Rail industry news / 3 March 2010 /
Bombardier Transportation has been awarded an order to deliver the BOMBARDIER INTERFLO 200 mainline signalling solution for the Albacete to La Encina section of the Madrid to Valencia – Alicante line in the Castilla la Mancha Region of Spain. (more…)
Rail industry news / 10 February 2010 /
Bombardier Transportation is to supply 18 additional doubledeck coaches to Deutsche Bahn (DB) AG worth approximately €24 million ($33 million US). Deutsche Bahn AG is using an option from a 2003 framework agreement, comprising the delivery of 298 double-deck coaches as well as an option for a further 300 double-deck coaches. (more…)
Rail industry news / 3 February 2010 /
Millions of passengers travelling on the Stansted Express train line this year can be ensured of increased safety and security thanks to Petards latest contract win.
Petards will supply Bombardier Transportation with their eyeTrain on-board digital CCTV systems for new BOMBARDIER ELECTROSTAR Electrical Multiple Unit (EMU) trains.
Petards eyeTrain has been selected by Bombardier to be fitted to the 30 new four-car trains that they are building which will operate on the Stansted Express services between Stansted Airport and London city.
The new trains are part of the UK’s Department for Transport strategy to ease over-crowding on the rail network in the south of England. The value of the CCTV orders total over £1.5m and deliveries are expected to commence mid 2010 and to be completed during 2011.
Petards Chief Executive Bill Conn said “We are extremely pleased to have secured this work and are looking forward to helping Bombardier deliver a world class solution on this prestigious project.
While we have worked with Bombardier on many previous occasions, these orders are particularly pleasing as this is the first time that we will have provided equipment to them on new build trains rather than on refurbishment projects which have dominated the UK market in recent years.”
Rail industry news / 28 January 2010 /
Bombardier Transportation has received an order from the Hungarian State Railway company, MAV, for 25 BOMBARDIER TRAXX P 160 AC locomotives valued at approximately 80 million euros ($112 million US). The contract also includes an option for a further 25 locomotives. The delivery of the first locomotive is scheduled for spring 2011. (more…)
Rail industry news / 28 January 2010 /
Bombardier Transportation recently handed over the first of another four class BOMBARDIER IORE double-section heavy haul locomotives to MTAB (Malmtrafik iKiruna AB) at MTAB’s facilities in Kiruna, Sweden. MTAB is a subsidiary of LKAB (Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag), a Swedish mining company; and assures iron ore transport from Kiruna and Mamberget to the ports in Luleå and Narvik, Norway. (more…)
Editorial board / 16 December 2009 /
Dr.-Ing. habil. Oldrich Polach joined railway industry in 1993 after he finished his doctoral thesis and obtained his postdoctoral lecture qualification. Since 2001, he is supervising dynamics specialists in Bombardier Transportation, Division Bogies. He teaches Railway Vehicle Dynamics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich and at the Technical University in Berlin.
He is member of editorial boards of the journals Vehicle System Dynamics, International Journal of Vehicle Systems Modelling and Testing, International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems and European Railway Review.
Issue 2 2009, Past issues / 26 March 2009 /
Train operating companies obviously need reliable and robust rolling stock in order to provide efficient and effective services to their passengers. This is of course an obvious fact to point out, but an imperative issue nonetheless.
Deutsche Bahn AG (DB AG) needs no introduction in this German Profile issue of European Railway Review, but the company has made many recent orders for new rolling stock and I think it is important to take this opportunity to highlight the important investments that the company is making to ensure their passenger services are first class.
Issue 2 2009, Past issues / 26 March 2009 /
Jürgen Jakob covers the history of Bomardier in the field of high-speed rail, from the first railway vehicle to reach 210lm/h to the present day.
Issue 5 2008, Past issues / 27 September 2008 /
Bombardier, the global leader in rail transportation, never fails to create an impact with its biannual display of products at InnoTrans. This year is no exception, with Bombardier exhibiting no less than four new trains, as well as its latest developments in energy-saving technologies.
Much excitement has surrounded the unveiling of the Bombardier TALENT 2, the train developed for regional services in Germany, for which Bombardier received three inaugural orders from DB Regio at the end of 2007. These initial orders for 61 trains form part of a framework agreement for 321 trains concluded in February 2007 – one of the largest orders in the history of Bombardier Transportation. By December 2009, there will be fleets of 2-car and 4-car configurations in revenue services along the Mosel River, as well as between Leipzig and Cottbus. Initial service operation of the 4-car units on Nuremberg’s suburban rail network is scheduled to commence in December 2010. (more…)
Issue 3 2008, Past issues / 28 May 2008 /
Bombardier Transportation develops and produces bogies for a complete range of modern railway vehicles1, 2. The calculations and analyses of running dynamics play an indispensable part in the development of these products. This article outlines the usage of computer techniques to investigate vehicle dynamics during the individual product development phases of a project, the typical calculations and the latest challenges on running dynamics, illustrated with examples picked up among Bombardier’s experiences.
Issue 1 2008, Past issues / 29 January 2008 /
In November 2007, at a spectacular ‘virtual launch’ event in Hennigsdorf, Germany, Bombardier presented its new Talent 2 to its customer, DB Regio.
Attended by senior representatives from the industry and the region, the event heralded the inaugural call off of 42 Talent 2 regional trains from 321 ordered as part of a framework agreement concluded in February 2007. With a total contract value of approximately €1.2 billion, this is one of the largest orders in the history of Bombardier Transportation.
The first Talent 2 vehicles to roll off the production line are due to be delivered in May 2009, with service operation of the four-car units scheduled to commence in December 2010 on Nuremberg’s suburban rail network.
A second order from the framework agreement is anticipated shortly with 5×2 car units and 8×4 car units for use on the routes from Koblenz to Trier and Trier to Perl1.
Talent 2 differs significantly from the original ‘Talent’ train, but with only one real similarity: its credentials.
More than 750 trains of the Talent family are in service in Germany, Norway, Austria, Hungary and Canada and is a stronghold of regional and commuter services throughout Germany and Central Europe.
Talent 2 is the result of several years of consultation, engineering development and research into customer requirements, undertaken by Bombardier, who worked closely with DB, as well as end-user focus groups, to understand their needs and those of other operators in Central Europe.
With an estimated 50% of rail routes to be tendered as franchises by 2015, German railways are becoming increasingly accessible to competition from private operators. This has a major impact on the fleets, with trains operating on specific services for a limited period only. Under the new regime, this could be a maximum of 12 to 15 years, or potentially as brief a period as six years. Given the 30-year typical lifetime of a train, to optimise use and residual value of the asset, this may require it to be used on four different routes – each with widely differing operating and passenger requirements.
I must comment that the product cycle of a train is now much shorter than its life cycle, thus the modern market requires train concepts with the highest possible flexibility. For us, as a train manufacturer, this has necessitated a fundamentally different approach to vehicle design. To meet the evolving rail transportation challenges of the 21st century, we have completely changed the concept. With Talent 2, we have developed a train concept that can be easily modified to address new requirements and adapted to different operations, with minimal effort.
In developing the specification for Talent 2, the emphasis has been on flexibility and scalability of a modular concept, with the objective of satisfying all regional requirements, from those of frequently stopping S-Bahn type commuter services through to longer distance regional and interregional routes. In addition to catering for different options for vehicle configuration, traction performance and the number of entry and exit points has influenced interior design. For example, this influences standing versus seated capacity and also levels of comfort and facility provision. In the early stages of the evolution of Talent 2, estimates of approximately 250 possible variations might have seemed excessive, but I must now admit that this was more or less spot on! Experience was drawn from Bombardier’s aerospace division, where optimisation of space and adaptability are crucial.
Of the 250 variations, the principal differences lie in train configuration, with the options of:
A further development is the introduction of the latest train control architecture, in the form of Bombardier’s MITRAC TCMS (Train Control Management System), which enables the transfer of information from wayside to train, enabling ‘real time’ updates in passenger information, including upcoming transfer advice. A further difference of Talent 2 from the original Talent is that all major systems are produced ‘in-house’ by Bombardier, including propulsion equipment.
Vehicles can be adjusted to different voltage systems prevalent in the European rail network (15kv AC, 25kV AC, or 3kV DC). Furthermore, the train fits symbiotically with Bombardier’s commitment to sustainable mobility, with its modular concept being reusable, and a maximum proportion of materials recyclable. With a top speed of 160km/h, the Talent 2 is envisaged to be the future backbone of regional services in Germany and Central Europe, complementing Bombardier’s TRAXX locomotive and double-deck coaches platform, as well as the way forward for train-making technology in central Europe, contributing to flexibility, sustainability and accessibility.
Mr. Oliver Schmidt began his railway career in 1991, shortly after graduating from the Technical University of Berlin. He began working for Bombardier Transportation within the mass transit units, in engineering and tendering, sales and negotiation strategy and working as a Project Manager for the rolling stock of the Guangzhou Metro Line 1 in China. He then worked in a product management role for the light rail segment. His extensive career also includes project management and sales leadership with the Siemens Transportation Group, focusing on light rail vehicles and metros. Mid 2007, Mr. Schmidt returned to his roots at Bombardier Transportation and is currently working as the Vice President, Sales, for the “Sales North” region of the railway manufacturer at the division mainline and metros.
Issue 2 2007, Past issues / 3 April 2007 /
In the middle years of this decade, the German rolling stock market was quiet. The big post-reunification boom in orders in the 1990s was followed by a lull, as the German government sought to rein in public spending and prepare Deutsche Bahn AG for privatisation.
The quietening of the market was reflected in the figures for Siemens Transportation Systems, the large German railway equipment manufacturer, where the home market accounted for over a third of sales in 2003. By 2006, this proportion had dropped below 15% as Asia and other regions grew in importance while Germany stagnated.
However, the German market is now experiencing a modest rebound, with the regional sector particularly strong. Illustrating this was an order confirmed with Bombardier Transportation on 19 February 2007, when DB signed a framework contract for the supply of 321 new Talent 2 electric multiple-unit trains to be used on the regional network throughout Germany. This order is valued at approximately €1.2 billion and deliveries will begin in 2009.
The Talent multiple-unit is a standard Bombardier design, with more than 450 trains in service in Germany, Norway, Austria and Canada. Trains vary from two to six cars in length, with different propulsion power options available, depending on the number of driven axles. There are up to two swing-plug doors on each side of the car and the internal layout can be altered to suit operator needs.
Orders continue to be placed for suburban EMUs. A consortium of Bombardier and Alstom Transport won an order worth €343 milion at the close of 2005 for 78×4-car EMUs for the Rhein-Ruhr S-Bahn, with an option for a further 72 units. The trains are due to be delivered between March 2008 and October 2010.
All 312 bodies are to be manufactured at Alstom’s Salzgitter plant, as are 156 end bogies. Also, 51 sets will be assembled there. Bombardier is drawing on factories from across Germany for its share of the order: electrical equipment will come from Mannheim and articulated bogies from Siegen, while Hennigsdorf (Berlin) will assemble 27 sets.
Meanwhile, an option was exercised last year for additional Class ET 425.2 four-car electric multiple units. DB signed a Euro 362 million framework agreement with a consortium of Bombardier and Siemens in 2001 which entailed the delivery of more than 80 of these trains.
The new call-off, worth €63 million, is for 13 additional trains: these are intended for suburban rail transport in the Hannover region, and are scheduled to be delivered from mid-2008. They should go into passenger service with the new timetable in December 2008.
As the consortium leader, Bombardier will manufacture nine of these Class 425.2 trains, while Siemens will build the remaining four. For its share of the contract, Bombardier will undertake the construction of the car bodies and final assembly of the trains at its site in Hennigsdorf; the bogies will be manufactured in Siegen, while the electrical fittings for the nine trains will be produced by the firm’s facility in Mannheim. The Siemens trains will be manufactured at that company’s Krefeld plant.
A total of 236 multiple-units from the 425 Series have been delivered since March 2000 and they are in operation in the regions of Hannover, Mannheim, Stuttgart, Essen, Magdeburg, Trier, Saarbrücken and Cologne. The Class 425s have a maximum speed of 140km/h and can accommodate 433 passengers, 204 of which seated. The four-car units are 67.5 metres long and 2.84 metres wide, and have an entry height of 798 mm.
Double-deckers were produced in factories in the former East Germany for many years and following reunification and the plants’ acquisition by Bombardier, suburban double-deckers have become a staple in that firm’s catalogue. DB operates a total of more than 1,400 Bombardier double-deck coaches, and Bombardier double-deckers are also in service in Israel, Denmark and Luxembourg.
DB placed an order last October for 42 more double-deck vehicles, which was valued at about €57 million. This represents the third option in a 2003 framework agreement that included an order for 298 double-deck coaches and options on another 300 vehicles. Delivery of the 298 double-deck coaches of the base contract is nearly completed, and another 49 vehicles were ordered in 2005 and 2006. The new vehicles are to be delivered during the second half of 2008.
The double-deckers will be built at Bombardier’s Görlitz site, while the Siegen plant will supply the bogies. Most of the 12 cab and 30 trailer cars of this Deutsche Bahn order will go into service on the Taunus route in Frankfurt-am-Main; three cab cars are envisaged for operation in South Hesse.
The local lines for which regional government is responsible have been generating a steady trickle of orders. Manufacturers have been scoring with orders for lightweight multiple-units.
A recent example is an order for 25×4-car Flirt electric multiple-units won by the Pankow (Berlin) factory of Swiss manufacturer Stadler. Angel Trains Europa, the Continental arm of the Royal Bank of Scotland’s rolling stock leasing subsidiary, is financing this €100 million order. The trains will be brought into service from the end of next year onwards by Keolis, which has the concession to operate regional services around Hamm.
Another company being supplied with rolling stock by Angel is trans regio Deutsche Regionalbahn GmbH, which signed a contract in January 2007 for the Mittelrheinbahn concession, a rail service on the scenic route between Mainz and Cologne. The concession will commence in December 2008 and will run for 15 years.
For the Mittelrheinbahn Angel is purchasing 16 Desiro ML electric multiple-units, worth approximately €70 million, from Siemens Transportation Systems. Work will commence on manufacturing the trains in July at Siemens’ works in Krefeld. The agreement between Siemens and Angel Trains includes an option for a further 84 trains.
This latest order takes the total fleet of passenger trains now managed or ordered by Angel Trains Europa, the Cologne-based German subsidiary of Angel Trains, to over 220 units altogether, comprising 60 electric multiple-units.
DB’s regional arm, DB Regio AG, has ordered 37 Coradia Lirex trains worth €160 million from Alstom Transport. This order includes an option for up to 42 additional trains. The electric multiple-units will be manufactured at Alstom’s site in Salzgitter and are planned to be delivered between mid-2008 and the end of 2011.
These trains will enable DB Regio AG to renew its train fleet on the Augsburg network in Bavaria. They will enter service from December 2008 onwards and serve the Munich-Augsburg-Ulm and the Augsburg-Donauwörth-Aalen/Treuchtlignen lines. The first Coradia Lirex trains were introduced in 2002, and Alstom has sold a total of 108 trains of this type in Europe (71 of them to Stockholm, Sweden).
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