Transcript ERFA (Alpha Trains - XAcc Conference

Alpha Trains Locomotives
Representing ERFA
Lille, 17.11.2010
Emmanuel Mariani
Commercial Director
A quick introduction to Alpha Trains
A pan-European company
Alpha Trains Locomotives, is Alpha Trains’s business division
dedicated to the leasing of locomotives across Europe
Central office in Antwerp, Belgium and locally-based staff in
Germany, Poland, Italy, France and Spain
Customers in 11 European countries
A comprehensive fleet of diesel and electric locomotives for all
traction requirements and cross-border operations
Agreements with Europe’s major suppliers (service, heavy
maintenance, procurement)
Our customers: our strength
We provide locomotives to
about 50 railway operators
across Europe, both for
freight and passenger
operations
We provide long-term and
short-term lease contracts,
to best meet the
requirements of our
customers
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Our locomotive portfolio
371 locos under management
kW
Locomotives fitting every customers’ need
6000
TRAXX-MS
TRAXX AC/DC
5000
4000
Euro 4000
3000
G2000 / Class 66 / ER20
2000
1000
G1700
G1206
G1000
Shunting and
short distance
Medium
distance
Mainline
Cross-border
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Cross Acceptance
A Bridge to the Future (?)
Cross acceptance
Alpha Trains’s experience
We manage a fleet of over 370 diesel and electric locomotives
248 locomotives are homologated for cross-border operations (two up to
four countries)
In the last 3 years we experienced severe delays in deliveries to us caused
mostly by homologation issues
• DACHINL corridor for electric locomotives: severe difficulties in obtaining all
homologations, although the locomotives were fit for purpose
• DBF: lengthy process for diesel locomotives
• DAHU corridor: never a final outcome
• DACH corridor: a new (severe) issue
Some national homologation authorities act against the promotion of
competition
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Some recent experiences
The Germany – Austria – Hungary corridor
At the beginning, several issues for the homologation of the full
corridor
• Austria was a bit “slow” in the process
Take-over of Mav Cargo by RCA  Homologation of the Traxx DAHU in
Austria came faster than a lightning!
Today, we have again issues:
• The Hungarian authorities accept a software, the German don’t and viceversa. And Austria is in the middle
• A solution was found, but the level of hassle created was high and
unnecessary
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Some recent experiences
The Germany – Switzerland corridor
5 x BR185.1 DACH locomotives needed upgrade with the Swiss ZUB, in
order to continue operations in Switzerland
The first 2 locos (operated by a private railway competing highly on the
North-South corridor) were accepted by Germany after the upgrade, then:
• First, the homologation for the next two locos in the upgrade programme
gets questioned by EBA
• Now EBA is acting towards stopping operations of any BR185.1 DACH that
received the ZUB upgrade
And in the meantime, DB is using about 40 similar locomotives without
interruption
We see uncompetitive treatment for the same type of locomotives towards
different types of operators
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Some recent experiences
The Belgian homologation for diesel locos
RRC: certified in neighbouring countries, but not in Belgium
• Lower operational marketability of locomotives
• Incumbent has the only locomotives with certified RRC operating on
national network
• Very high barriers for new entrants who want to operate in the port of
Antwerp
Cross border with France
• Homologation of existing single cabin locomotives, equipped for
operations in Germany or France: incredibly difficult process to the point
that has so far been abandoned
Why does it have to be so difficult?
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