Siemens Velaro High-Speed Train Coming to Florida

TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Siemens today announced plans to present its vision of U.S. high-speed rail to the people of Florida with its "Future of Florida High-Speed Rail Tour," a traveling exhibit featuring a full-sized model of the Siemens Velaro high-speed train. The tour kicks off Oct. 7, 2010 with a special VIP event at Tampa's MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry).

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Following its Tampa debut, the "Future of Florida High-Speed Rail Tour" will continue on to other cities in Florida, including Orlando, Miami and Tallahassee.  Visitors to the exhibit in each city will not only have the chance to see the Velaro, the fastest passenger train* in the world, but also the opportunity to have their questions answered by high-speed rail experts.  Guests will also be able to learn about the history of rail transportation and how high-speed rail is impacting other parts of the world today.

"We'd like to congratulate Florida on leading the charge for high-speed rail in America," said Eric Spiegel, president and CEO of Siemens Corporation.  "Not since the early days of the space program has there been such potential for growth as there is in Florida right now."

"We want to give Floridians a taste of what a true high-speed rail train looks and feels like," added Oliver Hauck, president of Siemens Mobility in the U.S.  "Siemens Velaro trains are successfully running on some of the fastest and most important routes in the world today."

The Velaro currently operates at high-speeds in Germany, Spain, China, Russia, France, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria.  In 2006, a Velaro E trainset operated by Spain's national rail authority, RENFE, set a world record for fastest unmodified commercial rail travel.  The record-setting train achieved a top speed of 250.85 mph (403.7 km/h) running between Guadalajara and Calatayud on the Madrid-Zaragoza line.

The Tampa exhibit will be open to the public on Friday, Oct. 8, from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. and Oct. 9 - 10, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.  Admission to the "Future of Florida High-Speed Rail Tour" is free and MOSI will offer a limited-time buy-one, get-one free admission price into the museum for guests visiting the High-Speed Rail Tour.  Members of the general public interested in attending the "Future of Florida High-Speed Rail Tour" can register for free by visiting www.usa.siemens.com/highspeedtour.  Registration is not required, but is recommended due to space constraints.

For more information on Siemens high-speed rail, visit www.usa.siemens.com/highspeedrail.

* The Velaro achieved its world record speeds under normal, unmodified commercial operating conditions.  There are instances of specially modified versions of other passenger trains that have achieved higher speeds and passenger trains that have achieved higher speeds during specially devised test runs.

About Siemens:

Siemens AG (NYSE: SI) is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, and operates in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors.  For more than 160 years, Siemens has built a reputation for leading-edge innovation and the quality of its products, services and solutions.  With 405,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide revenue of $104.3 billion in fiscal 2009.  Siemens in the USA reported revenue of $21.3 billion and employs approximately 64,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.  For more information on Siemens in the United States, visit www.usa.siemens.com.

A division of Siemens Industry, Inc. (SII), Siemens Mobility (MO) Division is North America's leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions.  Using its "Complete mobility" approach, the division focuses on networking various modes of transportation to maximize the most efficient transport of people and goods.  "Complete mobility" includes operations control systems for railways, roadway traffic control systems, airport logistics solutions, postal automation, traction power supplies, rolling stock for mass transit, regional and mainline services, turnkey systems as well as forward-looking service concepts.  The Mobility Division posted worldwide revenues of $8.8 billion in fiscal year 2009. www.usa.siemens.com/mobility

SOURCE Siemens