Air Suspension Systems

Beijing, November 2009The world market leader in air suspension systems exhibited at the Metro China 2009 • Metro lines in Shanghai, Nan Jing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong cushioned by ContiTech products

ContiTech Air Spring Systems provides for enhanced ride comfort in rail traffic. Air suspension systems from ContiTech Air Spring Systems are found throughout the world in urban and mainline railways. Whenever a new generation of rail vehicles is equipped with innovative air suspension technology, the global market leader for air suspension systems is nearly always involved, no matter where it is in the world. At the Metro China 2009 in Beijing representatives of the rail industry convinced themselves of ContiTech’s know-how.

ContiTech is amongst the frontrunners in the booming Chinese economy. With its railway engineering unit, the company has already been doing business in China for 30 years, equipping rail vehicles with primary and secondary suspension systems. Air spring systems from ContiTech are installed in the Maglev (Transrapid), the Chinastar, the high-tech Velaro China train (CHR3). For a large number of new metro railway projects in China, the industry resorts to air springs from ContiTech. In Ninghai the company also produces air suspension systems for commercial vehicles and for cab and seat suspension.

One of the most prestigious projects is the CRH3, China’s high-speed trains based on the Siemens Velaro platform. “We just got the largest order our segment has ever received,” noted Olaf Philipp, general manager of the Air Spring Systems business unit in China.

ContiTech is also strongly represented in subway trains in the country’s large metropolitan areas. Its equipment is found in trains on Shanghai’s twelve metro lines, for example, but also in the metro systems in Nan-Jing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The construction of a large new plant for the ContiTech companies in Changshu is moving ahead on schedule, with production slated to get started early in 2010.

The rail system in India is also developing steadily as well – and ContiTech is contributing to this development. At present, work is underway on suspension systems for the planned new overland trains as well as for the Mumbai and Delhi subways. The systems have been produced in India itself since summer. ContiTech has set up a separate production facility at the former Roulunds plant.

In South Korea, ContiTech can be found in the country’s second-generation high-speed KTX-2 trains. The train, largely an offshoot of the French TGV which was further developed by the Korean industry, is scheduled to take to the rails the year after next. ContiTech is equipping the metros in Korea’s capital Seoul with air springs as well.