[IMAGE]SiemensMunichWEB-6.jpg[/IMAGE] Munich City Utilities (SWM) and Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Co. Ltd. (BTSC) have placed orders with Siemens Mobility for 21 new C2 type underground trains and 35 trailer cars, respectively.

Munich City Utilities (SWM) has placed an order with Siemens Mobility for 21 new C2 type underground trains worth about $247 million. SWM has also taken out two options on an additional 46 underground trains, totaling 276 cars, which can be exercised until 2016 and 2020, respectively. The total volume of the order, including these options, is approximately $735 million.

For Munich, Siemens will supply metro trains that are especially eco-friendly and energy-efficient. When choosing the materials for this order, the Siemens engineers were guided by environmental concerns: avoiding harmful substances, replacing the halogen lamps in the predecessor vehicle with LED lights and using materials that ensure up to 97 percent recyclability.

The car bodies are made entirely of a lightweight aluminum alloy that lowers the overall body weight and, consequently, power demand of the train. As an option, these trains can be fitted with energy storage units.

The 21 new trains are to be delivered between 2013 and 2015. The trains are being built in the Siemens plants in Vienna, Austria and in Munich, Germany.

[IMAGE]SiemensBangkokWEB-2.jpg[/IMAGE] Meanwhile, Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Co. Ltd. (BTSC) placed a $56 million order with Siemens Mobility for 35 trailer cars for the Thai capital’s elevated rapid transit system, BTS Skytrain. Train service on the Sukhumvit Line is to start gradually from the end of 2012. In addition, the three-mile extension of this line is to be electrified by Siemens under the terms of an order placed by Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd. (ITD), Thailand’s biggest building contractor.

The newly ordered trailer cars are to be put into service successively on the Sukhumvit Line as of the end of 2012. Trains already in operation will be lengthened from three-car to four-car multiple units. This increase in capacity is necessary in order to cope with the dramatic rise in ridership. The trailer cars are to be pre-assembled at the Siemens plant in Vienna, Austria and undergo final assembly in Bangkok. The delivery of these cars is to continue into 2013.

The City of Bangkok is not only investing in the availability of existing lines but is also planning to expand its transit network. For the planned three-mile extension of the double-track Sukhumvit Line to the east, Siemens is providing the complete power supply for DC and AC operation. The electrification package includes the power supply systems for train traction and the seven connected stations. Siemens is acting as a subcontractor to ITD.