Knorr-Bremse wins major order for metro project in Beijing

Knorr-Bremse has been awarded the contract to equip another metro line in Beijing in what is the largest single order in the metro sector for Knorr-Bremse in Asia. The company is to supply the braking systems for 64 eight-car metro units built by the Chinese manufacturer CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. Ltd. (CRC), destined to operate on the new metro line 6 in Beijing. The order includes the supply of EP2002 brake control units, Type VV120 compressors and brake calipers for all 512 cars of the new multiple units and is worth around EUR 25 million. The products are to be manufactured at Knorr-Bremse’s Chinese plant in Suzhou.

Metro line 6 links the eastern and western suburbs of Beijing passing through five districts. Covering almost 43 kilometers, the route serves 27 stations between Wu-luju and Dongxiaoying. The first segment of some 33 kilometers is due to become operational in 2012. A second construction phase is slated to add 12.1 kilometers of track and link up seven additional stations, probably in 2015.

The order represents the next step in the successful partnership between Knorr-Bremse and CRC in China. Back in 2009, Knorr-Bremse won four orders for the metro network in Beijing and to date has supplied the brake equipment for seven metro lines in the Chinese metropolis. The latest order has enabled Knorr-Bremse to further strengthen its market position in the high-growth metro segment in China.

Knorr-Bremse has maintained contacts with China since the late 1970s. Its first ma-jor project in China came in 1990 and concerned the supply of complete braking systems for 96 cars for the Shanghai metro. In the years that followed, the Rail Ve-hicle Systems division gradually expanded its portfolio to include automatic door systems and air conditioning equipment. Today, including joint ventures, the Knorr-Bremse Group has a total of 13 production plants in China, where in 2010 a work-force of over 2,200 employees accounted for sales of around EUR 800 million.