1/2002

Following our reports of the Taurus family in Railvolution 1/01, members of the fleet have broken new ground. Apart from the usual operations in Austria and Germany Class 1116 has recently appeared in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Additionally, further locomotives hired from Dispolok have also entered service.

The locomotives of Classes 145 and 185 have conducted very successfully on the European market. Likewise the 400 locomotives of Class 1016/1116 for ÖBB being ordered by Siemens Transportation Systems, also an order by Bombardier Transportation for the 80 locomotives of Class 145 and subsequently the 400 locomotives of Class 185 for DB have enabled mentioned producers to cover the demands on modern electric locomotives for the variety of private hauliers. Thus both railway administrations of DB and ÖBB have been paradoxically helping in expansion of the competition on European tracks. The facilities in Kassel are currently being left by further variants of the two system locomotives of Class 185. The locomotives are designated as Class 185-CL (Cargo Locomotive), because the production of Class 145-CL have been now finishing with the last locomotives 145-CL 205 and 206 for RAG (March 2002).

Bombardier Transportation strengthened its position on the Australian market, after it has signed a contract with National Express Group and the Victorian State Government (Australia) to build 29 two-car diesel multiple units for Victoria's country and regional services. The agreement enclosed on 21 November 2001 also covers the maintenance of these trains for the next 15 years. The total value of the firm order is approximately EUR 235 million. The transaction carries options for the manufacture and maintenance of 10 additional two-car units which would take the total contract value to approximately EUR 315 million.

Pojazdy Szynowe PESA Holding is unveiling the PARTNER in the time, when possibility to help with so needed financing of regional rail transport by financial support of regions („wojwodstwo“) are discussed. Beacuse single motor coaches are quite rare in Poland, the PARTNER design brings a real break-through. The unit is built on underframe of passenger coach type 102, on which steel body and laminate-plastic faces are mounted. The new vehicle is 30 % low-floor. For undercarriage, two Jenbach-licence built two-axle pneumatically springed bogies are used. Base technical data: max. speed 120 km/h, power 480 kW, length over buffers 24,5 m, weight of empty car 42 t, max. weight per axle 14 t. At the present, the prototype unit is under commisioning.

On 10 January 2002, the ÖBB Class 2016 was officially unveiled at the Siemens Krauss-Maffei Lokomotiven GmbH (SKM) premises. This new type of diesel locomotive, which is to be used on both freight and passenger services, added a new term to the portfolio of Siemens Transportation Systems vehicles - Eurorunner.

The majority of ChS 4 locomotives (more than 150) have been operating in the Ukrainian area to this day. The biggest locomotive user - the locomotive depot for passenger locomotives at Kiev - have 110 ChS 4 locomotives allocated currently and prepared for building a new series. During the 25 years operation there occured some failures in the original Class 52 E locomotive. The problems are bore on long-term operation and maintenance system mainly. Owing to good status and reliable operation the Ukrainian railways started in 1996 to deal with the idea of Class ChS 4 refurbishment. 24 locomotives were refurbished up to end of year 2001. First two locomotives ChS 4-209 and ChS 4-207 have a run through more than 250 000 km currently.

In April 2001, Siemens Transportation Systems could celebrate its greatest success since this division was grounded in 1989, after it was awarded the contract for 1 201 cars (869 without option respectively) of Desiro family for United Kingdom. At this moment first vehicles are being manufactured for the orders First Great Eastern and South West Trains, thus to be operated on the National Rail network in the London region.

This name covers a milestone in the high speed trains family from ALSTOM, currently known under shortage AGV (Automotrice Grande Vitesse). As of early November 2001, a demonstrator train has been testing technological concepts that will bring an articulated train configured with distributed power.

In December 2001 Bombardier Transportation was awarded the contract for 100 locomotives of Class E464. These are mainly intended for regional and inter-regional passenger service and have been designed specially for the Italian State Railways (Trenitalia S. p. A. - formerly FS). This contract is the last part of the framework contract signed in 1996, which foresaw delivery to Trenitalia of a total of 240 locomotives of the same type (50 and then 90 further locomotives were ordered from Adtranz in 1996 and 1999 respectively). Deliveries are scheduled to take place between 2003 and 2005, at a rate of about four locomotives per month.

Number of COMBINOS on the order books has rounded off already to 500 vehicles, from which over 100 are in service now. Operators of 13 cities in 6 countries on 3 continents are current or future users of this design. This balance makes COMBINO - at least in terms of the manufacturer - the most successful 100% low-floor tram worldwide. On 1 February 2002 Siemens TS organized a special oportunity to meet this success personally. During the "COMBINO Day" assembly facilities in Uerdingen and all currently built types, presented in Wildenrath test centre, were shown.

The extensive range of machines manufactured by Plasser & Theurer has been extended by a future-looking high capacity maintenance machine, the 09-3X Dynamic Tamping Express.

After two years of work, in May 2001, the 43.5 km new modern railway line fully opened to traffic between the stations of Zalalövő (MÁV) and Murska Sobota (SŽ). The line is to become part of European railway corridor Route 5 Kiev - Triest/Koper.