State Secretary Beckmeyer:Rail industry is a core sector
“The rail industry companies based in Germany are developing innovative technology that makes them among the world leaders in this field,” according to the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economics and Energy, Uwe Beckmeyer, speaking during his tour of InnoTrans 2014. “Their efforts are ensuring the availability of advanced technological expertise to the German economy.At the same time they are placing a particular emphasis on technologies designed to protect the climate and conserve energy.”With its ability to manufacture complex systems and with its innovative strengths the rail industry is one of the core sectors in the German economy.A decisive factor in this success is the cooperation between large, internationally active systems companies and the small and medium-sized suppliers.“Together they contribute to the outstanding reputation of products made in Germany”, Beckmeyer pointed out.The Ministry for Economics supports this sector under its 3rd Transport Research Programme.Assistance is available, for example, for projects aimed at increasing the efficiency of traction systems, thereby reducing CO2 emissions.
The first Polish train for Deutsche Bahn
The first train to be supplied to Deutsche Bahn by the Polish manufacturer PESA was presented at InnoTrans 2014 by Heike Hanagarth, member of the Technical Board of DB, and the head of PESA, Tomasz Zabolicki. The LINK single-unit diesel railcar with its characteristic, shark-like front end, forms part of a framework agreement signed at InnoTrans 2012 for the supply of a total of 470 trains. They are being manufactured as either single, two- or three-unit sets and, depending on their equipment and interior fittings, have between 50 and 160 seats. At the same time the two partners signed an agreement for the delivery of 26 LINK trains for service in Bavaria, with a value of around 100 million euros. The three-unit trains will be deployed by DB on the Allgäu diesel network beginning at the end of 2017.
Location: Outdoor display area G1/1, contact Hartmut Sommer, telephone: +49 (0) 30 -29762109, email: hartmut.sommer@deutschebahn.com
World debut for the Siemens train to be used on the Thameslink route
The British transport minister Patrick McLoughlin and Jochen Eickholt, CEO of Division Rail Systems, Siemens, joined representatives of the two transport companies, Cross London Trains and Govia Thameslink Railway Limited, to present the new “Desiro City” passenger train at InnoTrans 2014.The display features the first three Class 700 carriages for London’s Thameslink route.“As part of a long term economic plan we are making record levels of investment in restructuring the rail network in order to provide more seats, better connections and more comfortable travel.The Thameslink programme is at the heart of these efforts”, transport minister McLoughlin said at the presentation ceremony.The new electric multiple units will offer passengers enhanced travelling comfort and, together with the expansion of the infrastructure, will significantly improve capacity and reliability on one of the most densely used routes in Europe.
Location:Outdoor display G1/3, contactEllen Schramke, telephone:+49 (0) 30 -38622370, email:ellen.schramke@siemens.com
Thales presents its NetTrac user interface for the first time
Thales is presenting its entire spectrum of ETCS solutions, on rolling stock and trackside, at InnoTrans. The NetTrac ARAMIS solution presents the benefits of centrally controlled operations as an important step in the introduction of ERTMS. According to Thales, its SelTrac CBTC is the world’s leading signalling solution for urban transport systems. Also making its international debut at the fair is an innovative user interface in the form of a touchscreen for the NetTrac MT traffic management system, enabling rail operations in their entirety to be controlled automatically. The Thales cyber security tool “Babel”, is also being presented to the world for the first time and consists of a customized visualization system that displays the architecture of OCC safety systems.
Location: Hall 4.2, Stand 103, contact: Pitt Marx, telephone: +49 (0) 172 -4048346, email: pitt.marx@thalesgroup.com
Order worth millions from Finland – Stadler sells its one thousandth FLIRT
The one thousandth FLIRT from Stadler Rail will operate on the Helsinki light rail network. The Finnish operator Junakalusto Oy has ordered a further 34 trains, at a cost of some 200 mi. euros. This is the second option taken on a contract signed in 2006. Delivery of the first option, for nine trains, will be concluded in a few weeks, within the specified deadline. The first 32 of the four-section multiple units, with seating for 234, have been proving their effectiveness for several years in the Finnish capital, in no small part due to their ability to cope with the severest winter conditions. The order placed in 2006 was for the first wide gauge vehicles from Stadler. Since then similar trains have been sold to Belarus and Estonia.
Location: Hall 2.2, Stand 103 and outdoor display area, FB/13, contact: Katrin Block, Telephone: +49 (0) 160 -90641935, email: katrin.block@stadlerrail.de
Plasser & Theurer hands track measuring vehicle over to DB Netz AG
The first of four track geometry measuring trains has been handed over to DB Netz AG by the Austrian manufacturer Plasser & Theurer at InnoTrans 2014. Over the next few years Deutsche Bahn intends to invest over 30 million euros in these new vehicles and in other innovative measurement systems, as reported by the chairman of the board of DB-Netz Frank Sennhenn during the handover ceremony. He pointed out that DB confined itself to inviting tenders based solely on the functionalities of the system, thereby giving considerable design freedom to the company chosen to carry out the work. At the handover the manufacturer’s chief executive, Johannes Max Theurer, expressed his delight above all at the speed with which this multifunctional maintenance vehicle was constructed, having only been ordered two years ago. The manufacture and subsequent certification by the Federal Railways Office and DB quality control took just 22 months. “We passed through all the quality gates”, i.e. the intermediate scrutiny of the progress of the work, on green”, said Theurer.
Location: Outdoor display area FC10, contact: Hans Dumser, telephone: +43 (0)6648328027, email: hans.dumser@plassertheuer.com
International Tunnel Forum: Focus on maintenance and renovation
Are maintenance and renovation the future tasks in tunnel construction? This question formed the focal point of the International Tunnel Forum at InnoTrans 2014. In his introductory address the CEO of STUVA, Dr. Roland Leucker, pointed out that it will be necessary for the railways to carry more passengers and more freight in the future.Many European railway tunnels are already 150 year old, or more, and the very oldest dates back to 1841. In view of this situation there is a pressing need for renovation and maintenance work.During the subsequent discussions Jörn Schwarze, a member of the board of Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe AG, stated that insufficient funding has been earmarked for renovation and the construction of new tunnels. As an example he referred to the fact that passenger numbers in Cologne had risen for the eighth straight year. “In Belgium we are currently concentrating on renovation and modernization”, reported Julien Peeters, Head of Area Center for Infrabel S.A. During the next few years 16 billion euros will be invested in such projects. According to Rolf Gabriel, Head of Underground Construction for IUB Engineering AG, work is continuing on major projects in Switzerland. Although a demand exists for further projects, the question of their financing remains unresolved.
China’s investments will total some 886 billion euros by 2025
The mass transit rail market in China is growing at a phenomenal rate. By the end of last year the network of routes in 19 major cities totalled 2,746 kilometres, with the largest proportion, 75 per cent, being accounted for by metro systems, according to Chen Jianguo, Vice President of the China Association of Metros (CAM), speaking at a press conference during InnoTrans 2014. By 2020 the network total is expected to increase to 6,100 kilometres, and to a further 14,000 kilometres by 2030. This expansion is matched by the corresponding investment which, by next year, the 13th Five Year Plan (2016 to 2020) will have doubled to two trillion RMB (approximately 253 billion euros), while under the 14th Five Year Plan (2021 to 2025) it will have risen to the equivalent of 633 billion euros.It is against this background that InnoTrans is being used to locate new partners and joint ventures all over the world, explained Wang Junli, Vice President of the China Academy of Railway Sciences (CARS), which organized the presentation at this trade fair by 28 of the leading companies in the Chinese rail industry, including the two giants, CNR and CSR.
Location: Hall 9, Stand 401, contact:James Sun, telephone:+86 10 51893332, email:sunzycars@163.com
Denmark’s leading representatives at InnoTrans
A delegation of 23 leading representatives, comprising board members and directors of Danish State Railways (DSB), led by the CEO Jesper Lok, spent two days at InnoTrans 2014, and held discussions with a number of firms. Over the next ten to fifteen years DSB intends to invest some 100 billion krona (approximately 14 billion euros) in new trains, track and signalling equipment.
Using compounds for increased efficiency – Voith at InnoTrans
New products made from fibre-reinforced plastics form the focal point of the display at InnoTrans by Voith Turbo, a company based in Heidenheim. With a total weight not exceeding 95 kilograms, an energy absorber made of fibre-reinforced plastic (GFRP) weighs only one third as much as a similar model made of steel, and also requires less space for installation. An adapter coupling made of carbon fibre material is being shown for the first time. Because it only weighs 23 kilograms it can be moved by one person, whereas conventional metal couplings weigh more than twice as much.Such massive weight reductions make a significant contribution to improving operational efficiency.Voith is also exhibiting its own SA3 coupling with traction-compression springs for improved energy absorption.This coupling already complies with the latest Russian safety standards, can be variably configured and is available for applications in both western and eastern Europe.
Location:Hall 1.2, Stand 220, contact:Nadine Quaiser, telephone:+49 (0) 7321 -372802, email:nadine.quaiser@voith.com
Vossloh: 100 shunting locomotives delivered in just six years
The G6 shunting locomotive has proved to be highly successful for Vossloh. First shown in 2008 at InnoTrans, the 100th of these locomotives was handed over by the Head of the Board of Vossloh-AG, Hans M. Schabert, and the CEO of Vossloh Locomotives, Thomas Schwichtenberg. They explained that production will be speeded up to enable a locomotive to be constructed in just six months. This was the first of six that have been ordered by Captrain, part of the French SNCF-Geodis Group. The CEO of Captrain, Henrik Würdemann, said that shunting “is a very important aspect of our business model”. The company plans to expand its business as a supplier of works locomotives. The three-axle rail vehicles are powered by a 690 kilowatt traction unit and Vossloh claims that they can carry out heavy shunting duties on confined industrial areas as well as being suitable to operate on public rail networks.
Location: Outdoor display area FB1, contact: Dorothea Janss, telephone: +49 (0) 69 -580077110, email: d.janss@atkon.de
GE Transportation – more than just locomotives
There are currently more than 20,000 locomotives from General Electric Transportation (GE Transportation) in use around the world. “This makes us a global player, but we must always maintain a strong local presence too”, said Russell Stokes, President and CEO of GE Transportation at InnoTrans. One example that he gave was his company’s increasing presence in South Africa, where 450 new locomotives will be in service by 2018. Manufacturing capacity is currently being expanded to meet this demand, and the local workforce is undergoing training. However, modern locomotives such as the “Evolution”, more than 5,000 of which have already been built, are just one aspect of the display at InnoTrans by this US technology company, which has been in existence for more than 100 years. RailConnect 360 software has been designed to analyze and overcome operational efficiency deficits. Stokes explained the principle by saying that “a one mile per hour increase in speed, when added together, provides rail operators with savings worth millions”.
Location: Hall 5.2, Stand 509, contact: Robert W. Donahue, telephone +1 814-8752755, email: robert.donahue1@ge.com