114-579: The Trenitalia ETR 700 , originally NS Hispeed V250 , is a high-speed train designed by Pininfarina and built by AnsaldoBreda originally for NS International and NMBS/SNCB to operate on the Fyra service, a high speed train between Amsterdam and Brussels with a branch to Breda on the newly built HSL-Zuid in the Netherlands and its extension HSL 4 in Belgium . V250s were delivered with
228-467: 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,
342-574: 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
456-538: 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
570-408: A carbody design that would reduce wind resistance at high speeds. A long series of tests was carried. In 1905, St. Louis Car Company built a railcar for the traction magnate Henry E. Huntington , capable of speeds approaching 160 km/h (100 mph). Once it ran 32 km (20 mi) between Los Angeles and Long Beach in 15 minutes, an average speed of 130 km/h (80 mph). However, it
684-704: A commercial V250 service on Dutch high speed lines would not take place until December 2011. Driver training on high-speed lines in the Netherlands began in March 2012, with commercial use of the V250 planned for September 2012. A limited service of one return train per 3 hours in the Netherlands began in September 2012 between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and the trains were also provisionally certified for use in Belgium in
798-520: 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
912-559: 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
1026-403: 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
1140-593: 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,
1254-578: A high-speed railway network in Russian gauge . There are no narrow gauge high-speed railways. Countries whose legacy network is entirely or mostly of a different gauge than 1435mm – including Japan and Spain – have however often opted to build their high speed lines to standard gauge instead of the legacy railway gauge. High-speed rail is the fastest and most efficient ground-based method of commercial transportation. However, due to requirements for large track curves, gentle gradients and grade separated track
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#17327759136151368-468: 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
1482-546: A new top speed for a regular service, with a top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). This train was a streamlined multi-powered unit, albeit diesel, and used Jakobs bogies . Following the success of the Hamburg line, the steam-powered Henschel-Wegmann Train was developed and introduced in June 1936 for service from Berlin to Dresden , with a regular top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). Incidentally no train service since
1596-477: 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,
1710-599: 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
1824-461: A settlement with AnsaldoBreda had been reached. The 9 NS trains would be returned to AnsaldoBreda for a refund of €125 million, €88m less than originally paid. NS would receive an additional compensation for each resold unit to a maximum of €21m. Similarly, in May 2014 NMBS/SNCB, AnsaldoBreda and its controlling company Finmeccanica announced that they reached a settlement that confirms the cancellation of
1938-775: A significant delay. Full commercial services with V250 started on 9 December 2012 but stopped only 39 days later on 17 January 2013, after the Belgian Railway Inspection Agency suspended the trains' operating license, because of safety and structural problems with the construction and maintenance of the V250s. All were removed from service and sent back to AnsaldoBreda in Italy. In August 2017, Trenitalia purchased all 19 V250 sets to expand its high speed fleet and rebranded them as ETR700s. After being refurbished, they entered service on Frecciargento services, on
2052-555: A some other interurban rail cars reached about 145 km/h (90 mph) in commercial traffic. The Red Devils weighed only 22 tons though they could seat 44 passengers. Extensive wind tunnel research – the first in the railway industry – was done before J. G. Brill in 1931 built the Bullet cars for Philadelphia and Western Railroad (P&W). They were capable of running at 148 km/h (92 mph). Some of them were almost 60 years in service. P&W's Norristown High Speed Line
2166-433: A total seated capacity of 546. First class seating is in [2+1] formation, second in [2+2] formation. The design company Pininfarina also contributed to the design. High-speed rail High-speed rail ( HSR ) is a type of rail transport network utilizing trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialized rolling stock and dedicated tracks . While there
2280-560: 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
2394-569: A world record for narrow gauge trains at 145 km/h (90 mph), giving the Odakyu engineers confidence they could safely and reliably build even faster trains at standard gauge. Conventional Japanese railways up until that point had largely been built in the 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) Cape gauge , however widening the tracks to standard gauge ( 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in )) would make very high-speed rail much simpler due to improved stability of
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#17327759136152508-401: 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
2622-476: Is a set of unique features, not merely a train travelling above a particular speed. Many conventionally hauled trains are able to reach 200 km/h (124 mph) in commercial service but are not considered to be high-speed trains. These include the French SNCF Intercités and German DB IC . The criterion of 200 km/h (124 mph) is selected for several reasons; above this speed,
2736-433: 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
2850-493: Is distributed with alternating powered and trailer vehicles in MTMTTMTM formation. Electric traction power is controlled by water-cooled IGBT inverters powering asynchronous motors. They are fitted with ETCS Level 2 and local train safety systems. The carbodies are constructed of aluminium, except the driving cab which is of steel. Three of the coaches are used for first class accommodation, giving 127 first class seats out of
2964-584: Is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines built to handle speeds above 250 km/h (155 mph) or upgraded lines in excess of 200 km/h (125 mph) are widely considered to be high-speed. The first high-speed rail system, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen , began operations in Honshu , Japan, in 1964. Due to the streamlined spitzer -shaped nose cone of the trains , the system also became known by its English nickname bullet train . Japan's example
3078-539: Is still in use, almost 110 years after P&W in 1907 opened their double-track Upper Darby–Strafford line without a single grade crossing with roads or other railways. The entire line was governed by an absolute block signal system. On 15 May 1933, the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft company introduced the diesel-powered " Fliegender Hamburger " in regular service between Hamburg and Berlin (286 km or 178 mi), thereby achieving
3192-619: The Chicago-New York Electric Air Line Railroad project to reduce the running time between the two big cities to ten hours by using electric 160 km/h (99 mph) locomotives. After seven years of effort, however, less than 50 km (31 mi) of arrow-straight track was finished. A part of the line is still used as one of the last interurbans in the US. In the US, some of the interurbans (i.e. trams or streetcars which run from city to city) of
3306-553: The 0 Series Shinkansen , built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries – in English often called "Bullet Trains", after the original Japanese name Dangan Ressha ( 弾丸列車 ) – outclassed the earlier fast trains in commercial service. They traversed the 515 km (320 mi) distance in 3 hours 10 minutes, reaching a top speed of 210 km/h (130 mph) and sustaining an average speed of 162.8 km/h (101.2 mph) with stops at Nagoya and Kyoto. Speed
3420-568: The Adriatic railway , between Milan and Lecce in 2019. Seventeen sets will be used for services, with the remaining two used for spare parts. NS International and NMBS/SNCB ordered 19 train sets in 2004 for operations between Amsterdam and Brussels and Breda on the HSL-Zuid and HSL 4 high speed railway lines. Initial delivery was foreseen for 2007. In 2008 expectations were for deliveries by 2009 and an introduction into service by
3534-681: The Aérotrain , a French hovercraft monorail train prototype, reached 200 km/h (120 mph) within days of operation. After the successful introduction of the Japanese Shinkansen in 1964, at 210 km/h (130 mph), the German demonstrations up to 200 km/h (120 mph) in 1965, and the proof-of-concept jet-powered Aérotrain , SNCF ran its fastest trains at 160 km/h (99 mph). In 1966, French Infrastructure Minister Edgard Pisani consulted engineers and gave
AnsaldoBreda V250 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3648-456: 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
3762-590: The Marienfelde – Zossen line during 1902 and 1903 (see Experimental three-phase railcar ). On 23 October 1903, the S&;H-equipped railcar achieved a speed of 206.7 km/h (128.4 mph) and on 27 October the AEG-equipped railcar achieved 210.2 km/h (130.6 mph). These trains demonstrated the feasibility of electric high-speed rail; however, regularly scheduled electric high-speed rail travel
3876-647: The Morning Hiawatha service, hauled at 160 km/h (99 mph) by steam locomotives. In 1939, the largest railroad of the world, the Pennsylvania Railroad introduced a duplex steam engine Class S1 , which was designed to be capable of hauling 1200 tons passenger trains at 161 km/h (100 mph). The S1 engine was assigned to power the popular all-coach overnight premier train the Trail Blazer between New York and Chicago since
3990-758: 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
4104-545: The Prussian state railway joined with ten electrical and engineering firms and electrified 72 km (45 mi) of military owned railway between Marienfelde and Zossen . The line used three-phase current at 10 kilovolts and 45 Hz . The Van der Zypen & Charlier company of Deutz, Cologne built two railcars, one fitted with electrical equipment from Siemens-Halske , the second with equipment from Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG), that were tested on
4218-474: The World Bank , whilst supporting the project, considered the design of the equipment as unproven for that speed, and set the maximum speed to 210 km/h (130 mph). After initial feasibility tests, the plan was fast-tracked and construction of the first section of the line started on 20 April 1959. In 1963, on the new track, test runs hit a top speed of 256 km/h (159 mph). Five years after
4332-552: 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
4446-678: 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
4560-589: 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
4674-636: 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
AnsaldoBreda V250 - Misplaced Pages Continue
4788-642: The French National Railway started to receive their new powerful CC 7100 electric locomotives, and began to study and evaluate running at higher speeds. In 1954, the CC 7121 hauling a full train achieved a record 243 km/h (151 mph) during a test on standard track. The next year, two specially tuned electric locomotives, the CC 7107 and the prototype BB 9004, broke previous speed records, reaching respectively 320 km/h (200 mph) and 331 km/h (206 mph), again on standard track. For
4902-516: The French National Railways twelve months to raise speeds to 200 km/h (120 mph). The classic line Paris– Toulouse was chosen, and fitted, to support 200 km/h (120 mph) rather than 140 km/h (87 mph). Some improvements were set, notably the signals system, development of on board "in-cab" signalling system, and curve revision. The next year, in May 1967, a regular service at 200 km/h (120 mph)
5016-419: 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
5130-512: 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
5244-763: 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
5358-530: The Fyra project, due to the many technical issues, and safety concerns. No trains had been delivered and the company refused delivery of the trains still on order, on the grounds that the manufacturer was unable to resolve the numerous issues within the contractually allowed 3 months. On 3 June 2013, the Dutch national railway company NS announced that it had made a similar evaluation, and expressed its desire to cancel
5472-521: The HSL-Zuid had been delayed due to problems with the ETCS signalling system, and the line was built without any legacy safety system. Services on the line began in September 2009 with conventional locomotive hauled trains, but the introduction of level 2 ETCS on the whole line was not in place, and expected by June 2010. In 2010, the Dutch transport minister Camiel Eurlings stated that any introduction of
5586-687: 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
5700-566: 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
5814-572: 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
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#17327759136155928-741: 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
6042-606: The US, 160 km/h (99 mph) in Germany and 125 mph (201 km/h) in Britain. Above those speeds positive train control or the European Train Control System becomes necessary or legally mandatory. National domestic standards may vary from the international ones. Railways were the first form of rapid land transportation and had an effective monopoly on long-distance passenger traffic until
6156-399: The V250 project. The Dutch department of finance agreed, and recommended that NS do "everything in its power" to get a refund from AnsaldoBreda. At a press conference on 6 June 2013, the manufacturer claimed that the trains had been handled poorly by running them too fast (i.e. at maximum commercial speed of 250 km/h (155 mph)) under snow conditions. AnsaldoBreda also threatened to sue
6270-579: The beginning of the construction work, in October 1964, just in time for the Olympic Games , the first modern high-speed rail, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen , was opened between the two cities; a 510 km (320 mi) line between Tokyo and Ōsaka. As a result of its speeds, the Shinkansen earned international publicity and praise, and it was dubbed the "bullet train." The first Shinkansen trains,
6384-443: The cancelation of this express train in 1939 has traveled between the two cities in a faster time as of 2018 . In August 2019, the travel time between Dresden-Neustadt and Berlin-Südkreuz was 102 minutes. See Berlin–Dresden railway . Further development allowed the usage of these "Fliegenden Züge" (flying trains) on a rail network across Germany. The "Diesel-Schnelltriebwagen-Netz" (diesel high-speed-vehicle network) had been in
6498-484: 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
6612-770: 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
6726-562: The construction of high-speed rail is more costly than conventional rail and therefore does not always present an economical advantage over conventional speed rail. Multiple definitions for high-speed rail are in use worldwide. The European Union Directive 96/48/EC, Annex 1 (see also Trans-European high-speed rail network ) defines high-speed rail in terms of: The International Union of Railways (UIC) identifies three categories of high-speed rail: A third definition of high-speed and very high-speed rail requires simultaneous fulfilment of
6840-464: The curve radius should be quadrupled; the same was true for the acceleration and braking distances. In 1891 engineer Károly Zipernowsky proposed a high-speed line from Vienna to Budapest for electric railcars at 250 km/h (160 mph). In 1893 Wellington Adams proposed an air-line from Chicago to St. Louis of 252 miles (406 km), at a speed of only 160 km/h (99 mph). Alexander C. Miller had greater ambitions. In 1906, he launched
6954-603: The deputy director Marcel Tessier at the DETE ( SNCF Electric traction study department). JNR engineers returned to Japan with a number of ideas and technologies they would use on their future trains, including alternating current for rail traction, and international standard gauge. In 1957, the engineers at the private Odakyu Electric Railway in Greater Tokyo Area launched the Odakyu 3000 series SE EMU. This EMU set
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#17327759136157068-711: 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
7182-508: The development of the motor car and airliners in the early-mid 20th century. Speed had always been an important factor for railroads and they constantly tried to achieve higher speeds and decrease journey times. Rail transportation in the late 19th century was not much slower than non-high-speed trains today, and many railroads regularly operated relatively fast express trains which averaged speeds of around 100 km/h (62 mph). High-speed rail development began in Germany in 1899 when
7296-410: 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
7410-423: The early 20th century were very high-speed for their time (also Europe had and still does have some interurbans). Several high-speed rail technologies have their origin in the interurban field. In 1903 – 30 years before the conventional railways started to streamline their trains – the officials of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition organised the Electric Railway Test Commission to conduct a series of tests to develop
7524-434: 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
7638-438: The first time, 300 km/h (185 mph) was surpassed, allowing the idea of higher-speed services to be developed and further engineering studies commenced. Especially, during the 1955 records, a dangerous hunting oscillation , the swaying of the bogies which leads to dynamic instability and potential derailment was discovered. This problem was solved by yaw dampers which enabled safe running at high speeds today. Research
7752-502: The following two conditions: The UIC prefers to use "definitions" (plural) because they consider that there is no single standard definition of high-speed rail, nor even standard usage of the terms ("high speed", or "very high speed"). They make use of the European EC Directive 96/48, stating that high speed is a combination of all the elements which constitute the system: infrastructure, rolling stock and operating conditions. The International Union of Railways states that high-speed rail
7866-414: The impacts of geometric defects are intensified, track adhesion is decreased, aerodynamic resistance is greatly increased, pressure fluctuations within tunnels cause passenger discomfort, and it becomes difficult for drivers to identify trackside signalling. Standard signaling equipment is often limited to speeds below 200 km/h (124 mph), with the traditional limits of 127 km/h (79 mph) in
7980-404: The initial ones despite greater speeds). After decades of research and successful testing on a 43 km (27 mi) test track, in 2014 JR Central began constructing a Maglev Shinkansen line, which is known as the Chūō Shinkansen . These Maglev trains still have the traditional underlying tracks and the cars have wheels. This serves a practical purpose at stations and a safety purpose out on
8094-474: The late 1940s and it consistently reached 161 km/h (100 mph) in its service life. These were the last "high-speed" trains to use steam power. In 1936, the Twin Cities Zephyr entered service, from Chicago to Minneapolis, with an average speed of 101 km/h (63 mph). Many of these streamliners posted travel times comparable to or even better than their modern Amtrak successors, which are limited to 127 km/h (79 mph) top speed on most of
8208-547: 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
8322-432: The lines in the event of a power failure. However, in normal operation, the wheels are raised up into the car as the train reaches certain speeds where the magnetic levitation effect takes over. It will link Tokyo and Osaka by 2037, with the section from Tokyo to Nagoya expected to be operational by 2027. Maximum speed is anticipated at 505 km/h (314 mph). The first generation train can be ridden by tourists visiting
8436-504: 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)
8550-554: 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 ,
8664-594: The middle of 2009. The first sets had been manufactured by March 2009, and initial tests on the Velim test circuit in the Czech Republic took place in early 2009, In April 2009 the first unit arrived in Arnhem in the Netherlands, and was towed to Amsterdam for tests. NS International had claimed that the delay of introduction of any trains was due to the lack of a formal ETCS level 2 specification; by March HSA
8778-453: The network. The German high-speed service was followed in Italy in 1938 with an electric-multiple-unit ETR 200 , designed for 200 km/h (120 mph), between Bologna and Naples. It too reached 160 km/h (99 mph) in commercial service, and achieved a world mean speed record of 203 km/h (126 mph) between Florence and Milan in 1938. In Great Britain in the same year, the streamlined steam locomotive Mallard achieved
8892-469: The official world speed record for steam locomotives at 202.58 km/h (125.88 mph). The external combustion engines and boilers on steam locomotives were large, heavy and time and labor-intensive to maintain, and the days of steam for high speed were numbered. In 1945, a Spanish engineer, Alejandro Goicoechea , developed a streamlined, articulated train that was able to run on existing tracks at higher speeds than contemporary passenger trains. This
9006-555: The planning since 1934 but it never reached its envisaged size. All high-speed service stopped in August 1939 shortly before the outbreak of World War II . On 26 May 1934, one year after Fliegender Hamburger introduction, the Burlington Railroad set an average speed record on long distance with their new streamlined train, the Zephyr , at 124 km/h (77 mph) with peaks at 185 km/h (115 mph). The Zephyr
9120-442: 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 ,
9234-565: The purchase cost per seat drastically. However, after comparing offers by Alstom (manufacturers of French TGV trains ) and Siemens (who manufacture the German ICE trains ) with that of AnsaldoBreda, it was revealed that the Italian producer offered a cheaper train with a higher top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph), which ultimately gave the Italian company the edge. On 31 May 2013, the Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB decided to stop
9348-457: The railways for the damage to its reputation. A report published by the consultancy firm Mott MacDonald showed how the train design was meeting most specifications agreed in the contract, but the manufactured trainsets had technical issues that required up to 17 months to be solved. The report also stated that the quality inspection paperwork as documented during manufacturing did not represent the actual build quality. On 17 March 2014, NS announced
9462-630: 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,
9576-414: The same month. Regular Fyra service between Amsterdam and Brussels with V250 trains began on 9 December 2012. Following their introduction, the V250 trains experienced numerous technical problems. All V250s were suspended from commercial service on 16 January 2013, after only one month of service, due to reliability and safety concerns in snowy weather. Two days later certification for the V250 in Belgium
9690-421: 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
9804-771: 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
9918-535: The test track. China is developing two separate high-speed maglev systems. In Europe, high-speed rail began during the International Transport Fair in Munich in June 1965, when Dr Öpfering, the director of Deutsche Bundesbahn (German Federal Railways), performed 347 demonstrations at 200 km/h (120 mph) between Munich and Augsburg by DB Class 103 hauled trains. The same year
10032-752: The train orders and included a payment of €2.5m to NMBS/SNCB. In August 2017, Trenitalia purchased all 19 V250 sets to expand its high speed fleet and rebranded them as ETR700s. Seventeen sets will be used for services, with the remaining two used as sources of spare parts. Testing began in February 2019. The first four entered on 9 June 2019 on Frecciargento services on the Adriatic railway between Milan and Ancona with all to be in service by early 2020 with services extended to Lecce . The 8-car sets are designed to operate on 3 kV DC, 1.5 kV DC and 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead power supply, allowing operations on both Dutch and Belgian electrified networks. Traction
10146-540: The wider rail gauge, and thus standard gauge was adopted for high-speed service. With the sole exceptions of Russia, Finland, and Uzbekistan all high-speed rail lines in the world are still standard gauge, even in countries where the preferred gauge for legacy lines is different. The new service, named Shinkansen (meaning new main line ) would provide a new alignment, 25% wider standard gauge utilising continuously welded rails between Tokyo and Osaka with new rolling stock, designed for 250 km/h (160 mph). However,
10260-629: The world's population, without a single train passenger fatality. (Suicides, passengers falling off the platforms, and industrial accidents have resulted in fatalities.) Since their introduction, Japan's Shinkansen systems have been undergoing constant improvement, not only increasing line speeds. Over a dozen train models have been produced, addressing diverse issues such as tunnel boom noise, vibration, aerodynamic drag , lines with lower patronage ("Mini shinkansen"), earthquake and typhoon safety, braking distance , problems due to snow, and energy consumption (newer trains are twice as energy-efficient as
10374-903: The world's total. In addition to these, many other countries have developed high-speed rail infrastructure to connect major cities, including: Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , Greece , Indonesia , Morocco , the Netherlands , Norway , Poland , Portugal , Russia , Saudi Arabia , Serbia , South Korea , Sweden , Switzerland , Taiwan , Turkey , the United Kingdom , the United States , and Uzbekistan . Only in continental Europe and Asia does high-speed rail cross international borders. High-speed trains mostly operate on standard gauge tracks of continuously welded rail on grade-separated rights of way with large radii . However, certain regions with wider legacy railways , including Russia and Uzbekistan, have sought to develop
10488-415: Was achieved by providing the locomotive and cars with a unique axle system that used one axle set per car end, connected by a Y-bar coupler. Amongst other advantages, the centre of mass was only half as high as usual. This system became famous under the name of Talgo ( Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol ), and for half a century was the main Spanish provider of high-speed trains. In the early 1950s,
10602-530: Was also made about "current harnessing" at high-speed by the pantographs, which was solved 20 years later by the Zébulon TGV 's prototype. With some 45 million people living in the densely populated Tokyo– Osaka corridor, congestion on road and rail became a serious problem after World War II , and the Japanese government began thinking about ways to transport people in and between cities. Because Japan
10716-578: 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,
10830-609: 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
10944-526: Was close to financial ruin due to lack of any income, and a re-organisation of track access charges for the unused HSL-Zuid line had to be arranged with the Dutch government. Finally, the service, branded Fyra , was introduced, along with the formal presentation of the prototype V250 train, at the high speed train depot at Watergraafsmeer in the Netherlands on 7 July 2009. The prototype underwent testing on both high speed lines, with an expected in-service date of Autumn 2010, The introduction of any service on
11058-403: Was extended a further 161 km (100 mi), and further construction has resulted in the network expanding to 2,951 km (1,834 mi) of high speed lines as of 2024, with a further 211 km (131 mi) of extensions currently under construction and due to open in 2031. The cumulative patronage on the entire system since 1964 is over 10 billion, the equivalent of approximately 140% of
11172-401: 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
11286-508: 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
11400-535: Was followed by several European countries, initially in Italy with the Direttissima line, followed shortly thereafter by France , Germany , and Spain . Today, much of Europe has an extensive network with numerous international connections. More recent construction since the 21st century has led to China taking a leading role in high-speed rail. As of 2023 , China's HSR network accounted for over two-thirds of
11514-553: 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 ,
11628-481: 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
11742-465: Was inaugurated by the TEE Le Capitole between Paris and Toulouse , with specially adapted SNCF Class BB 9200 locomotives hauling classic UIC cars, and a full red livery. It averaged 119 km/h (74 mph) over the 713 km (443 mi). Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It
11856-675: 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
11970-486: 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,
12084-543: Was made of stainless steel and, like the Fliegender Hamburger, was diesel powered, articulated with Jacobs bogies , and could reach 160 km/h (99 mph) as commercial speed. The new service was inaugurated 11 November 1934, traveling between Kansas City and Lincoln , but at a lower speed than the record, on average speed 74 km/h (46 mph). In 1935, the Milwaukee Road introduced
12198-407: Was not only a part of the Shinkansen revolution: the Shinkansen offered high-speed rail travel to the masses. The first Bullet trains had 12 cars and later versions had up to 16, and double-deck trains further increased the capacity. After three years, more than 100 million passengers had used the trains, and the milestone of the first one billion passengers was reached in 1976. In 1972, the line
12312-525: Was resource limited and did not want to import petroleum for security reasons, energy-efficient high-speed rail was an attractive potential solution. Japanese National Railways (JNR) engineers began to study the development of a high-speed regular mass transit service. In 1955, they were present at the Lille 's Electrotechnology Congress in France, and during a 6-month visit, the head engineer of JNR accompanied
12426-456: Was revoked after a floor plate that had fallen off a V250 was found along the tracks. The continuous problems with the V250 trains caused a public outcry in both Belgium and the Netherlands, including accusations in the Belgian and Dutch media that only financial considerations were behind the decision to grant the contract to AnsaldoBreda. Initially, the maximum speed requirements were fixed at 220 km/h (137 mph), which would have reduced
12540-546: 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,
12654-402: Was still more than 30 years away. After the breakthrough of electric railroads, it was clearly the infrastructure – especially the cost of it – which hampered the introduction of high-speed rail. Several disasters happened – derailments, head-on collisions on single-track lines, collisions with road traffic at grade crossings, etc. The physical laws were well-known, i.e. if the speed was doubled,
12768-530: 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
12882-477: Was too heavy for much of the tracks, so Cincinnati Car Company , J. G. Brill and others pioneered lightweight constructions, use of aluminium alloys, and low-level bogies which could operate smoothly at extremely high speeds on rough interurban tracks. Westinghouse and General Electric designed motors compact enough to be mounted on the bogies. From 1930 on, the Red Devils from Cincinnati Car Company and
12996-464: 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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