Thameslink contract signed: Siemens to deliver trains worth circa 1.8 billion euros.

London, 2013-Jun-27

Siemens has secured an order for the supply of 1,140 new commuter rail carriages in Great Britain for a total of around 1.6 billion pounds (approximately 1.8 billion euros). In addition, Siemens will be responsible for the long-term maintenance of the fleet and overseeing construction of two new train maintenance depots. This is the largest order that Siemens has ever won in Great Britain and one of the biggest orders for Siemens' global rolling stock business. Siemens partnered with Cross London trains (XLT) for this important contract. XLT is a consortium comprising Siemens Project Ventures GmbH, Innisfree Limited and 3i Infrastructure plc and will be responsible for financing the deal.

"This order is an impressive reminder of our leading position in the British rail market, where we enjoy an excellent reputation. Our commuter trains are seen as the most reliable in the country. Annually, more than 350 trains travel over 80 million kilometers in Great Britain," says Jochen Eickholt, CEO of Siemens Rail Systems.

The Thameslink north-south commuter route runs through London, connecting Bedford, located to the north east of the capital, with Brighton, on the south coast.
Introducing a high capacity, high frequency service of longer trains, extended platforms and new stations, the project is regarded as one of the largest rail infrastructure projects in the UK. Siemens was named preferred bidder in June 2011.

Siemens will deliver 1,140 commuter rail carriages to the British capital for a total of around 1.6 billion pounds (approximately 1.8 billion euros). In addition, Siemens will be responsible for the long-term maintenance of the fleet and overseeing construction of two new train maintenance depots. This is the largest order that Siemens has ever won in Great Britain and one of the biggest orders for Siemens’ global rolling stock business. The trains will be manufactured at the Siemens factory in Krefeld, Germany, and the first trains will enter service in 2016. The Thameslink north-south commuter route runs through London, connecting Bed-ford, located to the north east of the capital, with Brighton, on the south coast. Introducing a high capacity, high frequency service of longer trains, extended platforms and new stations, the project is regarded as one of the largest rail infrastructure projects in the UK.

Desiro City. Courtesy Siemens.

For the Thameslink project Siemens invested almost 50 million euros in the development of a new train platform. The new Desiro City for suburban, regional and main-line transport reduces overall energy consumption and track wear by up to 50% compared to predecessor models. Thanks to an improved interior layout, the new generation of trains also offers greater comfort and increased flexibility. The number of seats and the distances between them can also be varied according to passenger demand or the area of deployment, providing additional standing room or space for bicycles and wheelchairs where needed. The trains will be manufactured at the Siemens factory in Krefeld, Germany, and the first trains will enter service in 2016.

Backed by years of experience gained from the delivery of around 1,500 cars of its service-proven Desiro platform for Great Britain, Siemens developed the Desiro City – a new platform designed specifically for the British market. These trains are up to 25 percent lighter than the existing Desiro UK fleet, thanks mainly to car bodies of lightweight aluminum construction and to bogies that are approximately one-third lighter in weight. It has a recycling quota of about 95 percent. The Desiro City is based on the Single Car Concept, which integrates the entire traction equipment into one motor car. All of these motor cars are identically equipped and can be used both as end cars and as intermediate cars. This ensures a high degree of flexibility when it comes to adjusting the train configuration to cope with expected passenger volumes.

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UK Office of Rail Regulation (ORR)

Network Rail fined half a million pounds for Suffolk level crossing collision

27 June 2013
ORR/14/13
Network Rail has been fined £500,000 and ordered to pay costs of £23,421 following a prosecution brought by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for a breach of health and safety law which led to a 10 year old boy suffering serious injuries at a level crossing on a private road near Beccles, Suffolk, in 2010.
Today’s sentencing at Ipswich Crown Court follows an ORR investigation into a train and car collision on 3 July 2010 at a level crossing between Beccles station and Oulton Broads South station in Suffolk. The train was travelling at 55mph when it struck the car, causing it to spin and throw the passenger, a 10 year old boy, through a window. The collision caused the passenger to suffer life-changing injuries while the driver of the car received minor injuries.
ORR’s investigation found that the accident was caused by poor visibility of trains when approaching the crossing from the south side. ORR found Network Rail failed to act on information obtained from its own employees over a ten-year period which highlighted that users of the crossing were exposed to an increased risk of being struck by a train. Network Rail pleaded guilty to the charge on 13 March 2013, at Lowestoft Crown Court.
ORR’s Director of Railway Safety, Ian Prosser, said:

“Our investigation found evidence that Network Rail knew the level crossing on a private road near Beccles was unsafe for ten years, and yet took no action. This led to the collision between a car and train in July 2010 which left a 10 year old boy suffering life changing injuries. This is unacceptable from a company responsible for protecting the safety of millions of people on trains and at level crossings.

“Since this incident, Network Rail has recognised significant changes are needed to improve the way it manages safety at level crossings. This includes the introduction of level crossing managers responsible for inspecting and carrying out risk assessments at all level crossings. ORR continues to monitor the company’s progress.

“To improve safety at level crossings ORR has recently announced a £67m fund for Network Rail to invest in the closure or upgrade of level crossings across Great Britain over the next five years.”

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The first consultation by ORR on the 2014 Periodic Review of HS1 Ltd (PR14)

Reference: ORR/003/2013
Date published: 19 February 2013
Start date: 19 February 2013
Closing date: 16 April 2013

The Concession Agreement, a contract between HS1 Limited (HS1), which owns and operates the HS1 network, and the Secretary of State for Transport, sets out the purpose, and in general terms, the process for conducting Periodic Reviews.
The Concession Agreement sets out ORR’s roles, powers and functions regarding HS1, including the requirement for us to perform Periodic Reviews of HS1’s access charges. The Concession Agreement requires us to publish an initial consultation in the lead-up to a Periodic Review.
This consultation, designed to fulfil that requirement, set out the respective roles and objectives of the relevant parties, as well as the legal and contractual basis for our Periodic Review of HS1. It also set out the key inputs to, and expected outcomes and outputs from, PR14.
The purpose of this document was to set out:

the timescales for the preparation of the 5 Year Asset Management Statement (5YAMS) - which is acknowledged and agreed as the main input to Periodic Review and the associated consultation on this document;
the constituent elements of the 5YAMS;
the required inputs and outputs for PR14; and
the proposed timetable for PR14.

This consultation sought views from interested parties on the above to help us shape our activities, respond to our questions and to ask a number of questions. The consultation document also contains information on a stakeholder workshop we held on 13 March 2013 to discuss the consultation document and HS1’s progress on the workstreams which make up PR14.
We have now published our conclusions on the initial consultation, which sets out our approach to PR14. The conclusions we have reached are based on interactions at the 13 March 2013 stakeholder session, other stakeholder sessions held by HS1 Ltd and written responses received to questions asked in the initial consultation. Colleagues are invited to read the approach document alongside the initial consultation document.

Consultation document

2014 High Speed 1 Periodic Review First consultation ( PDF 645 Kb)
19 February 2013

Approach document

2014 High Speed 1 Periodic Review ORR approach to PR14 ( PDF 495 Kb)
27 June 2013

www.parliament.uk

Have your say on the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill

28 June 2013

Do you have relevant expertise and experience or a special interest in the Government’s High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill?

If so, you can submit your views in writing to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee which is going to consider the Bill.

High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill

The Bill was introduced into the House of Commons on 13 May 2013. The second reading of the Bill took place on 26 June 2013, giving MPs the opportunity to debate the main principles of the Bill.

The Bill has now been sent to the Public Bill Committee, where detailed examination of the Bill will take place.

Aims of the High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill

High Speed Two (HS2) is a £34-£36 billion project to build a high speed rail line from London to Manchester and Leeds, via Birmingham, the East Midlands, Sheffield and Crewe, to begin operation in 2026 and be completed in 2032.
It was supported by the Labour Government after 2009 and has had the support of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government since May 2010.
In the 2013 Queen’s Speech the Government announced a 'paving bill' to authorise further spending on preparation for the HS2 project. The Government estimates that since 2009 it has spent upwards of a quarter of a billion pounds developing HS2.
Later in 2013 the Government intends to publish the first Hybrid Bill to authorise the construction of Phase 1 of HS2 (from London to Birmingham).

Deadline for submissions

The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration.
The Committee is expected to meet for the first time on Tuesday 9 July 2013; it will stop receiving written evidence at the end of the Committee stage on Thursday 18 July 2013.

(When the Committee reports it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can report earlier than Thursday 18 July 2013).

Guidance on submitting written evidence

What should written evidence cover?

Your submission should address matters contained within the Bill and concentrate on issues where you have a special interest or expertise, and factual information of which you would like the Committee to be aware.
It is helpful if the submission includes a brief introduction about you or your organisation. The submission should not have been previously published or circulated elsewhere.
If you have any concerns about your submission, please contact the Scrutiny Unit (details below).

How should written evidence be submitted?

Your submission should be emailed to scrutiny@parliament.uk. Please note that submissions sent to the Government department in charge of the Bill will not be treated as evidence to the Public Bill Committee.
Submissions should be in the form of a Word document. A summary should be provided. Paragraphs should be numbered, but there should be no page numbering.
Essential statistics or further details can be added as annexes, which should also be numbered. To make publication easier, please avoid the use of coloured graphs, complex diagrams or pictures.
As a guideline, submissions should not exceed 3,000 words.
Please include in the covering email the name, address, telephone number and email address of the person responsible for the submission. The submission should be dated.

What will happen to my evidence?

The written evidence will be circulated to all Committee Members to inform their consideration of the Bill.
Most submissions will also be published on the internet as soon as possible after the Committee has started sitting.
The Scrutiny Unit can help with any queries about written evidence.
Scrutiny Unit contact details
Email: scrutiny@parliament.uk
Telephone: 020 7219 8387
Fax: 020 7219 8381,
Address: Michelle Edney
Senior Executive Officer
Scrutiny Unit, 7 Millbank,
London SW1P 3JA.

International Railway Journal

FRENCH Rail Network (RFF) has started construction of a new train control centre in Pagny-sur-Moselle covering the rail network in Lorraine.

THE United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has issued a tender for a project to evaluate rail project opportunities in Mexico with the aim of supporting the development of Mexico's railfreight network, leaving the Ministry of Transport and Communications (SCT) to concentrate on passenger rail.

BRITAIN's Department of Transport has finalised the £1.6bn contract with a consortium of Siemens and Cross London Trains for 1140 emu cars for the cross-London Thameslink network. The complex deal has taken two years to conclude.

KOREA's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has dropped plans announced earlier this month to allow a private company to operate high-speed services from the new Suseo station is southeastern Seoul which is due to open in 2015.

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