China Exports of HSR, Trains, Metro, Tram, Rolling Stocks, etc: News

[ahojunk]

More news on the Malaysia-Singapore HSR.

--------
900 Malaysians check out China's high-speed rail
By Luo Wangshu (China Daily)
August 25, 2016, 12:13 am TWN

Announcement of a plan to link Kuala Lumpur with Singapore stirs public, industrial interest

Around 900 Malaysians rode the bullet train from Beijing to Tianjin on Tuesday to experience the trademark Chinese technology in the wake of last month's announcement of a planned Malaysia-to-Singapore high-speed rail link.

Fauwati Abdul Rahman, a businesswoman from Malaysia, said she was excited to ride the train.

"It is the first time I have visited China and my first time in Beijing. Actually, it my first time to take a train. In my country, I usually drive," she said.

Rahman and her friends took selfies to post on social media.

"I like the high-speed train. It is very nice and fast," she said.

Rahman was part of a trip organized by the Malaysia-China Friendship Association, which invited Malaysians－especially those with high social and economic status－to visit China and experience its high-speed rail.

"It is a great opportunity for Malaysians to experience the high-speed train since Malaysia is planning to invest in a new urban transportation system, such as the Malaysia-Singapore high-speed rail plan," said Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan, president of the Malaysia-China Friendship Association.

Most of the tour members had never been to China before, and they were interested to see the railway, Khan said.

"I have taken high-speed trains in many countries, such as in Japan and in Europe. China's bullet train is comfortable," he said, noting that China has the technology and skills to build them well.

Zhou Li, director of China Railway Corporation's science and technology administration department, said, "China has mastered world-leading technology to build high-speed railways. In addition, it has experience in various environments, including extremely hot and cold weather conditions."

China's high-speed rail network covers more than 19,000 kilometers, accounting for 60 percent of the world's high-speed rail tracks.

Last month, the Singapore and Malaysia governments announced plans for a high-speed rail linking Singapore with the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. Chinese companies have shown an interest in bidding on the project, as are others from Japan, Europe and South Korea, said Khan, who served as the Malaysian ambassador to China from 1998 to 2005.

China has eyed high-speed rail projects overseas in recent years. It built the Jakarta-Bandung railway in Indonesia and the Moscow-Kazan railway in Russia.

Khan said many factors are involved in awarding the project, including technology, finance and management.

"Whoever can offer the best package will win. China has a good chance," he said.

Many Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand, Laos and Indonesia, also have plans to construct high-speed railways.

 

[ahojunk]

China’s biggest high-speed train and railway equipment maker announced that its first joint venture in India has started operations over the weekend in Haryana, in an indication that Sino-India cooperation in the railways sector was poised to take off.

It is for the first time that the Beijing-based China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) – a mammoth state-owned enterprise (SOE) in China with more than 175,000 employees – was setting up a joint venture in south Asia.

A subsidiary of the company has supplied subway trains for the Rio De Janeiro Olympics.

Its first plant in North America started operations in September 2015 in Massachusetts.

The Sino-India joint venture, expected to manufacture and repair locomotive engines, is being called the CRRC Pioneer (India) Electric Company and has been set up in the Bavo Industrial sector in Haryana, on the New Delhi and Mumbai industrial corridor.

“Total investment is $ 63.4 million and the Chinese side holds 51% of the share,” the CRRC said in a statement.

“It will also provide technology support to India’s rail system, and supply electric transmission systems to oil drilling, wind power generation and mining equipment making in India,” the statement said.


“It is the first time for the company to open a plant in south Asia where one of the world’s most comprehensive rail system spans. CRRC is also the first foreign company to set up assembly line of rail transportation equipment in India after PM Narendra Modi unveiled his ambitious ‘Made in India’ campaign in 2014,” it added.

The Chinese company has been present in the Indian market since 2007, supplying subway trains, engines and other equipment.

It will, however, be the first time that CRRC begins manufacturing in India.

“Given more than 60,000 kilometres of railways in India, it is far from enough to build a single locomotive engine plant in India,” company vice-president Yu Weiping said.

“CRRC will build more plants able to produce trains, locomotive traction systems and other key parts in India,” he added.

CRRC Corporation was formed in 2015 following a merger between China CNR Corporation Limited and CSR Corporation Limited and has since focussed on foreign markets.

In March, the Delhi Metro Rail Corp and CRRC Nanjing signed a Memorandum of Understanding for supply of 19 four-car train sets for the Noida metro.

@cirr @AndrewJin @Beast

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world...ns-in-india/story-LSuBep383M83tujO3GWCZI.html

Another related piece of news.

China's high-speed train maker starts India operations
24 August 2016

China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC), China's largest high speed train maker, has set up a $63.4 million joint venture in India to repair and manufacture railway locomotive engines.

The state-run CRRC is the first foreign company to set up assembly line for rail transportation equipment in India on the lines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious 'Make in India' campaign started in 2014, the company said in statement.

The Chinese company holds 51 per cent equity stake in the joint venture, CRRC Pioneer (India) Electric Co Ltd, which started operation in Haryana, with an initial investment of $63.4 million, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The India plant will repair and manufacture railway locomotive engines.

It will also provide technology support to India's rail system and supply electric transmission systems to oil drilling, wind power generation and mining equipment making in India, the report said.

This is China's first major investment in Indian Railways after the two countries agreed on a multi-pronged collaboration by Chinese companies in India's railway modernisation drive.

Engineers from Indian Railways are also being trained in China in heavy hauling even as China is cooperating with India to set up a railway university similar to its own.

Besides the high speed train, India and China have agreed to cooperate to identify the technical inputs required to increase speed on the existing railway line from Chennai to Mysore via Bangalore.

China is also conducting feasibility study to build a high speed railway line between Chennai and New Delhi.

Japan has bagged the first bullet train project to build a high speed rail line between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

CRRC Vice President Yu Weiping said the new plant will create jobs and tax revenue for local people and help improve infrastructure.

It will advance cooperation in industrial capacity and local equipment manufacturing, he said.

India has one of the world's largest railway network spanning about 64,000 kilometres.

Since its presence in the Indian market in 2007, CRRC has supplied it with subway trains, locomotive engines and other railway vehicles and parts, the report said.

''Given more than 60,000 kilometres of railways in India, it is far from enough to build a single locomotive engine plant in India,'' Yu said.

''CRRC will build more plants (that are) able to produce trains, locomotive traction systems and other key parts in India,'' he said.

CRRC, formed from the merger of former rivals CNR Corp. and China CSR, has been aggressively reaching out to overseas markets, exporting rail transportation equipment to 101 countries and regions.

CRRC also started operations in North America in September 2015 with an engine plant in Massachusetts, USA.

 

[cirr]

China's first driverless subway line to launch in 2017: report

2016-08-29 13:11

Xinhua Editor: Xu Shanshan

China's first driverless subway line, the Yanfang line in southwest Beijing, is expected to start operations at the end of 2017, the People's Daily reported Monday.

Operations on the line will be fully automatic, including train departures, door opening and closing, and cleaning, said the report. The trains will only use domestic technology.

China started developing its own fully automatic subway system in 2010 and has mastered the core technologies, said the report.

Beijing subway lines 3, 12, 17, 19 and the new airport line are all under planning and will also operate with completely automated, driverless trains.

It is expected that the total length of fully-automated subway lines in Beijing will reach 300 km by 2020, said the report.

The development and use of domestic operation systems is part of the "Made in China 2025" initiative, which aims to comprehensively upgrade Chinese industry.

The move will also help strengthen China's presence in the global rail transport industry and ensure the security of the country's key infrastructure facilities.

http://www.ecns.cn/2016/08-29/224351.shtml

 

[cirr]

China to build $1.85b Kano light rail

2 hours ago

China Railway Construction Corporation said it has won a $1.851 billion contract to construct the Kano city light rail.

In an announcement yesterday, the company said it has received a provisional letter of award from Nigeria for the the 74.3 kilometres rail track.

The first phase of the project construction is billed to take two years, while the second phase of the four-line rail is expected to take another two years.

It said the contract amountd of approximately $1.851 billion (equivalent to approximately RMB 120.3 Billion), accounting for two per cent of the Company’s 2015 revenue, under the China Accounting Standards,” the announcement read.

Nigeria is investing heavily in capital projects, building infrastructure, and replacing half-a-century old rail lines, in the country.

With over N1 trillion budgeted for capital expenditure in the 2016 appropriation Act, Nigeria is expected to invest the highest amount of money in capex in its 56-year history.

http://thenationonlineng.net/china-build-1-85b-kano-light-rail/

 

[TaiShang]

Building stuff, China does best!

**

PLA builds 1,150-meter pontoon across Yangtze in 26 minutes!
(People's Daily Online) August 30, 2016

The Yangtze 2016 military exercises were held on the Yangtze River on Aug. 29. During the exercises, the engineering support brigade of the PLA's Center Theater Command built a 1,150-meter-long steel pontoon across the main channel of the Yangtze River in just 26 minutes and 40 seconds.(Photo/81.cn)

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese-made train makes debut for short run in Thailand
(Xinhua) 08:02, August 30, 2016



A train attendant walks in the Chinese-made new train during its first trip between Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, Aug. 29, 2016. A new train purchased from China by State Railway of Thailand (SRT) was launched on Monday with a short trip, which is the first new train for Thailand in 20 years. (Xinhua/Li Mangmang)

@somsak

 

[Mamluk]

Awesome pics, keep posting!

 

[AndrewJin]

Awesome pics, keep posting!

Your name is cool

Chinese-made train makes debut for short run in Thailand
(Xinhua) 08:02, August 30, 2016



A train attendant walks in the Chinese-made new train during its first trip between Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, Aug. 29, 2016. A new train purchased from China by State Railway of Thailand (SRT) was launched on Monday with a short trip, which is the first new train for Thailand in 20 years. (Xinhua/Li Mangmang)

@somsak

Look pretty nice....
The sleeper trains in Thailand were horrible.

 

[TaiShang]

China-made locomotives to be exported to Argentina

China.org.cn

​

The first locomotive designed for a railway renovation program in Argentina was completed on Aug. 31. [Photo/scol.com.cn]

The first locomotive designed for a railway renovation program in Argentina was completed Wednesday, CRRC Corp. Ltd. said.

The first meter-gauged locomotive, built in Ziyang City in Sichuan Province, was completed and the first 20 will be made and exported to Argentina, said Yu Weiping, vice president of CRRC, China's largest rail transportation equipment maker.

The locomotives will be supplied to Belgrano Cargas, an Argentine operator of cargo railway services. China has provided financing, equipment and services for the renovation of the railway, which runs through Argentina's important agricultural regions.

The railway will greatly reduce transportation costs.

Upgrading rail services will help lower the cost of grain in Argentina and boost their international competitiveness, said Ezequiel Lemos, president of Belgrano Cargas, who was present Wednesday when the first locomotive rolled off the production line.

The Ziyang CRRC branch has made locomotives for Vietnam and Thailand. The new locomotive has been customized for Argentina's particular needs, said Yu.

CRRC will establish a regional center in South America, headquartered in Argentina, said Yu.

In 2013, China South Railway (CSR) won a contract worth US$1 billion to provide 709 carriages to renew Argentina's commuter system.

The first locomotive designed for a railway renovation program in Argentina was completed on Aug. 31. [Photo/newssc.org]

 

[ahojunk]

The first meter-gauged locomotive,

.
Argentina railway system is using different gauge in different regions. In this particular region, the meter-gauge is used.

They should standardised their railway gauge to the standard gauge to get economy of scale. However, once you have a system in place, it is very difficult to change. It's easy said than done!

The railway will greatly reduce transportation costs.

Upgrading rail services will help lower the cost of grain in Argentina and boost their international competitiveness,

.
As technology improves, the new cars will provide better efficiency and value, hence the reduction in costs.

It looks like China is getting more competitive in freight cars too.

 

[somsak]

Chinese-made train makes debut for short run in Thailand
(Xinhua) 08:02, August 30, 2016



A train attendant walks in the Chinese-made new train during its first trip between Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, Aug. 29, 2016. A new train purchased from China by State Railway of Thailand (SRT) was launched on Monday with a short trip, which is the first new train for Thailand in 20 years. (Xinhua/Li Mangmang)

@somsak

It looks good! One day I will ride the train.

 

[ahojunk]

Sino-Thai rail project must go ahead despite legal issues, PM tells Xi
WASAMON AUDJARINT
THE NATION September 6, 2016 1:00 am

PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha has told Chinese president Xi Jinping that the Sino-Thai high-speed train project must proceed despite “legal issues” hampering it.

Prayut's remarks followed a series of disagreements between Thailand and China over the project - from loan interest rates to the use of construction materials.

The project comprises two routes - Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima and Rayong to Nong Khai.

The first 3.5 kilometres of the 271.5km Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima route was initially planned to start this month but was suspended due to financial issues, according to the Transport Ministry.

Prayut had ordered the ministry to find a solution to the impasse during the government's term as it was designed to be part of a land-route connectivity project with Laos.

The premier did not spell out the legal issues obstructing the deal.

His order was followed by Thailand and China signing an agreement during their 13th meeting on railway cooperation in Beijing. The agreement, signed last month, states that Thailand will fund all the construction and retain ownership rights while China will design the project.

The project's estimated cost is Bt179 billion and it would span 837km.

Xi also reaffirmed that China was ready to continue with the project.

During their side meeting at the G20 Summit in the historic Chinese city of Hangzhou, the two leaders agreed to pursue bilateral strategic cooperation in multiple areas to cope with global challenges and achieve mutual development goals. Prayut thanked China for welcoming Thailand, in the former's capacity as the G77 chair at the G20 summit.

He also said he appreciated Xi's vision to facilitate cooperation between leading industrialised economies and emerging economies.

Thanks Beijing for boosting tourism

He thanked Beijing for boosting Thailand's tourism industry, with almost 8 million Chinese visiting the country last year - making it easily the Kingdom's No 1 source market.

On last day of the summit, Prayut provided two vision statements stressing Thailand's role as a bridge-builder between the G20 and G77 economies that could help accelerate the United Nation's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He also urged G20 members, which comprise industrialised and emerging economies, to focus on agricultural sectors as the main income source for developing countries.

Agriculture also contributes to global food security, Prayut said, suggesting that the G20 could help farmers better integrate into the global economy.

He also praised the G20's efforts in bridging gaps in infrastructure development, citing the China-initiated One Belt, One Road scheme and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank initiatives as examples.

The premier said transportation connectivity, including rail, should be promoted further.

Prayut last evening left China and arrived in Vientiane, where he will attend the 28th-29th Asean Summit from today until Thursday.

 

[JSCh]

Tuesday, September 6, 2016, 10:11
Xinjiang electric supplier follows Belt and Road
By Wu Yong in Shenyang and Mao Weihua in Urumqi

Tebian carries out large projects in Central Asia, Africa, and the Middle East

Workers from TBEA Shenyang Transformer Group Co assemble equipment in a plant in Shenyang, Liaoning province. (Zhang Wenkui / For China Daily)

Tebian Electric Apparatus Stock Co Ltd, China's leading energy equipment producer, announced that construction of the iconic Angola backbone grid is to wind up in less than 10 months, helping the firm tap the prosperous international market in Central Asia and Africa.

The US$1.18 billion project, which was launched in 2013, is one of the biggest projects Chinese companies ever engaged in Africa, linking Angola's electrical facilities together and easing its power shortage, according to TBEA.

TBEA, based in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, is a global manufacturer of high-performance transformers which started business 28 years ago. Thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative, it is seeking a greater share of the power infrastructure business in Central Asia and Africa. The company won the contract for the US$500 million state grid construction project in Tajikistan and a US$580 million north-south grid construction project in Kyrgyzstan. The latter is the largest energy deal so far between China and Kyrgyzstan.

"We have a great geographic advantage because Xinjiang is at the core area of the Belt and Road Initiative. The neighboring countries share a similar culture with us and all of them are in great need of high-level electrical facilities," said Zhang Xin, chairman of TBEA. "We are honored to share our world-level technology and knowhow with them, benefiting both sides."

A source from the company said that it has provided equipment and service for more than 60 countries, including Pakistan, Russia and India.

In 2014, TBEA even helped set up an ultra-high voltage transformer research base and industrial park in Vadodara, India, at which 95 percent employees are locals.

 

[JSCh]

Feature: China's metro tech takes Iran onto faster track
Source: Xinhua | 2016-09-07 10:59:34 | Editor: huaxia
by Xinhua writers Zheng Kaijun, Yang Dingdu

TEHRAN, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Busy wiring a semi-manufactured metro car, Siamak Ghasemi was too concentrated to notice that he was being photographed.

When realizing that half a minute later, the 36-year-old gave a bashful smile. "Please, let me tidy my coverall first."

"I first put on this coverall 10 years ago," said the young "veteran" worker of a Tehran-based factory under Tehran Wagon Manufacturing Co. (TWM), a joint venture between Iran and China's CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. and NORINCO International Cooperation Co..

"China is cutting-edge in the development of subway and railway transportation. It always has great things to share with Iran," said Ghasemi, who was sent to China twice for training in 2007 and 2010.

"At the very beginning, we imported from China; then we learned to assemble; now, with China's help, things are getting more localized that we have our own production line," he told Xinhua.

Set up in 2003, the factory, now with some 960 Iranian workers and a Chinese team of about 30 people, can assemble 450 metro cars and 72 double-deck cars for intercity trains, and manufacture on its own 144 units of metro car-bodies, annually. The products are supplied to Tehran and other Iranian cities like Mashhad, Tabriz, Isfahan and Shiraz.

Metros are changing the daily life of Iranians. The Tehran Metro, for instance, carries some 4 to 5 million passengers per day. Five lines, all built by Chinese companies, are in service in the capital, and two more are under construction.

Roads in Tehran are usually fully jammed, largely as a result of the oil price being as low as some 0.4 U.S. dollars per liter and the common use of cheap second-hand cars.

"More and more people prefer to travel green now," Sadat Kharaj spoke to Xinhua while waiting at Chitgar, a station on Line 5's extension in western Tehran.

"I used to drive to work. That cost no less than one hour. But subway takes about half the time, and intervals are no more than 10 minutes," said the 40-year-old English teacher. "But still, I think we need more lines, more frequent trains and more metro cars."

Davood Shadmani, head of the TWM factory, is completely aware of such a demand.

"Iran has gained a lot from its Chinese partners. And the road ahead is clear: we hope more cooperation can be carried out as for the latest metro and railroad technologies that China masters," said Shadmani.

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese bullet trains to be utilized for Indonesia’s Jakarta-Bandung route
ember 07, 2016
(People's Daily Online)

Photo taken on May 17, 2016 shows bullet trains in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang)

China's domestically produced bullet trains will be put to use in a high-speed railway project in Indonesia, according to a report by Caixin.

The report stated that the bullet trains will be assembled in Indonesia. The financing of the assembly plant is reportedly already underway

Sheng Guangzu, general manager of China Railway Corp. (CRC), said on Sept. 3 that China-made bullet trains will run along a high-speed rail route connecting Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, and the country's third-largest city, Bandung.

China's efforts to promote its high-speed technology have suffered a string of setbacks in recent years. Several overseas bids by Chinese rail companies in countries including the U.S. and Mexico have been scrapped, mainly due to red tape. Plans for the Jakarta-Bandung link also went through several rounds of changes before being awarded to a Chinese consortium led by CRC.

When the Southeast Asian nation floated a plan to build the country's first bullet train late last year, both China and Japan expressed interest in the project. However, the Indonesian government scrapped bids from both sides in September, saying that it wanted a rail link on which trains run at less than 250 kilometers per hour. Then, in an unexpected reversal, Indonesia chose China's bid over Japan's in October, accepting China’s plan to build a link on which trains could run at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour. This decision was made possible by the flexible funding options included in the Chinese bid.

To secure the deal, the consortium held a groundbreaking ceremony in January, even before Indonesian authorities had granted a construction license to the group. The license was later granted in August, after the group spent seven months negotiating with local governments for permission to expropriate land, a person close to the Chinese bidders told Caixin.

A Chinese bullet train, built according to Chinese standards and patents, completed its inaugural trip along the route in mid-August. A production permit will be issued by the National Railway Administration next year at the latest, a person close to CRC said.