voda schreef op 2 januari 2014 16:39:
Wéér zo'n mega order voor Siemens.
Siemens get rail contract in Saudi
Siemens's share of a major contract to supply trains for a new subway system in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh is worth EUR 1.5 billion (USD 2 billion), the German group said on Thursday, confirming its biggest ever rail engineering order from the region.
The contract is part of a total of USD 22.5 billion worth of orders awarded to three foreign-led consortia by Saudi Arabia in July for the design and construction of the metro rail system in Riyadh.
Saudi officials have said that the project, which will involve six rail lines extending 176 kilometres (110 miles) and carrying electric, driverless trains, is the world's largest public transport system currently under development.
Siemens said in a statement on Thursday it would supply driverless subway trains, electrification systems and signalling technology for two of the six lines.
Flush with cash after more than two years of high oil prices, Saudi Arabia is pumping billions of dollars into infrastructure projects designed to improve living standards and ease social discontent in the wake of the 2011 uprisings elsewhere in the Arab world.
The government also says it wants to upgrade the country's infrastructure to help the economy diversify beyond oil, making it less vulnerable to any future plunge of global oil prices.
The German engineering group will deliver 74 subway trains equipped with an extra-strong air conditioning system to cope with the extreme heat as well as special seals and filters in brakes and doors to cut down on the amount of sand that makes its way into the train cars.
The order is part of a EUR 7.5 billion (USD 10.14 billion)contract awarded to a consortium led by US based Bechtel.
Source – Reuters