24 June 2009
Thales today announced that it has been awarded a contract worth €103 million by China Railway Construction Corp. (CRCC), the project’s infrastructure constructor and systems integrator. Thales will supply, integrate and deploy its proven driverless train control and telecommunication systems for the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro project, the first for the Mecca region, Saudi Arabia.
The approximately 20 km long metro line will be installed with Thales’s world-leading SelTrac Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) system solution. The line will operate with Automatic Train Protection in time for the Hajj1 of November 2010. By mid 2011, in preparation for Ramadan, the line will operate driverless with an attendant on board. The metro will service three main areas each with three substations. The new trains will have the capacity to move 72,000 passengers per hour per direction.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry Of Municipal & Rural Affairs (MOMRA) will also take advantage of Thales’s fully integrated communications solution which includes an operation control centre, CCTV, SCADA2 and an automatic address and information system. Thales will provide its solution on a turnkey basis with a complete set of services including: design, integration, installation, testing and commissioning.
The main purpose of the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Southern Metro Line is to absorb a part of the huge transport demand during the Hajj (Pilgrimage) period in order to relieve the very busy existing transport network. The line will facilitate the mobility of 2 million people.
“Thales was selected due to their system reliability and experience in the Holy region with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry Of Municipalities and Rural Affairs,” saidHao Guilin, CRCC project Director.
“This new award in Saudi Arabia follows the North-South railway contract won in April 2009 and reinforces Thales’s presence in the Middle East. We are very proud of this renewed confidence in Thales’s expertise”, said Alain Delecroix, Director of Thales's Security Solutions & Services activities in the Middle East.
Thales will manage the contract from its Jeddah offices through its fully owned company in Saudi Arabia, STESA.
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1-The Hajj is a Muslim’s pilgrimage to Mecca. It is the largest annual congregation in the world.
2- SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition)
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About China Railway Construction Corp (CRCC)
CRCC is a mega size construction corporation and China's second-largest state-owned construction company, ranking among the top 500 enterprises of the world. The business of CRCC embraces project contracting, survey, design and consultation, industrial manufacturing, exploitation of real estate, capital operation and logistics. CRCC has built a complete and comprehensive construction industry chain and a perfect system of credentials in the circles including scientific research, planning, survey, design, constructing, superintending, operating and equipment manufacturing, etc. CRCC has established itself as the leading corporation in the design and construction of plateau railway, high-speed railway, expressway, bridges, tunnels and urban track transportation projects. As well as business in China, CRCC conducts business in over 60 foreign countries and regions in the world. CRCC has completed 287 overseas projects with 137 other projects under construction.
About Thales
Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Space, Defence, Security and Transportation markets. In 2008, the company generated revenues of 12.7 billion euros with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners. www.thalesgroup.com
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