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81-645: When South Korea started its high-speed rail project, rolling stock and infrastructure was built in the framework of a technology transfer agreement between GEC-Alsthom (today Alstom ), the main maker of French TGV high-speed trains, and South Korean companies. The first trains for Korea Train Express service, the KTX-I , were derived from the TGV Réseau , and built both by Alstom and Rotem (today Hyundai Rotem ). The technology transfer agreement did not provide for

162-467: 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,

243-533: A 2,800 V DC intermediate circuit, one inverter module converting the DC supply to the three-phase AC supply for traction motors, an auxiliary inverter for the supply of motor and converter cooling fans, and resistors for rheostatic braking that are also connected to the DC circuit. The variable voltage variable frequency (VVVF) inverters are voltage-sourced with pulse-width modulation (PWM) control, rather than current-sourced with phase fired control (PFC) as in

324-476: A 20-car train consisting of two traction heads and two articulated sets of nine passenger cars each. The 11-car version would have had the same power output as the HSR-350x, the 20-car version, due to the extra two powered bogies in the middle, would have had a power of 17.6 MW (23,602 hp). The 20-car version would have been 395 m (1,296 ft) long and would have offered 871 seats. Already before

405-574: 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

486-538: 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

567-498: A complete control of manufacturing processes, and construction involved the import of parts. To increase the domestic added value, and to further improve the technology, in December 1996, South Korea's Ministry of Construction and Transportation (MOCT) started a project named G7 to develop domestic high-speed rail technology. The project involved 10 government research agencies, 16 universities and 35 private companies, and employed over

648-520: 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

729-568: A cumulative 207,000 km (129,000 mi). The high-speed rail development project name G7 was an allusion to the Group of Seven , underlining South Korea's ambition to pull level with the most advanced industrialised nations in the field of technology. In the planning phase, the developed high-speed train itself was referred to by various names, including the project name G7, Korean High Speed Train (KHST), and Next Generation Korea Train eXpress (NG-KTX). Once completed, for international presentation,

810-559: 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

891-403: 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

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972-593: 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,

1053-468: 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

1134-477: 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,

1215-599: 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

1296-868: A thousand people. The main partners were the Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI), the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH), and rolling stock manufacturer Rotem. Due to the strong interdependencies of vehicle and infrastructure parameters in high-speed rail technology, the G7 program first focused on the compatibility with other components like track, catenary , signalling, and train control. Sub-projects dealt with bridge design, improved pantograph design, and catenary in tunnels. Technologies used in high-speed line construction, including rails and catenary in tunnels, were adapted for use in conventional line upgrades, to enable

1377-473: A top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). In the first twelve months, the train covered 6,075 km (3,775 mi) in 44 test runs as top speed was increased in increments of 10 km/h (6 mph), until 301.9 km/h (187.6 mph) was achieved at 23:38 on August 1, 2003. Further progress with the testing programme was slow, because line capacity on the finished test section of the Gyeongbu HSR

1458-474: A total power of 8.8 MW (11,801 hp), another 8-car version with one traction head at one end and a driving trailer with powered end bogie at the other end giving a total power of 6.6 MW (8,851 hp), and a 6-car "mini" version with one traction head driving a power of 4.4 MW (5,900 hp). The 12-car version would have been 245 m (804 ft) long. The versions with two traction heads would have offered 500, 384 and 268 seats respectively,

1539-560: 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

1620-401: 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

1701-528: Is difficult to explain to foreigners, HSR-350x is not a proper name for series trains, and KTX is already associated with trains with technology imported from France. After collecting and discussing proposals, one year later, on April 5, 2007, Chae argued that the name Hanvit ( 한빛 ), which means a streak of intense light in Korean should be used. However, later on when commercial versions of these trains were put into operation, they were branded as KTX, as shown in

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1782-427: Is used for maximising the capacity of the head end power , which supplies on-board electric equipment and measuring devices: while six of the eight windings of the main transformer on the first traction head supply traction converters and two supply a 0.7 MW (939 hp) auxiliary converter for 670 V DC head end power, in the second traction head, traction converters need only four main transformer windings and

1863-456: 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

1944-461: The Jeolla Line from 2008. In October 2005, however, Korail called competitive bids. Rotem, offering a commercial version of the HSR-350x, was chosen over Alstom as preferred bidder in December 2005, and finalised the order for 10 trains on June 6, 2006. In 2007, the order was increased by an additional nine trains, to be delivered by December 2010. In addition to the lack of a powered bogie under

2025-758: 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

2106-552: 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

2187-479: 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 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,

2268-678: 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

2349-636: 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

2430-419: 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

2511-512: 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

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2592-763: 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

2673-498: The HSR-350x was equipped with an active passenger compartment pressure control system. Following the project goal to localise design and production, 92% of the parts and 87% of the added value came from domestic manufacturers or researchers. For series production, original plans foresaw the addition of four more cars to the articulated set of intermediate cars, enabling two configurations: an 11-car train consisting of two traction heads and one articulated set of nine passenger cars, and

2754-687: 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

2835-600: The KTX-I. Each converter supplies the motors on two axles of a bogie, providing for individual bogie control. New main transformers with a 15% weight reduction and a 20% power increase were also developed. The single-arm pantograph is a new development for the planned higher speed. The redesigned bogies and suspensions were tested on the roller rig of Southwest Jiaotong University in China at simulated speeds of up to 402 km/h (250 mph). The intended commercial version of

2916-701: The KTX-I. IGCT was the most advanced version of the Gate turn-off thyristor (GTO) used for control of high-power applications at the time, and the use of ABB -supplied IGCTs as the switching element in the rectifier and inverter modules of HSR-350x converters was a world's first in rail vehicles. However, testing found limited improvements in efficiency and noise levels, and problems with reliability. Each traction converter consists of two parallel-switched four-quadrant converters, which function as rectifier modules by converting single-phase alternating current (AC) from one main transformer winding each to direct current (DC),

2997-566: 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

3078-626: 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

3159-789: 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

3240-461: The basis for the development of commercial trains with a top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph). Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It 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)

3321-484: 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

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3402-401: 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

3483-770: 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

3564-711: 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

3645-473: 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

3726-540: The entire development program cost 256.9 billion won. The first running tests with HSR-350x were conducted in May 2002 up to a speed of 60 km/h (37 mph). The vehicle was then transported to Osong depot, on the finished test section of the Gyeongbu High Speed Railway (Gyeongbu HSR) between Cheonan-Asan and Daejeon , on June 28, 2002, and the first test run took place on August 19, 2002, with

3807-539: The extreme intermediate cars, the main differences between the KTX-II and HSR-350x designs were converters using IGBTs rather than the HSR-350x's converters with IGCTs, a new nose design, and the lack of bogie shrouding. In 2007, another government-led project was started with the aim to build the HEMU-400X, a second experimental train with distributed traction and a planned test speed of 400 km/h (249 mph), as

3888-513: 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

3969-547: 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

4050-504: 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)

4131-554: 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 ,

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4212-530: The multinational train maker headquartered in Berlin , Germany for between €5.8 billion and €6.2 billion. The deal required the approval by Alstom shareholders at a meeting to be held in October 2020 and approval by European regulators. Bombardier's major shareholder, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec , had already agreed to the sale. G8">Group of Seven Too Many Requests If you report this error to

4293-408: The name KTX-Sancheon , and only Tilting Train Express was named Hanvit 200 . The train was developed on the basis of the transferred TGV technology. Like the KTX-I, the HSR-350x consists of traction heads with powered bogies and traction equipment at either end, and an articulated set of intermediate cars with passenger compartment in-between, with powered non- Jacobs bogies under the cars next to

4374-400: The operation of KTX trains on such lines. The program also dealt with problems discovered during the operation of KTX-I trains, including a snaking movement of the articulated train around a speed of 150 km/h (93 mph) in winter, which was addressed by increasing wheel conicity. The main element of the G7 project was the experimental high-speed train HSR-350x, developed on the basis of

4455-499: The originally planned service speed was conducted on the night from December 15 to 16, 2004, between Cheonan-Asan Station and Osong Depot, when the lasting South Korean rail speed record of 352.4 km/h (219.0 mph) was achieved at 01:24 on December 16, 2004. After the incremental speed runs, on February 2, 2005, a Test Team was established, to conduct intense reliability testing by shadow running at 300 km/h (186 mph) in timetable slots between regular trains. By June 2005,

4536-410: The other four windings supply a 1.4 MW (1,877 hp) auxiliary converter. Newly developed eddy current brakes were installed on the unpowered bogies. Other components were designed for compatibility with the KTX-I, including the emergency coupler. For testing, 420 measuring points were installed throughout the train, with data acquisition concentrated in three intermediate cars. The nose shape

4617-442: 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 ,

4698-402: The prototype was finished, in 2001, a study focusing on the needs of the less frequented Honam Line proposed a modified, modular train that allows shorter configurations by removing traction equipment from the extreme intermediate cars, while reducing top speed to 300 km/h (186 mph). Possible configurations would have been 12-car, 10-car and 8-car versions with two traction heads giving

4779-572: The prototype was named HSR-350x, an acronym for H igh S peed R ail - 350 km/h (220 mph) e x perimental. In April 2006, Nam-Hee Chae, the president of KRRI, called for a generic name for Korean-made high-speed trains, one to match recognised high-speed train brand names like Shinkansen for ones made in Japan, TGV for ones made in France, and ICE for ones made in Germany. Chae argued that G7

4860-535: The replacement of the suspension system. After test runs focusing on reliability, 310 km/h (193 mph) was passed on May 6, 2004, 324 km/h (201 mph) was reached on June 29, 2004. On the night from October 27 to 28, 2004, the South Korean rail speed record was pushed to 333.3 km/h (207.1 mph). Next, 343.5 km/h (213.4 mph) was achieved at 01:53 on November 23, 2004, between Gwangmyeong and Sintanjin. The final test run to surpass

4941-630: 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,

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5022-421: 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

5103-771: 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

5184-450: The technology transferred from GEC-Alsthom. With a design speed of 385 km/h (239 mph), the vehicle was meant as a prototype for commercial trains with a regular service top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph). The basic design and main components, as well as a mock-up of the initial design of the nose, was presented on December 17, 1999. The costs of the G7 program were 210 billion won , or about US$ 208 million. Including testing,

5265-406: The traction heads. The main new developments compared to the KTX-I are in the traction equipment and the carbody. The motors are newly developed three-phase asynchronous induction motors , rather than synchronous motors as in the KTX-I. The motors are supplied by traction converters with integrated gate-commutated thyristor (IGCT) rather than silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) components as in

5346-466: The train accumulated a mileage of 93,000 km (58,000 mi) in 209 test runs. In these tests, the ride comfort, running safety and current collection of the vehicle were evaluated according to European standards. The original test program was officially concluded on December 27, 2007, after the train ran more than 200,000 km (120,000 mi) at a cost of 46.9 billion won. The train was used for some more tests next year, and by February 2008, it ran

5427-409: The train would have had powered passenger cars in the middle of the train, too, thus the back-end extreme passenger car of HSR-350x was built as the prototype of the middle powered passenger cars. The traction power system of this car has its own main transformer, supplied by high voltage from the first traction head, rather than the second that is next to it. The resulting asymmetry in the traction heads

5508-484: The versions with one traction head 323 and 207 seats. The active passenger compartment pressure control system of the HSR-350x wasn't deemed necessary for the proposed Honam high-speed train, only pressure isolation as in the KTX-I. In July 2005, the Ministry of Construction and Transportation earmarked 80 billion won for two 10-car commercial trains for 300 km/h (186 mph), destined for planned KTX services on

5589-578: 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,

5670-609: 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

5751-465: Was designed to reduce aerodynamic drag by 15% compared to the KTX-I. The carbody of intermediate cars is made of aluminum rather than mild steel, saving about 30% in weight. Passenger car width was increased from 2,904 to 2,970 mm (114.3 to 116.9 in). The design was reviewed by Bombardier Talbot and DE-Consult from Germany and Alu-Swiss from Switzerland. For improved protection of passengers against air pressure variations during tunnel passages,

5832-401: 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

5913-508: 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

5994-604: 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 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

6075-553: 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 ,

6156-481: 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

6237-553: Was limited due to the priority of the commissioning tests of the KTX-I trains. After the launch of regular service on April 1, 2004, the Korea Rail Network Authority allowed test runs only in the night hours when there was no regular service on the line. The programme was also marred by technical problems, including a slip control problem which led to wheel abrasion, burned motor blocks, signalling troubles, braking system problems, and power car roll which led to

6318-486: 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,

6399-602: 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,

6480-530: 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

6561-464: 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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