AS questions are asked about the British Department for Transport’s decision to invite tenders for new trains from three foreign companies — in China, Korea and Spain — the head of Alstom has claimed that Chinese companies are offering trains for export that use technology derived from western suppliers, usually supplied on condition that it is not used outside China.

Among four companies invited to tender to supply 200 new passenger coaches for British train operators is CSRE Ltd – Chinese Sourced Railway Equipment on behalf of CSR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock Co. — which is owned by the Chinese government.

Two China State Railways subsidiaries have also won an order to supply three 125 mph (200 km/h) trains to Grand Central, the ‘open access’ operator running services between Sunderland and London King’s Cross.

In a Financial Times interview, Philippe Mellier, chief executive of the Paris-based Alstom — which has built France’s TGVs, including the Eurostar version for Channel Tunnel services — suggested other countries should consider blocking trains exported from China.

Associated Press reported Mr Mellier saying that China was closing off its domestic market and that Chinese companies were exporting trains that used foreign technologies.

Issues about Japanese and Korean train manufacturing are also similar to those in China, according to Mr Mellier, quoted in the Financial Times.  Japan's manufacturers have their own technology and face no foreign competition in their protected home market, he said, and Korea's market is closed.

Yet Hitachi, of Japan, has been chosen by the British Department for Transport (DfT) to build the new 140 mph (225 km/h) rolling stock for operation by Southeastern on Kent services over High Speed 1, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, from December this year.

And Hyundai Rotem of Korea is another company that has now been included by the DfT among tenderers for the 200 new passenger coaches.

The other companies invited to tender for the British vehicles are Derby-based Bombardier Transportation and CAF – Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles — based in Spain’s Basque Country.

CAF was last year selected to supply trams for Edinburgh’s new light rail system, and has also recently supplied diesel multiple units to Northern Ireland Railways.

In the Republic of Ireland, South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem Company is supplying Iarnród Éireann with a new fleet of 183 Class 22000 InterCity diesel rail cars, in partnership with Tokyu Car Corporation of Japan, which has supplied the bogies.

The four manufacturers — Bombardier, CAF, CSRE and Rotem — are now in contention for the £300 million project to build 200 diesel-powered coaches for use in Britain. These are due to be operating by 2012 following negotiations by the DfT with three rail franchises — First Great Western, TransPennine Express and Northern

The additional rolling stock, announced in last November’s pre-Budget Report, is among several projects being accelerated to help Britain’s economy get through the recession. The closing date for bids is 16 February and the winner, or winners, will be announced in April.

But if the contracts are not awarded to Derby-based Bombardier, questions will be asked as to how, exactly, giving the money to a foreign firm will provide a fiscal stimulus.

If the Chinese or Korean manufacturers are included, other questions may well be asked in the light of the recent comments by Alstom’s Mr Mellier.

When Northern’s franchise was let no plans for new or extra rolling stock were included, although the operator has proposed replacing some its  ‘Pacer’ trains — which include little collision protection, and are very unpopular with passengers — with Chinese-built rolling stock.  Northern has had to cope with a large increase in passenger numbers, notably in Leeds and West Yorkshire.

TransPennine Express’s fleet of trains was built by Siemens, of Germany, but this company has not been included in the DfT’s invitation to tender. 

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