Browse press releases PrintSend
 Submit

Argentina finalises with Alstom-led consortium the contract to supply the first very high speed line in America

29 April 2008

The President of Argentine Republic, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, in presence of Patrick Kron, Chairman & CEO of Alstom, has signed on 29 April 2008 a contract with Alstom and its partners Iecsa, Isolux Corsan and Emepa*, for the construction of the first very high speed link in America, between Buenos Aires, Rosario and Córdoba. This signature follows the adjudication which took place on 16 January 2008. Alstom’s share of this contract, which includes in particular the management of the project, rolling stock and signalling, is valued at around €1.1 billion. The contract will become effective subject to the implementation of the financing, which should take place in the coming months.

The line will link Buenos Aires and Córdoba, 710 km apart, in three hours instead of the fourteen hours the journey takes today. It will be served by eight double deck very high speed trains, each with a capacity of 509 passengers, at speeds of up to 320 kph. The construction of the line will be divided in two parts: Buenos Aires-Rosario and Rosario-Córdoba part. Once the basic design is validated, the construction works are scheduled to last 4 years.

This turnkey project will involve the construction of the infrastructure, including seven stations, electrification, signalling (ERTMS level 2), the supply of rolling stock and maintenance. The trains will be manufactured at Alstom’s French plants and assembled at the Alstom site at La Plata, in the province of Buenos Aires, and in Rio Tercero, in the province of Cordoba. Apart from supplying rolling stock, Alstom will be in charge of signalling, telecommunications, part of track works, engineering and management of the turnkey project. Iecsa will be responsible for the civil engineering with Isolux Corsan, who will also supply the electrification. Emepa will participate with Alstom and Iecsa to the construction of the tracks. The project will be financed by the French bank Natixis.

“The Buenos Aires-Rosario-Córdoba line constitutes the largest very high speed rail project outside Europe since the KTX project in Korea. It represents an essential component in the revival of railways in Argentina, which will have a major impact on the economic development of the region. Thanks to this contract, Alstom confirms it intends to be a key player in the expansion of very high speed trains in the many countries where their implementation is decided or contemplated, by taking advantage of its technical and commercial leadership”, underlines Patrick Kron, Chairman and CEO of Alstom.

This order confirms Alstom’s leadership in very high speed. Since the launch of the first TGV** in 1981, Alstom has gained unrivalled experience: 70% of the trains in service in the world which travel at more than 300 kph have been built by Alstom. They have covered over 2.8 billion kilometres (6,500 times the distance between the earth and the moon), carried 1.6 billion passengers and achieved two world rail speed records - 515.3 kph in 1990 and 574.8 kph in 2007.

 

Press contact
Philippe Kasse, Stéphane Farhi (Corporate)                        
Tel +33 1 41 49 29 82 /33 08
press@chq.alstom.com 

Cécile Dodat (Transport)
Tel +33  1 41 66 91 43

Investor Relations     
Emmanuelle Châtelain
Tel + 33 1 41 49 37 38 
investor.relations@chq.alstom.com 

Browse press releases

Images

Click here to enlarge

COBRA, Argentina TGV 3D design
© ALSTOM Transport / Design&Styling / N.Perez & DEIS / P.Degastimes & P.Deshayer

>

1 of 2

Links