- Researchers in Vienna have developed special high-frequency window panes for trains
- Massive improvement in receiving level for mobile terminal devices in trains
- Greater convenience and better travel quality
It often takes a lot of patience to surf the Internet when traveling by train. Even in high-speed trains, the success rate for displaying Internet pages varies between just 41 and 65 percent, depending on the network provider. The window panes on the trains are an obstacle to good mobile reception. Their coating protects passengers against heat and sun, but the downside of this is that they reflect not only thermal or solar radiation but also all other electromagnetic waves, effectively turning the carriage into a Faraday cage. The shielding on high-speed trains is 99.9 percent. Researchers at Siemens have now come up with a frequency-selective coating for window panes that solves this problem.
Siemens has received its first order from
China for the
delivery of four SGT-800 gas turbines and the
associated generators.
The turbines will be installed in the Shanxi Guoxin
Baode and Xiyang decentralized
energy projects in Central China. The two combined cycle power plants with heat
extraction will have an overall capacity of 308 megawatts (MW). The
customer is Shanxi Natural Gas Limited Company, a subsidiary of Shanxi
Provincial
Guoxin Energy Development Group Co., Ltd.. Commercial
operation of the plants is scheduled for July 2017.
- Bronze sculpture created by Georg Baselitz graces atrium of new head-quarters
- Sculpture group "The Wings," created by Daniel Libeskind, links Siemens locations in Munich, Berlin and Erlangen
Visitors arriving at the new Siemens headquarters in Munich will be greeted by the impressive sight of the bronze sculpture "Schwesterngruppe" (Group of Sisters), created by Georg Baselitz. Freely accessible to the public, the sculpture forms part of the company's new, open building concept. Georg Baselitz himself says of his work: "What you see is memory on a monumental scale: in this case, my sister and her friends walking arm-in-arm across the village square. The tradition of the Three Graces, from Ancient Greece via Botticelli to the present day, is one of the themes of this work. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a group of figures with interlinked arms in the history of sculpture."
- Cross-border operation in Germany, Austria and Italy
- Fleet expanding to 66 Vectron locomotives
Mitsui Rail Capital Europe (MRCE), a full-service locomotive leasing company, has ordered ten additional Vectron type multisystem locomotives from Siemens. With this order, MRCE will expand its Vectron fleet to 66 locomotives. The locomotives will be built in the Siemens plant in Munich-Allach, Germany.
Siemens has received an order from Israel
for the first time for the turnkey construction of two industrial combined
cycle power plants. The two natural gas-fired power plants, Alon Tavor and
Ramat Gabriel, are to be built in northern Israel. Alon Tavor will supply a
creamery with electricity and process steam, while Ramat Gabriel will supply a
fiber factory. The Israeli energy provider, RD Energy, is the customer for both
power plants. Commissioning of the plants is scheduled for mid-2018.
- Framework agreement for delivery of additional 50 Vectron locomotives
- Total of up to 100 locomotives for ELL
Siemens and European Locomotive Leasing (ELL), a provider of full-service leasing of locomotives, have again signed a framework agreement for the delivery of 50 Vectron locomotives. The first locomotives from this new agreement have already been ordered and delivery will begin in the second quarter of 2016. In 2014, ELL had signed a first framework agreement with Siemens for 50 locomotives, and all these locomotives have already been delivered or ordered.
- Saudi Aramco's "In-Kingdom Total Value Add" (IKTVA) program aims to localize the energy value chain with respect to manufacturing and service, train and employ young Saudi nationals, and foster future prosperity in the Kingdom.
- In partnership with Saudi Aramco, Siemens celebrated another milestone for the IKTVA program by producing the first gas turbine at the Siemens Dammam Energy Hub.
- In line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030, the local production of energy-related goods such as turbines has leveraged opportunities for Siemens to train and employ young Saudi nationals, and contribute towards creating a knowledge-based economy.
In line with Saudi Vision 2030 and Saudi Aramco's in-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) program, Siemens delivered its first gas turbine built in Saudi Arabia. The gas turbine, which will be installed at Saudi Aramco's new power plant as part of the Jazan refinery project, was produced at the Siemens Dammam Energy Hub, Saudi Arabia's first gas turbine manufacturing facility and the largest in the Middle East.
The first passenger train will roll through the Gotthard Base Tunnel early June 2016. Siemens has supplied the tunnel control and fire protection systems for the world's longest railway tunnel. The sophisticated safety system has over 200,000 sensors, and places maximum demands on logistics and data processing.The control system controls and monitors all installations completely automatically. The tunnel is fitted with sensors, control electronics and surveillance equipment. This includes video cameras in the multifunction points, which are connected by optical fiber cables to two tunnel control centers located at the north and south entrances. Siemens has installed a tunnel control system in each center, each system acting as a reserve for the other. The movement of each train is recorded, and displayed in the control center. The system controls the entire infrastructure, which has 3,200 kilometers of electrical cables and 2,600 kilometers of data cables. It detects a door that has not been closed properly or a light that has failed. When required, the ventilation system is activated, the light at the next emergency stop point is switched on, and the doors are opened automatically. What is actually happening is seen on screen by the around 60 employees on duty in the centers. "Events" are classified according to five alarm stages. The system provides information and decision-making steps for each stage to help the head of operations. Sensors check the trains for overheated brakes and leaks before they enter the tunnel and without requiring them to stop. However, the main task of the new system is to maintain availability. The maintenance periods, such as close-down times and spare parts requirement, can be efficiently planned with a new tool.It goes without saying that safety is paramount in a tunnel where in the near future more than 200 trains a day will barrel through the tubes at speeds up to 250 km/h. The tubes are connected every 300 meters by crosscuts that allow train passengers to escape to the other tube in case of a fire. Each tube has two emergency-stop stations 600 meters in length which allows the evacuation of up to 1,000 passengers.
- Fourth major rapid transit project since 1999
- Skytrain, Airport Line and Metro already key mass transit pillars
- New order also includes 16-year service contract
Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company (BTSC) has placed an order with a consortium of Siemens and the Turkish public transportation vehicle manufacturer Bozankaya for the delivery of 22 four-unit metro trains. In addition, Siemens will take over their service and maintenance for 16 years. The trains will be manufactured at the Bozankaya factory in Ankara, Turkey. The Siemens scope includes the bogies, traction and braking systems, auxiliary systems, as well as the project management, development, construction and commissioning of the trains. Delivery of the first metro trains is scheduled in 2018, and the order will be completed in the following year. The trains will operate on the existing BTS (Skytrain) system and the Green Line extensions.