Railway export / 鉄道輸出

[ukiyo]

What does that have to do with the thread?

[k.k.jetcar]

Mispost- off by a continent.

[quashlo]

Japanese firms debate potential bids on Brazil HSR project
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNAS...2A211C1EB2000/

　【サンパウロ＝宮本英威】ブラジル政府は13日、リオデジャネイロ―サンパウロ近郊間で計画する同国初の高速鉄道の正式な事業計画を公表した。運営事業者を選ぶ入札は2013年８月13日に応募を受け付け、同年９月19日に結果を公表する。

　同鉄道を巡っては、昨年７月に建設と運営の両方を１度に決める入札を実施したが、応札者はなく不調に終わった経緯がある。事業計画の再公表を受け、新幹線方式を掲げる日本連合は応札が可能かどうかについて具体的に検討に入る。

　全長511キロメートルで、開業は20年を目指している。運営会社を選ぶ入札での最低価格は270億レアル（約１兆800億円）程度となりそうだ。運営会社が施設使用料として政府に支払う金額は列車が１キロメートル走るごとに70.31レアルと、８月の素案（66.12レアル）より上がった。

　素案では応札には10年以上の高速鉄道の運営経験を求めていたが、５年以上に短縮された。04年に高速鉄道を開業した韓国鉄道公社も要件を満たすことになる。

　日本連合は三井物産が中心で、日立製作所、三菱重工業、東芝、ＪＲグループなどで構成する見通し。日本の他にドイツ、フランス、スペイン、韓国が参加を検討しているもようだ。

　昨年までの計画と大きく変わったのは、設備の建設・保有と鉄道運営を分ける方式をとった点だ。まずは運営会社を決める入札を実施し、その後に設備建設を決める入札を別途行う。

　ブラジル政府は昨年７月の入札が不調に終わった後、事業計画を練り直していた。今年８月に同計画の素案を公表したが、公聴会で出た意見の反映などに時間がかかり、正式な計画の公表予定は何度も延期されていた。

This project seems to have suffered one delay after another, so I’m not holding my breath. The new bid deadline is supposed to be 2013.08.13, with a decision to be made on 2013.09.19. The Japanese interest in the project would likely revolve around a consortium headed by Mitsui & Co. and including Hitachi, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Tōshiba, and JR companies. In addition to Japan, Germany, France, Spain, and Korea have expressed interest in the project, which would connect São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro with a 511 km high-speed line opening by 2020.

[quashlo]

Mitsubishi Electric to open railcar equipment plant in India
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNAS...11C12A2TJ1000/

　三菱電機は2014年から、インドで鉄道車両のモーターなどの生産を始める。約20億円を投じて現地に工場を新設する。日本から基幹部品を輸出、新工場で組み立てて鉄道車両メーカーに供給する。同社が新興国に鉄道部品工場を設けるのは、中国とメキシコに続き３カ国目となる。

　計画では13年に着工し、14年前半に稼働する。インバーターやモーター、空調機器などを生産する。新工場は現地の鉄道関連メーカーと合弁を組んで設立する案を前提に今後詳細を詰める。新工場の立地については日本企業の進出が多い北部や南部の複数の主要都市が候補に挙がっている。

　インドでは大都市圏の交通渋滞が深刻になっており、地下鉄を含めた鉄道の整備が急ピッチで進む。日本政府もインフラ輸出拡大のために支援している。三菱電機は現地に工場を建設すれば部品の受注に有利になるとみている。まずインド国内の市場開拓に力を入れるが、将来は東南アジアや中東への輸出拠点としても活用したい考えだ。

Starting in 2014, Mitsubishi Electric will begin local production of inverters, motors, air conditioners, and other railcar equipment for the Indian market. Key components will be exported from Japan and assembled at the new facility, which will be constructed at the cost of approx. ¥2 billion as part of a joint venture with a local Indian railcar manufacturer. This will become their third overseas plant after facilities in China and Mexico.

Groundbreaking will take place in 2013.

[quashlo]

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to construct Japan’s first comprehensive railway test facility
http://www.mhi.co.jp/en/news/story/1212131606.html

Tokyo, December 13, 2012 - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has finalized plans to construct Japan's first comprehensive railway transportation system verification facility - to be known as the "MIHARA Test Center" - at the Wadaoki Plant of its Mihara Machinery Works in Hiroshima Prefecture. The new test center, which will incorporate a loop rail track 3.2 kilometers (km) long, is slated to begin operation in the first half of 2014. Specifications will be set to meet global requirements by focusing on accommodating various international standards, with the aim of exporting urban transportation infrastructure. Plans call for the center to welcome use by outside entities such as other companies, government offices and organizations. Future plans call for center facilities to be enhanced to enable comprehensive verification testing and demonstrations related to smart communities.

Construction of the MIHARA Test Center is aimed primarily at strengthening Japan's competitiveness in railway system business, a pillar of the country's infrastructure export strategy. The center will function as a strong support tool for verifying compliance with international standards and for promoting product development. At the same time, it will also serve to further enhance Japan's highly acclaimed railway system maintenance and management capabilities.

MHI has already had test tracks at the Wadaoki Plant not only for railway systems but also for the APM (automated people mover) system and the HSST (high-speed surface transport) magnetic levitation system. With construction of the MIHARA Test Center, these existing test tracks will be significantly extended by introducing loop tracks some five times longer. The new test tracks will enable testing under various environments: for example, train performance at a maximum speed of 100km/hour, noise on curves, and testing under continuous operation. The center will also have various systems to enable comprehensive testing of train, signaling system, communication system, operation management, etc. Construction work is slated to begin in March 2013, with completion of the first phase within 17 months.

With railway technology, quintessentially important is the comprehensive capability to integrate the technologies of many companies that handle basic technologies and products. Recognizing that competitiveness can therefore be enhanced only by elevating the level of Japanese companies as a whole, MHI plans not only to use the MIHARA Test Center for its own purposes but also to make the facility widely available for use by other entities. Based on that intention, evaluation and management methods will be taken under consideration - from the viewpoints of fairness, confidentiality and openness - by a committee that will include related industrial associations and corporations. Several organizations have already expressed their interest to cooperate, enabling concerted enhancement of Japan's competitiveness in this field as a unified team.

Going forward MHI intends to play a role as a leading company in this area and aggressively promote the superiority of Japanese railway systems to the global market. At the same time it will leverage construction of the MIHARA Test Center to strengthen its own international competitiveness as a "System Integrator."

Good news that will hopefully accelerate Japan’s railway export industry…

There’s a nice Nikkei video report here if you have an account with them:
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNAS...11C12A2000000/

[k.k.jetcar]

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to construct Japan’s first comprehensive railway test facility

I noticed that facility the couple of times I took the JR West Kure Line (which passes adjacent)- there seemed to be alot of open space on the waterfront location, so much so I thought it was a decommissioned steel mill like you see in places like Kita-Kyushu. I didn't know there were railway testing facilities there.

[quashlo]

JR East to establish new overseas offices in Singapore, Brussels
http://www.nikkan.co.jp/news/nkx1120121217ceak.html

　ＪＲ東日本は２０１３年春にも、ベルギー・ブリュッセルに事業所を開設する。鉄道車両などの海外展開における欧州の事業拠点とし、事業認可を取得次第、営業活動を開始する計画。シンガポールにも同じく１３年春に、駐在員事務所を新設。アジアにおける事業拠点と位置づけ、事業所とすることも視野に市場調査や情報収集を行う。ＪＲ東日本単独での海外拠点新設は初めて。
　ＪＲ東日本は欧州とアジアを戦略地域として、海外の鉄道プロジェクトへの参画を目指す取り組みを進めている。拠点の新設はその一環。鉄道車両の販売のほか、列車の運行や設備の保守などに関する計画や指導、支援も含め、鉄道システム全体の輸出を目指す。
　中でも、鉄道のニーズが高い欧州と、経済成長が続くアジアを重点地域に位置づけており、それぞれの中心となるブリュッセルとシンガポールに拠点を置く。

In spring 2013, JR East will open new offices in Singapore and Brussles, targeting the European and Asian markets. These are the first overseas JR East-only offices (i.e., not cooperative efforts with government or other Japanese firms).

[quashlo]

Possible setback for Hitachi’s new UK factory
http://www.darlingtonandstocktontime...spite_setback/

A JAPANESE manufacturer has restated its commitment to bringing train building back to the region, despite the Government looking at alternative options for part of a multi-billion pound deal.

Hitachi said a proposed manufacturing plant in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, was not dependant on the company securing a contract for 270 carriages for the East Coast Main Line.

Hitachi has already won a £4.5bn order from the Department for Transport for 596 carriages for the Intercity Express Programme (IEP).

The trains will run on the Great Western Main Line and East Coast Main Line.

The deal will allow the company to build a new factory in Newton Aycliffe, which will employ 730 people.

At the time the order was signed off, the Government agreed an option to purchase a further 270 carriages for the East Coast Main Line.

However, ministers admitted this week they were looking at alternative suppliers to Hitachi.

Despite the setback, Hitachi tonight confirmed it was still committed to its new North-East factory.

Alistair Dormer, executive chairman and chief executive of Hitachi Rail Europe, said enabling work had already started at the Newton Aycliffe site.

He added: “Hitachi Rail Europe remains committed to Newton Aycliffe as the home of its new European Rail Manufacturing facility and is going ahead with the construction of the facility as planned.”

Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson led the campaign to bring Hitachi and IEP to County Durham.

He said: “Press speculation changes nothing. The main contract has been signed off.

“There was always an an option to build more carriages; that may happen or it may not - that's why it's called an option.”

Simon Burns, the UK rail minister, said the Government was committed to providing a modern intercity train fleet for the East Coast Main Line.

However, he stressed that ministers were also commitment to securing the best deal for passengers and and were looking at a range of options to modernise the rest of East Coast's existing fleet.

A spokesman for the Department for Transport added: “We're not saying 'no' to Hitachi.

“We have to look at all options, of which IEP is one of them.”

Hitachi said it was looking to tender for other train-building contracts to fill the order book at its Newton Aycliffe plant beyond IEP.

An artist's impression of the proposed Hitachi site

The details are murky, but if I interpret the article correctly, the UK DfT has basically said that they probably won’t be exercising the option for an additional 270 cars for the ECML. Not sure what effect, if any, this has on the initial 596-car order.

[quashlo]

Hitachi acquires UK railway training and simulation firm
http://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/121220b.pdf

London, UK, December 20th 2012 - Hitachi Europe Ltd. ("Hitachi"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd.(TSE: 6501), today announced the acquisition of The Railway Engineering Company Ltd (TRE) from James Fisher and Sons plc.

The transaction is expected to complete at the end of December 2012 and will see Hitachi further strengthen its European Social Infrastructure business which includes Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd., the company that recently signed the £4.5 billion Intercity Express Programme contract, and the recently acquired Horizon Nuclear Power, which plans to build a number of new nuclear power plants in the UK.

TRE supplies train traffic operator's training and assessment simulators as well as automatic routing systems which will complement and support Hitachi's product portfolio in the European Traffic Management Railway (TMS) sector. Hitachi Rail has over 30 years' experience in the TMS market, from high-density commuter networks to very high speed. Hitachi's railway arm in Europe, Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. earlier this year was one of the three companies to be awarded a contract to provide a TMS prototype to Network Rail.

Yutaka Saito, President & CEO of Infrastructure Systems Group and Infrastructure Systems Company, Senior Vice President and Executive Officer, Hitachi, Ltd. commented; "Advanced social infrastructure systems are imperative to today's world, in order to help reduce carbon emissions and build a sustainable society. Hitachi is therefore committed to expanding its total solutions business, by the integration of IT and social infrastructure systems. Through this acquisition, we aim to gain a foothold in expanding our social infrastructure systems business in the UK and Europe."

Kiyoshi Yamamoto, Managing Director of Hitachi Europe Ltd. commented: "We are delighted to be announcing this new acquisition, in line with our plans to build a greater presence for Hitachi in the European Infrastructure Systems Business, including Rail industry. Together, we seek to leverage the considerable synergies in our product areas, including simulation, control and traffic management. This acquisition helps strengthen Hitachi's vision of creating a strong social innovation business globally. Hitachi Rail Europe and The Railway Engineering Company already have been working together and we look forward to combining the efforts permanently to increase productivity, efficiency and innovation within the rail sector."

[quashlo]

SMART orders additional train from Nippon Sharyō
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...CLES/121219492

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit officials Wednesday approved spending $6.6 million on an additional two-car train, improving service and raising the possibility of extending service to Airport Boulevard near Windsor.

With the extra cars, SMART officials said they will have enough trains to run passenger trains at 30-minute intervals to the Guerneville Road station in Santa Rosa, a station that will serve the most riders.

It also makes it possible to extend service farther north, to Airport Boulevard, if efforts to get more funds for track work are successful.

…

SMART needed to submit its order for the additional cars this month to Nippon Sharyo USA to ensure they will be constructed alongside the initial order. Otherwise, the agency could face a higher price and see delivery delayed until 2018.

SMART has a contract to build six two-car trains at a total cost of $40 million, with a delivery date for the prototype in October or November.

Kevin Koyasu, chief executive officer and president of Nippon Sharyo USA, said Wednesday it takes time to get the raw materials and components for the cars.

“They want those two cars together with the existing order,” Koyasu said. “In that sense, we need the order as soon as possible. There are many, many long-lead items for those cars.”

A prototype two-car train is now being built at the company's plant near Tokyo. Once completed, it will be tested, disassembled and shipped to the company's new production facility in Rochelle, Ill., for reassembly.

[ukiyo]

First time I have heard of SMART...but good news

[quashlo]

Politicians debate scope of JR Central-backed environmental work for Texas HSR project
http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/01...ail-study.html

State and regional leaders are at odds over whether a company that wants to build a 200 mph bullet train from Houston to Dallas should be required to conduct an environmental study that also includes rail stops in Fort Worth and either Arlington or Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

North Texas leaders say it's crucial that the proposed Texas Central Railway stop not only in downtown Dallas but also in downtown Fort Worth as well as somewhere about midway between the region's two dominant cities. That way, the high-speed rail line can pick up passengers from throughout the Metroplex instead of just the east side.

"I want it to run from Houston to Fort Worth, with a stop in Dallas," Tarrant County Commissioner Gary Fickes said.

But the Japanese-backed company that has proposed building the rail line, Texas Central High-Speed Railway Llc., is proposing to conduct only an environmental study from the outskirts of Houston to downtown Dallas. The Texas Department of Transportation supports that plan and is asking regional planners in Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth to conduct separate environmental studies to figure out how the trains would connect in the inner cities.

In 2011, the state received a $15 million federal grant to study high-speed rail from Houston to North Texas. State officials argue that if Texas Central Railway can handle the costs of the environmental study along the mostly rural route from suburban Houston to downtown Dallas, then the grant can be spent in the metro areas.

"We're trying to look at the best value - at what is the best way to use the money without being duplicative," Phil Wilson, executive director of the Transportation Department, said Thursday before speaking to the 35W Coalition during an annual meeting in far north Fort Worth.

But many North Texas leaders disagree. Members of the Regional Transportation Council agreed more than a year ago that if a 200-mph train system can be built in the area, it must include at least three stations.

Splitting the project into separate environmental studies violates the spirit of that agreement, they said.

"Recent travel demand analysis conducted by Texas Central Railway confirms that passengers traveling from Houston are destined to all three of the North Texas stations at downtown Dallas, Arlington/DFW Airport and downtown Fort Worth," Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, wrote in a Jan. 4 letter to Wilson. "TxDOT's proposal for separate environmental documents developed independently by the public sector and private sector for the connecting facilities jeopardizes this three-station concept policy and does not serve our region's transportation needs as defined in our long range transportation plan."

Texas Central Railway director Travis Kelly said the disagreement can be worked out and won't slow the project. He said all the parties involved were talking through the best way to handle the environmental work.

"We think serving Fort Worth would be terrific and would pick up a lot of riders," Kelly said. But he said, "There is also additional right-of-way cost." The company, which is backed by the firm that built the world-renowned Central Japan Railway Co., is seeking roughly $10 billion in private investment to open Texas high-speed rail by 2020.

The group says it won't ask for state or federal funding, though North Texas officials are learning that extending the service into inner cities will cost more than the private sector is willing to put in.

Texas Central Railway envisions that most train riders would drive to the stations, at least in initial years. They would board in Dallas and arrive in Houston about 90 minutes later.

But in major metro areas such as Dallas-Fort Worth, regional planners say the bullet trains need to connect the central business districts, so that users can access the system by bus, commuter rail or other local means.

More news on JR Central’s interest in the Texas project…

[quashlo]

Indian government seeking Japanese ODA for Bengaluru–Chennai high-speed freight railway
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNAS...3A110C1MM0000/

　インド政府が、日系大手メーカーが進出するインド南部のチェンナイとバンガロールを結ぶ本格的な高速貨物鉄道の建設を計画していることが分かった。コンピューター制御で大量の貨物を高速輸送する約300キロメートルの新線を、2019年末にも完成させる計画。総事業費は1100億ルピー（約1800億円）程度を見込んでおり、日本政府に対し政府開発援助（ＯＤＡ）の適用申請を視野に入れている。

　インド商工省などによると、貨物新線は、日産自動車や東芝などが進出している南部タミルナド州チェンナイと、トヨタ自動車が生産拠点を構えるカルナタカ州バンガロールを結ぶ。全線を複線電化し、速度は時速100キロメートル以上を計画。専用に設計した電気機関車や貨車も投入する予定だ。16年半ばに着工し、19年末の完成を目指す。

　インド政府は近く、国際協力機構（ＪＩＣＡ）による事業化調査（ＦＳ）を日本政府に対し正式要請する見通し。日印間ではシン首相の訪日を調整中で、訪日が実現すれば安倍晋三首相との首脳会談で、インド側はこの貨物新線の開発を議題の一つにしたい考えだ。

　インド政府は、東南アジア諸国連合（ＡＳＥＡＮ）への玄関口でもあるチェンナイとバンガロールを結ぶ一帯のインフラ開発と産業集積を進める「南部インド産業経済回廊」計画を掲げている。だが、北部のニューデリー首都圏などと比べてインフラ整備が遅れ、進出企業からは物流の改善を求める声が強かった。

　すでに日印両政府は、ニューデリーとムンバイ間に貨物鉄道の線路を敷き、沿線に工業団地や発電所などのインフラを整える「デリー・ムンバイ産業大動脈」と呼ばれる開発プロジェクトを共同で進めている。（ニューデリー＝岩城聡）

This is a new corridor for southern India, in addition to the larger Delhi–Mumbai project (DMIC).
Construction of the 100 km/h+ electrified, double-track line (approx. 300 km in length) would start in 2016, with completion in 2019 at a total cost of ₨ 110 billion.

[quashlo]

Kawasaki Heavy Industries considers exporting 700 series Shinkansen to Russia, Eastern Europe
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/economy/new...1150000-n1.htm

　川崎重工業は１６日、東欧とロシアに高速鉄道車両の輸出を検討していることを明らかにした。東海道新幹線で運行される「７００系新幹線」をベースとした高速鉄道車両などの輸出を目指す。川崎重工は、国内の新規鉄道車両需要が伸び悩むなか、鉄道車両市場が年率２割以上の伸びを続けるロシア・東欧向けなど海外での受注で補い、事業拡大につなげたい考えだ。

　日系鉄道車両メーカーのロシア、東欧への高速鉄道車両の輸出は初めて。東欧では、ルーマニアとハンガリーの２カ国の間で総延長約９００キロメートルの高速鉄道計画があり、２０２０年（平成３２年）から入札が本格化するとみられる。ロシアでも新路線構想があり、こうした計画の実現性や事業採算性などを見極めて、輸出の可否を最終判断する。

　川崎重工は、これまでアジアや北米向けを中心に鉄道車両輸出を強化。昨年５月には、台湾高速鉄道から高速鉄道車両を４８両、８月にはシンガポールの地下鉄１３２両を相次いで受注した。ただ長期的に、事業売上高を３千億円まで引き上げる計画を掲げる中、目標を達成するには新市場開拓が欠かせないと見て、ロシア、東欧への輸出を狙う。

川崎重工は、海外の大型案件と期待する米カリフォルニア州やベトナムなどの高速鉄道計画で、資金問題などを背景に事業に遅れが生じ、鉄道車両事業の売上高は平成２４年度見込みで１３００億円と、３年前に計画した目標値に対して３００億円も下回っている。

The railcar market in Russia and Eastern Europe is continuing to show over 20% annual growth, and Kawasaki is interested in tapping into this potential. In particular, in Eastern Europe they are looking at a proposed 900 km line connecting Romania and Hungary, where contracts are scheduled to be awarded starting in 2020, while there are various new high-speed lines proposed in Russia. Kawasaki will look at the likelihood and profitability of these projects before making a final decision, but if they move forward and are successful in winning contracts, this would be the first time a Japanese railcar manufacturer supplied HSR rolling stock to Russia and Eastern Europe.

This new has yet to be corroborated by sources other than Sankei, so not sure what exactly they mean by “700 series Shinkansen”… I suspect this is really just the efSET.

[quashlo]

Jakarta MRT construction to commence
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/...ommence/566023

Construction of Jakarta’s long-awaited mass rapid transit rail line will finally begin this year after the central government and the capital administration reached a deal on the cost-sharing structure for the initial Rp 15.7 trillion ($1.63 billion) tab.

Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo confirmed on Wednesday that his administration would take on a smaller share of the cost than initially stipulated, but would still bear the majority of the bill.

Joko, who was agitating to get the central government to pick up 60 percent of the total project’s Rp 110 trillion tab from the initial figure of 42 percent, said following a meeting with Vice President Boediono that the central government had agreed to raise its share to 49 percent.

“It has been decided that the cost for the MRT running from Lebak Bulus [in South Jakarta] to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle [in Central Jakarta] will be shared 49:51, and the city administration accepts this because we don’t want to delay the project any further,” he said.

“This whole process has taken far too long. The project has been in the planning stage for 26 years now.”

He added that with the share of the cost burden now settled, the city administration would immediately figure out how much it could subsidize train tickets before embarking on the project.

“Just let me figure out the calculations overnight, and tomorrow I’ll get back to you and we can immediately start building it,” Joko said.

The cost of MRT tickets has been cited by the administration as one of the reasons for seeking to reduce the city’s burden of repaying the project loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Under the terms of a 2005 agreement between JICA, the central government and the Jakarta administration, the cost burden was split 42:58, with the city responsible for paying off the majority share.

However, Joko argued that he was unsure about the city’s ability to service that level of debt, adding that under that scenario, subsidized ticket prices for MRT users would be set around Rp 38,000.

He said that with the central government taking a majority share of the loan burden, the subsidy could increase to make the tickets a more affordable Rp 10,000 to Rp 20,000 each.

All aboard

The first phase of the project, a line from Lebak Bulus to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, will run 15.2 kilometers and is expected to be in operation by November 2016.

A second phase, running 8.1 kilometers from the HI traffic circle to Kampung Bandan in North Jakarta, is expected to follow in 2018.

Like the first TransJakarta busway corridor, the MRT’s north-south line will cut through the city’s key business district along Jalan Sudirman and Jalan Thamrin.

But unlike the busway, the MRT will not take up an entire lane of existing roadway. Instead, the line will run on a combination of elevated and underground tracks in order to avoid disrupting traffic.

The city is also taking a lesson learned from the sometimes haphazard layout of the busway network, by ensuring that key MRT stations serve as transit hubs where passengers can easily move to a different mode of transportation such as the busway or commuter trains.

MRT Jakarta, the city-run body overseeing the project, is targeting 412,700 passenger trips daily on the Lebak Bulus-HI line, and 629,900 trips a day once the Kampung Bandan phase is finished.

The MRT will also get two east-west lines, although the details of that project are still being ironed out. The proposed routes will run parallel from Cikarang in Bekasi to Balaraja in Tangerang, cutting across the north-south line in Central Jakarta and in South Jakarta.

Still in the pre-feasibility stage, that project could take until 2027.

Money worries

First given serious consideration in the 1990s but lost in limbo after the Asian financial crisis, the MRT project is finally set to take shape this year after Joko put it on hold last year due to cost concerns.

The governor has long insisted that the central government must shoulder the lion’s share of the cost. One point he raised was that to keep ticket prices at an average of Rp 15,000, the city administration would have to earmark Rp 9.47 billion each day for the subsidy, which in addition to its loan payments would hurt the city’s finances.

Joko highlighted this point by noting that the city was still struggling to foot the bill for Rp 253 billion in annual losses from its TransJakarta busway system.

While the cost of constructing the Lebak Bulus-HI line has been tagged at Rp 15.7 trillion, the total cost of the completed MRT network, including annual operational costs of Rp 200 billion, will come in at around Rp 110 trillion.

With a total length of 110.8 kilometers — 23.8 kilometers for the north-south line and 87 kilometers for the east-west lines — the cost will work out to almost Rp 1 trillion per kilometer of track, which Joko said was too high.

However, the central government has countered that the cost is low compared with the Singapore MRT’s figure of Rp 2 trillion to Rp 3 trillion per kilometer of track.

JICA has so far disbursed Rp 5.6 trillion for the project, or about a third of the total amount of its loan. But the funds are for basic engineering design consultancy work, tender assistance and management consultancy, leaving just a fraction for actual construction work.

Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo, who was initially adamant that the loan-sharing ratio between the central and Jakarta governments should not be changed from the figures agreed on in 2005, said that up to Rp 1.5 trillion of the disbursed funds remained unused because of repeated delays in getting the project off the ground.

“The money’s there, but the allocation hasn’t been realized yet,” he said last weekend.

“From what I know, it’s a pretty big sum, more than Rp 1 trillion. But it appears that less than Rp 10 billion of it has been allocated for the MRT.”

Joko has also expressed a preference for reviving the stalled monorail project since coming into office in mid-October, but transportation experts and the government insist that the MRT is by far the better option for dealing with Jakarta’s traffic congestion due to its bigger capacity.

The experts have also said the MRT has a clear financial backer in JICA, while the monorail, an elevated system with a projected cost of just Rp 5.4 trillion, does not.

“Construction for the MRT in Jakarta must not be postponed. You cannot make more excuses to postpone [the construction] again,” Trisakti University transportation expert Yayat Supriyatna said previously.

Agus Pambagio, a transportation expert from the University of Indonesia, agreed.

“Without the MRT, [Jakarta] will be further behind [other Asian cities],” he said.

Sounds like this project might finally break ground… Hopefully this will mean contracts for Japanese firms.

[ukiyo]

Abe Touts Japanese High-Speed Rail In Thailand

BANGKOK (Nikkei)--Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with his Thai counterpart here Thursday to promote Japan's bullet train technology for a planned local high-speed rail network.

"We want to contribute to developing infrastructure in Thailand," Abe told Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The two agreed to expand bilateral trade and investment in such areas as flood prevention, railway construction, satellites and information technology.

Abe discussed the shinkansen bullet trains, to which Yingluck expressed interest, describing her own experience riding one in the Kyushu region while visiting Japan last year.

Thailand plans to construct four high-speed railway lines connecting Bangkok and the northern province of Chiang Mai, among other regions. The Thai government will conduct international bidding to select firms for the projects, which are expected to cost a total of 400 billion baht, or around 1 trillion yen.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20130118D1701A18.htm

[quashlo]

JIC completes pre-feasibility study for Johannesburg – Durban high-speed line
http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/art...ent-2013-01-21

The development of a high-speed rail link between Johannesburg and Durban could potentially remove between 1.9-million tons and 3.6-million tons a year of freight volumes off South Africa’s roads, a prefeasibility study (PFS) has found.

Speaking at the second South Africa–Japan Railway conference, in Midrand, on Monday, Japan International Consultants for Transportation technology headquarters senior manager Yoshimasa Sakon said that, by 2050, the current Johannesburg–Durban rail system would carry freight volumes of 600 000 t/y.

However, with the development of a R160-billion high-speed rail route, based on Japan’s Shinkansen rail, the volume could reach between 2.5-million and 4.2-million tons a year.

The study, which was undertaken from August 2011 to February 2012, compared three routes from Johannesburg to Durban, including a railway running parallel to the current system, navigating through Newcastle.

The high-speed rail development could reduce travelling time for passengers to three hours, travelling at 300 km/h, from morning to late evening, while freight transport time could be reduced to five hours, at 160 km/h during the night.

Sakon also pointed out that a passenger high-speed rail system – with a 600- to 900-person capacity on an 8- to 12-car configuration – between the two cities could potentially carry 15 000 to 17 000 travellers a day by 2025, and between 33 000 and 38 000 a day by 2050.

This was compared with the current forecast of 600 000 train travellers, 2.2-million vehicles and 3.9-million air travellers expected to travel between Johannesburg and Durban each year by 2050.

Further, the PFS revealed that the project had the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to between 900 000 t/y and 1.8-million tons a year and nitrogen oxide emissions by between 3 000 t/y and 7 000 t/y by 2050.

The Tambo Springs inland port was revealed as the most cost-effective and environment-friendly location for a Johannesburg-based freight station, while Germiston station proved the most viable passenger station ahead of Johannesburg station and Marlboro station, said Sakon.

The study found that, should the proposed project advance, it would result in economic development, social upliftment, job creation, a reduction in road accidents and less stress on the country’s already strained roads.

The link was expected to partially open in 2020 with an initial Phase 1, 100 km “airport” access link between King Shaka International Airport and Pietermaritzburg. Phase 2 would see the development completing the 500 km link between Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg.

Sakon noted that a number of approvals were still required to move the project forward, including the Department of Transport’s (DoT's) authorisation to embark on a feasibility study.

DoT deputy director-general Dr Lanfranc Situma said the department was currently examining the study and would present it to Cabinet once it had determined the benefits the project could hold for South Africa.

JAPAN COMMITS TO SA RAIL DEVELOPMENT
The release of the PFS comes as a South African delegation to Japan last week secured commitment from the Asian country to invest in South Africa’s rail industry, while ensuring sufficient skills transfer.

Portfolio Committee on Transport chairperson Nozabelo Bhengu said on Monday that Japan’s advanced rail technology and expertise and South Africa’s ambitious modernisation programme provided an opportunity for the countries to collaborate and cooperate on development of South Africa’s outdated railway system.

However, she noted that South Africa would not buy or develop the required technology without assurance that it would help tackle the country’s social challenges, enable skills transfer, boost investment and ensure economic development, job creation and local beneficiation.

Bhengu said Japan’s Ministers “understood” South Africa’s requirements and agreed that, should Japan invest, it would work towards ensuring South Africa reaps sustainable benefits, particularly in terms of skills transfer.

The delegation, led by Bhengu and comprising chairpersons from the portfolio committees on Public Enterprises and Economic Development, on Sunday completed a week-long tour of Japan’s railway systems, while meeting with government and private rail companies to analyse the link between transport and economic benefits.

JIC (Japan International Consultants for Transportation) is a consulting JV between JR East (53%), JR West (20%), Tōkyō Metro (20%), and six other Japanese railway operators (JR Kyūshū, JR Freight, Tōkyū Corporation, Keihan Electric Railway, Seibu Railway, Keiō Corporation, and the Ōsaka Municipal Transportation Bureau, each with a 1% share).

[quashlo]

Ōbayashi, Sumitomo consortia in line for Jakarta MRT tenders
http://www.traveldailynews.asia/news...-s-underground

JAKARTA - The Indonesian capital Jakarta will soon start construction of a metro system to try to unravel its infamous traffic jams, 26 years after the idea was first mooted, officials said Monday. The city administration and the central government finally agreed last week on how to split the cost, with 49 per cent to be paid by the central government.

The city initially wanted to pay 42 per cent of the cost but finally agreed on 51 percent, said Eko Hariyadi, a Jakarta administration spokesman. Hariyadi said construction would start this year, pending an announcement of the winner of the tender.Two consortia of Japanese and Indonesian construction firms, Obayashi-Shimizu-Wijaya Karya and Sumitomo-Hutama Karya, are competing for the work.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency has agreed to give a soft loan for the first stage of the long-awaited project, which will cost 15.7 trillion rupiah (S$2 billion) and is expected to be completed by the end of 2016, said Sutanto Soehodho, deputy governor for transportation and macro economy.

The city has spent nearly three decades discussing the merits of different mass transport systems to alleviate congestion in greater Jakarta, home to 20 million people.

Poor infrastructure is one of the main constraints on the growth of Southeast Asia's largest economy, experts say. It was hit by serious floods last week.

One thousand new vehicles hit the roads daily in the capital and it could face complete gridlock as soon as next year unless traffic problems are addressed, according to a study by the private Indonesian Transportation Society. Its chief Danang Parikesit said even the metro would not be the "silver bullet" to solve Jakarta's traffic problems.

"Other projects should be done as well to really address the transportation system," he told AFP.

Jakarta is one of the last major cities in Asia without a metro. Singapore inaugurated one in 1987, Manila in late 1984 and Bangkok in 2004.

[quashlo]

Kawasaki, Nippon Sharyō, Sumitomo, Sōjitsu, Mitsubishi express interest in SEPTA Silverliner IV replacements
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/lo...placement.html

SEPTA on Thursday began the long process of replacing 231 aging Silverliner IV train cars, even as it waits for the last of its new Silverliner V cars.

SEPTA officials met with representatives of 12 car manufacturers and other companies in an "expression of interest" session Thursday.

Among the manufacturers expressing interest in bidding on a contract for the new cars was Hyundai Rotem Corp., which built the new Silverliner V cars but fell two years behind schedule amid production and labor problems.

The Silverliner IV cars, which are the bulk of the Regional Rail fleet, are nearly 40 years old, about the age that their forerunners were back in 2006, when SEPTA ordered the new cars to replace them.

The Silverliner IVs were built by General Electric Co. from 1974 to 1976. GE is no longer in the train-building business.

In addition to Hyundai Rotem, the companies that attended Thursday's session included Alstom, Kawasaki, Nippon Sharyo USA, Sumitomo, Sojitz, Bombardier, Mitsubishi, STV, Carmen Group, Faiveley Transport, and Wabtec.

The new Silverliner VIs are likely to cost about $3 million each, and SEPTA said it did not have enough money to buy them now.

SEPTA relies on state and federal funds for its capital budget, funding for vehicles and big construction projects. Both Harrisburg and Washington have been cutting transit spending.

Although ridership is at a 23-year high, SEPTA's capital budget is at a 15-year low, at $303 million.

Rotem’s in a bit of a pickle with both SEPTA and MBTA, the latter of which is threatening to cancel their contract completely, so in terms of actual railcar manufacturers (as opposed to manufacturers or suppliers of specific components or brokers like Sumitomo), I suspect that will leave only Alstom, Bombardier, Kawasaki, and Nippon Sharyō.

SEPTA already runs some Kawasaki LRVs:

[quashlo]

Hitachi interested in building trainsets for new high-speed projects in UK
http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/up...-speed-trains/

The next generation of high speed trains could be built in the North East after Hitachi confirmed it was interested in bidding for the contract.

The government has announced plans to build high speed lines from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds. Trains will continue at a slower speed further north.

Hitachi is building a new factory in Newton Aycliffe to make trains, creating more than 700 jobs.

A spokesman today said the Japanese firm's interest in the high speed contract was "extremely strong." She said high speed rail was an "interesting project" that the new factory would be "well placed" to be part of.

Not holding my breath… Hopefully this turns out a bit better than the current IEP mess.