Alstom-Keolis consortium wins Nottingham tram bid


by Katie Silvester


Tramlink Nottingham has been named as preferred bidder for the building of two new tram lines in the city to Clifton and Chilwell. The scheme, known as


Nottingham Express Transit (Net) Phase Two, is a local authority PFI scheme, with the winning bidder required to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the new lines. The 23-year concession contract is due to be formally awarded later this year. Tramlink Nottingham is a


consortium made up of Vinci, Alstom, Keolis, Wellglade and Meridiam. Jane Todd, Nottingham City


Council’s chief executive, says: ‘The process of selecting a preferred bidder has involved a lengthy, formal and highly demanding process.’ She added: ‘We received two


very strong bids but Tramlink Nottingham has come out on top. We look forward to working with them to develop their proposals before awarding the full contract.’ Roger Harrison, Tramlink


Nottingham chairman, said: ‘We


Siemens restructures Industry sector n


A restructuring of Siemens will see its Mobility division,


which includes rolling stock and signalling, become part of a new Infrastructure & Cities sector. The reorganisation seeks to focus on opportunities in built environments, where Siemens already provides the technology behind everything from ATM machines and traffic lights to intelligent building networks and Desiro trains.


Mobility was previously part of


the Industry sector, which will now concentrate on Siemens’ industrial customers. Peter Löscher, the group’s


president and CEO, said: ‘We are orienting Siemens toward technology leadership in a broad spectrum of energy-efficient


is headquartered in Germany, has established a Rail Innovation Centre of Competence in the UK to lead the development of new concepts and technologies for its international rolling stock service business.


Siemens, which has supplied


trains to several Tocs in the UK based on its Desiro design, does not manufacture trains in the UK, but wanted to establish a greater presence in Britain on the rolling stock side. Along with Bombardier, Siemens is one of the final two bidders for the overdue Thameslink rolling stock contract.


European loan offered for Borders line reopening


solutions for cities and industries. With this move, we intend to top the €100bn mark in business volume in the next few years.’ Meanwhile, the company, which


n


A £100m loan will be offered to the successful bidder for


construction of the £295m rail link between Edinburgh and Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders. The European Investment


Bank has agreed to make the loan available. Bank representatives visited the site last October to confirm the project met its criteria for development projects. Scottish transport minister Keith


Brown said: ‘This agreement will secure savings for the public purse by enabling the successful bidder to secure more economical finance.’ Two bidders are in the running


to re-establish the 35-mile rail link, which was axed in 1969. The Scottish government is due to announce the winning consortium in the winter.


have put together an extremely strong partnership and we are confident of being able to create a network that will not only be efficient and effective in terms of meeting the city’s transport needs, but will also help to take Nottingham’s international status to a new level.’


n Three shortlisted bidders have been announced by Transport for London (TfL) to supply up to 10 more trams for Croydon Tramlink. The bidders are City of Edinburgh/CAF, Stadler (Stadler Pankow GmBH) and Pesa (Pojazdy Szynowe PESA Bydgoszcz SA Holding).


News in brief


Transport for London business plan revised


TfL has revised its business plan for the capital’s transport network, making a £7.6bn saving over four years. The original target was £5bn. It says growth will be created by upgraded tube lines, new trains and London Overground completion. London TravelWatch generally welcomed the plan, while the RMT slammed the proposals.


UK firm gets exports accolate


Pandrol UK, best known for its railway fastenings and track support systems, has won the International Trade category in this year’s Queen’s Award for Enterprise. The company had to demonstrate a substantial and sustained increase in export earnings over three consecutive 12-month periods in order to be considered.


Caterpillar moves into rail tracks


Balfour Beatty has sold its UK track work manufacturing business to Progress Rail Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caterpillar. The track work operation designs and manufactures steel castings, track panels, turnouts and crossings.


Redundancies warning


Thales, which supplies telecoms, IT and signalling solutions to the railways, has announced that it is to cut around 80 posts from its workforce. A spokeswoman for the company said: ‘Announcements of this kind are regrettable. We will make every effort to minimise permanent job losses and provide support to those affected.’


Signalling tender announced by Crossrail


Crossrail Ltd has begun the tender process for the central section’s £75m signalling system. The system will need to support automatic train operation and be capable of handing 24 trains an hour, rising to 30 trains per hour in the future. The section stretches from Whitechapel to Paddington.


MAY 2011 PAGE 11


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