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Siemens Mobility Receives First Order for Vectron Dual Mode Locomotives

  • Railsystems RP GmbH orders two locomotives from Siemens Mobility
  • Sustainable concept: a combined diesel and electric locomotive
  • Delivery at the end of 2020

Railsystems RP GmbH has ordered two Vectron Dual Mode locomotives from Siemens Mobility, marking the first order for the new locomotive that can be operated either as a diesel or electric unit. Siemens Mobility first presented the concept at the InnoTrans 2018.

“With the Vectron Dual Mode, Railsystems RP GmbH is getting a locomotive that combines the best of two worlds: On electrified routes, the Vectron Dual Mode is powered by electricity to save fuel and reduce maintenance costs. On rail routes without overhead wires, the Vectron can shift to diesel operation without the operator having to change locomotives,” said Sabrina Soussan, CEO of Siemens Mobility.

The Vectron Dual Mode enables operators to increase value sustainably over their entire lifecycle. The locomotive can also operate through gaps in the electrified sections, eliminating the need to change locomotives. At the same time, conurbations and major cities, where there is often an electrified rail network, are spared emissions. The Vectron Dual Mode is specifically designed for freight service in Germany and is based on proven Vectron components. It operates on a 1,435 mm track gauge and weighs 90 tons. The locomotive is designed for the 15-kV-AC voltage system and is equipped with the PZB train control system. Regardless of whether it operates on electricity or diesel, traction power at the wheel rim is 2,000 kW. The locomotive’s diesel tank has a capacity of 2,600 liters. The Vectron Dual Mode has a top speed of 160 km/h. 

First Order for Vectron Dual Mode

Bane NOR and Siemens Mobility Celebrate Milestone in Digitalization of Norway’s Rail Network

  • Campus Nyland test, training and signaling simulation center opens
  • European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) latest in intelligent infrastructure
  • Nordlandsbanen will open first digital signaling railway in October 2022

Bane NOR and Siemens Mobility celebrated the opening of Campus Nyland, a test, training and signaling simulation center which will help the rail network operator prepare for the digitalization of the entire system. Norway has committed to becoming the first country to operate with a single digital interlocking and ERTMS signifies one of the country’s largest digitalization projects. In 2022, the first digital line, Nordlandsbanen, will open. In advance, the Campus Nyland center will prepare workers for working within the digital system, ERTMS. The intelligent infrastructure behind ERTMS will reduce operating costs and increase capacity throughout the network. In addition, it will enhance safety, with real-time visibility of trains across the network. When complete in 2034, the system will include 4,200 km of track and more than 350 stations.

“Siemens Mobility is the main supplier to the Norwegian ERTMS program with their infrastructure, including interlockings and radio block centres (RBC). The Siemens Mobility solution is leading edge based upon an IP based architecture. With a strong technical roadmap and a proven ability to deliver, Siemens Mobility is the ideal partner for Bane NOR in this challenging program. We are thrilled to work together with Siemens Mobility to develop the digital rail,” said Sverre Kjenne, Executive Vice President Digitalisation and Technology, Bane NOR.

“Norway is on track to become the first country to operate in the “one country, one interlocking” architecture making it at the forefront of digitalization. Our intelligent infrastructure will ensure that the system operates efficiently. The digital interlocking, with IP controlled field components, and ERTMS are the backbone to greatly improving operations and maintenance. This architecture also opens the door for future developments such as implementing driverless technologies, moving the interlocking to the cloud, which would make proprietary hardware and spare parts a relic of the past, and would make data instantaneously available to transportation operators,” stated Michael Peter, Siemens Mobility CEO. “Campus Nyland is an important milestone in turning this vision into reality.”

Campus Nyland will be an industry center for digital education and will house more than 5,000 employees, who will learn the necessary digital skills needed to ensure ERTMS is successful when it goes operational. These will include individuals from Bane NOR, train companies, maintenance companies and contractors. Bane NOR will facilitate simulator training as well as physical training facilities. New technology, such as virtual reality, will be used to communicate how the tracks are built with ERTMS, as well as the design of trains and traffic control centers. More than 150 different scenarios are available for training within the highly digital training hub.

In the spring of 2020, the Roa – Hønefoss ERTMS test line opens. The new signaling technology will be monitored and tested from Campus Nyland.

The next important milestone in turning ERTMS into a reality will be the digitalization of the first Norwegian rail line. In October 2022, Nordlandsbanen, which operates from Grong to Bodø, and represents about 12 percent of the Norwegian railway will go operational.

Alstom to Test its Hydrogen Fuel Cell Train in the Netherlands

First pilot project with Coradia iLint outside Germany

31 October 2019 – Alstom and the Province of Groningen, local operator Arriva, the Dutch railway infrastructure manager ProRail and the energy company Engie have signed plans for a pilot project to test the Coradia iLint, the world’s first passenger train powered by hydrogen fuel cells, for the first time in the Netherlands. The signature took place as part of the “Klimaattop”, or Climate Summit Northern Netherlands, taking place this week in Groningen.

The tests will be carried out on the track between Groningen and Leeuwarden at up to 140 km/h and will last about two weeks. The ambition is to organise the test during the first quarter of 2020. The objective is to demonstrate that hydrogen fuel cell technology is an appropriate way to achieve zero-emission rail traffic on non-electrified lines in the Netherlands where there are currently diesel trains running.

“Alstom is committed to developing and implementing mobility solutions that permit not only the emergence of fully sustainable transport systems but also help drive the broader energy transition. We look forward to demonstrating what has already been proven in Germany – that hydrogen represents a highly suitable way forward in both cases,” said Bernard Belvaux, Managing Director of Alstom Benelux.

The Coradia iLint is the world’s first passenger train powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, which produces electrical power for traction. The train is quiet and emission-free, emitting only water and steam during operation. It represents a clean alternative for railway operators and regional authorities wishing to replace diesel fleets for operation on non-electrified lines and meet ambitious zero-emission objectives. 

The world’s first two hydrogen trains have already been in regular passenger service in Lower Saxony in Germany since September 2018. The local transport authority LNVG will operate 14 Coradia iLint trains on that line from 2021. Also in Germany, RMV this ordered 27 Coradia iLint – the largest fleet of hydrogen trains in the world – for operation from 2022. 

The Dutch railway network has approximatively 1,000 kilometres of non-electrified line.

Bombardier Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Germany’s First Automatic People Mover System

  • INNOVIA APM vehicles carry twelve million passengers annually at Frankfurt am Main Airport – with almost 100 percent reliability
  • The system’s 25-year anniversary corresponds with Fraport’s opening of Terminal 2
Bombardier’s Frankfurt team celebrating the 25th anniversary of successfully operating and maintaining the INNOVIA APM fleet at Frankfurt Airport.

Today, global mobility solution provider Bombardier Transportation celebrates 25 years of fully automatic BOMBARDIER INNOVIA APM 100 people mover system’s operation at Frankfurt am Main Airport. The system and Fraport’s Terminal 2 opened on the same day 25 years ago. Since 1994, Germany’s first elevated passenger transport system called the SkyLine, has connected Terminals 1 and 2. With an average reliability of 99.83 percent, twelve million passengers and guests per year safely and comfortably arrive at their destinations in the terminals – around the clock.

“We’d like to congratulate our customer on this quarter century anniversary. We have a very successful and long-standing partnership with Fraport, which marks our joint success in moving millions of travelers between terminals at the Frankfurt Airport,” said Michael Fohrer, Head of Bombardier Transportation Germany.

“Fraport benefits from a high-performing turnkey transit system, which was not only manufactured by Bombardier, but also operated and maintained. I am grateful to all our committed and competent employees, without them this milestone would not have been possible,” emphasized Alexander Ketterl, Head of Sales and Delivery German cities at Bombardier Transportation.

Volker Maul, Head of the Bombardier team at Frankfurt Airport, can look back on the people mover system’s 25 years of service. “The excellent cooperation within our team and with our customer built the foundation for the system’s near 100 percent reliability. Bombardier’s operations and maintenance program is carefully designed to optimize system performance and ensure potential problems are identified and resolved before the service’s efficiency is compromised,” he explained.

Fraport’s fleet of 18 INNOVIA vehicles transport around thirty-five thousand passengers daily, on the 3.8 km route between departure terminals. During peak times, the trains depart every 90 seconds with each wagon carrying up to 60 passengers and their luggage.

In 1994, Fraport was the first German customer to invest in Bombardier’s driverless system, installed with the proven BOMBARDIER CITYFLO 550 signaling system. CITYFLO delivers the highest levels of safety while meeting customer demand for flexible, high-performance and cost-effective solutions. More than 30 Bombardier people mover systems are in successful operation worldwide, including urban areas such as Guangzhou and airports in London, Rome, Madrid, Phoenix, Dubai and Tampa among other cities.

Alstom to Supply 39 Additional Coradia Polyvalent Trains to the Grand Est Region

  • contract worth over 360 million euros in France

22 October 2019 – Alstom will supply 39 additional Coradia Polyvalent trains to the Grand Est region for the sum of approximately 360 million euros[1]. The region had already ordered 40 Coradia Polyvalent trains, of which 36 have already been delivered. Deliveries of these new trains will be staggered between 2022 and 2024.

Firstly, this new order covers 30 trains intended for cross-border circulation in Germany. These 4-car trains, which are dual mode – dual voltage 25 kV / 15 kV and comply with German safety requirements, will run at 160 km/h, serving the German states of Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg. The 30 Coradia Polyvalent cross-border trains will offer a first-class zone and an area for bicycles, and will incorporate the new TSI PRM[2] 2014 standard, notably offering more spacious toilets to facilitate movement for passengers with reduced mobility. The first cross-border trains will be delivered at the end of 2023.

Secondly, nine additional Coradia Polyvalent trains, consisting of five 4-car and four 6-car trains, have been added to the existing fleet for domestic connections. These new trains will benefit from the same special features as those already in operation in the Grand Est region. 

“Alstom is proud of this new sign of trust from the Grand Est region. The expertise and innovation capacities of our French teams are mobilised to support the region in developing cross-border mobility. This order also contributes to the activity of Alstom’s Reichshoffen site,” says Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, President of Alstom in France.

Coradia Polyvalent belongs to Alstom’s Coradia range of trains. With its modular architecture, it can be adapted to the requirements of each public transport authority as well as to different types of use: suburban, regional and intercity. It comes in three lengths (56, 72 or 110 metres) and offers optimal comfort to passengers, whatever the length of the journey. The train is both ecological and economical due to its low energy consumption, its compliance with the latest emissions standards in thermal mode and its reduced maintenance costs. Coradia Polyvalent is the first French regional train to comply with all European standards, in particular with regard to access for people with reduced mobility.

To date, 387 Coradia Polyvalent trains have been ordered as part of the contract awarded to Alstom by SNCF in October 2009, including 320 Coradia Polyvalent for Régiolis by 9 French regions and 67 Coradia Liner by the French state, the authority responsible for the country’s TET (intercity) trains. Régiolis has already covered nearly 85 million kilometres in commercial service.

The Coradia Polyvalent train also meets the needs of the export market: 17 trains have been ordered by SNTF (Algeria) and 15 trains by APIX (Senegal). 

This is Coradia Polyvalent’s second cross-border application as the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has ordered 17 Léman Express Coradia Polyvalent trains, to be commissioned on the CEVA cross-border line between France and Switzerland in mid-December 2019.

The manufacturing of Coradia Polyvalent secures more than 4,000 jobs in France for Alstom and its suppliers. Six of Alstom’s 12 sites in France are involved in the project: Reichshoffen for the design and assembly, Ornans for the engines, Le Creusot for the bogies, Tarbes for the traction chains, Villeurbanne for the on-board electronics and signalling products, and Saint-Ouen for the design.

[1] Booked in the second quarter of the current fiscal year

[2] Technical Specifications for Interoperability relating to Persons with Reduced Mobility

Alstom Presents First Aptis Serial Vehicle at Busworld 2019

14 October 2019 – Alstom will present the first serial vehicle of its Aptis electric bus at Busworld 2019, being held in Brussels from 17 to 23 October. After the four prototypes that have been on the roads of many French and European cities for the past two years, this new design incorporates feedback from passengers and transport operators.

This first serial vehicle is based on an optimised global architecture requiring fewer spare parts references and considerably facilitating maintenance operations. Thanks to a wheel steering angle of more than 40°, its ease of insertion increases significantly. The 15% reduction in the total weight of the vehicle, combined with the use of new, more efficient and state of the art batteries, substantially increases range. Aptis now accommodates more passengers while still offering them more fluidity thanks to large sliding doors. 

In addition to the technical improvements, Aptis can also boast significant improvements to passenger comfort. A new air-conditioning system that (fully electrical heat-pump) maximises thermal comfort and the panoramic rear lounge has been enhanced to give a feeling of increased space. The new hydraulic suspension allows superior comfort and sound insulation, making Aptis one of the quietest and most innovative buses on the market. 

Alstom and its teams are very proud to be presenting the first series version of Aptis. This concentration of innovations perfectly represents what we always envisaged the production version of the 100% electric mobility solution would be. This clean, green bus, with its elegant design and optimised technical performance, will offer a new experience to passengers and drivers while meeting the new mobility challenges of urban areas,” underlines Benjamin Bailly, head of Alstom’s electric bus platform.

Aptis has already been chosen by Paris in the context of Europe’s largest call for tender for electric buses, as well as by the cities of Strasbourg, Grenoble, La Rochelle and Toulon. Upcoming milestones include ongoing tests in Spain with the ground-based recharge solution SRS and the training of hundreds of drivers in a new driving experience ahead of the first traffic releases, scheduled for the end of the year in Strasbourg. 

Manufacturing and testing of Aptis will be carried out at Alstom’s two sites in Alsace. The Hangenbieten site oversees manufacturing of the end modules (driver’s cab and rear lounge). Manufacturing of the central passenger module, final assembly and tests will be carried out at the Reichshoffen site. This scheme will allow serial production from the end of 2019 onwards. Five other Alstom sites in France contribute to the design and manufacture of Aptis: Saint-Ouen for system integration, Tarbes for traction, Ornans for engines, Villeurbanne for electronic components of the traction chain. 

In order to complete Alstom’s vison of road electromobility, exhibited alongside Aptis at Busworld will also be SRS, a completely safe, ground-level, conductive, static recharge system allowing the charging of buses along their route or within depots. As a ground-based solution, it eliminates the need for overhead infrastructure in cities, preserving the aesthetics of the urban landscape. In depots, SRS avoids the infrastructure costs associated with overhead charging systems. SRS for e-buses is based on Alstom’s SRS static recharge technology for trams, a proven solution already in operation in Nice, France. It is developed at Alstom’s Vitrolles site.

Porsche and Boeing Partner on Premium Urban Air Mobility Market

– Companies sign MOU to investigate product development for premium market

– Builds on efforts to develop new urban air mobility ecosystem

STUTTGART, Germany and CHICAGO, Oct. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Porsche and Boeing [NYSE: BA] signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the premium urban air mobility market and the extension of urban traffic into airspace. With this partnership, both companies will leverage their unique market strengths and insights to study the future of premium personal urban air mobility vehicles.

“Porsche is looking to enhance its scope as a sports car manufacturer by becoming a leading brand for premium mobility. In the longer term, this could mean moving into the third dimension of travel,” says Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. “We are combining the strengths of two leading global companies to address a potential key market segment of the future.”

As part of the partnership, the companies will create an international team to address various aspects of urban air mobility, including analysis of the market potential for premium vehicles and possible use cases.

Boeing, Porsche and Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences are also developing a concept for a fully electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle. Engineers from both companies, as well as Porsche subsidiaries Porsche Engineering Services GmbH and Studio F.A. Porsche, will implement and test a prototype.

“This collaboration builds on our efforts to develop a safe and efficient new mobility ecosystem, and provides an opportunity to investigate the development of a premium urban air mobility vehicle with a leading automotive brand,” said Steve Nordlund, Vice President and General Manager of Boeing NeXt, an organization that is laying the foundation for a next-generation mobility ecosystem in which autonomous and piloted vehicles can safely coexist. “Porsche and Boeing together bring precision engineering, style and innovation to accelerate urban air mobility worldwide.”

A 2018 study by Porsche Consulting forecasts that the urban air mobility market will pick up speed after 2025. The study also indicates that urban air mobility solutions will transport passengers more quickly and efficiently than current conventional means of terrestrial transport, at a lower cost and with greater flexibility.

Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. As the top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries. Boeing employs more than 150,000 people worldwide and leverages the talents of a global supplier base. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth.

Boeing Invests in Human Spaceflight Pioneer Virgin Galactic

– Boeing and Virgin Galactic enter strategic partnership to transform commercial space travel and mobility

– Latest investment to date by Boeing HorizonX Ventures organization

Boeing [NYSE: BA] is investing $20 million in Virgin Galactic, a vertically integrated human spaceflight company. The companies will work together to broaden commercial space access and transform global travel technologies. 

“Boeing’s strategic investment facilitates our effort to drive the commercialization of space and broaden consumer access to safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible new forms of transportation,” said Brian Schettler, senior managing director of Boeing HorizonX Ventures. “Our work with Virgin Galactic, and others, will help unlock the future of space travel and high-speed mobility.” 

To date, Virgin Galactic has invested $1 billion of capital to build reusable human spaceflight systems designed to enable significantly more people to experience and utilize space. In July, the company announced its intent to become a publicly-listed entity via a business combination with Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp. The Boeing investment will be in return for new shares in Virgin Galactic and is therefore contingent on the closing of that transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019, and any such investment will be in the post-business combination company. 

This investment brings together two companies with extensive experience in the space industry. Virgin Galactic is a pioneer of commercial human space flight and is the first and only company to have put humans into space in a vehicle built for commercial service, having built and flown a Mach 3 passenger vehicle. Through its manufacturing and development capabilities, Virgin Galactic can design, build, test, and operate a fleet of advanced aerospace vehicles. Boeing has unsurpassed experience transporting people to orbit and building and operating large structures in that challenging environment. A part of every U.S. manned space program, Boeing serves as NASA’s prime contractor for the International Space Station (ISS) and is preparing the new, reusable, Starliner space capsule for launch to the ISS. 

“This is the beginning of an important collaboration for the future of air and space travel, which are the natural next steps for our human spaceflight program,” said Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic. “Virgin Galactic and Boeing share a vision of opening access to the world and space, to more people, in safe and environmentally responsible ways.” 

Boeing Defense, Space & Security President and CEO Leanne Caret, said “the unique expertise of our companies stretches from points all around the world to the deepest reaches of space. Together we will change how people travel on Earth, and among the stars, for generations to come.” 

George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic, noted: “we are excited to partner with Boeing to develop something that can truly change how people move around the planet and connect with one another. As a Virgin company, our focus will be on a safe and unparalleled customer experience, with environmental responsibility to the fore.” 

Additional information on specific projects to be pursued will be shared in the future.

Jaguar Land Rover to Build Electric Cars at UK Plant

LONDON (Reuters) – Jaguar Land Rover (TAMO.NS) is making a multi-million pound investment to build electric vehicles in Britain, in a major boost for the UK government and a sector hit by the slump in diesel sales and Brexit uncertainty.

Britain’s biggest car company, which built 30 percent of the UK’s 1.5 million cars last year, will make a range of electrified vehicles at its Castle Bromwich plant in central England, beginning with its luxury sedan, the XJ.

“The future of mobility is electric and, as a visionary British company, we are committed to making our next generation of zero-emission vehicles in the UK,” Chief Executive Ralf Speth said on Friday.

The announcement gives a boost to Britain’s automotive sector hit this year by Honda and Ford’s (F.N) plans to close factories.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has highlighted the dangers of a no-deal Brexit and the need to maintain frictionless trade with the European Union, echoing warnings from the industry that just-in-time production could be hit by customs delays and additional bureaucracy.

But it has signed a deal with workers at the Castle Bromwich factory to go from a five-day to a four-day working week with the same amount of hours which should allow the plant to operate more efficiently.

Three of JLR’s four European car plants are in Britain, giving it limited capacity elsewhere on the continent.

The other, in Slovakia, only opened last year and is still being ramped up with other models allocated there.

“We are making this investment because the ongoing Brexit uncertainty has left us with no choice, we had to act, for our employees and our business,” JLR said.

“We are committed to the UK as our home and will fight to stay here but we need the right deal.”

Both candidates to replace Prime Minister Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, have both said they are prepared to take Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31 without a deal, although it is not their preferred option.

Brexiteers have argued that the EU’s biggest economy Germany, which exports hundreds of thousands of cars to Britain ever year, would do its utmost to protect that trade

Friday’s announcement comes after a turbulent few months for Jaguar which announced around 4,500 job cuts earlier in January and posted a 3.66 billion pound ($4.5 billion) loss in 2018/19.

The carmaker is undergoing a turnaround designed to offer an electrified option to all of its new models from 2020 as it seeks to move away from its reliance on diesel vehicles which are being increasingly shunned by buyers.

Jaguar also called on the government to bring giga-scale battery production to the country so that Britain is not left behind in the rush to produce low and zero-emissions vehicles and technology.

Britain’s business minister Greg Clark said the government was doing all it can to meet that goal.

“We are determined to realize that ambition,” he said.

($1 = 0.7952 pounds)

Reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by Michael Holden and Jane Merriman

FILE PHOTO – A car hangs on the wall of Jaguar’s Castle Bromwich manufacturing facility in Birmingham, Britain, November 17, 2016. REUTERS/Darren Staples

Alstom to Supply 32 Additional DT5 Metros for Hamburg

28 June 2019 – Alstom, in consortium with Bombardier Transportation, will supply 32 further DT5 metro trains to Hamburger Hochbahn AG (Hochbahn) for a total amount of 186 million euros. Alstom’s share of the contract amounts to over 100 million euros. As part of this contract, Alstom will supply the mechanical part, the bogies and the mechanical braking system, while Bombardier will supply the electrical equipment, the driving system, the passenger information system and the vehicle control system. The trains will be assembled at Alstom’s site in Salzgitter, Lower Saxony. The new trains are to be put into service from January 2021 onwards.

“For many years now, our vehicles have been shaping mobility in Hamburg. This order confirms that customers and passengers are satisfied with our vehicles and will continue to rely on the DT5 trains in the future. With this order we will have delivered a total of 163 vehicles to Hamburg. This is a proof of our long-standing, trusting and sustainable cooperation with Hochbahn”, says Dr. Jörg Nikutta, Managing Director for Alstom in Germany and Austria.

The DT5 metro fleet has been in operation in Hamburg since autumn 2012. The Hochbahn has now ordered a total of 163 metro trains of this generation in order to cope with the increasing number of passengers in the city. In the past, Alstom had already delivered the DT2, DT3 and DT4 fleets – a total of 462 trains – to the Hamburg subway system.

Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and the eighth largest city in the European Union. In order to meet the needs of such a large urban population, the DT5 was designed as a modern, spacious subway with wide corridors, a continuous interior and multi-purpose areas adapted to new passenger needs. Each of the 40 meter long three-car trains has 96 seats, 240 standing spaces and two additional wheelchair spaces. The DT5 also offers high passenger comfort, such as air conditioning, passenger information and monitoring systems as well as automatic door closing.

The DT5 subways are environmentally friendly. Their lightweight stainless steel car bodies and regenerative braking system contribute to improving energy efficiency. The vehicles are very quiet, which makes the Hamburg subway one of the quietest in the world.

As part of the Hamburg Senate’s bidding offensive, Hochbahn is expanding its range of services by an average of around five percent per year over the next three years. The new services include significantly tighter metro intervals and a massive expansion of the bus service with new express and area buses. The latest subway generation (DT5) is now to be increased by 32 vehicles and up to 163 vehicles at a later stage.

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