InnoTrans 2006: World's Largest Rail Transport Show Ends with Record Attendances - Railways Are Booming.

65,000 Trade Visitors from 90 Countries: 40 Per Cent Increase Compared with 2004 More Than 1,600 Exhibitors from 41 Countries - over 100,000 Square Metres of Display Space - Outstanding Supporting Programme - Positive Response to New Fair Sections Interiors and Tunnel Construction - Platform Party at the Weekend

BERLIN -- After four highly successful days InnoTrans, the leading international trade fair for transport technology, ended last Friday in Berlin. The 1,606 exhibitors from 41 countries displayed innovations and product highlights along with their extensive ranges of products and services on an area of more than 100,000 square metres. The 65,000 trade visitors from 90 countries - a 40 per cent increase over 2004 - came to the world's largest trade show for the railway sector in search of information. Some 50 per cent of exhibitors and more than 40 per cent of visitors came to Berlin from abroad.

Approximately 95 per cent of trade visitors assessed the commercial results of their discussions at this year's InnoTrans as positive. This was revealed by a survey of exhibitors and trade visitors that was carried out by an independent public opinion research organisation. They also had an equally high opinion of the range of items on offer at the fair. More than half of the visitors questioned occupy management positions in their companies. Nine out of ten of them have already announced their intention of attending the next InnoTrans.

This is what some of the industry's leading figures said about InnoTrans 2006: Philippe Mellier, President, ALSTOM Transport: "InnoTrans is the place where all the decision-makers in the industry meet. The increasingly international dimension of this fair is very useful for us." Dr. Dieter Klumpp, General Manager, Alstom LHB GmbH, added: "We are delighted with the progress of the fair here in Berlin. We had a record number of visitors on our stand and we are already looking forward to 2008."

"InnoTrans is a unique and major occasion for the rail industry. It gives us a unique opportunity to present our innovations to the entire world" said Andre Navarri, President Bombardier Transportation. "Once again this year the remarkable success of the world's leading fair for transport technology was echoed by Bombardier. We experienced even greater levels of interest among customers and trade visitors", stated Dr. Klaus Bauer, General Manager, Bombardier Transportation Germany.

"Our conclusions are entirely positive. InnoTrans provided a shop window for our range of services. Deutsche Bahn has a wealth of skills and expertise in the rail transport sector which are increasingly in demand internationally as a result of the liberalisation of the transport market. This was confirmed at the fair. The many direct discussions with clients, industry and other railway operators are an important aspect. Now we must make the most of this positive situation for the benefit of our own business", said Hartmut Mehdorn, Chairman of the Board of Deutsche Bahn AG.

John Dineen, CEO of General Electric Transportation: "InnoTrans is clearly established as the world's shop window for the industry. We regard it as the ideal venue for presenting our worldwide activities." Silvano Brandi, Managing Director, Global Signaling Europe, GE Transportation Rail, added: "InnoTrans confirmed its position as a world event. We are very satisfied with the many highly qualified trade visitors and the numerous new contacts."

Hans M. Schabert, Divisional Chairman, Siemens Transportation Systems: "Once again InnoTrans met all expectations, and even exceeded them. The attendance in such large numbers by international visitors ensured that this trade fair is the centre of the railway technology world. We made countless good contacts at the fair and were able to arrange a great many follow-up discussions. The expense involved in setting up the stand, the open air displays and the presentations of rolling stock were well worth the effort."

"From our point of view the fair was excellent and showed a further improvement over the InnoTrans 2004. This applies equally to the contacts with customers and to the response by those trade visitors with whom we had not made advance arrangements." These were the conclusions of Heinz Tengler, General Manager Product Group Hydrodynamic Components and Systems for Railway Vehicles, Voith Turbo GmbH & Co KG.

"For the German electric railway industry InnoTrans is the ideal platform for improving on an already good position abroad", stated Herbert Zimmermann,, General Manager of the Electric Railways and Vehicles Division of the association representing the electrical engineering and electrical industry Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektroindustrie e.V.

Successful debuts for Interiors and Tunnel Construction

More than any other comparable event anywhere in the world, InnoTrans covers the entire rail sector. Moreover all the various sections of the display were even larger this year than they were in 2004. The sections dealing with Railway Technology, Railway Infrastructure and Public Transport have expanded significantly and occupied additional halls. The Railway Infrastructure and Public Transport sections, each with some 300 exhibitors, offered an unparalleled range of products. The new sections, Interiors and Tunnel Construction, also made a successful start.

An even greater international dimension

Once again it was the foreign exhibitors who accounted for most of the increase in the display area. The exhibitors from outside Europe at InnoTrans 2006 included companies from Australia, China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, Israel, Canada and the USA. Firms from Bahrain, Brazil, Greece, India, Iran, South Africa and the Ukraine were represented at InnoTrans for the first time. The strong international component at InnoTrans was also reflected by the 17 national joint stands, organised by industry associations, chambers of commerce and export promotion organisations.

There was also a further increase in the number of foreign trade visitors, who accounted for 38 per cent of the total (a six per cent rise compared with 2004). They consisted predominantly of buyers from Eastern Europe and Asia. The general consensus at InnoTrans was that the rail sector is booming.

All available space on the rail tracks and open air grounds was occupied

InnoTrans has a unique feature that gives it an added advantage - the rail track and open air grounds, ideally linked to the rest of the fair. The 20,000 square metres of open air display space adjoining the halls had twice the number bookings compared with two years ago. All 2,000 metres of track, used for the presentations of locomotives and rolling stock, were occupied.

InnoTrans Convention - an outstanding forum for decision-makers

International and with high-ranking participants, these were the characteristics not only of this year's InnoTrans but also of its specialist supporting programme. At the heart of this concentrated programme was the InnoTrans Convention, which was based on three main components, the Dialogue Forum, the European and Asian Rail Summit and the International Tunnel Forum.

The Dialogue Forum focused on innovative trends in rail transport, future financing of public transport, customer requirements with regard to modern communications systems, and the International Railway Industry Standard. The organisers were the German transport associations Deutsche Verkehrsforum and Verband Deutscher 3/4 Verkehrsunternehmen (VDV), the Union of European Railway Industries (UNIFE) and the organisation representing the German rail industry, Verband der Bahnindustrie in Deutschland (VDB).

Transport ministers and the director generals of European and Asian transport companies, as well as members and observers from the organisation for inter-railway cooperation (OSShD), again met at the European and Asian Rail Summit at InnoTrans. Invitations to attend the EARS were extended by the German Federal Minister of Transport, Construction and Urban Development (BMVBS), Wolfgang Tiefensee, and the Chairman of the Board of Deutsche Bahn AG, Hartmut Mehdorn. The event was jointly organised by the Governing Mayor of Berlin and the German rail industry association Verband der Bahnindustrie in Deutschland (VDB).

The International Tunnel Forum presented a programme of subject matter to accompany the new specialist section of the fair, Tunnel Construction, and was organized by Studiengesellschaft fur unterirdische Verkehrsanlagen e.V., STUVA. The 5th Public Transport Forum was also held during InnoTrans.

Large Platform Party on the southern section of the Exhibition Grounds

During the coming weekend a large Platform Party is being held on the open air grounds at InnoTrans, where visitors can admire the latest locomotives and trains from around the world, and there will be many other attractions for the whole family too.

InnoTrans 2008 will take place from 23 to 26 September on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.

More statements about InnoTrans

"Our traditional markets are, of course, in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and countries bordering them such as Hungary and Poland. However, some of our members have already conducted business with Norway, Finland and France. InnoTrans has served us as a reliable platform where we and our members can become even more widely known." Peter Milo, General Manager of the Slovakian Federation of Railway Technology Manufacturers and Repairers, AVOKOV

"InnoTrans is famous and of global importance for the export of Chinese railway products. Virtually all the world's firms are gathered here." Gu Jianqiang, Project Manager, Railway Business Division, China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation

"InnoTrans is an important platform for our communication with the market. At this globally significant trade fair for rail transport technology we are presenting our innovative suspension concept and underlining our expertise as an international development partner." Jens Fechner, Director Marketing Services, ContiTech AG

"We believe that the use of road-rail vehicles will acquire increasing importance over the next few years. That is why InnoTrans 2006 is an outstanding platform for presenting our product range to an audience of international experts." Holger Doth, Sales Manager, Road-Rail Vehicles, DaimlerChrysler AG

"In addition to establishing contacts with new customers InnoTrans is, to an increasing extent, becoming an excellent platform for us to cultivate contacts with clients. This year, for example, we have received more orders for repair work and retrofitting." Andreas Becker, General Manager, EPHY-MESS Gesellschaft fur Elektro- Physikalische Messgerate mbH

"InnoTrans: a top fair. We are delighted. Major manufacturers and many trade visitors from Asia too have been very interested in our new wastewater treatment system for train toilets. Provisional contracts have already been signed here with a number of customers." Robert Gigengack, Sales Director Europe, EVAC Train Division

"Our first presentation at InnoTrans as a new member of the Russian Transmashholding was a complete success. Our new Protos train concept in particular met with a great deal of interest. On the basis on in-depth discussions we are very confident of obtaining further orders after the fair." Eberhard Mann, Member of the Design and Development Board, FTD Fahrzeugtechnik Dessau AG

"This is the third InnoTrans at which PESA has been represented and it has yielded many promising contacts with companies all over the world. Our traditional sales markets in Poland itself, and in Lithuania, the Ukraine and Russia, could soon be joined by countries in Asia and the Middle East." Aleksander Asztemborski, Marketing Manager Rail Vehicles PESA

"For us as a traditional medium-sized company from Brandenburg InnoTrans also forms a bridgehead to the expanding markets of Eastern Europe, and the discussions that we held with their representatives were not only interesting but also contained much of substance." Andreas Radam, General Manager, RWS Railway Service GmbH

"It is very important for us to have a presence at InnoTrans. If you are not here, you simply don't exist." Martin Subert, Sales Area Manager Skoda Transportation s.r.o.

"I am already familiar with InnoTrans as a visitor but this time we are exhibiting here for the first time. The organisation is excellent and impressive and we are confident that this, the world's largest trade fair, is the ideal platform for us to achieve tangible success with our new products." Dmitry Georgievich Komissarov, Chairman of the Board of Transmashholding

"For us as designers InnoTrans is unrivalled as a trendsetter. In addition to systems companies and operators our services are now being sought by the manufacturers of components too. Moreover this year we even had many promising discussions with representatives of other carriers." Thomas Konig, Member of the Board of TRICON Design AG

"In a single day at InnoTrans 2006 Unilok has made more good contacts than in five years of direct marketing." Owen T. McConn, Chairman Unilokomotive Limited

This and other press releases can be found on the internet at www.innotrans.com.