Thales: 36 mln contract to modernize Slovenian railway

Gepubliceerd op 17-09-2007 om 05:30

Thales awarded 36 million Euro contract for the modernisation of Slovenian railway line

Neuilly-sur-Seine Cedex, France – A consortium led by Thales has been awarded a 36.4 million Euro contract by the “Public Agency for Rail Transport” in the Republic of Slovenia (AZP). This contract relates to the modernisation of the railway line between Divaca and Koper with innovative electronic interlocking technology.

The railway line between Divaca and the seaport city of Koper (46 km long) is part of the railway axis from Lyon in France to the Ukrainian border. This Trans-European Network (TEN) project number 6 is supported by the European Union.

The order was awarded to the consortium consisting of Thales and its local partner Iskra Sistemi und Primorje. It comprises the delivery, installation, commissioning and corresponding services for eight innovative electronic interlocking solutions of the LockTrac type (LockTrac 6151 ESTW L90 5) plus multiple-section axle counters and electro-hydraulic point machines.

Applying new technologies on this line will enable AÂZP to improve the safety and reliability of the operations, face the increase of traffic expected in the years to come and shift road traffic to rail.

"With this new and highly reliable and available technology we can increase the traffic of the line by 25% which will satisfy transport demands to and from Port Koper," stated Rajko Satler, the Director of AÂZP.

Hans Leibbrand, Vice President of Thales’s Rail Signalling activities in Germany, added: "We are very proud of the confidence the Public Agency for Rail Transport in the Republic of Slovenia has placed in Thales anew. This contract marks the comeback of Thales in the Slovenian market and confirms Thales’s leadership in electronic interlocking technology."

Thales rail signalling activities: Pioneer in introducing computers in vital railway applications, Thales is positioned as a signalling specialist and shapes the signalling industry with worldwide leading positions: ETCS, CBTC, Electronic Interlocking and Communications-Based Train Control solutions.

Thales provides turnkey solutions that increase performance and line capacity while reducing operating, maintenance and infrastructure costs. Thales goal is to be its customers long-term partner to help them address major challenges for continual growth.

About the Public Agency for Rail Transport in the Republic of Slovenia (AÂZP)

The Public Agency for Rail Transport of the Republic of Slovenia was established in 2003 by the Railway Transport Act. One of the priorities was development of Public Railway Infrastructure in the Republic of Slovenia where the modernisation of Safety and Signalling devices plays a significant role. Slovenia plans to invest according to the "Resolution on National Development of Public Railway Infrastructure Programme" on the V.th and X.th Pan-European corridors about 8.9 billon euros by 2023 into the development of Public Railway Infrastructure. The Resolution covers all necessary investments (upgrading of existing lines, construction of High Capacity lines, upgrading of infrastructure, etc.) for the development of a modern, competitive railway system.

About Thales

Thales is a leading international electronics and systems group, addressing defence, aerospace and security markets worldwide. Thales’s leading-edge technology is supported by 22,000 R&D engineers who offer a capability unmatched in Europe to develop and deploy field-proven mission-critical information systems. To this end, the group’s civil and military businesses develop in parallel and share a common base of technologies to serve a single objective: the security of people, property and nations. The group builds its growth on its unique multi-domestic strategy based on trusted partnerships with national customers and market players, while leveraging its global expertise to support local technology and industrial development. Thales employs 68,000 people in 50 countries with forecast 2007 revenues in excess of € 12 billion.