Tag: standards (Page 1 of 2)

Alstom consortium picked to deliver Dominican Republic’s first monorail system

August 28, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

August 28, 2023 – Alstom (OTC: ALSMY), a global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, announces that the Consortium SIF (led by Alstom and including Sofratesa) has been selected by Fideicomiso para el Desarrollo del Sistema de Transporte Masivo (FITRAM) of the Dominican Republic to deliver an integrated Innovia monorail system for the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. When completed, the 13-kilometre, 14-station Santiago de los Caballeros monorail system will be the first of its kind in the country and in the Caribbean. The system is dimensioned to carry up to 20,000 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd) and will provide faster and more efficient connections between the city’s northwest and southeast areas.

Alstom’s scope within the contract includes system integration, testing and commissioning of the full system and the supply of Innovia monorail trains as well as Cityflo 650 GOA4 driverless signalling, Hesop reversible power supply, conductor rail, high-speed interchange switch systems and depot equipment. Alstom’s share of the contract is worth approximately €370 million. This project is carried out with financing from the French government.

Alstom will deliver the 13 four-car automated Innovia Monorail 300 trains, which incorporate the design and operational features required for a high-capacity urban transport system. These features include automatic driverless operation, bi-directional operations, and compliance with international safety requirements and standards. Capitalising on Alstom’s strong leadership with over 30 years’ expertise in communications-based train control (CBTC), Alstom’s Cityflo 650 CBTC solution — the first driverless rail control system in the Dominican Republic— will support the highest grade of automation (GoA4), allowing for high reliability, shorter intervals between trains, flexible and safe operations, and reduced maintenance costs. To further increase the energy efficiency of the system, Alstom will install Hesop reversible power stations, which translates into not only building fewer substations along the alignment but also recovering and reinjecting up to 99% braking energy from the trains back into the network.

Airbus Firms Up Order With CMA CGM Group for Four A350F Freighters

December 20, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Toulouse, France December 20, 2021 – Airbus (OTC: EADSY) has firmed up an order for the purchase of four A350F freighter aircraft with the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics. This order will bring CMA CGM’s total Airbus fleet to nine aircraft, including four A330-200F and one A330-200 to be converted into a freighter.

The A350F is based on the passenger A350 jet. The aircraft features a large main deck cargo door and a fuselage length optimised for cargo operations. Over 70% of the airframe is made of advanced materials resulting in a 30t lighter take-off weight, generating an at least 20% lower fuel burn over its current closest competitor. With a 109t payload capability, the A350F will serve all cargo markets (Express, general cargo, medical, special) and is in the large freighter category the only new generation freighter aircraft ready for the enhanced 2027 ICAO CO₂ emissions standards.

Embraer Eve and Wideroe Zero Work on Innovative Air Mobility Solutions for Scandinavia

November 10, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Glasgow, Scotland, November 10, 2021 – Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) incubator Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions, Inc. (Eve), an Embraer company, and Wideroe Zero signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This partnership aims to develop Urban Air Mobility (UAM) solutions, with a focus on deployment of eVtol operations in Scandinavia.

The relationship between the two organizations began in 2017, when Wideroe signed an order for up to 15 E190-E2. The largest regional airline in Scandinavia is also the launch customer of the new generation E-Jets E2 family, starting the E190-E2 operations in April 2018 in Bergen, Norway.

Now, with the creation of the Air Mobility Business Incubator, Wideroe Zero, the companies will use Eve’s zero-emission and low noise footprint eVTOL vehicle to develop a new concept of operation where passengers will experience the future of electric transportation and a new model of sustainable mobility, connecting people living in a sparsely populated region and challenging geography.

As part of this collaboration, Wideroe Zero will contribute to a market readiness exercise and a vehicle concept of operation study in Scandinavia, furthering Eve’s development of the UAM market in the region.

Alstom’s Prima Electric Locomotive Begins Indian Railways Operation

May 27, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

The first of the 12000-horsepower, Prima T8 electric locomotives has been put into commercial service by Indian Railways. Built by Alstom and certified by the Ministry of Railways and Commissioner of Railway Safety/RDSO, the electric locomotives – known locally by the designation WAG-12 – are the most powerful locomotives to run on Indian rails. The 2015 contract will see a total of 800 locomotives built for Indian Railways.

Set to revolutionise freight logistics in the country, the e-locos will allow faster and safer movement of heavy freight trains, capable of hauling 6000 tonnes at a top speed of 120 km/h. Planned for deployment on Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs), they will increase the average speed of freight trains in India by approximately 25 km/h. Equipped with Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) propulsion technology, the e-locos will also allow considerable savings in energy consumption thanks to the use of regenerative braking.

“Alstom is very pleased to be delivering these electric locomotives to Indian Railways. The introduction of the Prima locomotives into the IR fleet demonstrates our commitment to the country. This revolutionary product which will be faster, safer and more environmentally friendly, and it will help write a new chapter for India’s sustainable mobility journey. We are immensely proud to be a partner in this,” said Ling Fang, Senior Vice President of Alstom Asia-Pacific.

In line with the Make-in-India mandate, all the 800 Prima locomotives are being manufactured locally. Designed at Alstom’s Engineering Centre in Bengaluru, the Prima T8 WAG-12 are being built in one of India’s largest integrated greenfield manufacturing facilities at Madhepura in Bihar. Spread across 250 acres, with a production capacity of 120 locomotives per year, the Madhepura site is built to international standards of safety and quality. Two ultra-modern maintenance depots in Saharanpur and Nagpur will ensure the high service availability of the locomotives. The Saharanpur depot is already operational and the one in Nagpur is under construction. Equipped with the latest features, these depots will play a critical role in maintaining India’s most advanced freight locomotives at significantly lower costs.

As part of the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) project of Indian Railways, in 2015 the Ministry of Railways and Alstom signed a contract worth €3.5 billion (INR 25,000 crore) and created a joint venture for the project. The contract allowed for the manufacture of 800 double-section, 12000-horsepower electric locomotives for freight service and associated maintenance for a period of 11 years. The scope also included the set-up of a manufacturing plant at Madhepura (Bihar) for building the e-locos and two maintenance depots at Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Nagpur (Maharashtra). A true embodiment of India’s vision, the project will create more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs in the country (primarily in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra).

Alstom Barcelona 3D Printing Hub Joins COVID 19 Fight

April 2, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Production and development of new solutions for hospitals

Alstom’s 3D printing hub in Barcelona is coordinating initiatives being implemented at a Group level to contribute to the fight against the COVID 19 global pandemic. Since last week, engineers and developers based in Santa Perpetua site (Barcelona) have been coordinating and implementing different initiatives to produce pieces, supply consumables and design new solutions.

Alstom’s hub is working in coordination with the 3Dcovid19.org network to manufacture visors for face shields and ventilators valves, that are being delivered to different hospitals.

“The aim is to help the healthcare community by manufacturing parts that meet appropriate quality and safety standards,” says Jaume Altesa, responsible for Alstom’s 3D printing hub at Santa Perpètua. “3D printing has gained prominence due to its particular usefulness for creating equipment to protect against COVID-19, as it can be used to manufacture materials currently suffering severe shortages such as face masks, mechanical respirators and even door openers, among others”, he adds.

The CAD design experts at the Santa Perpetua facilities are also innovating in new solutions and developments. They are currently working, for example, on portable personal protectors for door handles and the use of anti-bacterial materials in the masks.

Launched in 2016, Alstom 3D printing hub in Barcelona is one of the components of Smart Operations, Alstom’s ‘Industry of the Future’ programme. Its ambition is to produce 3D-printed parts quickly and at a competitive price for new trains, to meet the customers’ requests for parts, and to facilitate some manufacturing and maintenance operations. At Alstom, 3D printing is used for four applications: tools for our factories, prototypes to validate a design, moulds produced in half the time of classic production methods and series parts with around 70 references in plastic and metal.

FAA Agrees Must Boost Safety Oversight for Southwest Airlines

February 11, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

FILE PHOTO: A traveler checks her baggage at the Southwest Airlines terminal at LAX airport in Los Angeles

(Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration says it should have done a better job of ensuring Southwest Airlines Co <LUV> had certified completion of maintenance on 88 used Boeing 737 jets, as noted in a report by the U.S. Transportation Department’s Inspector General released on Tuesday.

Budget-friendly Southwest bought the planes in question between 2013 and 2017 from 16 foreign carriers.

The final report, first seen by Reuters, said Southwest operated more than 150,000 flights carrying 17.2 million passengers on the jets without confirmation that required maintenance had been completed.

The report said the FAA has not “effectively overseen Southwest Airlines’ systems for managing risks” and made 11 recommendations to improve oversight, including retraining inspectors and developing better control over maintenance records and inspector guidance on evaluating air carrier safety culture.

While the U.S. commercial airline industry is considered safe, with only one fatality in recent years, the FAA is under heightened scrutiny by lawmakers over its relationship with the industry after two crashes overseas on the newer Boeing Co <BA> 737 MAX killed 346 people and led to that aircraft’s global grounding.

“Given the significant unresolved safety concerns that FAA has identified at Southwest Airlines, it is clear that the agency is not yet effectively navigating the balance between industry collaboration and managing safety risks at the carrier,” the report said.

The FAA said in a response included with the report it concurred with all 11 recommendations and the inspector general’s conclusion that its office overseeing Southwest did not perform in accordance with existing guidance by allowing the 88 planes to enter service and that it “lacked a comprehensive conformity inspection for used aircraft.”

Southwest told Reuters on Tuesday that eight of the 88 jets remain out of service until needed repairs are completed and that it disagreed with the report’s findings.

The report chided the FAA, saying the agency “accepted the air carrier’s justification that the issues identified were low safety risks.”

The FAA noted it changed the leadership of its office that oversees Southwest and “continues to address deficiencies in the work functions and culture.” The agency has agreed to ensure Southwest “complies with regulatory requirements that the 88 previously owned aircraft conform to U.S. aviation standards.”

Last month, the Wall Street Journal published an article on a draft of the inspector general report.

The report also said the FAA violated its own guidance in addressing noncompliance by Southwest on baggage weight and balance data. The FAA agreed to ensure Southwest complies with requirements.

On Jan. 10, the FAA said it was seeking to impose a $3.92 million fine on Southwest for alleged weight infractions on 21,505 flights on 44 aircraft between May 1, 2018 and Aug. 9, 2018.

Southwest has said it is working with the FAA to demonstrate the effectiveness of its controls and seek a resolution on the proposed penalty.

Southwest shares closed up 0.9% on Tuesday, off intraday highs.

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Tracy Rucinski in Chicago; Editing by David Gregorio and Matthew Lewis)

FILE PHOTO: A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 plane sits on the runway waiting to take off at LAX airport in Los Angeles

GM to Revive Hummer Name with Electric Pickups, SUV’s

January 10, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Workers leave the General Motors CAMI car assembly plant where the GMC Terrain and Chevrolet Equinox are built in Ingersoll

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – General Motors Co <GM> will revive the Hummer name to sell a new family of electric pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles and will tout the return with a Super Bowl ad featuring NBA star LeBron James, two people briefed on the matter said on Friday.

The vehicles will be sold under the GMC nameplate. Reuters reported in October that GM planned to build a new family of premium electric pickup trucks at its Detroit-Hamtramck plant beginning in late 2021 and was considering reviving the Hummer name, citing several people familiar with the plans.

The Wall Street Journal reported GM’s decision to move forward earlier on Friday. GM declined to comment.

The electric truck and SUV program is the centerpiece of a planned $3 billion investment in the Detroit-Hamtramck plant to make electric trucks and vans, and part of a broader $7.7 billion (5.9 billion pounds) investment in GM’s U.S. plants over the next four years that was part of a new contract signed with the United Auto Workers union last year.

The investment moves the automaker into a part of the EV market that is largely untested and where GM has a higher likelihood of turning a profit, analysts said.

Reuters reported GM plans to first build EV pickups in late 2021 and then an electric SUV in 2023.

Tesla <TSLA> CEO Elon Musk in November unveiled an electric pickup called “Cybertruck” it plans to build starting in late 2021.

Rivian, a start-up electric company backed by Amazon.com <AMZN>, will begin building 100,000 electric delivery vans for Amazon starting in 2021.

Hummers were rugged civilian utility vehicles with low gas mileage that were inspired by military vehicles and were popular with such celebrities as actor Arnold Schwarzenegger but derided by environmentalists as gas-guzzlers. GM shut down its Hummer brand after a deal to sell the SUV-line to an obscure Chinese machinery maker was blocked by Chinese regulators in 2010.

Michael Harley, executive editor for Kelley Blue Book, noted “the original Hummer was ostracized out of showrooms for being heavy and ponderous with an insatiable appetite for gasoline. An all-electric powertrain essentially exonerates the truck on all charges.”

Electric pickups and SUVs – the heart of the U.S. market – could help Ford Motor Co <F> and GM generate significant sales of EVs needed to meet tougher California emission standards and electric vehicle mandates.

The Trump administration is moving to roll back those standards – and eliminate extra credits that automakers receive from EV sales but electric trucks are a hedge if California prevails.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sandra Maler and Alistair Bell)

Southwest Airlines Opens Its Largest Hangar Facility at William P. Hobby Airport

January 8, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

$125 Million Maintenance facility showcases commitment to Houston through new infrastructure investment to support long-term growth for Southwest

Southwest Airlines opens new hangar facility at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston

DALLAS, Jan. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) today officially opened a new maintenance facility at William P. Hobby International Airport, highlighting the importance Houston holds for the nation’s largest domestic airline* and underscoring its commitment to Safety while investing in the Bayou City.

The 240,000 square foot maintenance complex, now the largest in the airline’s network, includes offices, training facilities, warehouse space, and a 140,000 square foot hangar. This allows for the nearly 400 Houston based Technical Operations Employees to work simultaneously on up to six 737 aircraft indoors and has space for an additional eight aircraft outside the hangar bays. It replaces Southwest’s smaller Technical Operations facility at Hobby Airport, which opened in 1988.

“This state-of-the-art hangar will support our Technical Operations Team’s unwavering commitment to Safety and maintaining our fleet to the highest standards,” said Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines Chairman and CEO. “I’m very proud of our hundreds of Technical Operations Employees in Houston for the work they do every day to support our growing operation from Houston’s Hobby Airport, which includes almost 200 departures per day during peak seasons to nearly 70 destinations across the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean.”

A Boeing 737 sits inside Southwest’s new hangar at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston

“We thank Southwest Airlines for its nearly 50-year partnership and commitment to the Houston community,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “Between the direct employment of 5,000 local residents, continued growth in flight activity, and this investment in infrastructure, the airline represents $3 billion in economic impact for Houston each year, and that’s something that makes us proud and thankful.”

“Having similar values allowed McCarthy Building Companies and Southwest Airlines to form an integrated team to address the many entities and hurdles involved with constructing such a high profile project at a major airport. This was instrumental in the success of this project and the teams’ ability to deliver it on time,” said Jim Stevenson, McCarthy’s Houston Division President. “We are proud of our partnership with Southwest and pleased to be part of this important maintenance hangar project that will have such a high impact on its operations.”

The airline is currently investing in aircraft maintenance build-outs at Baltimore/Washington International Airport and Denver International Airport, as well as an expansion of its maintenance facility at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport. Including the projects in Denver and Baltimore, the airline expects to have eight maintenance hangars throughout the United States.

Broadcast-quality photos and videos are available for download at the carrier’s online newsroom, swamedia.com/houstonhangar.

(Left to Right: Mario Diaz, Director, Houston Airport System, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines Chairman and CEO, Original Houston Technical Operations Employees Brad Shelton, Paul Mould, B.J. Ritter, and Landon Nitschke, Southwest Airlines SVP of Technical Operations)

Eastern Congo Plane Crash Kills at Least 27 People

November 24, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – At least 27 people were killed, including some on the ground, when a small plane crashed into a densely populated neighborhood in the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday, a rescue official said.

The propeller plane, which was operated by local company Busy Bee, crashed shortly after take-off en route to the city of Beni, about 250 km (155 miles) to the north, officials said.

The company said the 19-seater Dornier 228-200 had 16 passengers and two crew members on board.

There was no word yet on what might have caused the accident.

Joseph Makundi, the coordinator of rescue services in Goma, told Reuters that 27 bodies had been recovered from the rubble, including those of several people hit by falling debris.

“I was at a restaurant with my family when I saw the plane spinning three times in the air and emitting a lot of smoke,” said Djemo Medar, an eyewitness in Goma’s Mapendo neighborhood. “After that we saw the plane crash into this house,” he said pointing to a nearby building.

“We know the pilot. His name is Didier. He was shouting, ‘Help me, Help me.’ But we had no way to get to him because the fire was so powerful,” Medar said.

At the crash site, residents threw water from buckets and cooking pots onto the smoldering wreckage. The rear section of the plane rested sideways, propped up by a wall, videos posted on social media showed.

Police arrested one man for stealing cash from the rubble and fired warning shots to disperse people who had started looting, he said.

Air accidents are relatively frequent in Congo because of lax safety standards and poor maintenance. All Congolese commercial carriers, including Busy Bee, are banned from operating in the European Union.

A cargo plane departing from the same airport and carrying staff members of President Felix Tshisekedi crashed an hour after take-off last month, killing all eight people on board..

Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Aaron Ross/Mark Potter/ Frances Kerry/Jane Merriman

Tesla Unveils Electric Pickup Truck with Futuristic Design

November 22, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Click to make your fully refundable $100 Tesla deposit

Starting price of $39,900
Most expensive version offers a range of more than 500 miles
Production expected to begin in late 2021 (Recasts and writes through)

Nov 21 (Reuters) – Tesla Inc on Thursday unveiled its first electric pickup truck that looked like a futuristic angular armored vehicle in gunmetal gray, as the California company took aim at the heart of Detroit automakers’ profits.

At a launch event in Los Angeles, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said the Cybertruck will have a starting price of $39,900 and production is expected to begin in late 2021.

Other versions will be priced at $49,900 and $69,900 with the most expensive offering a range of more than 500 miles.

“We need sustainable energy now. If we don’t have a pickup truck, we can’t solve it. The top 3 selling vehicles in America are pickup trucks. To solve sustainable energy, we have to have a pickup truck,” he said.

The truck, which Musk claimed “won’t scratch and dent”, was described as having windows made from armored glass. But the glass cracked like a spider web when hit with a metal ball during a demonstration. Musk appeared surprised but noted that the glass had not completely broken.

Reactions on Twitter ranged from love to hate of the sharply angled vehicle. “I just watched tesla release the #cybertruck and honestly? My life feels complete,” wrote @aidan_tenud, while @nateallensnyde wrote “Its nice to see Elon Musk make a cardboard box car he drew in kindergarten,”.

Musk earlier tweeted the design was partly influenced by the Lotus Esprit sportscar that doubled as a submarine in the 1970s 007 film “The Spy Who Loved Me”.

The truck marks the first foray by Tesla, whose Model 3 sedan is the world’s top-selling battery electric car, into pickup trucks, a market dominated by Ford Motor Co’s F-150, along with models by General Motors Co, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV .

The pickup shifts Tesla more toward trucks and SUVs. The automaker has so far sold mostly Model S and Model 3 sedans, but also offers the Model X SUV and starting next year the Model Y compact SUV.

A focus on the high-performance end of the market is only natural given the success of Ford’s 450-horsepower F-150 Raptor truck, which launched in 2009 and whose sales have since risen annually, according to Ford spokesman Mike Levine.

While Ford does not disclose Raptor sales, Levine said annual demand is well above 19,000 vehicles and the No. 2 U.S. automaker has never had to offer incentives on the model, which costs in the high $60,000 range. Ford also offers the more expensive F-150 Limited, its most powerful and luxurious pickup.

Ford and GM are also gearing up to challenge Tesla more directly with new offerings like the Ford Mustang Mach E electric SUV as well as electric pickups.

Electric pickups and SUVs could help Ford and GM generate the significant EV sales they will need to meet tougher emission standards and EV mandates in California and other states.

The Trump administration is moving to roll back those standards, but electric trucks are a hedge if California prevails.

Demand for full-size electric pickup trucks in the near term may not be huge, however.

Industry tracking firm IHS Markit estimates the electric truck segment – both full- and mid-sized models – will account for about 75,000 sales in 2026, compared with an expected 3 million light trucks overall. The Tesla truck is not part of that estimate.

Ford aims to sell an electric F-series in late 2021, sources familiar with the plans said. It also will offer the Mach E next year as part of its plan to invest $11.5 billion by 2022 to electrify its vehicles.

In April, Ford invested $500 million in startup Rivian, which plans to build its own electric pickup beginning in fall 2020.

GM plans to build a family of premium electric pickup trucks and SUVs, with the first pickup due to go on sale in the fall of 2021. It plans to invest $8 billion by 2023 to develop electric and self-driving vehicles.

(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu in Tokyo and Peter Henderson in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Miyoung Kim in Singapore and Joseph White in Detroit; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

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