BOMBARDIER'S HOPES OF
WINNING CROSSRAIL CONTRACT
Crossrail carriages will not be
identical to Thameslink's, which would have
created an advantage for Bombadier's rival
Siemens. Bombardier's hopes of winning the £1bn
Crossrail train contract have been raised after
it emerged that the carriages would not be carbon
copies of the Thameslink vehicles due to be built
by Siemens.
A Department for Transport document obtained by
the Derby North MP, Chris Williamson, following a
Freedom of Information request gives a clear
indication that the winner of the Thameslink
contract would be favourite for the Crossrail
order.
The Crossrail contest, to build 60 trains for a
16bn rail route running from Heathrow to Canary
Wharf, will launch in earnest imminently, with
the invitation to tender due to be published by
the Department for Transport (DfT) over the next
few weeks.
It is understood that the tender will not contain
an overt "Made in Britain" clause
despite a government review of procurement
processes in the wake of the decision to select
Siemens as preferred bidder for Thameslink.
Such a clause is illegal under European Union
procurement rules, but the tender document is
believed to attempt to create a level playing
field between the Derby factory and non-UK
bidders that had been called for by ministers in
the wake of the Thameslink move.
The design differences between the carriages also
boosts Bombardier's chances, especially after the
2008 document pledged to "fully
exploit" synergies between the Thameslink
and Crossrail procurements.
Bombardier and Siemens are shortlisted for the
Crossrail contract, along with Spain's CAF and
Hitachi of Japan. According to a government
announcement last year, the winner of the
contract will be declared in 2014.
Despite last-minute lobbying of the Treasury by
Transport for London, the London mayor's
transport body and co-sponsor of the project, the
carriages will be 70% financed by a Private
Finance Initiative, with the rest paid for by TfL
borrowing.
It means that the Crossrail contract will closely
resemble the Thameslink contest, a factor that
critics have claimed will enhance Siemens'
chances of winning Crossrail.
The Thameslink contract will be financed by a
Siemens-led consortium that will put equity into
a specially created business and then raise the
debt to pay for manufacturing the trains.
Those trains will then be leased back to the
train operator, which will pay a regular fee to
Siemens and its partners. (Source: The Guardian, Feb/12) |
|
