Hyundai Rotem’s Carriages on Way to LA
By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
Hyundai Rotem shipped double-deck carriages to the U.S. for the first time Friday, paving the way for the company to establish new sales channels in the lucrative North American market.
Hyundai Motor Group's heavy industry unit said it exported 131multi-level carriages for the Southern California Rail Authority's (SCRRA) Metrolink network in Los Angeles.
The units will be assembled at the SCRRA's Eastern Maintenance Facility (EMF) and be put into operation in mid-March, according to company officials.
The new vehicles will be used to cover five counties near Los Angeles, helping to meet the recent uptick in demand for public transportation.
Hyundai Rotem's carriages are equipped with Crash Energy Management (CEM) technology designed to better absorb the impact of rail collisions.
The device, which is applied to the front bumper, is designed to cope with maximum speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour, the urban train maker said.
Hyundai Rotem says two-level carriages boost the efficiency of railroad operators as they can carry more commuters without making significant investments to modify their existing railroad system.
The double-deck trains currently run in the U.S., Europe and Japan. They are expected to make a local debut once Hyundai Rotem supplies 64 for the Gyungchun line by 2012.
``Our latest delivery to the U.S. will help authorities get acquainted with Hyundai Rotem's high quality train technology,'' said a company official, who added that prospects are bright for Hyundai Rotem to win additional contracts in the U.S.
So far, the company has won three contracts in the U.S. It signed its first deal with the SCRRA in 2006, followed by two other contracts in Philadelphia and Boston.
Hyundai Rotem currently has a plant in Philadelphia. The company finished building the plant last year in compliance with ``Buy America'' laws, which state that roughly 60 percent of the country's carriages manufacturing and assembly must be done in the U.S.
The global train market is estimated at $35 billion. Hyundai Rotem is the third-largest seller of urban metro passenger cars, after Canada's Bombardier and France's Alstom.