China: The manufacturer in a consortium with Siemens Mobility and Singapore-based ST Engineering has won a $4.7 bln USD tender to build and operate the Kaohsiung Metro Yellow Line in the Taiwan island. Stadler will deliver 25 3-car trains with the GoA4 level of automation, Siemens Mobility will supply the CBTC radio traffic control system, ST Engineering will be responsible for the design, construction and overall management of the project.
According to Stadler’s Deputy CEO Ansgar Brockmeyer, the body of the trains will be made of aluminum. In addition, the rolling stock will be specially designed for operation in high humidity and extreme temperatures (up to +45 °C). Trains are planned to be produced at the St. Margrethen site in Switzerland. According to the company, in recent years Stadler has received orders for a total of 600 metro trains in Spain, Germany, the UK, Belarus and the USA.
This is already the second contract for Stadler for the Taiwan island. In November 2019, the company received an order worth $182 mln from the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) for the supply of 34 six-axle diesel locomotives for operation on a 1,067 mm track gauge. The first locomotive must leave the plant shop in Valencia, Spain and be delivered by the customer next year.
The manufacturer announced a new contract amid significant personnel changes in the company. As to the decision by the Stadler Group’s Board of Directors, Markus Bernsteiner will be appointed as the new CEO of the rolling stock manufacturer since 2023. Currently Bernsteiner is Deputy CEO of Stadler, Executive Vice President of the Switzerland Division and manages the plants in Bussnang and St. Margrethen. As the Stadler’s CEO he will replace the owner of the company, Peter Spuhler, who has been temporarily acting CEO since May 2020: then, Thomas Ahlburg had left the CEO position due to disagreements over the company’s development. Spuhler plans to concentrate on the position of Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors in order to manage strategic processes. Bernsteiner joined Stadler 1999. He began his career with the company as director of its flagship plant in Bussnang, then managed other sites. In 2014, he established a component division by integrating all the internal supply plants of Stadler in it.
According to the results of the 1st half of the year, Stadler’s backlog reached a record €22.2 bln for the company. The company received €5 bln of the new rolling stock orders in the 1st half of 2022, which is 72% more than in the same period last year.
