The breath-taking rise of Bangkok to become a leading business center in Asia created a basic challenge for the city to ensure the mobility of millions of people. Before 1999, people used to take a bus, motorcycle or taxi for almost 80 per cent of their daily travel needs. This created congestion in large parts of Bangkok's infrastructure, making traffic jams a daily occurrence. The travel speed in downtown Bangkok was usually less than ten kilometers per hour. This not only affected the mobility of the commuters but had also an impact on the quality of life. Without a working rapid transit and mainline traffic concept, Thailand's capital was bound to grind to a standstill.
Bane NOR, the state-owned agency responsible for the Norwegian national railway infrastructure, has contracted Siemens to upgrade the signaling equipment of the entire Norwegian rail network to the European Train Control System (ETCS). Commissioning of the rollout lines is scheduled to be completed by 2034. The contract also includes services for 25 years and is worth around 800 million euros in total.
Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has ordered a total of 189 Desiro ML regional trains from Siemens. The trains will operate under the name "Cityjet".The trains will be produced at the Siemens Mobility plants in Krefeld, Germany, and Graz, Austria, and final assembly will take place at ÖBB's Technical Services factory in Jedlersdorf, Austria.Two design alternatives of the Desiro ML are built: the urban train design for large metropolitan areas such as Vienna and the regional train design. The ÖBB cityjet also offers a variable, low-floor seating arrangement as well as spacious entrance and intercar gangway areas, an attractive, innovative design and maximum riding comfort, and barrier-free entrance to all 550-mm station platforms in Austria.Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and Siemens Mobility are jointly investing in the future of passenger transport and are developing an electro-hybrid battery drive for trains. Operating as a battery-powered train, the Cityjet eco is an alternative for non-electrified rail lines primarily served at present with diesel-powered passenger trains. Battery operation can reduce CO2emissions by up to 50 percent compared to diesels. Following extensive testing of the prototype train, it is expected to first be used in passenger service in the second half of 2019.On August 26, the joint project reached its next milestone: The battery driven EMU got the homologation and is starting passenger service beginning of September 2019, bringing more sustainability to non-electrified tracks in Austria.
In September 2012, Munich city utility company (SWM) was the first customer to order the new Avenio for the light rail network of the MVG (Munich transport company). In the meantime, SWM has continually expanded its Avenio fleet.
With six lines and a total route length of 176 kilometers, Riyadh is constructing one of the world’s largest metro projects. Riyadh currently has a population of 6.5 million people which is set to increase to 8.3 million by 2030 due to its rapid urban growth. As part of a consortium with the US company Bechtel and the local construction firms Almabani and Consolidated Contractors Company, Siemens Mobility is responsible for building lines 1 (Blue Line) and 2 (Red Line). Siemens Mobility, as Engineering and Maintenance partner, is supplying the rolling stock for driverless operation. Moreover, the scope includes project management, signaling, power supply, communication systems, depot and workshop equip¬ment, platform screen doors, testing and commissioning and system integration in a turnkey approach.
New research from Siemens Financial services explains how manufacturers are in a race against time to gain competitive advantage from Industry 4.0 investment, before the “tipping point” of majority adoption. A must-read for future focused manufacturing financial managers, the Whitepaper explains how Finance 4.0 solutions are providing practical methods of helping companies to urgently invest in Industry 4.0 and gain early mover advantage.
On September 26, 2017 Siemens and Alstom have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combine Siemens' mobility business, including its rail traction drives business, with Alstom. The transaction brings together two innovative players of the railway market with unique customer value and operational potential. The two businesses are largely complementary in terms of activities and geographies. Siemens will receive newly issued shares in the combined company representing 50 percent of Alstom's share capital on a fully diluted basis.On February 6, 2019 the European Commission has announced its decision to prohibit the proposed combination of the Siemens and Alstom mobility businesses. As a result of this prohibition, the merger will not proceed. Siemens and Alstom regret that the remedies they offered, including recent improvements, have been considered insufficient by the EU Commission.