Bombardier tapped for $203M Azerbaijan signaling project

Bombardier Transportation, as the lead member of a consortium with Trans-Signal-Rabita Ltd., the Azerbaijani railway construction and installation company, has won a major new and first signaling order from Azerbaijan Railways CJSC on the international Kars-Baku transport corridor connecting Asia and Europe.

Bombardier will deliver its Interflo 200 mainline signaling solution on the 312 mile-long Baku-Boyuk-Kesik section of the line, a part of the Republic of Azerbaijan's program to strengthen its transportation infrastructure. The total value of the consortium's contract is approximately $288 million with Bombardier's share valued at approximately $203 million. The contract covers the design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the double-track line.

The system will provide continuous automatic train protection (ATP) based on the latest generation technology, the high capacity EBI Lock 950 computer-based interlocking (CBI) with new R4 Central processors, fully integrated EBI Track train detection and axle counters, as well as EBI Screen central traffic control systems. The solution is adapted for the network in operation in the CIS Region, with features including functionality to operate in AC or DC mode. Bombardier has over 14 years of experience in delivering technology for this network having equipped over 220 stations in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Baltic countries.

Project delivery and engineering work will be by Bombardier Transportation (Signal) and BT RCS Russian engineering JV. Commissioning is planned in four phases, with final completion in 2017.

Interflo 200 technology is in operation on 1520 gauge lines in the CIS and Baltic states, controlling more than 5,300 points and over 683 miles of line block systems. EBI Lock 950 CBI systems are used on the high-speed lines between Moscow and St. Petersburg and between Moscow and Nizhniy Novgorod in the Trans-Siberian strategic transport corridor.

Interflo 200 signaling solutions are typically used for busy, mainline networks, where headways are reduced and higher safety levels are required. The system can be complemented with a national automatic train protection (ATP) system and later be upgraded to be compatible with the European Rail Traffic Management system.