Latest news with #SiemensMobility
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
New Piccadilly line trains delayed by up to a year
New Piccadilly line trains will now be introduced up to a year later than 94 fully walk-through trains with air-conditioning and CCTV had been pencilled in for passenger use in late for London (TfL) confirmed that this was now scheduled to happen in the second half of for the trains will begin this summer, TfL said. The new-generation trains will replace the existing 1970s fleet. The new trains will be lighter and more environmentally friendly, with real-time displays and wider doorways. The model is being described as the "most complex" train ever to be introduced to the Tube said some of the engineering challenges were down to the Piccadilly line being one of the longest and deepest Tube lines. The network added that the engineering complexities had been more challenging than expected, which had caused the delay to the rollout. Siemens Mobility and TfL said it would take up to a year to test the trains, which is partly due to the tunnel infrastructure on a rail line that is nearly 120 years Banerjee, Joint CEO at Siemens Mobility, said: "We're sorry we can't have our innovative trains running for passengers even sooner but, once they're in service, the technology on these new trains will bring smoother, greener and more comfortable journeys for Londoners for the next 30 or more years."
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sacramento train builder agrees to workplace review after racial harassment complaint
A German company with a large train manufacturing plant in Sacramento agreed to an independent review of its workplace practices after a worker reported race-based harassment, the California Civil Rights Department announced Wednesday. As part of the settlement, Siemens Mobility agreed to compensate the employee — who filed a complaint with the agency in 2023 — without admitting to any liability. That worker alleged that 'multiple co-workers over a period of several months would daily use derogatory terms either associated with Black people or Latinos,' according to a Civil Rights Department news release, which does not specify the amount of monetary compensation. The complainant 'identified as African American,' the department's public affairs staff clarified in an email to The Sacramento Bee. The employee, who worked at Siemens' Florin plant, claimed to have faced retaliation — including suspension and being escorted out of the French Road facility by security staff — for raising the concern about harassment, the news release said. A Siemens spokesperson, Kara Evanko, said that the claims of retaliation were 'false,' adding that the company 'is firmly committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination, intimidation, and harassment and denied the allegations in the complaint.' The eight-page settlement agreement specifies that Siemens Mobility has hired an outside consultant, approved by state regulators, to 'assess the efficacy of its equal employment opportunity practices' at the plant, which builds rolling stock. The consultant will look into any racial tensions, incidents of harassment and how the company handles complaints. The company will have to share with Civil Rights Department officials a written report by the consultant and then implement policies recommended by the consultant and the agency, or else return to mediation. 'There is no place for derogatory slurs in the workplace,' Civil Rights Director Kevin Kish said in a statement. 'Through this voluntary settlement, Siemens Mobility is doing the right thing to help protect workers in our state.' The Siemens Mobility facility in Florin is the company's headquarters for North American railway manufacturing. It employs over 2,500 people, according to the company's website. A unionization effort at the plant failed in March.
Local Germany
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- Local Germany
Passenger association warns of bottlenecks as Germany's Deutsche Bahn updates trains
Deutsche Bahn is in the process of a much-needed modernisation of its long-distance fleet with the aim of providing a more reliable train service. The updates should see the average age of its ICE and ICE trains drop to 12 years from 18 years currently by 2030. However, public transport passenger association Pro Bahn fears that too many old trains are being decommissioned with new ones replacing them too slowly. Board member Lukas Iffländer said some routes have fewer train services and less available seating. So what is the status of the modernisation plans? ICE 4s – deliveries complete The last of a total of 137 new ICE 4s from manufacturer Siemens Mobility was delivered to the railway in March of last year. It's the first long-distance train with bicycle parking spaces. Each train has at least 444 seats and can reach speeds of up to 265 kilometres per hour. These trains now form the backbone of the company's ICE fleet, increasing the number of ICE trains from around 270 in 2017 to around 400 currently. ICE 3 Neo – deliveries still ongoing Deliveries of the ICE 3 Neo, a new version of the previous ICE 3 series, have been underway for several years. Ninety of these trains are scheduled to be in service by 2028, with 15 added this year and 16 next year, according to Deutsche Bahn. One of their features is improved mobile phone reception, thanks to so-called 'signal-permeable' windows. Advertisement The Neo is currently used on the high-speed lines between North Rhine-Westphalia and Munich via Frankfurt and Stuttgart, as well as on international connections from Frankfurt to Amsterdam and Brussels. READ ALSO: LISTED: The major rail disruption to prepare for in Germany this summer ICE L – deliveries delayed But the company's order of the ICE L from Spanish manufacturer Talgo continues to be beset with delivery problems. DB ordered 79 trains with the first ones set to have been in service last autumn. However, now, delivery is expected to take place in the second half of this year at the earliest, with four of the trains possibly arriving in 2025, according to the railway. These trains look more like Intercity trains than ICE trains. More trains, but still delays "DB Fernverkehr's fleet strategy has the clear goal of rejuvenating and modernising the fleet in order to stabilise operations," the company said, adding that this goal was working. The company said that the availability of the ICE 4 and ICE 3 Neo trains was significantly higher than with the older series. It said improved maintenance plans reduced the proportion of engine faults by 58 percent between 2019 and 2024. But the new trains have not yet led to any increase in punctuality: more than a third of all long-distance trains are still delayed. Advertisement "We will have fewer seats" Passenger association Pro Bahn is not convinced by the railway's figures. "Overall, the rolling stock strategy seems extremely chaotic to us," said board member Iffländer, primarily referring to the retirement of older trains. "On many routes, we will have fewer seats, at least temporarily, until the new trains arrive at some point," he added. He explained that the east-west routes Wiesbaden-Frankfurt-Leipzig-Dresden and Hamburg-North Rhine-Westphalia-Bonn-Frankfurt-Nuremberg-Vienna were particularly affected, as there would often be no second train section in the future. "For us passengers, this means, in a nutshell: It will be cramped and crowded. Transport transition – no, thank you," said Iffländer. Trains taken out of service In April of this year, the railway took 14 older ICE 3 class 406 trains out of service. Ten other 415 series trains – the so-called ICE T – are also considered to be high-maintenance and prone to failure so are scheduled to be gradually retired by the end of the year. There are also around three dozen ICE 2 trains that have been in service since 1996. These are set to be gradually phased out by the end of 2027. Finally, the railway recently sold 17 double-decker 'Intercity 2 KISS' trains to the Austrian Federal Railways. The railway had only acquired the trains second-hand in 2019 "to bridge delivery problems with other vehicles," it stated. These have since been resolved. Discontinued services? Iffländer says it is questionable whether the trains taken out of service can be replaced quickly enough by the new models, some of which have been delayed. The consequences are already visible, he said. "The early morning train from Leipzig will be discontinued when the timetable changes because it is currently operated with a five-car ICE T that's scheduled to be retired at that time," he explained. Advertisement The railway admits that the ICE fleet size will be subject to slight fluctuations in the coming years as a result of the retirements and the arrival of new trains. In the medium term, however, the number would remain "at a comparable level with increasing seating numbers," it said. Less seating in practice But Iffländer remains skeptical: "On paper, seating capacity will theoretically increase until 2029, but in practice, it will decrease due to poor fleet availability, as even new trains are often sitting broken down at the depots," he said. While the railway's fleet is getting younger but not necessarily larger, its competitor Flixtrain recently announced a major train offensive: The company has ordered around 30 new express trains. There is also an option for 35 additional trains as part of the 2.4 billion package, which includes maintenance, Flixtrain announced. Flix has also ordered the trains from the Spanish manufacturer Talgo. It is unclear when they are scheduled for delivery.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Siemens Mobility delivers first Vectron MS loco to Rail Traction Company
Siemens Mobility has delivered the first Vectron MS locomotive to Rail Traction Company (RTC) during the Transport Logistic exhibition 2025 in Munich, Germany. The event saw attendance by Bavarian Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter and executives from both Siemens Mobility and RTC. The locomotive delivered will operate on the SCAN-MED corridor over the Brenner Pass, a 'critical' freight route across the Alps. This delivery is part of two different contracts totalling six locomotives, with RTC to receive four Vectron MS units and its partner, InRail with two. The agreement also includes comprehensive maintenance services through Railigent X. RTC CEO and InRail president Martin Ausserdorfer said: 'The investment in these locomotives is part of a long-term vision aimed at strengthening rail interoperability and overcoming infrastructure barriers between European countries.' Equipped with multi-system approvals for 11 European countries, the Vectron MS locomotive is expected to enable RTC to manage 'efficient and sustainable' cross-border rail transport. The ordered locomotives can be used for both cross-border freight and fast passenger services in several countries of Europe, including Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia. The locomotives come with a maximum power of 6.4MW and a top speed of 160km/h. Siemens Mobilitymanaging director Karl Blaim said: 'We are delighted to support RTC with our cutting-edge Vectron MS locomotive, which is renowned for its versatility and efficiency in meeting the growing demands of European cross-border rail freight. 'With its state-of-the-art technology and proven reliability, the Vectron MS offers seamless transitions across different countries, making it the ideal solution for both sustainable passenger and freight services.' Siemens Mobility has sold more than 2,700 Vectron family locomotives to 104 customers. Vectron-based locomotives are approved for operation in 20 European countries. Recently, Siemens Mobility completed a €110m ($125.5m) modernisation project for ProRail's Kijfhoek freight railyard, which is now fully operational. "Siemens Mobility delivers first Vectron MS loco to Rail Traction Company" was originally created and published by Railway Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Siemens Mobility completes Kijfhoek freight yard upgrade
Siemens Mobility has concluded a €110m ($125.5m) modernisation project for the Kijfhoek freight railyard, operated by ProRail. The facility is now fully operational after the work. Located southeast of Rotterdam, Kijfhoek is the Netherlands' largest freight rail yard, spanning 50ha and serving as a crucial logistics hub between the Port of Rotterdam and major European industrial centres, like the Rhine valley. The upgraded Kijfhoek yard now has 14 arrival tracks, 41 classification tracks, and 12 stabling tracks. The modernisation has improved the facility's operational efficiency and economic viability, according to Siemens Mobility. Kijfhoek's modernisation is backed by a 15-year maintenance service agreement. Siemens Mobility stated this agreement will enable the railyard to have sustained operational efficiency and minimise its lifecycle costs. ProRail Randstad South Region regional director Helga Cuijpers said: 'Now fully renewed, our freight yard facility near Rotterdam is not only fast and efficient, it also strengthens its position as key freight hub connecting the port of Rotterdam with other European industrial centres.' The project, awarded in 2021 and completed in May this year, saw the introduction of the Trackguard Cargo MSR32 system, an automated yard management solution. This system includes advanced route and speed control units, retarders, propelling systems, and radio-based integration for precise control of humping locomotives. The technology optimises the entire operational process, from train arrival to classification and departure, enhancing both safety and efficiency. Siemens Mobility Mainline head Jens Nordmann said: 'The modernisation of Kijfhoek demonstrates how intelligent automation transforms rail freight operations. 'By implementing our advanced Trackguard Cargo MSR32 system, we are significantly enhancing operational efficiency and thus setting new standards for sustainable freight transport in Europe.' Last month, Siemens established a long-term framework with Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) for rail infrastructure and maintenance. The framework aims to replace outdated systems from the 1980s, with an investment of over €100m ($111.6m) planned over the next 20 years. "Siemens Mobility completes Kijfhoek freight yard upgrade" was originally created and published by Railway Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
