05.07.13
Siemens drops out of running for Crossrail rolling stock
Siemens has withdrawn from the competition for the Crossrail rolling stock contract, blaming the sheer amount of work it’s already committed to – a big boost for its key rival, Bombardier.
The German company said taking on Crossrail, having won “multiple additional orders” recently, could harm the delivery of its existing contracts. The DfT has recently concluded negotiations with Siemens for the £1.4bn Thameslink rolling stock programme.
The remaining suppliers are: Bombardier Transportation (UK) Limited; Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles SA (CAF) of Spain; and Hitachi Rail Europe Limited.
Siemens said in a statement: “This is a strategic decision that has been taken based on current business activity levels. Crossrail is a very large project and, since first undertaking our initial assessment of capacity and deliverability, Siemens has won multiple additional orders. To pursue another project of this scale could impact our ability to deliver our current customer commitments – something we believe would not be a responsible course of action.
“Siemens has an excellent working relationship with the Crossrail bid team and believe that they have conducted a fair and diligent process. We remain fully committed to ensuring the success of the Crossrail project through the continued delivery of the signalling and communications / control systems through Siemens rail automation business.”
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(Image courtesy Crossrail Ltd)