Siemens Mobility has received an order for 1,200 locomotives
of 9,000 horsepower (HP) from Indian Railways, marking the single largest
locomotive order in the history of Siemens Mobility and single largest order in
the history of Siemens India. Siemens Mobility will design, manufacture,
commission and test the locomotives. Deliveries are planned over an eleven-year
period, and the contract includes 35 years of full service maintenance.
Siemens Mobility's Vectron locomotives are used for both freight and passenger service. During the development of the locomotive, the focus was on providing a future-proof design, investment security, environmental compatibility, fungibility, retrofitting capability and convertibility. The Vectron can be delivered as a purely electrical version for operating with alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power systems as well as a multisystem (MS) variant in the power classes 5.2 MW, 5.6 MW and 6.4 MW. Along with the desired national train control system, the locomotives can also be equipped with the latest European Train Control System (ETCS). The locomotives are built in the Siemens Mobility plant in Munich-Allach, Germany. For freight transport in Germany, Siemens Mobility also offers the Smartron standard locomotive and the Vectron Dual Mode, a combination of diesel and electric locomotive.
Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Siemens Mobility have
developed the world’s first train that operates by itself in rail traffic. Dr.
Richard Lutz, CEO of DB, and Dr. Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens AG, together with
Dr. Peter Tschentscher, Mayor of Hamburg, presented the train on the 11thOctober 2021 as it made its premiere run as part of the Digital S-Bahn Hamburg
project.
Turkish State Railways (TCDD) has ordered Velaro high-speed trains from Siemens Mobility.The first Velaro Turkey was ordered in 2013 and went into passenger service between Ankara and Konya in May 2015. At the same time, TCDD signed a second contract with Siemens for six eight-car high-speed trains. The last twelve eight-car Velaro TR trains were ordered in 2018 and 2019. The contract included maintenance, repair, and cleaning of the trains for a period of three years. With the delivery well ahead of schedule, a record time for the start of passenger operation could be achieved. On average, the time between the contract signing and passenger operation amounts to 24 months.
Siemens Mobility has been awarded a major contract in the United Kingdom. London Underground (LUL), a subsidiary of Transport for London, responsible for the urban rail system in Britain's capital, signed a contract with Siemens Mobility to design and build 94 new generation Tube trains worth around €1.5 billion GBP (1.54 billion Euro) to replace the existing 1970s fleet. The trains will serve the Piccadilly line and delivery will begin in 2025.The new metro trains for London will significantly increase capacity and throughput on the Piccadilly line. The new spacious Piccadilly line trains are based on Siemens Mobility's Inspiro family of metro trains and offer passengers substantially improved passenger experience.As part of a fleet services contract, Siemens Mobility will be responsible for covering the supply of spares for a period of five years beginning with the commissioning of the first trains. Siemens Mobility will also provide whole life technical support for the trains when they are out of their general warranty. Additionally, LUL has ordered digital services based on Siemens Mobility's Railigent.
The number of passengers traveling over long distances has been climbing for years, and operators of high-speed trains face tight competition with airlines and new providers of long-distance, road-based services. Future-proof trains with reduced lifecycle costs and enhanced travel comfort are therefore more important than ever for securing and increasing high-speed rail transport.
Connected and self-driving vehicles are on the horizon. Autonomous taxis and minibuses could cover the last mile between homes and public mass transit and long-distance transport hubs, helping make private cars superfluous in cities and relieving congestion. In rail transport as well, fully automated systems and connectivity can help satisfy the rapidly growing demand for mobility. Making vehicles and infrastructure more intelligent can ensure better availability and make mobility safer. All this adds up to vastly improved urban environments.Siemens is working with municipalities, public transit authorities and research institutes to develop these transport concepts.
Labeled as the project of the century for the German metropolitan region, the Rhine-Ruhr express (RRX) will help alleviate the continuously worsening transportation issues along the Rhine and Ruhr from 2018. The municipalities involved in the new RRX rail transport concept commissioned Siemens to supply 82 electric multiple units, type Desiro HC, and to provide maintenance services for a period of 32 years. With a total volume of more than 1.7 billion euros, this is the largest regional rail service order in Germany so far for Siemens.The region is one of the largest conurbations in Europe, with a population of approximately ten million and numerous transit routes. On the main section between Cologne and Dortmund in particular, mobility has been heavily restricted for years now by overstretched public transport networks and train connections. Through a targeted extension of the railway network and the shift of traffic from road to rail this enables, the RRX is expected to replace roughly 31,000 individual car trips every working day. The first RRX trains will begin operating punctually with the change of the rail system's timetable on December 9, 2018. Commercial operation will begin on Line RE 11 that connects Düsseldorf, Essen, Dortmund, Hamm, Paderborn and Kassel. During rush hours the eventual target is one train every 15 minutes.