- Siemens to deliver a total of eight new trainsets by the end of March
- Smooth start for passenger service
Andreas Busemann, Head of Production at DB Bahn Long Distance, and Jürgen Wilder, CEO of the High Speed and Commuter Rail Business Unit of Siemens AG, presented the new ICE 3 of Deutsche Bahn (DB) today on a press tour.
- German Federal Railway Authority approves trains' deployment in Germany
- Four new ICE trains delivered to Deutsche Bahn
- Approval process for operation in France and Belgium still underway
The new ICE trainsets from Siemens for Deutsche Bahn (DB) have been approved for immediate deployment in Germany. The German Federal Railway Authority (EBA) approved the trains' operation – also in multiple-unit or so-called double-traction mode – on DB's rail network. Two trains were delivered in November for test purposes. Siemens has now supplied DB with two more ICE trains of the Velaro D type for deployment in Germany, with four additional trains to follow in the spring of 2014. "With the approval to operate these trains in Germany now granted, we've reached an important milestone in this project," said Jochen Eickholt, CEO of Siemens' Rail Systems Division. As agreed with DB, the remaining eight of the 16 ICE trains originally ordered are reserved for test runs in Belgium and France in preparation for implementing cross-border operation and obtaining the requisite authorizations.
A new and exciting exhibition opens its doors on 8th October 2013 in London at the Crystal. Presented by engineering experts Siemens in conjunction with London Transport Museum and media specialists CBS Outdoor UK, 'Going Underground: Our journey to the future' will showcase future developments for metro-style trains and stations. At the heart of the exhibition will be a full-size mock up of a brand new concept metro train – the Siemens Inspiro. A mix of interactive exhibits on display - housed in a temporary 'station' building - will focus on technologies to help travellers find their way more easily, electronic ticketing developments, passenger information systems and station management solutions. "Going Underground" is free to enter and will be open for a three month period. It will be located on the site of The Crystal in Royal Victoria Docks, London.
On Wednesday, Jan 23, 2013 the Desiro RUS type regional train was sent off on its first trip with passengers on board. The start button was pressed by Valentin Gapanovich, Senior Vice President of Russian Railways (RZD), Dmitry Pegov, General Director of High-Speed Passenger Service at RZD, Alexander Drozdenko, Governor of the St. Petersburg Region, and Jochen Eickholt, CEO of the Siemens Rail Systems Division. The train – named "Lastochka" (Little Swallow) in Russia – departed from Moscow Station in St. Petersburg and traveled via Chudovo to Veliky Novgorod. In future, the train will offer a daily service on this route as well as on the St Petersburg–Chudovo–Bologoye route during the winter timetable. Passenger service in Sochi and Kazan is also planned to start by the end of the 2013.
"When RZD and Siemens commenced production of the Latochka series at the Siemens plant in Krefeld, Germany, in April 2011, we were aiming to put the new regional trains into service by autumn 2013 – a very ambitious plan at that time, in our opinion. But we managed to ship the first trains sooner and to complete the testing and homologation phase considerably earlier than planned. This is why we are now able to commence revenue passenger service in January 2013. I am certain that Lastochka will also overcome all the challenges it encounters in operation in Sochi," said Jochen Eickholt.
Siemens has entered into an agreement to acquire Invensys Rail, the rail automation business of Invensys for approximately €2.2 billion (£1.742 billion). At the same time, the company plans to divest its baggage handling, postal and parcel sorting activities. Both planned transactions are part of the recently launched "Siemens 2014" company program, which amongst others, is aimed at strengthening the company's core activities.