Toshiba wins major order in the United States for electrical equipment and systems for passenger rail cars

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Toshiba Corporation Tokyo, have announced that its United States subsidiary, Toshiba International Corporation (TIC), has won major orders to supply key equipment and systems for passenger cars that will be delivered to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington D.C. and the Metra, the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation in Chicago, Illinois.

The WMATA order, received from Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc. (KRC), the U.S. subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., covers motors and traction drive systems, including inverters and gears, for 364 cars that KRC will supply to WMATA under an August 2010 contract. The contract may be extended to a further 64 cars, taking the total to 428, and also includes an option for maximum of 320 more cars that would boost the final total to a maximum of 748 cars. The order also covers train information systems. The Metra order, received from Nippon Sharyo Manufacturing, LLC (Nippon Sharyo), the U.S. subsidiary of Nippon Sharyo, Ltd., covers motors and traction drive systems, including inverters, for 160 bi-level electric passenger rail cars that Sumitomo Corporation of America and Nippon Sharyo will supply to Metra under a September 2010 contract.

TIC will manufacture most of the equipment in the U.S. Deliveries to Metra will start in October 2011 and to WMATA in January 2012.

The U.S. market for rolling stock is going through a notable upturn, as urban rail and subway systems upgrade. In addition to this, plans are now being developed to introduce high speed trains (HST), and they go ahead, total demand for rolling stock in the period to 2015 is expected to be more than 6,000 units.

Toshiba is promoting an expansion in provision of electrical systems for rolling stock and aims to boost the overseas sales share from 40% in FY2009 to 70% by FY2015. The company recognizes the North American market as one where strong market growth can be anticipated, and through TIC is proactively promoting sales and marketing. In taking its transportation system business to the global level, Toshiba is seeking to achieve an annual business scale of over 200 billion yen by fiscal year 2015.

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