'고속철 세일즈' 중국, 미 캘리포니아주 고속철 사업에 눈독 China to pitch high-speed trains to California
캘리포니아 고속철도 건설계획 노선도. source america2050.org
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세계를 상대로 공격적인 '고속철 세일즈'에 나선 중국이 미국 캘리포니아주가 추진 중인 고속철 사업에도 큰 관심을 기울이는 것으로 알려졌다.
관영 신화통신은 22일 로이터 등 외신보도를 인용, 중국의 국영 철도차량 제조업체인 중궈베이처(中國北車)가 캘리포니아주가 추진 중인 초대형 고속철 사업 입찰경쟁에 조만간 참가 신청서를 제출할 예정이라고 전했다.
이와 관련, 미국의 썬그룹 측이 중궈베이처 및 그 산하그룹인 탕산(唐山)열차공사와 함께 이번 사업의 입찰경쟁에 참여하겠다는 의사를 이미 표명했다.
썬그룹 대변인은 "중국은 고속철 건설분야에서 매우 뛰어나다. (중국 고속철은)세계로 수출할 수 있는 상품"이라며 "지난 4년간 썬그룹은 중궈베이처 및 탕산열차공사와 합작해왔다"라고 말했다.
1천287㎞에 이르는 로스앤젤레스∼샌프란시스코 구간을 연결하는 이번 고속철 사업의 전체 사업비는 680억 달러(약 71조 6천900억 원)에 달하며 10여 개 업체가 입찰경쟁에 뛰어들 준비를 하고 있다.
중궈베이처는 현재 시속 354㎞로 달리는 고속철 95대를 제공할 수 있다는 입장을 보이는 것으로 알려졌다.
중국은 근년 들어 '저렴한 가격'을 무기로 해외에서 추진되는 대규모 고속철 건설사업에 잇따라 참여하고 있으며 특히 시진핑(習近平) 국가주석이나 리커창(李克强) 총리도 해외 방문 때마다 고속철 합작계약을 화두로 올리며 적극적인 측면지원을 하고 있다. (베이징=연합뉴스) 이준삼 특파원 jslee@yna.co.kr |
China to pitch high-speed trains to
California
A high-speed train travelling to Guangzhou is seen running on Yongdinghe Bridge in
Beijing, December 26, 2012. Credit: Reuters/China Daily
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By Brenda Goh (Reuters) - State-backed China CNR Corporation is making a pitch to sell its high-speed trains to California, signaling China's growing export ambitions for such technology after building the world's longest network in just seven years.
It marks the first concrete attempt by China to sell high-speed locomotives abroad and establish itself as a credible rival to sector leaders such as Germany's Siemens, Canada's Bombardier and Japan's Kawasaki.
CNR, its unit Tangshan Railway and U.S.-based SunGroup USA are submitting an expression of interest to California's $68 billion high-speed rail project for a contract to supply up to 95 trains that can travel as fast as 354 kilometers per hour (221 miles per hour), SunGroup told Reuters.
"We believe that high-speed rail is something that China does very well, and it's a product that we can export across the world," SunGroup spokesman Jonathan Sun said in a phone interview, adding that SunGroup, CNR and Tangshan Railway had been working together for four years. Manufacturers are expected to send in expressions of interest by Oct. 22 to the California High Speed Railway Authority, which will later issue formal requests for proposals. About a dozen firms from places such as Japan and Spain are expected to compete, it said.
California has been candid about its desire for Chinese investment in the 800-mile-long (1,287 kilometers) line from Los Angeles to San Francisco; U.S. media reports said governor Jerry Brown met Chinese rail officials in April last year, including those from Tangshan Railway, to discuss the project.
No estimates for the contract's value have been published, but in its 2014 business plan the California High Speed Railway Authority estimated each trainset would cost $45 million, based on a purchase of 70 vehicles.
"We haven't officially gone out to bid yet. This is us saying to the industry that we need trainsets. They have to meet these standards. We're asking, 'Are you interested in learning more, and do you think you could do this for us?'” said Lisa Marie Alley, deputy director of public affairs at the High-Speed Rail Authority.
China has made no secret of its desire to export its high-speed technology abroad, having built over 12,000 kilometers of track at home in less than a decade. CNR and CSR Corp are China's largest locomotive makers, while China Railway Construction and China Railway Group build track.
The country has helped or indicated its interest to build thousands of kilometers of high-speed track in countries such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, though it has yet to sell a high-speed train abroad. Premier Li Keqiang - dubbed by local media as China's high-speed rail salesman - has led a drive to promote its technology in Thailand, Britain, Russia and India. A Chinese consortium was the only competitor to present a bid for a tender to build a 210-km high-speed rail line in Mexico, the Mexican government said last week.
"The Chinese market right now is booming, and there's a very high level of investment, but five, 10 years down the road will it still be at this level? We don't know. So it makes sense for these companies to want to diversify their revenue streams," Barclays analyst Yang Song said.
The sector's image was, however, marred by a 2011 collision between two high-speed trains near Wenzhou in Zhejiang province that killed 40 people and was later blamed on design flaws. Project details published on SunGroup's website show the consortium is putting forward the CRH380BL train, a model used on the Beijing-Shanghai line, which can travel up to 380 kph. Sun said an initial order would probably be about 18-20 trains and that they would open a factory to make the trains in California if they won the bid, as required by U.S. law.
The consortium also intends to bid for the next available contracts to build track sections of the line. A group led by Tutor Perini is building the first segment, while consortiums that include Dragados and Samsung are bidding for the next construction package.
"In the future we want to be involved in all aspects of the project," Sun said. "Because by undertaking a package you can showcase the true value of the high-speed technology that China has created and manufactured." reuters |
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