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Czech Railways signs agreement RailAdventure with Siemens/Skoda consortium moves into the UK R T he Czech Railways national carrier has ordered 182 state-of-the-art passenger cars from the Siemens MobilityŠkoda Transportation consortium – a value of almost CZK 12.5 billion (£418 million). 180 cars will be made up into 20 nine-car trains, each with a capacity of 555 seated passengers and having a maximum operating speed of up to 230km/h. The last two vehicles will be purchased by the Czech Railway Administration Authority and will be operated on routes from Prague via Ústí nad Labem to Hamburg or via Brno to Budapest and Vienna. Petr Brzezina, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Škoda Transportation Group, said: “We very much appreciate being part of
such a major project substantially boosting travelling quality on the Czech and international railways. “Environmentally friendly transport – to which the railway undoubtedly belongs to – is gaining more and more importance in Europe, and the use of new, modern vehicles is fundamentally increasing the railway’s attractiveness and is contributing to its growth in the transport market. “At the same time, it also helps in meeting the commitments to gradually reduce emissions in transport. I believe that the new wagons’ parameters with their speed reaching up to 230km/h including the comfortable transport suitable for business trips and family trips will make more new passengers switch to the Central European railways.”
Alstom/Thales/Nokia complete signalling upgrade for Poland A consortium led by Alstom has completed delivery of its ERTMS/ ETCS Level Two digital signalling solution for the E65 railway line, based on a contract previously signed with PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe. This state-of-the-art signalling technology will enable trains to travel at 200km/h on the 350km line – covering 35 railway stations and linking Warsaw with Gdynia. The project, which has resulted in a significant improvement in safety and passenger comfort, has also
increased capacity and reduced journey times. It was one of the largest and most complex in the history of Polish Railways. Alstom and Thales Polska were responsible for the design and implementation of the ERTMS/ ETCS Level 2 signalling solution, while Nokia provided the GSM-R communication system. The consortium upgraded eight integrated control rooms and delivered remote traffic control and management systems, turnkey solutions for dispatcher centres, an integrated passenger information system and CCTV solutions.
ailAdventure GmbH, the Munichbased company that manages special transport and test runs with new trains in Europe, has acquired the British company Hanson & Hall Rail Services and has purchased eight Class 43 power cars, which, when formed into double locomotives, will be the future backbone of the company’s British domestic services. In recent years, RailAdventure has been involved in the delivery of new vehicle fleets from manufacturers based in Europe to Great Britain. Now, with most of the well-known vehicle suppliers having recently started to operate production plants in Great Britain, there is significant local demand. Since its foundation three years ago, Hanson & Hall has been integral to the support services for the railway industry and UK operators. As part of its expansion plans for the UK market, Hanson & Hall was therefore the preferred partner for RailAdventure. Alex Dworaczek, managing director of RailAdventure GmbH, said: “We always want to accompany the development of our customers and are now proud to be able to offer the highest quality and most flexible solutions from our own source for the British domestic market. In addition, the local proximity to the production sites is important to us.” Jason Hall, managing director of Hanson & Hall, added: “This is a really exciting time for us as we increase the scale our service offerings. Through the combined experience of Rail Adventure and our company, the UK rail industry and its suppliers are about to receive a much-needed step change in service levels, and I am thrilled we have such fantastic partners backing us during the next stages of our growth.”
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railbusinessdaily.com
May 2021 | 73