Contract Signed for Railway Infrastructure Project for Switzerland's Gotthard
Base Tunnel
Alcatel-Lucent Selected for Turnkey Integrated Communications Solution
PARIS, April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd and the Transtec
Gotthard Consortium today announced the contract signature for the railway
infrastructure of the Gotthard Base Tunnel. The Transtec Gotthard Consortium
comprises the following companies: Alcatel-Lucent's legal entity in
Switzerland, Alcatel-Lucent Schweiz AG, Zurich, Atel Installationstechnik AG,
Zurich, TRSS Thales Rail Signaling Solutions AG, Zurich, Alpine Bau GmbH,
Hergiswil, and Balfour Beatty Rail GmbH, Munich, Germany. The contract for
this last major construction lot on the Gotthard is worth 1.69 billion Swiss
francs (EURO 1.05 billion).
Tenders for implementation of the railway infrastructure for the new
Gotthard Base Tunnel rail link were received from two consortia. The tenders
were rigorously examined and evaluated according to the Swiss Federal Law on
Public Procurement.
After evaluation, the tender submitted by the Transtec Gotthard
consortium was chosen by the Board of Directors of AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd,
selected, in part, due to its economic and technical viability.
The contract is for installation of the railway infrastructure systems
for the Gotthard Base Tunnel and involves equipping the two single-track
tunnels, each 57 km in length, as well as 11 km of over ground lines to the
north and south, all to the point where they connect with the existing
railway network.
The Gotthard Base Tunnel will be the longest tunnel in the world upon
completion, ahead of the current record holder, the Seikan Tunnel in Japan.
The railway infrastructure installations comprise the railway track,
electricity supply and cabling systems for lighting and power, overhead power
line and switching systems, tunnel control systems, optical and data networks
and operational communications, tunnel radio systems, signalling centres and
railway control systems, as well as new signalling and train safety systems.
In addition, installation of these systems in the Gotthard Base Tunnel will
also require extensive temporary services and systems for logistics and
transportation such as construction site railways, workshops, warehouses,
personnel accommodation, cooling and ventilation systems, electric power
supply, radio and telephone.
The Transtec Gotthard Consortium will now prepare the execution project.
Once approved by the Federal Office of Transport (FOT), work will begin on
the railway infrastructure installation site. Installation of the railway
infrastructure through the south portal will start in 2009, and the north
portal in 2012. The installation work is estimated to take about seven years.
Commercial operation of the Gotthard Base Tunnel with scheduled train
services is planned for 2017.
About the Alcatel-Lucent integrated communications solution
Alcatel-Lucent is responsible for designing, integrating, testing and
overall project management for the turnkey, integrated delivery of the fixed
network, the tunnel's radio system, a highly available security network for
the links to the interlocking system, and a wavelength division multiplexing
(WDM) network, initially using the Alcatel-Lucent 1696 Metrospan, that
connects to the IT solution, also under the responsibility of Alcatel-Lucent.
The fixed network includes a data network, a communications installation
for operations (voice services) and the tunnel's control system, which
remotely monitors and controls the electro-mechanical installations in the
Tunnel Control Center (TCC).
The tunnel's radio system transmits voice and data (via GSM-R and Private
Mobile Radio (PMR) for concerns relating to railway technology (operations,
maintenance and intervention in case of an incident). In addition, it acts as
a platform for mobile telephony providers wishing to offer their services on
the Gotthard line.
Alcatel-Lucent has a recognized experience in the railway industry,
especially in areas where a high level of availability is required. In
Switzerland for example, Alcatel-Lucent designed, built and put into
operation the optical multi-service network to connect 900 railway stations
for Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), as well as monitoring and alarms solutions
for a variety of technical platforms.
About Transtec Gotthard
Transtec Gotthard is a consortium composed of leading rail technology
partners: Atel, Alcatel-Lucent / Thales, Alpine Bau and Balfour Beatty Rail.
The four partners with equal rights provide their core competencies in the
following domains: track, overhead contact line, rail security, rail and
tunnel control and communication systems, telecommunications, power supply,
cabling, logistics as well as planning and design. The six partner companies
of Transtec Gotthard - ABB, Burkhalter, IBM, Kummler+Matter, Poyry and
Scheuchzer - are involved in the following leading projects of highspeed rail
technology in Switzerland and Europe: Gotthard Base Tunnel (Switzerland),
Lotschberg Base Tunnel (Switzerland), new rail segment Mattstetten - Rothrist
(Switzerland), new rail segment Nurnberg-Ingolstadt (Switzerland). On May 7,
2007, the Transtec Gotthard Consortium was awarded a contract by AlpTransit
Gotthard AG for the implementation of the entire rail technology solution for
the new Gotthard Base Tunnel.
About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that
enable service providers, enterprises and governments worldwide, to deliver
voice, data and video communication services to end-users. As a leader in
fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies,
applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent offers the end-to-end solutions
that enable compelling communications services for people at home, at work
and on the move. With operations in more than 130 countries, Alcatel-Lucent
is a local partner with global reach. The company has the most experienced
global services team in the industry, and one of the largest research,
technology and innovation organizations in the telecommunications industry.
Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 17.8 billion in 2007 and is
incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. For more
information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet:
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
SOURCE Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent Press Contacts: Regine Coqueran, Tel: +33(0)1-40-76-49-24,
regine.coqueran@alcatel-lucent.com; Mark Burnworth, Tel: +33(0)1-40-76-50-84,
mark.burnworth@alcatel-lucent.com; Alcatel-Lucent Investor Relations: Remi
Thomas, Tel: +33(0)1-40-76-50-61, remi.thomas@alcatel-lucent.com; John DeBono,
Tel: +1-908-582-7793, debono@alcatel-lucent.com; Tony Lucido, Tel:
+33-(0)1-40-76-49-80, alucido@alcatel-lucent.com; Don Sweeney, Tel:
+1-908-582-6153, dsweeney@alcatel-lucent.com; Transtec Gotthard Press Contact:
Roberto Maugeri, Tel: +41(0)44-247-41-19, roberto.maugeri@group-ait.com
