Olympic 'Bullet' Train Arrives In The U.K.

Fast and easy access to the London Olympic Games at Stratford, London in 2012 will now be possible, thanks to the expertise of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics and Hitachi Europe who have safely delivered the UK's first bullet train to the UK.

Two years of intensive logistics planning came to fruition over the weekend (24- 26 August, 2007) when the first of 29 striking blue Class 395 High Speed trains† built by Hitachi for rail operator Southeastern were delicately rolled off Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics' 67,140 GRT MV Tarago in Southampton after a six week, 10,760 voyage from Kobe in Japan to Southampton.

The bullet train, the first ever to arrive in Britain and the first to be shipped using a single logistics provider, will be joined by 29 others on the Southeastern Railways High Speed 1 line between Ashford, Kent, South East England, and London's newly refurbished St Pancras terminal and the Kent Coast.

Travelling up to speeds of 225 kmph (140 mph) the trains will enter service in December 2009 and play a key role in ensuring a journey time of just seven minutes from St Pancras to the London Olympic Games at Stratford in 2012.

With the help of Hitachi Europe, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) has been involved in the total supply chain logistics from the Hitachi factory in Kasado via Kobe to Southampton and thence to its base in Ashford in Kent, South East England where it will begin testing on the rail network in October 2007.

Each carriage was stowed on board MV Tarago in Kobe on its own rail bogies which were then lashed on to two rubber tyre bogies specially designed by WWL to accommodate each rail carriage.

The unloading operation from MV Tarago was a delicate and complex one. It took four hours to painstakingly roll each of the first six carriages of the train – made up of two driving pantograph trailers and four motor saloons – off MV Tarago.

Once rolled off the vessel, each carriage was then meticulously lifted from the rubber tyre bogies onto the tracks. This was achieved by the use of two mammoth cranes – one situated at each end of the carriage.

Each of the carriages was then pushed together by a tug master to form it into a complete train before being carefully rolled away under cover for safe keeping.

The train will then be rail hauled to a new-purpose-built maintenance facility in Ashford, Kent for commissioning prior to night-time testing starting on the mainline network in early October 2007.

Mark Bookham, Head of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics Southampton, said: "The management of the train's shipment required detailed team planning every step of the way. Our operational skills were really put to the test in being able to deliver this train safely, on time, to budget and in an environmentally-friendly way for Hitachi."

By the end of the year four more of the six-car trains are due to arrive in Southampton, while the remaining 25 trains to complete the order will be delivered in 2009.

ABOUT WALLENIUS WILHELMSEN LOGISTICS
WWL (www.2wglobal.com) is a leading global provider of outbound logistics services to the automotive, agricultural machinery and construction equipment industries. The firm employs 3,200 people and utilises over 60 eco-friendly vessels serving 19 trade routes to five continents. It carries 3.3 million units each year - 1.7 million by sea and 1.6 million vehicles by road – and has developed a special expertise for carrying high and heavy cargoes - such as trains - on board its vessels. The company has won numerous environmental awards most recently gaining the prestigious Thor Heyerdahl International Maritime Award for its commitment to improving the environmental standards in the shipping industry. Over a period of six years WWL successfully reduced SO2 emissions by 75,550 tons which is the amount of SO2 emitted by the city of London over a similar period.

ABOUT HITACHI EUROPE LTD.
Hitachi Europe Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. Japan. Headquartered in Maidenhead, UK, it has operations in 15 countries and employs 500 people across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Hitachi Europe tailors its services and solutions to meet the specific needs of its customers. Hitachi Europe comprises ten key business areas: power and industrial systems; rail; industrial components & equipment; information systems; digital media; display products; air-conditioning and refrigeration systems; procurement and sourcing; corporate technology group (research & development) and the Hitachi Design Centre. For more information about Hitachi Europe Ltd. please visit www.hitachi-eu.com.

ABOUT SOUTHEASTERN'S HIGH SPEED SERVICES
A flagship feature of the Southeastern franchise will be the High Speed Services between London St Pancras, Ashford and the Kent coast from December 2009. The service will also include two new stations built at Ebbsfleet and Stratford. A fleet of 29 six-car units will travel at speeds of up to 140 miles an hour reducing journey times considerably. These Class 395 trains will also have a key role in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games transporting spectators. For more information about Southeastern please visit www.southeasternrailway.co.uk.

SOURCE: Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics and Hitachi Europe