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93-530: On 6 May 1994, a Pendolino ETR 460 train with tilting technology arrived in Poland for high-speed rail testing. The train consisted of three cars: a motorized head car (460 260), a motorized passenger car (460 007), and a trailer car (460 000). On 9 May 1994, the train traveled under its own power from Katowice to Idzikowice for maximum speed tests on the Central Rail Line . A two-car formation

186-467: A $ 16.9 billion offer, comprising a $ 13.5 billion value plus $ 3.4 billion cash. On 5 May, GE offered to buy one-fourth of the shares in Alstom's Indian power and distribution companies – Alstom T&D India and Alstom India – at 261.25 and 382.20 rupees a share (value US$ 278 million and $ 111 million respectively) subject to its bid for Alstom SA being successful. On 5 May 2014,

279-574: A 2003 deal in Indonesia valued at $ 118 million in particular. On April 13, 2013, Alstom senior executive Frédéric Pierucci was arrested at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York . He was accused of willful blindness of his company's suspected corruption and was imprisoned in a high security facility for 14 months and denied release on bail until the week of Alstom's acquisition by

372-538: A 51% shareholding in Linke-Hofmann-Busch from Salzgitter AG . In 1995, the company acquired the remaining shares in the steam turbine manufacturer MAN Energie . In early 1998, GEC Alsthom acquired the electrical contractor Cegelec , renaming it Alstom Power Conversion . In 1998, GEC Alsthom bought Italian firm SASIB 's rail signalling subsidiary Sasib Railways , which included the former General Railway Signal (USA). In June 1998, GEC Alsthom

465-520: A consortium of Alstom ( Alstom Wind ), EDF , and DONG Energy was awarded three major French offshore wind farm contracts, the company initiated construction of factories at Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (turbine blades in association with LM Power , also wind turbine towers) and Saint-Nazaire (Nacelles and generators). Also in 2012, the company formed a joint venture with RusHydro to manufacture hydropower equipment for small and medium power hydropower plants. (up to about 100MW.) Late in 2012, to further

558-559: A design flaw inherited from the acquisition of ABB 's turbine business, in addition to losses in other business sectors. In 2014, General Electric (GE) announced that it reached a deal to purchase Alstom's power and grid divisions for US$ 17 billion (€12.4 billion). The deal came under heavy scrutiny from French regulators who saw the business as a strategically important domestic industry. To secure approval, GE agreed to form joint ventures with French companies in power generation and transmission, Alstom's heavy gas turbine business

651-403: A further 10% stake from shareholder Bouygues and an option to form a rail transport joint venture. On 19 June, GE revised its bid, matching the same price with a lower cash transaction value; it also proposed forming a joint venture of their renewable, electric grid, steam turbine and nuclear power businesses. GE announced a memorandum of understanding between the two firms in the rail sector and

744-593: A greater product overlap and thus a greater risk to jobs, along with potential issues with EU competition regulators. Siemens' offer was characterised as "defensive", being skeptically received by investors and analysts. On 29 April, Reuters reported that Alstom's board had accepted a €10 billion bid by GE for its energy division; In a letter from GE executive Jeffrey R. Immelt to President François Hollande published in Les Echos , Immelt gave assurances about continued investment in Alstom's French activities,

837-468: A joint venture of Alstom and Gibela began construction of a new 60,000 square metres (650,000 sq ft) train building factory in Dunnotar , outside of Johannesburg , South Africa . Initial orders for the factory included 580 X'Trapolis Mega passenger trains for Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa under a €4 billion contract that was awarded in 2013. In September 2016, Alstom announced it

930-723: A loan from the European Investment Bank for 224 million euros (later increased to 342 million euros). In October 2012, the French company Karmar began construction of the technical facility for Pendolino trains at the Warsaw Grochów service station in the Olszynka Grochowska area of the Praga-Południe district. The investment included the construction of a hall comprising four service tracks,

1023-412: A maximum speed of 200 km/h instead of 250 km/h. The auditors also criticized the need for additional stops in smaller towns due to EU funding requirements. Under the contract for the delivery of Pendolino units, the manufacturer was obliged to obtain approval for the units to operate on Austrian, Czech, and German rail networks within 5 years from the delivery of the last vehicle. At the beginning of 2017,

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1116-439: A new speed record, was delivered to Poland on 14 February 2015, and after testing, it had to return to Italy. By the end of March, 18 trainsets had been accepted, and the delivery of all 20 vehicles was completed by the end of the first half of 2015. As of 18 March 2015, the penalties for delayed trainset deliveries amounted to 48 million euros. The validity of these penalties was the subject of arbitration between PKP Intercity and

1209-477: A proposal to merge with Siemens Mobility , the rolling stock division of German conglomerate Siemens ; this merger was promoted as the creation of "a new European champion in the rail industry". The combined rail business, which was to have been reportedly named Siemens Alstom and headquartered in Paris, would have $ 18 billion U.S. in revenue and employ 62,300 people in more than 60 countries. During November 2018,

1302-599: A reported cost of €54 million. As a consequence of an alignment agreement between Transmashholding and another entity, LocoTech-Service , Alstom's stake in the former decreased to 20% in August 2018. In 2011, Alstom and the Iraqi government signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the construction of a new high-speed rail line between Baghdad and Basra . In 2012, Alstom opened construction of factories at Sorel-Tracy , Quebec, Canada (passenger rail vehicles). After

1395-553: A tilting mechanism, and the construction of a technical facility in Warsaw dedicated exclusively to maintaining high-speed rail rolling stock. The contract also includes technical maintenance of the trains for a period of up to 17 years. PKP Intercity received government guarantees for financing the purchase in accordance with the strategy adopted by the European Commission for the development of high-speed rail, and secured

1488-560: A variant of their TGV family specially designed for traversing the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France. Although collectively operated by Eurostar , the type was ordered by three different railway companies: 16 by SNCF , four by NMBS/SNCB , and 18 by British Rail , of which seven were shortened North of London sets. The first Class 373 set was completed at GEC Alstom's Belfort facility during 1992. In 1994, GEC Alsthom acquired

1581-520: A wash facility, and office and social spaces. The construction of the base was completed in April 2014, at which time the delivered Pendolino trains were moved into the facility. On 17 June 2013, the first trainset for PKP Intercity was unveiled in Italy, and on August 12, after arriving in Poland, it was presented at Wrocław Główny railway station . The train was then transported to the experimental track of

1674-401: A €700 million deal), refocused on rail transport. Due to the acquisition, GE accrued $ 17.3bn of goodwill, consisting of Alstom's negative book value of $ 7.2bn at the time of acquisition and the $ 10.1bn purchase price. In October 2018, GE wrote-off $ 23bn from the value of its power industry division, largely attributed to the Alstom purchase. In November 2015, Alstom was awarded a contract by

1767-433: Is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional and urban trains along with trams. The company and its name (originally spelled Alsthom) was formed by a merger between the electric engineering division of Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mécaniques (Als) and Compagnie Française Thomson-Houston (thom) in 1928. Significant acquisitions later included

1860-477: Is governed by two gyroscopes located in the lead cars. The curve is found on the base of the elevation of the external track. ETR 460s are provided with 12 three-phase asynchronous motors (compared to the 16 in the ETR 450) located in all cars, in order to improve cornering capability. The motors are controlled by GTO - VVVF inverters , with a total power of some 6 MW. Electric braking is of rheostatic type, with

1953-527: Is the highest speed ever reached in the history of Pendolino train operations worldwide. During the final weekend of testing in Poland, between 7 and 8 December 2013, the operation of safety systems – ETCS and Radio-Stop  [ pl ] – was tested. On 25 April 2014, one of the trainsets was transported to the experimental track near Velim in the Czech Republic for further odometric ETCS testing. In July, odometric ETCS tests were conducted on

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2046-640: The Central Rail Line began, and on the first day, the train reached a speed of 242 km/h. On 17 November 2013, at the 184th kilometer of the Central Rail Line (near the Pilica bridge), the ED250 set a new speed record on Polish railway tracks, reaching 270 km/h, which was broken the following weekend. On 23 November 2013, the Pendolino train reached 291 km/h, and the next day it achieved 293 km/h. This

2139-547: The ETR 470 and the ETR 480 . The main difference between the versions is that the 460 runs only on 3 kV DC , the 470 on 3 kV DC and 15 kV AC , and the 480 on 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC (used on new high-speed railways in Italy). Three sets were modified to be capable of additionally running on 1.5 kV DC for use on Milan- Turin - Lyon services, but have been all re-converted to the ETR 460 standard and renamed ETR 463. The British Class 390 ,

2232-456: The French : Constructions Électriques de France , Tarbes; a manufacturer of electric locomotives as well as electrical and hydraulic equipment. In 1969, Compagnie Générale d'Électricité (CGE) became the majority shareholder of Alsthom. In 1976, Alsthom merged with Chantiers de l'Atlantique , becoming Alsthom Atlantique. Thus, the business expanded into marine. The next year, it constructed

2325-706: The Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 and Criminal Law Act 1977 . Further charges were brought in late 2014 by the SFO in relation to corrupt practices used to obtain energy contracts in Lithuania. Additional charges relating to contracts for the Budapest Metro in Hungary were added in April 2015. In December 2018, three executives of Alstom were found guilty of conspiracy to corrupt following an investigation by

2418-654: The Test Track Centre near Żmigród , where testing began on August 19. On September 1, the vehicle was moved to Warsaw for an undercarriage inspection at the facility in Olszynka Grochowska. At the end of September, Pendolino was showcased at the Trako  [ pl ] fair in Gdańsk . The second trainset, ED250-002, arrived in Poland on October 24. By the end of October, testing on the Żmigród test track

2511-552: The 1,067.2 kilometres (663.1 mi) from Calais to Marseille in 3 hours and 29 minutes. In 1986, Alsthom Belfort received an order from EDF for the largest gas turbine in the world (212 MW). In 1988–89, holding company CGEE Alsthom acquired ACEC Énergie (hydroturbines and electrical equipment for the nuclear industry) and ACEC Automatisme (automation) from the dissolution of Belgian electrical engineering company ACEC . Alsthom acquired 100% of ACEC's transport division, renaming it ACEC Transport . In early 1989, GEC Alsthom

2604-678: The Belfort plant's closure in the short to medium term. In June 2017, Alstom opened the largest train modernisation facility in the UK at Halebank on the outskirts of Liverpool . Initial work involved the repainting of the Class 390 Pendolino s. On 12 November 2024, Alstom announced on their official website that the first of 35 fully automated metropolis trains has been delivered to Taiwan . The four-car stainless-steel train can carry up to 700 passengers, including 108 seated, with speeds up to 100 km/h. On 26 September 2017, Alstom announced

2697-482: The Central Rail Line, and on September 6, brake performance and its impact on railway traffic control devices were tested on several lines in western Poland. The vehicles were delivered to Poland from the Italian-Austrian border by PKP Cargo as a special shipment. By the end of 2013, four trains had arrived in the country. The deadline for the delivery of the first eight Pendolino trains was 6 May 2014, but

2790-589: The Constructions Électriques de France (1932), shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique (1976), and parts of ACEC (late-1980s). A merger with parts of the British General Electric Company formed GEC Alsthom in 1989. Throughout the 1990s, the company expanded its holdings in the rail sector, acquiring German rolling stock manufacturer Linke-Hofmann-Busch and Italian rail signaling specialist Sasib Railways. In 1998, GEC Alsthom

2883-464: The ED250 train ran in double traction with passengers for the first time. During the first year of operation, the trains carried 3.56 million passengers and covered 6.32 million kilometers. On 7 April 2017, at a railway crossing on the route from Chrząstowice to Ozimek , a truck collided with the ED250-002 train traveling from Wrocław to Warsaw, injuring 18 people. It wasn't until April 2019 that

PKP class ED250 - Misplaced Pages Continue

2976-512: The ED250-001 suffered a brake hose rupture, causing the unit to collide with a locomotive ahead of it. In March 2024, it was reported that the units had obtained complete foreign homologations for the railway networks in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria. The service cycle for ED250 vehicles includes 4-level inspections every 1.2 million kilometers. The first unit to reach this mileage

3069-399: The ED250-001 unit to the manufacturer for further testing. On 25 September 2019, the president of PKP Intercity announced that the units had received approval for operation in the Czech Republic. Between 2020 and 2021, homologation runs were conducted in Germany, concluding with the issuance of the relevant approval on 15 December 2022. On 8 April 2020, during measurement runs near Munich ,

3162-512: The European Commission voiced its concerns surrounding the proposed merger of the two companies, particularly that the combined entity would be too dominant in the European market; alleged impacts from such dominance included potential increases in passenger fares and cargo fees. Furthermore, a series of popular protests concerning the financial reforms of both the French territorial railway infrastructure and SNCF occurred. The proposed merger

3255-419: The French government stated it did not back GE's bid, citing concerns on the future of Alstom's rail division as a smaller separate entity, suggesting that GE transfer its own rail division to Alstom; other concerns were over the civil nuclear field's national independence, and French jobs. On 14 May, France issued a decree ( Décret n° 2014-479 du 14 mai 2014 . ), nicknamed " décret Alstom ", extending to power of

3348-512: The French government's 21% holding in Alstom for €2 billion. Later that year, Bouygues elected to increase its shareholding in the firm to 24%. In 2007, the TGV POS set the world speed record for rail vehicles of 574.8 kilometres per hour (357.2 mph). In March, Alstom acquired Power Systems Manufacturing LLC ( Florida , USA) a manufacturer of gas turbine components from Calpine Corporation for $ 242 million. In June, Alstom acquired

3441-763: The French state agreed terms with Bouygues, buying a 20% stake in Alstom from Bouygues at a 2–5% discount on a minimum value of ≈€35 per share. Initially, the acquisition was expected to be finalised by early 2015. In early 2015, the EU Competition Commission began examining the deal. Both EU and US competition regulators approved the deal by September 2015, subject to the divestiture of Alstom's large and very large gas turbine (GT26 and GT36 models) manufacturing and service business; and its GE7FA gas turbine aftermarket parts subsidiary business, Power Systems Mfg. LLC (PSM), to another company, Ansaldo Energia . The sale of Alstom's energy division to GE

3534-687: The Indian Railways to construct an electric locomotive factory in Madhepura ( Bihar ), receiving an initial order of 800 twin-section 9MW locomotives for use on the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor , valued at ₹190 billion (about US$ 2.9 billion). This factory was to be operated under a joint venture with the Ministry of Railways (26%) at a cost of ₹ 13 billion (roughly US$ 200 million). In September 2015, it

3627-566: The SFO into allegations of several Lithuanian politicians and officials being offered bribes in return for securing contracts. In February 2020, the United Nations published a database of all business enterprises involved in certain specified activities related to the Israeli settlements . Alstom has been listed on the database in light of its involvement in activities related to "the provision of services and utilities supporting

3720-666: The Slovenian series 310 , the Portuguese Alfa Pendular , the Finnish Sm3 and the Spanish Alaris series were all derived from the ETR 460. The trainset, designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro , is used by Trenitalia for their Frecciabianca service on several routes across Italy. The trainset has the ability to tilt by up to 8° when taking corners so as to reduce the effect of centrifugal force on

3813-626: The Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Ecotècnia, renamed as Alstom Ecotècnia (since 2010 Alstom Wind ). The company also adopted a new graphic chart (logo, corporate identity) using "alstom" as its trading name, reserving "Alstom SA" for legal documents. In 2009, Alstom acquired a 25% stake in the Russian locomotive manufacturer Transmashholding . Six years later, Alstom decided to increase its shareholding in Transmashholding to 33% at

PKP class ED250 - Misplaced Pages Continue

3906-789: The US conglomerate General Electric . In late 2014, Alstom was fined $ 772 million by the DOJ, and admitted guilt under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in relation to bribes paid to obtain contracts in various countries. In mid-2014, Alstom Network UK was charged by the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in relation to corruption offences alleged to have been committed when obtaining transportation contracts in India, Poland and Tunisia, covered under sections 1 of

3999-473: The acquisition of Pendolino trains for passenger transport at speeds of 220–250 km/h were uncoordinated, leading to an economically unjustified purchase. NIK auditors found the purchase economically unjustified due to delays in the modernization of railway lines by PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe and PKP Energetyka , which prevented the full utilization of the trains' maximum speeds. In the auditors' opinion, it would have been more appropriate to purchase trains with

4092-631: The arbitration team of the Public Procurement Office  [ pl ] . In 1998, the Supreme Audit Office began an inspection of the tender process, which concluded in February 1999. The report identified several shortcomings related to the preparation and conduct of the tender. The main reason for this assessment was the auditors' finding that Polish State Railways lacked the infrastructure necessary to utilize

4185-519: The benefits of the tilting technology. In two test runs on the selected section, maximum speeds and lateral acceleration were recorded at 113 km/h with 0.6 m/s², and 122 km/h with 0.8 m/s². The following day, six more runs were conducted, and on May 18, in rainy conditions, two additional runs took place, yielding different results due to the changed weather conditions. During the ETR 460's stay in Poland, lasting until 23 May 1994, in addition to test runs, promotional runs were conducted for invited guests on

4278-526: The capabilities of the ordered trains and was not financially prepared for the investment. It was also found that the decision to conduct the tender was based on financial results from 1996, and when the Polish State Railways management made the resolution to approve the selected train supplier, they did not support it with an up-to-date feasibility analysis. The Supreme Audit Office issued a recommendation to cease negotiations with Fiat and annul

4371-484: The company bought out ABB's share in the former joint venture ABB Alstom Power. In 2000, Alstom sold its diesel engine businesses ( Ruston , Paxman , and Mirrlees Blackstone ) to MAN Group . It also acquired a 51% stake in Italian rail manufacturer Fiat Ferroviaria , a world leader in tilting technology. In April 2003, Alstom sold its industrial turbine business to Siemens for €1.1 billion. By 2003, Alstom

4464-770: The company signed a letter of agreement to purchase the transportation division of the financially struggling Bombardier Inc. The purchase was finalized in January 2021. Alsthom was founded in 1928 from the merger of French heavy engineering subsidiary of the Thomson-Houston Electric Company – the Compagnie Française Thomson Houston, CFTH – and the Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mécaniques . In 1932, Alsthom expanded into transportation by acquiring

4557-711: The development of its tidal energy business, Alstom acquired Tidal Generation Ltd from Rolls-Royce , however this was later sold to GE in 2015 as part of the sale of Alstom's energy business. In November 2013, Alstom announced it planned to raise €1 to €2 billion through sale of some non-core assets, plus the possible sale of a stake in Alstom Transport, and cut 1,300 jobs. In 2014, Alstom sold its steam auxiliary components activities (air preheaters and gas-gas heaters for thermal power, other industrial heat transfer equipment, and grinding mills) to Triton Partners for €730 million. In November 2014 Alstom

4650-473: The diesel locomotive manufacturer Meinfesa to Vossloh , and Alstom Power Rentals to APR LLC. Six years later, Alstom re-acquired the electric power transmission division of Areva. In 2005, the former Metro-Cammell rail vehicle works in Washwood Heath closed. In the same year, Alstom sold its Australian subsidiary, Alstom Transport Australia and New Zealand, to United Group , which became part of

4743-513: The first 1300 MW generator set for the Paluel Nuclear Power Plant , setting a world record with an output of 1500 MW. In 1978, Alsthom delivered its first TGV to SNCF . The TGV went on to break world rail speed records in 1981 (at 380 kilometres per hour (240 mph)) and in 1990 (at 515.3 kilometres per hour (320.2 mph)). It also set the world endurance record for high-speed train lines in 2001, travelling

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4836-655: The first trains resumed regular operations. FS Class ETR 460 The ETR 460 is an electric multiple unit (EMU) tilting train produced by FIAT Ferroviaria (now Alstom Ferroviaria) since 1993. It is also known as the Pendolino after the family of trains from which it comes. The ETR 460 is a development of the ETR 450 , a Pendolino EMU developed in the 1970s, being characterized by improved layout, electrical and electronic systems, and improved comfort. Maximum speed remains unchanged at 250 km/h (155 mph). The ETR 460 spawned two similar types of Pendolinos:

4929-463: The inner side of the car. AC -compatible current collectors are located on the roofs of cars 3 and 6, while DC -compatible current collectors are on the roofs of cars 4 and 5. The traction converters and auxiliary inverters are placed under the bodies of cars 1, 2, 6, and 7, and the traction transformers are located under cars 4 and 5. The trains are equipped with the following safety systems: On 14 December 2014, Pendolino trains began operating under

5022-567: The joints are welded by robotic welders. The floor, side, front, and roof panels are first produced as separate elements. Holes for windows and doors are then cut using a milling machine, and all elements are finally assembled and welded using robots. Interior layout of individual cars of the ED250 Pendolino series The ED250 trains feature four powered cars, which are cars numbered 1, 2, 6, and 7. Each powered car has two powered bogies, with each bogie featuring one powered axle located on

5115-547: The latter's UGL Rail division. Alstom would restart its manufacturing operations in Australia by the early 2010s. In 2006, Alstom sold its Marine Division to the Norwegian group Aker Yards , with a commitment to retain 25% of the shares until 2010; it also sold Alstom Power Conversion, which became Converteam , in a leveraged buy-out deal funded by Barclays Private Equity France SAS. In June 2006, Bouygues acquired

5208-504: The maintenance and existence of settlements" and "the use of natural resources, in particular water and land , for business purposes". On 5 July 2021, Norway 's largest pension fund KLP said it would divest from Alstom together with 15 other business entities implicated in the UN report for their links to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. On 24 April 2014, unconfirmed reports claimed that US conglomerate General Electric (GE)

5301-614: The manufacturer, in which, in December 2016, the court ruled that PKP Intercity was entitled to 42.3 million euros for delivery delays. Ultimately, in early November 2017, the carrier received 185 million PLN plus interest. In November 2015, the Supreme Audit Office released a report on the operations of the PKP Group from 2010 to 2013. In this report, the office stated that: The actions of railway companies related to

5394-554: The marine market. Alstom's share price had dropped by 90% over two years. European competition commission law required Alstom to sell several of its subsidiaries, including its shipbuilding and electrical transmission assets, when it accepted a €3.2 billion rescue plan involving the French state. In 2004, the French state took a 21% stake in Alstom for €772 million and Alstom received an EU-approved bailout worth in total €2.5 billion. The company sold its electrical transmission and distribution ("grid") activities to Areva ,

5487-449: The new Express InterCity Premium category, serving routes connecting Warsaw with Gdynia , Katowice , Kraków , and Wrocław . On 13 December 2015, the network was expanded to include Bielsko-Biała , Gliwice , and Rzeszów , and on 29 April 2016, Kołobrzeg and Jelenia Góra were added. During the initial months of operation, due to delivery delays, some originally planned EIP trains were replaced by Express InterCity trains, and one

5580-514: The operator sent one unit to Germany for necessary tests on the route from Nuremberg to Ingolstadt . The unit returned to Poland on June 3. On 18/19 March 2017, tests were conducted on the route to Zakopane in preparation for a future connection between Warsaw and Zakopane. On 15 May 2018, two test runs of the ED250-001 unit were carried out in the Czech Republic between the Bohumin and Polom stations. On 30 January 2019, PKP Intercity leased

5673-453: The passengers. The passengers remain comfortable even if the train fully takes advantage of the characteristics of the track thanks to the lightness of the construction (only 13.5 t or 13.3 long tons or 14.9 short tons / axle). Use of the train does not demand particular modifications to the railroad but it is expensive in terms of maintenance of the rolling stock due to the complexity of the tilting system. The hydraulic tilting system it

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5766-461: The possibility of energy recovery at some speeds while the mechanical braking system uses disc brakes , commanded by an electro-pneumatic system called Wabcontrol. ETR 460s can carry up to 480 passengers. Configuration includes two head coaches, 6 intermediate passenger coaches and a bar - restaurant coach. Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It

5859-442: The proposed merger with Siemens. On 6 February 2019, the planned merger between the two companies was vetoed by the European Commission. In response to this ruling, Alstom's Chief Executive Officer Henri Poupart-Lafarge stated that he viewed the decision to block the merger was a result of "ideological prejudices". In mid-February 2020, Alstom announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Agreement to buy Bombardier Transportation ,

5952-471: The risk of recurring damage caused by ballast, the train speed was temporarily limited to 160 km/h. The units were not factory-equipped with Wi-Fi or mobile signal boosters, which are particularly important in such trains due to their construction negatively affecting signal strength. Equipping the trains with Wi-Fi was the subject of several years of negotiations between Alstom and PKP Intercity (the operator could not carry this out independently without voiding

6045-565: The route from Warsaw to Gdańsk, and the train was showcased at stations in Katowice , Częstochowa , Gdańsk, and Warsaw. The positive results from all tests conducted in May 1994 demonstrated that it was possible in Poland to increase line speeds and improve rail travel comfort. In the mid-1990s, Polish State Railways began upgrading the partially overlapping E65 line on the route between Gdynia , Warsaw and Katowice. The main goal of this investment

6138-630: The sale of GE's rail signalling unit to Alstom. On 20 June, Siemens and MHI modified their bid, with MHI increasing its stake in Alstom's steam, hydro, and grid businesses to 40% in all three (total €3.9 billion) while Siemens increased its offer by €400 million to €4.3 billion. Subsequently, Economy minister Arnaud Montebourg stated he would block both bids, but the French government backed GE's offer and had given GE more specifications on commitments and guarantees; it also intended to buy two-thirds of Bouygues' shareholding (20%). The next day, Alstom's board backed GE's revised bid. On 22 June,

6231-402: The same day with a scheduled speed of 160 km/h. On May 10, seven runs were conducted, achieving maximum speeds of 183, 204, 227, 224, 236, 236, and 244 km/h. After analyzing data from the measuring equipment, current collector performance, and interaction with the overhead line, it was decided to attempt a higher speed. On May 11, the train reached speeds of 200 and 245 km/h on the test section. It

6324-421: The security of the civil nuclear sector, and on job commitments made by Alstom Wind , whilst making its wind activities available to investors. On 30 April, Alstom confirmed that an offer for its power and grid divisions (representing an equity value of €12.35 billion, €11.4 billion enterprise value ) was under review with key interests including the French state. On 30 April, GE confirmed it had made

6417-771: The state to veto the takeover of "strategic interests" into areas of energy supply, water, transport, telecoms and public health. Both the French employer organisation MEDEF and the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services ( Michel Barnier ) responded negatively to the decree. On 16 June, Siemens and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) submitted a competing offer for Siemens to acquire Alstom's gas turbine activities for €3.9 billion while MHI would form joint ventures with Alstom, acquiring 40%, 20% and 20% stakes in Alstom's steam and nuclear, electrical grid, and hydroelectric businesses respectively, for €3.1 billion. The proposal included an offer to buy

6510-420: The tender. On 7 December 1999, the Polish State Railways management annulled the tender in line with the Supreme Audit Office's recommendations. In early August 2008, PKP Intercity announced a tender for the supply of 20 high-speed trainsets with a maximum speed of 250 km/h. Contrary to the initial plans, the required maximum speed was raised from 200 km/h to 250 km/h, and the requirement for a tilting body system

6603-587: The train was transported to the manufacturer for repairs, estimated to cost 8.5 million euros. On 26 September 2017, the ED250-003 train struck the rear of a bus on the route from Nasielsk to Modlin , with no fatalities. By the end of April 2019, the trains had covered a total of 30 million kilometers and carried 17.5 million passengers. In the second half of March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pendolino train services were completely suspended; on May 22,

6696-572: The trains were not handed over due to issues with obtaining certification. Ultimately, on September 11, the first trainsets received type approval from the Office of Rail Transport. By September, 14 trainsets were physically in Poland, and by mid-October, the first two trainsets were accepted by PKP Intercity. By mid-November, 17 trainsets were in Poland, of which 11 had been accepted. By the start of passenger services on 14 December 2014, 15 trainsets had been accepted. The final trainset, number 001, which set

6789-423: The warranty). At the end of 2017, Internet tests were conducted on the route from Warsaw to Kraków, as a prelude to installing on-board Wi-Fi. Finally, on 28 August 2018, the operator signed an agreement with Alstom for Wi-Fi installation along with 5-year maintenance. By late December, installation was completed on unit number 018, and a test run with journalists was conducted on December 28. By November 2019, Wi-Fi

6882-972: Was ED250-006 in July 2017. The inspections were carried out at the Alstom facility in Piaseczno (unlike lower-level inspections) and included wheel replacement, bogie revision, traction motor revision, and maintenance and service work on other train components. Each inspection took about a month. In January 2017, it was announced that the units would be equipped with Wi-Fi during the inspections; however, this did not happen. The inspections were completed in November 2018, with 18 out of 20 units inspected (two units were awaiting accident repairs). On 19 January 2018, six units were withdrawn from service due to detected undercarriage damage caused by crushed stone . A special commission, consisting of PKP Intercity (the operator) and PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (the infrastructure manager),

6975-578: Was announced that Amtrak would award Alstom a contract for $ 2.5 billion for the next generation high-speed train sets for the Northeast Corridor . This would result in the creation of 750 jobs across upstate New York with 400 direct manufacturing jobs at Alstom. The order for 28 Avelia Liberty trainsets was officially confirmed in August 2016 by Amtrak. These trainsets are manufactured at Alstom's plant in Hornell, New York . In March 2016,

7068-558: Was appointed to investigate the issue. On January 25, the Ministry of Infrastructure decided that the State Commission for Railway Accident Investigation would also join the commission. By February 1, 3 of the 6 damaged units were back in service, and by February 13, all were operational again. On October 23, the commission concluded its work and determined that: The incidents occurred due to weather conditions conducive to snow and ice accumulation. On 11 January 2019, due to

7161-719: Was available on all vehicles except the unit in Italy, which had been involved in an accident in Ozimek . The Pendolino trains for PKP Intercity are based on the New Pendolino platform. The first train from this platform was the ETR610 purchased by Cisalpino , which was introduced in 2008. In the nomenclature of the Office of Rail Transport, the vehicle received the designation EMU250PKP . The train cars have self-supporting bodies made from lightweight aluminum alloy profiles. These profiles are joined using "dovetail" connections, and

7254-609: Was awarded a $ 429.4 million contract to modernise 85 trains for the Mexico City Metro system. Starting in 2009, Alstom's practices were questioned by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), which violated the 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act . This American law has extraterritorial scope. At the time, Alstom seemed to cooperate with the proceedings. In 2010, the DOJ opened an investigation into Alstom's commercial practices, focusing on

7347-495: Was canceled. On February 15, March 15, and April 26, 2015, during timetable adjustments, additional temporary EIC trains were replaced by EIP trains. The last of the 20 ordered vehicles was put into service in June. The maximum speed achieved by the trains is 200 km/h. At the start of service, 77 km out of 976 km of railway lines on which these trains operated were adapted to the 200 km/h speed. On 27 July 2016, during World Youth Day ,

7440-421: Was completed. On October 30, tests on railway lines commenced, with the first route being the line from Warsaw Grochów to Konin , where the train reached a speed of 160 km/h. In the following days, Pendolino was tested near Grybów to evaluate its performance on steep gradients and descents, and on the line from Nidzica to Olsztyn to assess its behavior on tight curves. On 16 November 2013, Pendolino testing on

7533-490: Was determined that the results justified an attempt to reach the ETR 460’s maximum speed of 250 km/h. The test commenced at 1:14 PM, and after 5 minutes and 47 seconds, around the 40th kilometer of the Central Rail Line near the Biała Rawska station, the train reached 250.1 km/h, setting a speed record for Central and Eastern Europe. On 16 May 1994, a second series of tests began on the line from Warsaw to Gdańsk to evaluate

7626-452: Was dropped. Six companies expressed interest in the tender: Alstom , AnsaldoBreda with Newag , Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles , Siemens Mobility , Bombardier Transportation with Pesa , and Talgo . In September 2010, the bids were opened, and Alstom was the sole bidder. On 30 May 2011, PKP Intercity signed a contract with Alstom Transport worth 665 million euros for the delivery of 20 seven-car New Pendolino trains without

7719-401: Was facing a financial crisis caused by a mix of poor sales and over $ 5 billion of debt liabilities. It reportedly had the potential to force the company's liquidation. These heavy debts were largely due to a $ 4 billion charge over a design flaw in a turbine developed by ABB , acquired by Alstom in 2000, as well as the collapse of customer Renaissance Cruises amid a general downturn in

7812-508: Was finalised on 2 November 2015; the final valuation being €12.4 billion, of which €9.7 billion was transferred to Alstom, the remainder being reinvested in GE/Alstom joint ventures plus other corrections. The acquired businesses were reorganised within GE's existing power generation business ( GE Power & Water ) as GE Power . The remainder of Alstom Group, including GE Signalling (acquired via

7905-553: Was formed from a 50–50 merger of Alsthom and the Power Systems Division of the British General Electric Company ; for Alsthom this move was intended to aid Alsthom in selling its products outside the French market. In May of that year GEC Alsthom bought British rail vehicle manufacturer Metro-Cammell . During the early-1990s, GEC Alsthom was the principal manufacturer of the British Rail Class 373 ,

7998-481: Was in acquisition talks with Alstom for $ 13 billion with the support of 29%-shareholder Bouygues, causing Alstom's share price to rise 18% in one day. On 27 April, Le Figaro reported that a rival 'cash plus asset swap' offer was issued by Siemens , trading Alstom's power business for part of its rail arm, plus a cash offer as good as GE's and job guarantees. Siemens' bid was reportedly promoted by French economic minister Arnaud Montebourg . Siemens and Alstom had

8091-675: Was listed on the Paris Stock Exchange and, later that year, it was rebranded Alstom. At the time, the company was manufacturing railway rolling stock, power generation equipment and ships. In 2003, the company required a €3.2 billion bailout from the French government. As a result, Alstom was compelled to dispose of several of its divisions, including shipbuilding and electrical transmission to Areva , in order to comply with European Union rules on state aid . In 2004, Alstom remained in financial difficulties, having incurred massive unexpected costs (€4 billion) arising from

8184-486: Was listed on the Paris Stock Exchange ; both GEC and Alcatel elected to sell off part of their stakes (23.6% each). Around this time, the company was officially renamed Alstom . In 1999, Alstom bought half of ABB 's power systems division, forming a 50-50 joint company known as ABB Alstom Power. Alstom also bought Canada's Télécité, a passenger information and security solutions company, and sold its heavy-duty gas turbine business to General Electric . The next year,

8277-490: Was sold to Ansaldo Energia , and GE agreed to sell Alstom's rail signalling business. The deal was finalised in November 2015; since then, Alstom has been operating solely in the rail sector. In an attempt to grow its rail business, in late-2017, Alstom announced a proposed merger with Siemens Mobility . However, in February 2019, the European Commission prohibited the merger. Subsequently, in February 2020,

8370-530: Was to cease locomotive manufacturing at its Belfort (France) site by 2018 due to low orders; remaining production activity was to be transferred to its facility of Alstom DDF in Reichshoffen , Alsace . However, during October 2016, the French state placed an order of about €650 million for 15 TGV Euroduplex trains; an order for 20 locomotives; plus an order for 30 intercity trains to be built at Reichshoffen. Together, these orders were sufficient to prevent

8463-559: Was to increase the allowable speeds and adapt the tracks for high-speed trains. Following a financial analysis conducted in 1996, Polish State Railways management decided to launch a tender on 8 August 1997 for the supply of 16 tilting body trains. The two-stage tender process concluded on 20 July 1998 with Fiat Ferroviaria winning with its offer of the Pendolino ETR 460. The other two bidders, Siemens Mobility and Adtranz , filed appeals, but these were rejected on 21 August 1998 by

8556-417: Was used for the tests, consisting of motor cars, one equipped with a current collector and driver's cab, and the other without a current collector but featuring a braking station at the rear. The train was powered by four traction motors with a total power of 2,000 kW. The test runs were conducted on a closed track (track 2) between Strzałki , Biała Rawska , and Szeligi  [ pl ] . Tests began on

8649-464: Was viewed by some as a measure to counter the rise of rival Chinese rail business CRRC ; it reportedly received support from many figures within both the French and German governments. The transaction, which was originally due to close by the end of 2018, was met with opposition by French trade union officials who voiced their concerns that such a merger would have the potential for job losses. On 17 July 2018, Alstom shareholders overwhelmingly approved

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