Alstom helping to strengthen rail transport in the
Netherlands

Furthermore, recent years have seen the launch of major rail
projects such as the Betuweroute, a freight corridor linking
the port of Rotterdam with Germany, and the high-speed
HSL-South line, connecting Amsterdam and Brussels. There is
thus great potential for rail development in the Netherlands.



Alstom has been operating in the Netherlands for over 20 years
from three sites at Ridderkerk, Utrecht and Rijswijk (The
Hague) and is a long-term supplier to the country's rail
transport sector for both main line and urban transport. Alstom
also built the Thalys, the very-high-speed train that operates
on the Paris-Amsterdam route. When it comes to signalling
systems and equipment, Alstom is the largest supplier in the
Netherlands. Besides the Betuweroute, which uses six
locomotives fitted by Alstom with ERTMS onboard systems, the
Belgian section and the Belgian-Dutch boarder passage of the
HSL-South high-speed line is equipped with Alstom's ERTMS Level
2 technology.



As far as urban transport is concerned, Alstom recently won two
successive tenders for the Rotterdam tramway: the city's fleet
of 113 Citadis trams is now the largest in the world. Alstom
also manufactured the Regio Citadis tram-trains running on the
RandstadRail in The Hague in a pilot project of European import
aimed at providing new mobility solutions between the city
centre and the suburbs.


Already involved in numerous projects, the company is looking
to step up its contribution to strengthening rail transport in
the Netherlands and is watching with interest the new dynamic
whereby the Dutch authorities are revitalizing the rail
transport sector. Several projects bear out the government's
intention to reinforce rail transport in the Netherlands.



To this end, the signalling system must be modernized
throughout the country. Alstom - a leader in the signalling
sector - can call on its experience in this field: it equipped
the first operational high-speed line with ERMTS Level 2 and
468 trains on the Mattstetten-Rothrist line in Switzerland have
been equipped with onboard ERTMS systems.


It is likely that the Netherlands will also be buying
double-decker regional trains in the years to come. Alstom has
25 years in self-propelled double-decker trainsets, in
particular gaining valuable experience from its work for SNCF,
which currently operates 180 Coradia Duplex.



Lastly, many urban rail transport projects are due to be
launched in the Netherlands in the near future: a metro project
for Amsterdam, tramways for The Hague, Utrecht and Groningen
and tram-trains for Rijn-Gouwe. Alstom will be putting its
metro and tramway solutions forward in current or future
tenders: its Metropolis model, which has already sold over
2,500 carriages worldwide, and its Citadis tram, which has now
reached the 1,000 carriage mark. What sets Metropolis and
Citadis apart is the modularity of their interior and exterior
design.


About Alstom Transport


A promoter of sustainable mobility, Alstom Transport develops
and markets the most complete range of systems, equipment and
services in the railway sector. Alstom Transport manages entire
transport systems, taking in rolling stock, signalling and
infrastructure, and offers turnkey solutions. In
the 2006/07 financial year, Alstom Transports sales
lifted the company to the number one position in the world
transport market. During the first nine months of 2007/08,
Alstom booked orders up by 38% and sales up by 21% versus the
same period of the previous year.


Press contact

Cécile Dodat


Tel +33 1 41 66 91 48 / +33 6 72 59 83 70

cecile.dodat@transport.alstom.com

Site internet
www.transport.alstom.com