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TOP NEWS FROM THE SCI RAILDATA
The German Ministry of Economy is pushing a veto against the planned sale of the Locomotives business division of Vossloh to a unit of Chinese conglomerate CRRC, according to an industry source familiar with the matter. The deal, which was first announced in August 2019 (see SCI RAILDATA Issue 35/2019), foresees Vossloh selling the unit to CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive for a low seven-figure sum in Euros. According to Vossloh, CRRC had filed an application with the German Ministry of Economy that is currently being reviewed. The ministry declined to comment.
Source: FAZ 04.11.2019
Sigrid Nikutta, the current CEO of Berlin-based public transport operator BVG, will join the board of German state railway DB. DB\'s supervisory board appointed Nikutta during a special meeting. From 1st January 2020, Nikutta, who has a doctorate in psychology, will take up the newly-created board position for freight transport. At the same time, she will also take over operational management as CEO of DB Cargo, DB’s rail freight transport subsidiary, in Mainz. Nikutta has already worked for DB Cargo, which then operated under the name DB Schenker Rail Deutschland AG, from 2001 to 2010. Her responsibilities included block train transport services, and she was also a board member of DB Schenker Rail Polska.
Source: DB press release 07.11.2019
Ralph Heuwing, the current Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Knorr-Bremse AG, is to resign from the Executive Board with effect from 30th April 2020, in order to pursue new professional opportunities. Heuwing was appointed to the Executive Board of Knorr-Bremse on 1st November 2017. He took over as CFO on 1st January 2018. The Supervisory Board of Knorr-Bremse has started a search for a successor.
Source: Knorr-Bremse press release 06.11.2019
Rolling stock leasing company Alpha Trains has refinanced some of its existing bank debt and secured further bank funds with a total volume of over EUR 500 million. Along with the bank debt, Alpha Trains raised an additional EUR 200 million through a US private placement. As part of the transaction, Alpha Trains has integrated 13 of its passenger trains, which were manufactured by Stadler and have been operating on the company\'s long-term concessions since 2017 and 2018, into its ring-fenced financing platform. Furthermore, Alpha Trains arranged EUR 140 million in green bank financing to fund the purchase of 24 new passenger trains and 14 new locomotives, which will be leased to its customers on a long-term contract basis. The manufacturers of these trains and locomotives are Stadler and Siemens. The transaction also consisted of the refinancing and upsizing of Alpha Trains\' ancillary facilities to a volume of EUR 340 million, in order to support its future growth.
Source: Alpha Trains press release 04.11.2019
The Swedish subsidiary of Dutch public transport operator Transdev has ordered 157 electric buses from German bus manufacturer Volvo Buses. The all-electric articulated buses of the type 7900 can transport up to 150 passengers, and will be charged via quick-charge stations of the type OppChargeTM along the route. Delivery will start in 2020, and the buses will operate on several routes in Gothenburg.
Source: Volvo press release 05.11.2019