Spanish company Semi has won the Israel Railways infrastructure tender, Israel Railways management announced today.
The tender is one of the largest infrastructure tenders ever in Israel. 420 kilometers of existing and planned railway tracks will be electrified, and transformer stations and command and control system will be built.
Semi's bid was NIS 2 billion, NIS 1 billion lower than Israel Railways' NIS 3 billion preliminary estimate. The tender was part of the electrification project that Israel Railways is currently working on. This project, estimated at NIS 13.7 billion, is aimed at switching all of Israel Railways' trains from diesel fuel to electricity, which is used in most of the world. The electrified trains are expected to shorten travel times substantially, reduce the number of malfunctions, and cut air pollution, as well as being regarded as more reliable and cheaper to run.
Israel Railway CEO Boaz Tzafrir said, "The project of converting the Israel Railways network to electricity is without a doubt one of the most substantial projects undertaken by Israel Railways since it was founded, and is expected to revolutionize the company. The electrified trains are essential for Israel Railways' development plan in order to double the number of trains in daily operation and provide service to twice the number of customers.
"Last year, the project was speeded up, and major tenders were published for purchasing electrical locomotives and building infrastructure. There is no doubt that from this stage on, we will see growing progress in this project, until it culminates in the high-speed train to Jerusalem in 2018."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 6, 2015
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