Tag: Bulgaria

Alstom to Provide Digital Train Control, Traffic Management and Electrification Infrastructure for the Rhine-Danube Rail Corridor

September 27, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

– Alstom project value: 70 million EUR

– Travel time reduced to one hour on Sighisoara-Brasov section thanks to modernised infrastructure

– Alstom working on 75% of the 450 km currently in rehabilitation on the Romanian section of the European rail corridor

Alstom will provide digital train control, traffic management and electrification infrastructure as part of the rehabilitation and modernisation of Lot 2 (Apata-Cata) on the Sighisoara-Brasov section of the European Rhine-Danube rail corridor in Romania. Alstom’s share of the contract amounts to approximately €70 million. The Asocierea RailWorks consortium, of which Alstom is part, has signed the contract, with the project execution expected to last four years.

This project completes the previous one for Lots 1 and 3 of the same section, which was awarded to Asocierea RailWorks in March 2020. In total, Alstom will provide signalling and electrification works on the double line covering the railway distance of 128 kilometres – totalling more than 250 kilometres of modernized railway infrastructure – between Sighisoara and Brasov, two important touristic destinations in Romania.

The new project, totalling 28 kilometres of double railway line, includes the optimisation of the existing route by building tunnels to reduce travel time, as well as the modernisation of most of the old line, for passenger trains operating at up to 160 km/h. Alstom is directly responsible for the traffic management system, digital interlocking and ERTMS Level 2 deployment (ETCS Level 2 + GSM-R telecommunications system), passenger information systems as well as catenary upgrades and electric traction substations.

The most complex part in this project is the construction of two double tunnels (four tunnels in total, two per each direction) totalling almost 13 kilometres of double lines. In these tunnels, Alstom is responsible for an electro-ventilation system to compensate the lack of natural ventilation, along with a fire-proof system to ensure full traffic safety.

As with Lots 1 and 3 of the Sighisoara-Brasov section, for the upgrade of the catenary systems, Alstom will supply its OCS3 catenary solution for main lines.

Trains have been running between Brașov and Sighișoara since 1873. After completed rehabilitation, the train journey should take under one hour for the fastest trains, compared to 160 to 250 minutes at present.

Alstom has been active in ongoing rehabilitation works on the Romanian part of the Rhine-Danube Corridor since 2012 and now has five ongoing and two completed signalling and infrastructure projects on this section, covering over 75% of the distance of the 450 km currently in rehabilitation on the Romanian section of the European corridor.

The pan-European Rhine-Danube Corridor links the cities of Nuremberg-Prague-Vienna-Budapest-Curtici-Simeria-Brasov-Bucharest-Constanta. Through the rehabilitation programmes currently in implementation on the sections located on the Northern branch of the Romanian part of this Corridor, the traffic speed will increase to 160 km/h for passenger trains and to 120 km/h for freight trains.

Alstom is a global pioneer in the development and implementation of on-board digital train control equipment. ATLAS 200 is the Alstom’s ERTMS level 2 solution allowing trains to increase speed in perfectly safe conditions.

Thomas Cook Collapse Prompts International Response

September 25, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

(Reuters) – The collapse of British travel operator Thomas Cook left hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers abroad and forced governments and insurers to coordinate a huge operation to get them home.

FILE PHOTO: Passengers are silhouetted in front of a closed service counter of travel agent Thomas Cook and airline Condor at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, September 24, 2019. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

The company ran hotels, resorts and airlines ferrying 19 million people a year to 16 different countries.

Here is a summary of the impact of the collapse in different countries and efforts to salvage parts of the group:

GERMANY

Thomas Cook’s German tour business filed for insolvency on Wednesday in a move aimed at separating its brands and operations from its failed parent, and it said it was in talks with potential new investors.

The German government said it was considering an application for a bridging loan from Thomas Cook Germany, a day after it said it would guarantee a 380 million euro ($418 million) bridging loan for Condor, the British group’s German airline.

The company is in contact with the German foreign ministry, insurers and other partners to get customers home. Zurich Insurance, which provided insolvency cover to Thomas Cook Germany, will cover the costs for those on holiday.

About 97,000 holidaymakers were still stranded on Thursday.

AUSTRIA

Thomas Cook Austria, which belongs to the German unit, also filed for insolvency on Wednesday, with the aim of continuing in business.

THE NETHERLANDS

The Dutch unit of Thomas Cook canceled all travel booked through Thomas Cook Netherlands and subsidiary Neckermann.

A Dutch court on Wednesday granted Thomas Cook Nederland B.V., a Netherlands-based subsidiary, protection from creditors. It employed roughly 200 staff.

POLAND

Thomas Cook’s Polish unit, Neckermann Polska, said on Wednesday that it has filed for insolvency. Poland regional authorities says around 3,600 customers of Neckermann Polska are still abroad.

BELGIUM

Thomas Cook’s Belgian unit ceased carrying passengers on Tuesday and liquidated two businesses, seeking protection from creditors and ultimately a buyer for Thomas Cook Retail Belgium.

It still has some 13,400 customers on holidays abroad.

NORDICS

Several planes operated by Thomas Cook Scandinavian Airlines have not been able to take off because their leasing contracts remained with the British parent, Danish subsidiary Spies said.

It was not immediately clear how the situation would be resolved.

Thomas Cook’s Nordic business said on Monday it would continue to operate as it is a separate legal entity from its London-listed parent and added that it was looking for new owners.

The Nordic business consists of two legal entities, Thomas Cook Northern Europe and Thomas Cook Scandinavian Airlines, and is also known as Ving Group.

The business operates under several brands: Ving in Norway, Spies in Denmark, Tjäreborg in Finland, as well as Ving and Globetrotter in Sweden.

BRITAIN

Emergency flights had brought 14,700 people back to the United Kingdom on 64 flights on Monday, and around 135,300 more were expected to be returned over the next 13 days, Britain’s aviation regulator said.

More than 70 flights were scheduled to operate on Wednesday to bring back 16,500 people.

MEXICO

The collapse of British travel firm Thomas Cook will not have a “significant impact” on Mexico’s tourist industry as it only represents about 0.4% of the sector’s foreign income, the Mexican tourism ministry said on Tuesday.

BULGARIA

Thomas Cook’s collapse poses a serious challenge to Bulgarian tourism, with dozens of Black Sea hotels facing losses totaling tens of millions of dollars as negotiations for the next summer season take place, its tourism minister said on Tuesday.

TUNISIA

Tunisian tourism minister Rene Trabelsi told Reuters that 4,500 Thomas Cook customers are still on holiday in Tunisia.

The British government repatriated about 1,200 tourists via planes sent to Tunisa’s Enfidha airport, and another 4,000 still in Tunisia will return after their holidays.

FRANCE

The French arm of the business said on Tuesday it was asking the French commercial court of Nanterre for creditor protection

Thomas Cook France will hold a meeting of its works council on Thursday about a plan to declare insolvency and to start a recovery procedure.

French organization Entreprises de Voyage said that about 10,000 French tourists could be affected by the bankruptcy.

SPAIN

The collapse has affected 53,000 Britons in Spain, Spanish Acting Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto told reporters.

The ministry has been in touch with German and Swedish authorities to ensure Thomas Cook subsidiaries continue to operate at least for the winter season, she added.

GREECE

A Greek tourism ministry official told Reuters that about 50,000 tourists were affected.

CYPRUS

Cyprus says 15,000 Thomas Cook customers were stranded on the island.

HUNGARY

Thomas Cook’s Hungarian unit Neckermann Magyarorszag said it was continuing its operations and all passengers would be able to return from abroad as planned.

It said its financial situation was stable and its assets were sufficient guarantee that its passengers would not suffer any financial damage. It said passengers should contact its offices directly about upcoming flights.

RUSSIA

Thomas Cook’s Russian tour operator subsidiary, Intourist, said the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook will have no impact on clients, Executive Director Sergei Tolchin told Interfax.

TURKEY

The Turkish Ministry of Tourism said it will provide support for local companies affected by the Thomas Cook collapse.

The head of the country’s Hotelier Federation said about 45,000 tourists from the UK and elsewhere in Europe are in the country.

MOROCCO

Morocco’s tourism ministry said it had created a crisis unit to handle the fallout from Thomas Cook’s collapse. Thomas Cook operated two flights to Marrakesh a week. No official numbers were given.

EGYPT

Thomas Cook operator Blue Sky Group said that 25,000 reservations in Egypt booked up to April 2020 had been cancelled. Blue Sky currently has 1,600 tourists in Egypt’s Hugharda resort.

INDIA

Thomas Cook India said it had been unaffected as it has been a separate entity since August 2012.

U.S. Arms Makers See Booming European Demand

June 23, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

53rd International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport

PARIS (Reuters) – U.S. arms makers say European demand for fighter jets, missile defenses and other weapons is growing fast amid heightened concerns about Russia and Iran.

The U.S. government sent a group of unusually high-ranking officials including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to the Paris Airshow this year, where nearly 400 U.S. companies were showcasing equipment as the United States and Iran neared open confrontation in the Persian Gulf.

Lockheed Martin, Boeing and other top weapons makers said they had seen accelerating demand for U.S. weapons at the biennial air show despite escalating trade tensions between the United States and Europe.

“Two Paris air shows ago, there weren’t a lot of orders,” said Rick Edwards, who heads Lockheed’s international division. “Now … our fastest growth market for Lockheed Martin in the world is Europe.”

Many European nations have increased military spending since Russia’s annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine in 2014, bolstering missile defenses and upgrading or replacing ageing fighter jet fleets. NATO members agreed in 2014 to move toward spending 2% of gross domestic product on defence.

Eric Fanning, chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Association, said the NATO pledge and European concerns about Russia were fueling demand. “I do think it reflects the increasing provocations of Russia,” he said.

Industry executives and government officials say growing concern about Iran’s missile development program is another key factor. Tehran’s downing of a U.S. drone came late in the air show, but executives said it would support further demand.

“Iran is our best business development partner. Every time they do something like this, it heightens awareness of the threat,” said one senior defence industry executive, who asked not to be named.

Edwards said Lockheed’s F-35 stealth fighter, selected by Belgium, is poised to win another new order from Poland, while Bulgaria, Slovakia and Romania are also working to replace Soviet-era equipment.

Edwards and other executives say they see no impact from the ongoing trade disputes between U.S. President Donald Trump and the European Union.

U.S. Army Lieutenant General Charles Hooper, director of the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), said Europe accounted for nearly a quarter of the $55.7 billion in foreign arms sales his agency handled in fiscal 2018.

Hooper said the U.S. government was making concerted efforts to speed arms sales approvals and boost sales to help arm allies with U.S. weapons.

Ralph Acaba, president of Raytheon Co’s’s Integrated Defense Systems business, said the company was boosting automation and working to deliver the Patriot missile system and other weapons in half the five-year period previously typical.

“Europe is really big for us now, and that’s a big change in just the last few years and even the last 18 months,” he said.

In addition to wooing new Patriot customers, Raytheon is upgrading existing systems for customers like Germany, which is likely to finalize a contract worth potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to the company in coming months.

Thomas Breckenridge, head of international sales for Boeing’s strike, surveillance and mobility programs, is eyeing contracts wins for Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets in Germany, Switzerland and Finland.

“There’s a huge appetite in Europe for defence as a whole,” he said.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Jan Harvey)

Bulgaria Sees F-16 Jet Deal With U.S. at $1.2 Billion

June 4, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Defence Minister says $1.2 bln is a reasonable price
Final talks to start once Bulgaria gets draft contract
Cost will be based on final Bulgarian requirements-U.S. Embassy (Adds defence minister comment, U.S. embassy to Sofia)

SOFIA, June 4 (Reuters) – NATO member Bulgaria expects the United States to offer to sell it eight new F-16 fighter jets for its air force at a discounted price of $1.2 billion, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The U.S. State Department approved the possible sale of eight F-16 aircraft and related equipment at an estimated cost of $1.67 billion, a Pentagon agency said on Monday.

Bulgaria, which is also a member of the European Union, is looking to replace its ageing Soviet-made MiG-29s and improve compliance with NATO standards.

A deal for Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Block 70 would be the Balkan country’s biggest military procurement since the fall of Communist rule some 30 years ago.

The defence ministry said the U.S. approval outlined the upper threshold of the cost and it expected a draft contract from Washington within two weeks.

“There is a two-week timeline in which the U.S. government will present to Bulgaria a draft Letter of Offer and Acceptance in which the expected price for the eight jets with a package of necessary related equipment will be within $1.2 billion,” the ministry said in a statement.

The expected price comes above the initial estimate for the deal at 1.8 billion levs ($1 billion) but the Bulgarian parliament has given the defence ministry a green light to go over that.

Defence Minister Krasimir Karakachanov said that the deviation from the initial budget should not be big.

“About 2 billion levs ($1.2 billion) is the upper threshold of a reasonable price,” he told reporters.

The U.S. Embassy in Sofia said that the Departments of State and Defense allow for a margin in all notifications to the U.S. Congress and that the actual cost will be based on Bulgaria’s final requirements.

Final talks on the deal will start once Sofia receives the draft contract. The cost’s reduction would most likely be achieved by scaling down some of the related equipment, local analysts say.

“At that stage…the Bulgarian government may re-scope and re-define the requirements before arriving at the ultimate cost,” the embassy said in a statement. ($1 = 1.7397 leva)

(Reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova Editing by Keith Weir)