contract is worth about 35 million euro.

The trains are running in the growing Öresund region in the South of Sweden, and Eastern Denmark.

Alstom will install a solution that features an integrated dual system enabling the trains to run on legacy lines equipped with ATC-2 system in Sweden, whilst being also able to run on lines newly equipped with the ERTMS Level 2 system both in Sweden and Denmark. Furthermore, the trains are also equipped to run on the existing ZUB 123 system in Denmark. The design of the dual system minimizes hardware equipment by sharing some on-board components, and the wheel sensors. Alstom is the ERTMS market leader and is currently delivering a similar solution in Norway on over 400 trains, to be completed in 2026.

“We are very pleased to deliver an onboard control system solution for AB Transitio and their fellow vehicle owners for Öresundstrafiken. This contract is a strategic win for Alstom in Sweden, where its longstanding international ERTMS experience now will be applied to a major part of the train fleet in southern Sweden,” said Björn Asplund, Managing Director of Alstom Sweden.

“To us, an updated and modern train fleet is important as we see a steadily increasing flow of passengers to a region that continues to grow. With a new digital signalling system, the trains will continue to provide a very safe railway service in the Öresund region”, says Stefan Kallin, CEO of AB Transitio.

The project will be delivered by Alstom Sweden together with Alstom center of excellence for ERTMS in Charleroi, Belgium. Installation design and supply chain will be performed by the Alstom team in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Alstom’s Atlas is the worldwide number one in on-board ERTMS equipment, representing 70% of the on-board systems in service in ERTMS Level 2. Today, across 20 countries, trains under Atlas supervision have covered over 150 million kilometers, including Deutsche Bahn’s ICE3 fleet recently equipped in Germany. Alstom has also delivered the first ERTMS Level 3 in commercial service in the world in Germany.

Amtrak Takes Active Measures to Maintain Safe Environment

March 24, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

The safety of Amtrak’s customers and employees is our top priority. We continue to monitor the coronavirus situation closely and we are taking action based on guidance from public health experts; that includes restoring service to trains and routes once demand returns. In order to maintain a safe environment and address customer concerns and potential business impact, we are taking the following measures:

Before You Travel

If you are traveling with Amtrak:

Providing an essential transportation service: We are waiving change fees on all existing or new reservations made before April 30, 2020. Simply log in to your account or go to Modify Trip on Amtrak.com, or find your reservation from your account on the home screen in the Amtrak app. A fare difference may apply to your new itinerary. If you want to cancel your reservation with no fee, you must call 800-USA-RAIL and speak with an agent (not available via Amtrak.com or the app).
Take care of yourself and keep others safe: If you are feeling ill, please stay home until feeling better.

Maintaining a Safe Environment

To reduce risk, we are:

Enhancing cleaning protocols: We have increased the frequency of cleaning services on our trains and at our stations.
Increasing disinfectant supplies: We have increased the quantity of sanitizers and disinfectant wipes available for customers and employees on our trains and stations.
Reinforcing good hygiene practices: We are regularly sharing best practices with employees and customers on ways to protect against communicable diseases.

We continue to recommend that everyone follow CDC guidelines around social distancing. If you do need to travel with us, know that we are taking extra steps to keep our stations and trains clean, keep you safe, and remain an essential part of transportation in America. See what we are doing here.

Service Impacts

While Amtrak continues to operate, we have temporarily suspended the following services due to reduced demand. See details on service impacts here.

What You Can Do

To protect against all communicable diseases:

Wash your hands: Wash hands frequently with soap and water – and for 20 seconds. If you can’t wash your hands, use hand sanitizer.
Cover your mouth: When sneezing or coughing, use tissues and promptly dispose of them or cover your mouth with your sleeve or elbow.

While we are running reduced service across the country, it is still essential to exercise caution around railroad tracks and crossings. #SeeTracksThinkTrain

Amtrak Has Cancelled Winter Park Express Service

March 15, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Amtrak Has Cancelled the Winter Park Express service for the remainder of the 2019 – 2020 ski season.

Customers with reservations on trains that are being modified will be contacted and typically be accommodated on trains with similar departure times or another day.

Amtrak is waiving change fees on all existing or new reservations made before April 30, 2020. To change reservations, log in to your account or go to Modify Trip on Amtrak.com, or find your reservation from your account on the home screen in the Amtrak app. A fare difference may apply to your new itinerary. If you want to cancel your reservation, you must call 800-USA-RAIL (not available via Amtrak.com or the app).

Alstom Hydrogen Train Coradia iLint Completes Successful Tests in the Netherlands

March 7, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

The world’s first hydrogen fuel cell passenger train takes its first steps abroad after commercial success in Germany.

The Netherlands: second country in Europe to test the hydrogen train
Tests carried out with green hydrogen
Performance equivalent to classic DMU regional trains
41 hydrogen trains already on order in Germany

Alstom has performed ten days of tests of the Coradia iLint hydrogen fuel cell train on the 65 kilometres of line between Groningen and Leeuwarden in the north of the Netherlands. The tests follow 18 successful months of passenger service on the Buxtehude–Bremervörde–Bremerhaven–Cuxhaven line in Germany, where total of 41 Coradia iLint have already been ordered. The latest tests make the Netherlands the second country in Europe where the train has proven itself a unique emissions-free solution for non-electrified lines.

Last October, Alstom and the Province of Groningen, local operator Arriva, the Dutch railway infrastructure manager ProRail and the energy company Engie signed a pilot project agreement to test the Coradia iLint, the world’s first passenger train powered by hydrogen fuel cells, in the Netherlands. DEKRA, an independent testing inspection and certification company, has been appointed test leader. This series of tests is being performed at night at up to 140 km/h without passengers. For the purpose of the tests, a mobile filling station has been erected by Engie for refuelling the Coradia iLint with completely green – sustainably produced – hydrogen.

“The tests in the Netherlands demonstrate how our hydrogen train is mature in terms of availability and reliability, providing the same performance as traditional regional trains, but with the benefit of low noise and zero emissions. It is also easy to integrate in an existing fleet and is compliant with all safety regulations. The Coradia iLint hydrogen train is a reliable emission-free train ready to help transport us to a carbon-neutral Europe,” said Bernard Belvaux, Managing Director, Alstom Benelux.

The Coradia iLint is the world’s first regional passenger train to enter service equipped with fuel cells to convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, thus eliminating pollutant emissions related to propulsion. The completely train is quiet, and its only emission is water. Purpose-built for use on non-electrified lines, it provides clean, sustainable traction with no sacrifice in performance. It has a range of approximately 1000 kilometres – the same as equivalent-size diesel multiple units. The train is developed and produced by the Alstom teams in Salzgitter, Germany and Tarbes, France.

The Dutch railway network has approximatively 1,000 kilometres of non-electrified line on which around 100 diesel trains currently operate daily.

On Saturday 7^th of March, the station of Groningen will welcome the press and public to discover the Coradia iLint at the platform between 12:00 to 16:00.

Alstom to Supply 17 Additional Citadis Trams to Strasbourg

March 3, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Alstom will supply 17 additional Citadis trams to the Strasbourg Transport Company (CTS) and the Eurometropole of Strasbourg for the sum of €52 million. This order will complete the fleet of 63 trams delivered by Alstom between 2003 and 2019, and confirms a partnership of almost 20 years between Alstom and CTS. The last option exercise, signed in March 2016, was for 10 Citadis trams for the extensions of lines A and D.

These 17 new trams will reinforce the existing lines, including line D, which serves the city centre of Kehl in Germany. The Citadis tramway is the first to cross a border in France and is approved according to the BOStrab, the German federal decree on the construction and operation of trams in Germany.

“With this new order, CTS is the French customer that will own one of the largest Citadis tram fleets with a total of 80 trainsets ordered. We are very proud to be continuing this partnership initiated in 2003, proving that the Citadis range meets the evolving needs of our customers,” says Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, Managing Director of Alstom in France.

The Citadis trams for Strasbourg are 45 metres long and have a capacity of 288 passengers. They are fitted with LED lighting and all-glass doors to enhance comfort and safety for passengers. Complying with the latest standards, the trams are equipped with double doors accessible to PRMs (People with Reduced Mobility), wider seats and areas reserved for wheelchair and stroller users.

These trams will be designed and manufactured mainly in France: La Rochelle (design and assembly of the trainsets), Le Creusot (bogies for the intermediate modules), Tarbes (components of the traction chain), Villeurbanne (electronic equipment) and Saint-Ouen (design). The bogies situated under the driver cabins will be manufactured at Alstom’s site in Salzgitter, Germany.

In total, more than 2,600 Citadis trams have been sold to more than 50 cities in 20 countries.

Amtrak Names William Flynn as CEO and President

March 2, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

WASHINGTON – Amtrak announced that it has named William J. Flynn as its next Chief Executive Officer and President. Flynn, a seasoned business leader with four decades of transportation and logistics experience, will begin his role on April 15, 2020. Flynn succeeds Richard Anderson, who joined Amtrak as CEO in July 2017. Anderson, who fulfills his three-year commitment to the company this year, will remain with Amtrak through the end of the year as a senior advisor to Flynn.

Flynn, 66, has been a successful leader across multiple modes of transportation, including rail, maritime and aviation. Most recently, he served 13 years with Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc., which serves the global air freight, military charter and passenger charter markets, as President and CEO and Board Chairman. He also held senior roles with CSX Transportation, Sea-Land Services, Inc., and GeoLogistics Corp.

“Bill is the right executive to lead us into the future,” said Amtrak Board Chairman Tony Coscia. “We’ve never been stronger as a company than we are today. We are modernizing the customer experience and delivering our service to more people. Bill has a consistent track record of growing and improving complex transportation businesses. We are confident he will build upon the strong foundation of record-setting growth and improvement set by the Board, Richard and the entire Amtrak team.”

In fiscal year 2019, Amtrak set new records in ridership, revenue and earnings. In 2020, Amtrak is on pace to achieve operational breakeven for the first time in the company’s 49-year history. Additionally, Amtrak is investing billions in capital assets and is undertaking the largest fleet renewal in company history, with new high-speed Acela trains entering service on the Northeast Corridor next year.

“Amtrak’s future is incredibly bright and I’m excited to join the team,” said Flynn. “Amtrak service is vital to millions of Americans across the nation and by improving the customer experience, driving safety, and strengthening our partnership with states and other stakeholders, we can do much more for the American people. Tony, Richard and Amtrak’s dedicated employees have done an amazing job modernizing the company for the 21^st Century. It’s a privilege to join them in continuing this work and advancing something as important as Amtrak’s mission.”

“I congratulate the Board on selecting Bill to lead Amtrak into its 50th year and beyond,” said Anderson. “Bill brings deep expertise across all aspects of transportation and a true passion for the customer. As the company refleets our equipment, expands our services and advances key infrastructure projects like the Gateway Program, it will require the steady leadership and relentless drive for improvement that I know Bill can provide.”

Canadian National Starts Calling Back Employees Laid Off During Rail Blockade

March 1, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

MONTREAL, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Canadian National Railway Co has started calling back many of the 450 workers it laid off earlier this month in eastern Canada, when blockades crippled operations on strategic rail lines, according to a company email sent to customers on Friday.

Earlier this week, police made 10 arrests and cleared a blockade in eastern Canada that had been stopping freight and passenger traffic for almost three weeks on one of Canada’s busiest lines.

The blockades were held in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people in the Pacific province of British Columbia, who are seeking to stop TC Energy Corp from building a gas pipeline over their land.

“In the absence of illegal blockades on our network over the last 24 hours, and while we are keeping a close watch for any further disruptions, we have started calling back many of the temporarily laid off employees based in Eastern Canada,” CN chief executive Jean-Jacques Ruest said in the email seen by Reuters.

The email did not specify how many of the 450 workers were being called back.

After 21 days of disruptions, “there is a significant backlog of trains parked on our tracks and in our yards that will be processed,” the email said.

“The complete network recovery process will take several weeks.”

Montreal-based CN said the company was on its way to recovering in Western Canada, and said products like export grain, imported containerized goods, coal, potash and other commodities are moving to market.

Canada relies on CN and rival Canadian Pacific Railway to move crops, oil, potash, coal and manufactured goods to ports and the United States. About half of Canada’s exports move by rail, according to industry data.

(Reporting By Allison Lampert; editing by Grant McCool)

Amtrak Announces Updated Fares for Increased Savings

February 24, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

On March 1, 2020, Amtrak is launching a series of updates to provide customers more options for savings. Amtrak is offering deeply discounted tickets and reduced fares. Keep an eye out for a variety of new, ultra-low Saver Fares in cities including Orlando, Tampa and South Florida —making travel a breeze in the Sunshine State. Discounted Coach fares start at just $9 – a savings of up to 50% off the base fare. Look for more of these offers on March 2!

To make these lowered fares feasible, Amtrak is implementing a few more restrictions on tickets. In an effort to better fit each customer’s need, Amtrak is revising the following:

Saver Fares: Our most discounted fares offered with the most restrictions – including no changes, upgrades or cancelations 24 hours after purchase.
Value Fares: Our standard fare offered with some restrictions – a fee may apply for cancelations or changes made within 14 days of departure.*
Flexible Fares: Our fare with the most flexibility built-in – including the ability to make no-fee changes and receive a full refund up to the moment of departure.

All fares include an array of amenities that come with Amtrak – including downtown-to-downtown service, no middle seat, ample legroom, the ability to earn Amtrak Guest Rewards points and one of the most generous baggage policies in travel. The change fee will not be applied to multiride, Rail Pass, pass riders, group reservations, sleeping accommodations, Acela First Class/non-Acela Business class, Flexible Fares, Unreserved Coach, corporate, Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Executive members, government fare plans and the first change to a reservation made prior to March 1, 2020.

*The change fee will not apply to Value fares if the customer is adding to an existing reservation (booked prior to March 1) or upgrading on the same train and day as the original reservation.

Acquisition of Bombardier Transportation: Accelerating Alstom’s Strategic Roadmap

February 17, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

A step-change acquisition to address the ever-increasing demand for sustainable mobility
Excellent strategic rationale bringing to Alstom:
– Strong commercial and product complementarities
– Strengthened product lines and strategic industrial capacity
– Leading portfolio offering and R&D capabilities
Acquisition price from €5.8bn to €6.2bn
CDPQ to become the largest shareholder of Alstom with c.18% of the capital

Alstom announces today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bombardier Inc. and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (“CDPQ”) in view of the acquisition of Bombardier Transportation. Post-transaction, Alstom will have a backlog of around €75bn and revenues around €15.5bn. The price for the acquisition of 100% of Bombardier Transportation shares will be €5.8bn to €6.2bn which will be paid via a mix of cash and new Alstom shares. CDPQ will reinvest c.€2bn corresponding to 100% of cash proceeds to be received from the sale of its stake in Bombardier Transportation and further invest €0.7bn in Alstom, outlining its strong belief in the strategic rationale and value creation potential of the combination.

“I’m very proud to announce the acquisition of Bombardier Transportation, which is a unique opportunity to strengthen our global position on the booming mobility market. This acquisition will improve our global reach and our ability to respond to the ever-increasing need for sustainable mobility. Bombardier Transportation will bring to Alstom complementary geographical presence and industrial footprint in growing markets, as well as additional technological platforms. It will significantly increase our innovation capabilities to lead smart and green innovation. We will be thrilled to welcome all the talent and energy of Bombardier Transportation employees. We are deeply committed to step up the turnaround of Bombardier Transportation activities and deliver significant value to all stakeholders, particularly our customers. We will also further develop Bombardier Transportation’s historical presence in Québec, drawing on Québec’s well-established strengths in innovation and sustainable mobility. We are pleased to welcome CDPQ as a new long-term shareholder. CDPQ is fully supportive of the transaction and Alstom’s strategy.” said Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Chairman and CEO of Alstom.

A step-change acquisition

Alstom and Bombardier operate in a very positive market environment with passenger traffic expected to grow between 3% to 5% annually over the 2015-2025 period and global rail OEM market expected to achieve a +3.0% CAGR between 2021-2023. The dynamic is driven by urbanisation trend and a strong push for decarbonation of mobility. In Europe, the European Commission has set very ambitious targets in terms of CO2 reduction and several countries have announced large investments in rail.

Alstom is a preeminent rail equipment player with an industry-record backlog of €40bn and €8.1bn of annual sales as of 31-Mar-2019. Over the period 2016-2019, Alstom delivered strong sales development with an average annual growth of 5.5% outperforming the market, and significantly improved profitability (up to 7.5% adjusted EBIT margin).

Bombardier Transportation is a reference player in global rail transportation with a €32bn backlog and €7.4bn sales as of December 2019. With a track record of market leadership and a strong expertise, Bombardier Transportation offers a broad product portfolio across all market segments and has a well-balanced industrial footprint between best-cost and high-tech countries.

Click the link for the full press release! https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2020/2/acquisition-bombardier-transportation-accelerating-alstoms-strategic

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