KiwiRail have released a short-list of four potential suppliers of Auckland’s electric trains, which are supposed to start arriving from mid-2013. Here’s the media release:
KiwiRail has announced a short list of four potential suppliers to build Auckland’s new electric trains.
The four rolling stock manufacturers are Hitachi Limited; Hyundai Rotem; Bombardier Transportation Australia Pty Limited; and a consortium of Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, SA. (CAF) and Mitsubishi Corporation, KiwiRail chief executive Jim Quinn, said today.
Each of the short-listed manufacturers will now have the opportunity to provide feedback into the technical requirements and specifications for the rolling stock before a full set of RFP (Request for Proposal) documents are released to them in August, Mr Quinn says.
They will then have until November to submit their final bids.
Mr Quinn says the team was delighted with the industry response to KiwiRail’s Call for Expressions of Interest, which was issued in May.
“The number of responses has reinforced the high level of interest in this, given the relatively small number of suppliers world-wide with the skills and resources to meet the tight timeframes of the project.”
KiwiRail is working closely with the Auckland Regional Transport Authority on the procurement process. ARTA Chief Executive, Fergus Gammie said he was pleased with thegood progress made to date on the project and the robustness of theshortlist of suppliers.
Mr Quinn confirmed that there were no New Zealand-led bids.
“However all bidders are aware of the capacity for local content here in New Zealand and the full extent to which this is included will be understood in the next step of the process.”
The decision on the successful bidder is expected late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter of next year.
Mr Quinn said the project was still on target for the first new units to arrive in 2013.
A total of $500 million has been allocated for the purchase of new trains. KiwiRail’s Expression of Interest documents indicated that up to 38 electric multiple units (EMUs) were to be provided for the Auckland network.
While I’m certainly no expert of the train world, it would seem as though all four potential suppliers have good track-records and history of delivering electric trains. I am pretty sure than Hyundai-Rotem is the company making Wellington’s new electric trains – the first of which has just been loaded onto the ship to come to NZ.
It’s good to hear that the electrification project continues to progress.
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Interesting no Chinese suppliers bidded, some were picking they would get the contract.
I believe Sydney is getting a whole lot of partially Chinese built EMU’s.
Well perhaps they did and couldn’t beat the prices of some of these other manufacturers. I’m guessing lots of the parts are ousourced to China in any case. The trains offered by Bombardier are presumably partially assembled in Australia based on Canadian plans using parts made in China…or are they merely the local office of Bombardier and the trains themselves are completely constructed elsewhere.
Interestingly 3 of them also bid on the Wellington project which was won by Rotem/Mitsui.
Hitachi is the new bidder, they built commuter bullet trains for London that operate at 225kmh!!! along the Eurostar alignment.
It sounds like we’ll be getting some damn good trains no matter who wins then.
Presumably the 3 companies which bid for the Wellington EMUs were in a better position to provide answers to the questions raised in the KiwiRail EOI than many of the others. Hitachi was presumably the next highest scoring company.
I would guess that Bombardier will offer a variant of their Brisbane/ Perth Australian designed and built EMUS, although they would probably struggle to compete on price with Rotem.
And none too soon of course [thanks Steve]: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jul/11/peak-oil-energy-disruption
Why not just increase the current Wellington buy? I’d presume Hyundai-Rotem would give a big discount from adding additional units to the order, and there must be efficiencies from operating a common fleet even if they are located in two separated locations. (For example: ability to share spare parts, common design of upgrades, ability of maintenance staff to swap between Auckland and Wellington without retraining, no need to safety certify two models, bigger fleet giving better leverage over vendor, etc.)
The airline industry goes to a lot of trouble to minimise the number of aircraft models they operate. Some of the low cost carriers only fly one type of aircraft. There are good reasons for this and I think rail could learn from the airlines.
I believe there are a number of reasons, the major one is that the electrical systems are completely different. There is also a need for the units to have more traction than the Wellington units to be able to cope with the future CBD tunnel which is why we are getting 3 car EMU’s compared to Wellingtons 2 car EMU’s. I also understand that Aucklands network was originally designed to be able to handle larger units which means we can have longer and wider units. At the end of the day I think it is about getting the best solution for the specific market.
As for Hyundai-Rotem, I imagine they may give a discount due to the extra work anyway however their website states they have the capability to design and build 700 EMU’s a year, Auckland is getting 38 so that is really just a fraction of what they can do
700 at year versus 38 in total? That makes you realise just how hopeless Labour’s campaign to base an export industry on NZ design and construction of the Auckland order was. Did they really think that an overseas buyer would look at Korea shipping a train every 12 hours and NZ building 38 in total, and choose NZ?
But about the electrical systems… Do we have three standards in NZ (Auckland, Wellington, and the main line between Hamilton and Palmy)? How did we end up with such a mess? I’ve seen different rail standards in Australia (where every state does something different), and in Europe (where the Thalys units handle all sorts of different electrical systems). But three systems in the one island?
Shame that so few sets are being ordered. I can’t see a really intensive service being run with thirty eight sets. The push pulls are yet another example of the temporary measure becoming in large part the solution to the problem.
Rotem has been put through their paces with the Wellington sets. Ever vigilant Kiwirail engineers have picked up a number of things they weren’t happy about and reworks have cut into Rotems profit margin so it doesn’t necessarily follow that the Auckland will be offered a set at a similar price.
Laws about competitive tendering will require that a separate bid process would be required. Also issues with separate loading gauges and platform heights between Auckland and Wellington I understand. Rotem will still have an advantage I guess in that they will better understand some of the NZ requirements.
Ian, 38 sets allows for a (three car) EMU on the three main lines every ten minutes. That’s not too bad for the first tranche, and about the limit of what Britomart can handle anyway.
Remember there are a bunch of electric locos included in the order too. The locos will be hauling the SA sets on the southern line, with the EMUs serving the eastern and western lines (and Onehunga too I imagine).
Out of the 38 there will always be some out of action for servicing etc. Hopefully the new sets will be reliable and there wont be too many out at any one time.