The Government and RZD promised to buy best 1200

When he arrives in a room along with his bodyguard, silence occurs spontaneously. Impassive face, cold blue eyes, Vladimir Iakounine, the patron of RZD, the Russian railway company, is not a first warm. For who wants to do business in the Russian rail, it is yet to break the ice.

"When we started to negotiate our entry in Russia, he warned me would that our personal relationship is good for this works", recalls Philippe Mellier, the pattern of Alstom Transport. Won bet: here a few weeks, the French group will officially acquire 25 of the main Russian rail manufacturer, Transmasholding (TMH, representing 90 of the market). A company whose RZD, the single client, is also shareholder of 25. "It allow me to directly have the opinion of the market in the boards of Directors", fun Philippe Mellier.

To the Salon 1520 - the largest Russian railway event - two companies were already able to display last week their union: Although common stand in view and, primarily, the exhibition of the prototype of a car berths at two levels - a train hotel"- which should be the first big site of the Russian-French couple. The Government and RZD promised to buy best 1,200. Promised, without sign of formal contract as often in Russia. Thus, he was also asked to Alstom and TMH to work with a new electric locomotive without the amount of the command is given. "This is how it goes in Russia, it must adapt," fun a framework of Alstom. The economic crisis, the Government budget and the financing of the commands, plays also in the blur maintained on these contracts.

Giant commands

This does not unduly concerned Philippe Mellier. "The Russia is a market of course." "Of course, the crisis is that we may take two years of delay, but what is that compared to the twenty years of growth ahead", enthuses the leader. The State decided to considerably modernize its railway system, the second largest in the world with 85.500 km of tracks. Nothing that for rail equipment, it is not less than 86.6 billion euros which should be invested by 2030, with including the complete replacement of the Park of 24,000 locomotives and trainsets for future command lines TGV! Amounts which are also salivate Siemens, which is the first to be passed to the offensive by selling last year 8 copies of the Velaro, which can mount up to 250 km/h.

To prepare for these giant commands, Alstom will address modernization of TMH. However, it has more nothing of the old Mastodon to Soviet fashion, with factories already equipped with advanced technology. "On the other hand we will optimize the industrial process, while the production chain is fully integrated," explains Philippe Mellier. The leader is nevertheless not to address the specific needs of its partner. "Should that TMH keeps his ingenuity and its products"low cost", we can imagine export term to North Africa countries, Asia, South America.". "The parallel with the Renault Logan seems to me interesting", concluded that former leader of Renault Trucks.