First domestic diesel train to be source of pride for Turkey
Posted by meb at April 21st, 2011
Amid recent debates over creating a domestic car brand in Turkey, a Turkish wagon company has already managed to produce a domestic train named the Anatolia.
The train will run on diesel, making it highly attractive for markets whose transportation system is mainly designed for diesel, the top official of Turkish Wagon Industry, Inc., (TÜVASAŞ), the producer of the trains, told Today’s Zaman.
The country’s first domestic diesel train Anatolia was put on the tracks during a ceremony on Tuesday in the northwestern province of Sakarya. TÜVASAŞ General Manager İbrahim Ertiryaki told Today’s Zaman that the latest available technology was used in producing the wagons, 85 percent of which were produced locally.
Speaking at the ceremony in Sakarya on Tuesday, Ertiryaki briefed the media, noting that the trains were produced in full accordance with International Union of Railways (UIC) standards, namely, the wagons must have fully automatic air conditioning, automatic doors and an electronically controlled brake system. In order to provide maximum passenger comfort, each vehicle has fully adjustable aircraft-type seats, an announcement system and LCD screens. Ertiryaki also said the trains could reach speeds of up to 140 kilometers per hour.
When asked by Today’s Zaman if such developments in the Turkish railway sector could eventually lead to the production of domestic high-speed trains, Ertiryaki said this is in fact the ultimate goal, citing EUROTEM, a TÜVASAŞ and Hyundai joint venture project, to produce cars for high-speed trains.
“As our government has also made clear, the ultimate goal is to be able to produce such high-tech products in Turkey by ourselves in the near future,” he said. Ertiryaki drew parallels to the production of a domestic auto brand and said that such developments in other sectors would have a positive spillover effect on even more sectors.
Ertiryaki said producing a diesel-run train is significant in the sense that it was specifically designed for the needs of countries whose transportation systems mainly depend on diesel. He told Today’s Zaman that several countries from the Middle East to Europe have already shown a keen interest in such wagons.
‘It’s still the beginning for railways’
Addressing reporters during the ceremony on Tuesday, former Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım, who resigned last month as required by the Law on Elections, said the government will not be content with only this project but will continue to take on other challenging projects as well. He also said the railroad sector in Turkey has shown significant improvement over the last nine years and is set for further progress.
According to Yıldırım, several countries from the European Union as well as Iraq have already placed orders for TÜVASAŞ’s wagons. He gave the example of Turkey’s Locomotive and Engine Industry Corporation (TÜLOMSAŞ), which has already started producing PowerHaul locomotives jointly with GE Transportation in the central province of Eskişehir. “For us it’s just the beginning of the journey,” he said.
Turkey has taken on extensive railroad and highway construction and outfitting projects over the past eight years. According to the Ministry of Transportation, more than 5,000 kilometers of rail have already been overhauled. The ministry has set as its goal for 2023, the centennial of the Turkish Republic, the laying 10,000 kilometers of high-speed train track and 4,000 kilometers of regular track.
PowerHaul locomotives also being produced in Turkey
TÜLOMSAŞ in 2008 signed a strategic partnership agreement with US-based General Electric (GE) to manufacture high-tech diesel locomotives in Turkey and export them abroad. The joint production of PowerHaul locomotives is already taking place in Eskişehir, where such locomotives are equipped with a 16-cylinder PowerHaul engine, GE’s most technologically advanced locomotive engine to date. This new engine, combined with other technologies from GE, is projected to reduce PowerHaul locomotive fuel use by up to 9 percent compared to current operatingfleet averages.
source: todays zaman
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