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Lloyd’s Register Group Acquires Dutch Rail Consultancy

London October 5, 2006 - Lloyd’s Register Group, the independent risk management organisation, has acquired NedTrain Consulting (NTC), the rolling stock Centre of Competence of Netherlands Railways and subsidiary of maintenance and management company, NedTrain. NedTrain is a subsidiary of Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) and responsible for all aspects of keeping trains in operation in The Netherlands.

The 230 person Utrecht-based consultancy, which covers the whole life cycle of rolling stock and its systems, will become part of Lloyd’s Register Rail and trade under the name Lloyd’s Register Rail Europe BV

Louis Spaninks, the Managing Director of NTC, will continue to lead the company and Teun Cosijn, Managing Director of Lloyd’s Register Rail’s Dutch business, will join the company as Deputy Managing Director.

NTC has historically been the Centre of Competence for rail vehicles and their interfaces, having grown with NS from a former state organisation to a market driven enterprise. Lloyd’s Register and NTC will initiate a ‘best practice’ exchange to blend NTC’s technical skills with Lloyd’s Register’s well-known risk management methodology.

Lloyd’s Register and NS have agreed to maintain close relations and Lloyd’s Register Rail Europe BV will continue to work for all parts of NS, which has the largest franchise for running trains in The Netherlands. In recent years the consultancy has expanded its business and a significant part of its turnover comes from business outside NS, including various other European countries.

Paul Thomas, Lloyd’s Register Rail’s Global Transportation leader, said, "We are delighted that NTC is joining Lloyd’s Register Rail. While NTC is the clear market leader in The Netherlands, in recent years it has begun to expand its business internationally in a way that sets it apart from its competitors. We want to build on this entrepreneurial approach in order to develop new markets and believe that the Lloyd’s Register Group is well suited to facilitate such an international expansion.

"There are clear synergies that flow from this acquisition. For example, together we can do a complete IRIS certification thereby serving the entire chain of train manufacturer suppliers. With NTC on board, Lloyd’s Register will be able to grow its rail business significantly."

The current focus of the Lloyd’s Register Group’s transport business is on rail systems safety, quality and asset management in Europe, Asia and Australia. In January 2006 the Group acquired BSL Management Consultants, Germany’s leading urban transport strategy consultancy, adding strategic and economic management consultancy to the services offered by the Group’s transportation business. The addition of NTC will significantly expand Lloyd’s Register Rail’s business, furthering its overall strategic goal of becoming a comprehensive worldwide transportation consultancy.

Louis Spaninks, managing director of NTC, said, "NTC has been working to expand internationally and to broaden its customer base for quite some time. In one stroke this acquisition will help us to achieve many of our goals. With around 240 offices in around 100 countries the Lloyd’s Register Group offers us the perfect platform for pursuing that expansion. We have been acquired by a very well known, quality organisation and we look forward to working with them and to helping build a full service worldwide transportation consultancy."

BTS Releases Transportation Services Index (TSI)

Washington October 6, 2006 - The Transportation Services Index (TSI) fell 2.5 percent in August from its July level, the largest monthly decline in five years, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), reported today.

Ancient Silk Road to Get its Modern Railway Counterpart Under UN Auspices

New York October 6, 2006 - From Armenia to Viet Nam, an 'iron' version of the famed Silk Road will move a step closer to reality next month. Asian transport ministers sign an agreement under United Nations auspices for a Trans-continental rail network to link their capital cities, ports and industrial centers, and facilitate international trade and tourism.

The Trans-Asian Railway Network (TAR) Agreement, to be signed at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Conference on Transport from 6-11 November in Busan, Republic of Korea. This comes on the heels of the Asian Highway Network that came into force last year, also under UNESCAP auspices.

"Through these two Agreements, UNESCAP will usher in a new era of cooperation and partnership for regional integration," Commission Executive Secretary Kim Hak-Su said in a statement today on the 28-nation network. This is a modern version of the ancient Silk Road caravans that for centuries carried commerce all the way from China to Europe.

"With 60 per cent of the world's population generating 26 per cent of the world's gross domestic product, Asia's demand for efficient transport is greater than at any time in its history," he added.

UNESCAP experts believe that port efficiency can be enhanced through the integration of rail and shipping to avoid port congestion, a key factor in Asia, which is home to 13 of the world's top 20 container ports.

TAR is also crucial for landlocked countries whose access to world markets is heavily dependent on efficient links to the region's main international ports. Twelve of the world's 30 landlocked countries are in Asia, and 10 are TAR members.

"The Agreement lays a framework for coordinated development of internationally important rail routes," Mr. Kim said. "A working group proposed under the Agreement will be a forum for transport policy makers and railway managers to define a common vision, adopt joint programs of action and, most importantly, identify investment requirements and sources."

The signing ceremony will mark the achievement of a negotiation process initiated by UNESCAP in 2004. The Agreement was finalized last November and adopted by its members at the Commission's annual legislative session in Jakarta, Indonesia in April.

TAR members are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Viet Nam.

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