ENGIE and Thales have been selected [1] by APIX(the Senegalese Agency for Investment Promotion and Public Works,under the office of President of Senegal) to design and build systems and infrastructures for the new Dakar Regional Express Train.
The contract is valued at €225 million.The Regional Express Train (Train Express Régional, or TER) will link Dakar to the new Blaise Diagne international airport in less than 50 minutes. It is part of the “Emerging Senegal†restructuring plan launched by the Senegalese government in 2014 to promote the country’s social and economic development.
The link will be built in two phases: city of Dakar – Diamniadio (36 km), and city of Diamniadio – Blaise Diagne International Airport (19 km).Construction of the systems is expected to take 26 months, and is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2016, with systems coming on line in late 2018.
To meet these challenges: the Regional Express Train
Smart systems using state-of-the-art technology
As project managers, particularly for the design phase, ENGIE Ineo (mandatory), a subsidiary of the ENGIE group, and Thales (subcontractor) will direct the engineering group, provide overall management, and conduct all integration testing. During the system construction, the teams will contribute their expertise at several levels, using the most innovative, state-of-the-art technologies:
- Management of the fiber optic network for communication between trains and command center;
- Technical supervision of all train station equipment;
- Train control system: rail signaling;
- Power supply (low voltage: fire detection, public address system, video surveillance, passenger information, etc.);
- Catenary power station, etc.
The consortium will work closely with other companies assigned to the civil engineering, tracks, and stations portions of the project, as well as rolling stock. Senegalese company CSE, ENGIE Ineo’s local partner, will be associated to the civil and electrical engineering work as well as the installation and management of construction sites and living quarters.
This contact award constitutes recognition of the expertise of ENGIE Ineo, which creates and develops efficient and innovative solutions for connected cities and regions. It also illustrates the ENGIE Group’s commitment to develop its various activities in Africa generally, and in Senegal in particular, beyond ENGIE’s existing positions in North and South Africa.
Present in Africa for 50 years, ENGIE develops and operates electrical power production facilities (wind, solar, and thermal) in a number of countries and provides energy services (engineering, facility management, energy efficiency). It is also working toward developing gas infrastructures on the continent. This project is a new example of the Group’s ability to contribute to the territorial development and to African cities of tomorrow.
In the transportation sector, Thales, is a world leader in rail signaling, both for mainline rail (72,000 km controlled by Thales) and urban mass transportation (present in 40 cities), with development projects across 50 countries. In Africa, Thales is a player of reference in land transportation, with the deployment of signaling, ticketing and telecommunications solutions across Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa.
With over 30 years presence in Africa, Thales is partner of choice in the continent, across many of its other core markets, including aerospace, space, defence and security.
About ENGIE
ENGIE develops its businesses (power, natural gas, energy services) around a model based on responsible growth to take on the major challenges of energy’s transition to a low-carbon economy: access to sustainable energy, climate-change mitigation and adaptation and the rational use of resources. The Group provides individuals, cities and businesses with highly efficient and innovative solutions largely based on its expertise in four key sectors: renewable energy, energy efficiency, liquefied natural gas and digital technology. ENGIE employs 154,950 people worldwide and achieved revenues of €69.9 billion in 2015. The Group is listed on the Paris and Brussels stock exchanges (ENGI) and is represented in the main international indices: CAC 40, BEL 20, DJ Euro Stoxx 50, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, MSCI Europe, DJSI World, DJSI Europe and Euronext Vigeo (World 120, Eurozone 120, Europe 120 and France 20).
About Thales
Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Transport, Defence and Security markets. With 62,000 employees in 56 countries, Thales reported sales of €14 billion in 2015. With over 22,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design and deploy equipment, systems and services to meet the most complex security requirements. Its exceptional international footprint allows it to work closely with its customers all over the world.
[1] The 22nd of July 2016, ENGIE and Thales have received notice of provisional award for the project. This represents the first milestone in international bid processes, and marks the start of the mandatory appeals period ahead of the final contract signing.
