Siemens Mobility and SNCB join forces to maintain Vectron locomotives at the port of Antwerp

  • Local maintenance reduces environmental impact and costs for railway operators and boosts the availability of locomotives and growth of rail traffic
  • With Fleet Monitoring 5, Siemens Mobility digitizes maintenance for greater efficiency and higher reliability and availability of locomotives
  • The partnership promotes the use of the rail network and the port of Antwerp as a destination for railway operators

Huizingen, March 7 2023 - nSiemens Mobility and SNCB announce a new partnership to support freight traffic at the port of Antwerp. In the Antwerp Traction Workshop, centrally located in the sorting sidings at the port, the partners will be jointly responsible for the maintenance of Siemens Vectron locomotives under the umbrella of 'Locomotive Services - Antwerp'. Anchoring these services locally during the unloading of freight will benefit railway operators in terms of reduced environmental impact, maintenance costs and downtime of their locomotives. Consequently, this collaboration will make the port of Antwerp more attractive for freight transport and help achieve the aim to double rail traffic in the port area by 2030.

The NMBS Antwerp Traction Workshop was put into operation in 2000 for the purpose of carrying out specialist maintenance work on electric locomotives and diesel locomotives for both SNCB and third parties operating within the Belgian rail network. Maintenance activities are already being carried out on Siemens Vectron locomotives at the workshop.

Vectron locomotive
Vectron locomotive
"Locomotives used to be built according to customers’ exact requirements," says Pol Caby, CEO of Siemens Mobility Belgium and the Netherlands. "As a result, delivery took longer and it also made maintenance especially difficult. By developing the Vectron platform locomotive, Siemens Mobility has therefore created a standardized vehicle with a limited number of options. A hit: today, there are 1,500 already in use and every working day sees a new Vectron roll off the production line for a customer on the waiting list. So we know the Vectron inside out. Along with our wide range of rail solutions, we will use this knowledge in our partnership with SNCB to make the maintenance of Vectron locomotives at the Antwerp Traction Workshop even more efficient.”

"SNCB not only maintains its own passenger trains but, thanks to the knowledge that it has acquired and strong performance, it has also become a benchmark for maintenance on behalf of third parties, whether that means high-speed rolling stock, components for safety systems or locomotives for freight trains," says Managing Director SNCB Technics Gerd De Vos.

The partnership will allow Siemens Mobility to offer not only mobile interventions but also scheduled inspections and corrective maintenance. The technicians from Siemens Mobility are able to locate faults and defects faster than ever before by using the Fleet Monitoring 5 app that runs on the market leaders’ digital platform Railigent X. With the app, they can monitor the status of all Vectron locomotives remotely and thus anticipate the situation quicker, before the locomotive even arrives. Maintenance will be optimally scheduled and also carried out more efficiently because spare parts can be delivered in good time. As a result, the reliability of the locomotives will be improved, as will availability, and service delays and maintenance costs will be reduced to a minimum.

Epicenter
The strategic location of the workshop is a major trump card. Antwerp Traction Workshop is centrally located in the sorting sidings of Antwerp-North, the epicenter of European rail traffic at the port of Antwerp, the second largest gateway to Europe. To make rail freight transport as efficient as possible, it is vital to keep the downtime of locomotives to a minimum. By anchoring these maintenance services locally, Siemens Mobility together with SNCB will be able to offer an attractive and sustainable alternative for railway operators. In the past, their Vectron locomotives had to be maintained at a workshop abroad which was extremely time-consuming, expensive and detrimental to the environment due to the unnecessary emissions. Now they can go to the local Antwerp Traction Workshop while the freight wagons travel the last mile.

Rail growth
By optimizing the maintenance of Vectron locomotives at the Antwerp Traction Workshop locally, the partnership will promote the use of the rail network in general and the port of Antwerp as a destination for railway operators in particular. "By combining our expertise and experience with the infrastructure and knowledge of SNCB, we can help railway operators optimize the deployment of their fleet. By doing that, we can promote the growth of rail traffic together and make the port of Antwerp more attractive for freight transport. The federal government is aiming to double the share of rail freight transport from 15% to 30% by 2030. The port is aiming to do the same. This partnership will help make that possible,” says Caby.

"Transporting freight by rail is a far more environmentally-friendly alternative than transport by road. Not only does Siemens Mobility contribute towards this through the production of Vectron locomotives, we are also striving to make maintenance increasingly sustainable. Antwerp Traction Workshop is now a new location within the wider international network of Siemens Mobility for approved maintenance of Vectron locomotives and therefore will contribute towards this. So we are extremely grateful to SNCB for the confidence that they have shown in us and we will be putting our best efforts into this partnership with high ambitions,” states Stefanie Carle, Manager Service Centers at Siemens Mobility HQ.

Nathalie Ressent, Senior Account Manager Third Party Maintenance Service confirms: "The fact that our workshop is located in Antwerp, in the middle of the port, will ensure reduced immobilization time for the maintenance of Vectron locomotives. The partnership with Siemens Mobility will make it possible to combine professionalism, expertise, the availability of spare parts and access to a fully equipped workshop."

More information on Siemens' website.

 

About Siemens Mobility
Siemens Mobility
is a separately managed company of Siemens AG. As a leader in intelligent transport solutions for more than 175 years, Siemens Mobility is constantly innovating its portfolio. Its core areas include rolling stock, rail automation and electrification, a comprehensive software portfolio, turnkey systems as well as related services. With digital products and solutions, Siemens Mobility is enabling mobility operators worldwide to make infrastructure intelligent, increase value sustainably over the entire lifecycle, enhance passenger experience and guarantee availability. In fiscal year 2022, which ended on September 30, 2022, Siemens Mobility posted revenue of €9.7 billion and had around 38,200 employees worldwide. More information on Siemens Mobility GmbH you can find on: www.siemens.de/mobility

Katrien Valkiers

Katrien Valkiers

Head of Communications, Siemens Belgium

 

 

 

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