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General
Electric has made a successful
inroad into the railway sector in
Malaysia for the first time with
the with the contract for rail
transportation systems worth RM245
million for KTM Bhd.
The
contract calls for the supply 20
AC/AC mainline diesel electric
“Blue Tiger” locomotives,
services support and spare parts
to the KTM Bhd by 2003.
The
President of General Electric
International Inc, Stuart L. Dean
said the “Blue Tiger” family
of locomotives will be built in
partnership with Bombardier
Transportation GmbH.
“The
AC/AC technology locomotives with
25-30 years lifespan is an
improved version from the present
AC/DC locomotives currently
operation in several Asian
countries," he said.
Stuart
said Malaysia will be the first
Southeast Asian country to operate
the GE's Blue Tiger locomotives
with this state-of-the-art AC
technology.
“These
locomotives with 3,000hp will
fulfill KTM Bhd requirements to
pull heavier and longer freight
trains in the light of the growing
block train services and expanded
rail line from North to South. KTM
Bhd requires high powered
locomotives like Blue Tiger as the
on-going double track line will
allow the railway operator to pull
60 laden containers or 80 MTs per
train at one time from present
pulling capacity of 40 laden boxes
per train,” Stuart said.
Under
the agreement with the government,
General Electric Company, through
its trading arm, GE Trading, will
undertake a locomotive-for-palm
oil product counter trade
arrangement. GE Trading will
purchase palm oil worth RM250
million over the next four years
and will be marketed in the US
market.
GE
Transportation Systems is one of
the world’s leading suppliers to
the railroad, transit, and mining
industries, providing freight and
passenger locomotives, motorized
drive systems for mining trucks
and drills, railway signaling and
communications systems, valued
added services, and information
technology solution its customers.
With a turn over in excess of
RM7.6 billion, GE Transportation
Systems is headquarters in Erie,
PA, and employs approximately
8,000 employees worldwide.
GE
as the world leader in the
locomotive supplies sees huge
potential with the emphasis placed
by the Asean countries on the
development of Trans Asian Railway
from Singapore to Kunming in
China.
GE
has supplied more than 200 units
of locomotives to Indonesia, 75
units in Thailand and another 50
units in Vietnam and Philippines.
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