JR East Trains (Picture – JR East)

TGV_Alstom (Picture -Alstom)

“Merseytravel, an executive body that provides professional, strategic and operational transport advice to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, announced on 11 January 2016 that five bidders including a team composed of  French and Japanese companies have been shortlisted for a contract to supply around 50 EMUs (Electric Multiple Units) for the Merseyrail network.

The Franco-Japanese team is composed of Mitsui, a major Japanese trading company, J-TREC, JR East’s subsidiary rolling stock manufacturing company, and France’s Alstom.

Bids are due to be submitted by the end of April and a preferred bidder will be identified towards the end of the year. The project is likely to cost around £400m.

This joint action between French and Japanese companies is the first of its kind in the European Union, and concrete business results are expected.”  (Source: JR East Newsletter #19)

More details about the bid at: Railways Business: Franco-Japanese team shortlisted for new UK trains!

Looking forward to more Europe-Japan collaborative projects on both sides!

This is probably the right approach to promoting the completion of an EU-Japan EPA!

What do you think?

About J-TREC:

“Japan Transport Engineering Company is a total transport engineering firm manufacturing rolling stock, cargo containers, railway tracks and turnouts with its 100% of stocks owned by East Japan Railway Company. Rail transport nowadays has become a part of modern social infrastructure and the pursuit of safety, assurance and comfort are at the core of our manufacturing philosophy.  Along the pursuit, our belief in manufacturing is to pay attention to every detail, even to those that are not visible at a glance.
The forerunner of our company is Tokyu Car Corporation which has realized the first domestic production of stainless steel rail cars in Japan. We will succeed all the technology and know-how that were acquired during its 63 years of history and leap into the next level by challenging the world market.”

(more details at: http://www.j-trec.co.jp/eng/company/index.html)