Alstom eyes involvement in North-South project

By Azernews

By Nigar Abbasova

French engineering giant Alstom Company, which is considered to be a world leader in integrated railway systems, has displayed its interest in the North-South project meant to connect Northern Europe to South-East Asia.

Alstom’s Managing Director for South cluster of CIS Bernard Peille told Trend that the company is currently studying possibilities of participating in the project.

“Our strategy consists in offering best solutions for our customers, and Azerbaijan is not an exception. We are ready to discuss certain measures, required for the strengthening of our cooperation. We are currently engaged in the implementation of different projects,including expansion of Baku Metro,” he said.  

He mentioned that the company is interested in involvement in the North-South transport corridor project.

“We are ready to offer optimal solutions regarding infrastructure and even rolling stock, in the case of mutual interest,” he added.  

The implementation of the North-South transport corridor project envisages linking-up of railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. Some five million tons of freight per year is expected to be transported by means of the corridor in the initial stage with the further increase to more than 10 million tons.

Being a strategically important and advantageous in terms of time spent for transportation, the project is expected to be one of the primary points in the country’s bid to turn into a major transport hub.

Alstom operates in about 100 countries and has been operating actively in the Azerbaijani market for over 20 years.

The company cooperates with Baku Metro regarding further expanding the underground and replacing the obsolete trains running on existing lines. The company has already delivered three new metro train sets to Baku Metro, in accordance with a contract signed in 2014. The train sets, consisting of 5 cars each, were commissioned for passenger service in May 2015.

Moreover, the company is involved in a long-term program of Azerbaijan Railways for the sustainable renovation and modernization of railways, reconstruction of infrastructure and gradual switch from direct current to alternating current, as well as gradual replacement of obsolete trains running on existing lines. The company is expected to supply its electric locomotives to Azerbaijan in 2017.