Siemens seeks new deal with CFR

The German Siemens Group, one of the world’s largest industrial conglomerates, could strike a new deal with the railway freight company CFR Marfa following the testing of the Taurus electric locomotive in Romania. “CFR Marfa has expressed interest in the Taurus locomotives, but it has to think of financing solutions. CFR Calatori, however, has a different strategy; they rely largely on self-propelled trains for carrying passengers,” Siemens sources stated. The price of a Taurus electric locomotive, a 9,000 HP vehicle, which is four times more powerful than the Diesel locomotives currently in service, can reach 3.5 million euros and depends on the size of the order. CFR Marfa officials could not be reached for comment by the time of going to press. CFR Calatori and CFR Marfa are engaged in a process of upgrading their rolling stock in order to comply with European standards. This led them to sign deals worth over 500 million euros in the last three years. ZF