All Railway Gazette International articles in April 2018 – Page 5
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Metro Report InternationalNTU Singapore to test GRT autonomous vehicles
SINGAPORE: Dutch autonomous vehicle technology company 2getthere has signed a memorandum of understanding to deploy its Group Rapid Transit autonomous vehicles at the Nanyang Technological University campus in partnership with SMRT Services. The bidirectional GRT vehicles use ‘magnetic pellets’ on the road for navigation and have a maximum speed of ...
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Metro Report InternationalSiC traction converter offers energy saving
SWEDEN: Bombardier Transportation has demonstrated a silicon carbide Mitrac TC1500 traction converter on a Stockholm metro C20 trainset, as part of a research programme to investigate the potential for SiC devices to lower energy consumption and noise. The programme supported by the Swedish Energy Agency was led by Bombardier and ...
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NewsVirtual reality rail safety videos
UK: EON Reality has developed a set of 360 VR safety films for infrastructure manager Network Rail. These deliver information through a combination of story-driven scenes based on real scenarios and interviews with family members and experts. The videos are designed to be much more immersive than a PowerPoint presentation ...
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Metro Report InternationalHamilton LRT request for proposals issued
CANADA: Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx have issued a request for proposals to the three groups shortlisted for the contract to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Hamilton Light Rail Transit project. The Hamilton LRT project is to be undertaken using IO’s Alternative Financing & Procurement DBFOM model. The east–west ...
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NewsAlger metro extensions open
ALGERIA: The single metro line in Alger has been extended at each end, with the official opening by President Abdelaziz Boutefli on April 9 of a 1·7 km extension from Tafourah-Grande Poste to Place des Martyrs and a 3·7 km branch from Haï El Badr to Ain Naadja. Revenue services ...
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Metro Report InternationalVossloh audits Le Havre tramway track condition
FRANCE: Vossloh Rail Services has completed an audit of the condition of the track on the Le Havre tramway on behalf of Transdev company CTPO which operates the network. Vossloh combined its latest measurement and testing technology with ‘high performance’ analysis software it has developed. The results provided the operator ...
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NewsVIA Rail begins procurement of new Québec – Windsor fleet
CANADA: National passenger operator VIA Rail formally launched the process to procure a new fleet of trainsets for the Québec City – Windsor corridor when it issued a request for qualifications on April 16. Following the government’s allocation of funding in the 2018 federal budget announced in March, VIA Rail ...
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NewsBudapest – Esztergom electric services begin
HUNGARY: Regular electric services on the Budapest – Esztergom route began on April 9, building on a single daily electric train between Piliscsaba and Budapest Nyugati which had been operating on a trial basis since the December 2017 timetable change. Some services are still operated using diesel multiple-units, with ...
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NewsFreight restructuring as SNCF reforms push ahead
FRANCE: Visiting the port of Bonneuil-sur-Marne on April 16, Prime Minister Eduard Phillippe, Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot and Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne announced a series of measures to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of SNCF’s rail freight business. The package includes increased support for intermodal transport and a ‘remission’ of ...
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NewsNürnberg metro trainsets under construction
GERMANY: The first painted car body for a batch of 21 four-car Type G1 metro trainsets ordered by Nürnberg transport operator VAG has been completed at Siemens’ plant in Wien. The trainsets were ordered in December 2015 at cost of €164m and are scheduled to be delivered at the end ...
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NewsKeolis restructures to meet ‘strategic challenges’
KEOLIS: French transport group Keolis announced a ‘significant’ changes to its corporate structure and board on April 17, including the creation of a New Mobilities business unit. ‘Keolis needs to be able to improve its overall operational, environmental and financial performance, in order to offer its public transport authorities the ...
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NewsUzbekistan backs Afghan rail proposal
AFGHANISTAN: Uzbekistan has pledged to provide US$500m to part-fund the construction of a 657 km railway from Mazar-i-Sharif to Herat, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Finance said following an international conference on Afghanistan held in Toshkent on March 26-27. The proposed line would be an extension of the existing 75 km route ...
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Metro Report InternationalMünchen tests metro navigation app
GERMANY: An app designed to help visually impaired passengers navigate around metro stations is being tested by München transport operator MVG at Münchner Freiheit station. Bluetooth beacons provide location details, enabling the user to receive position-specific information including the best routes to lifts, exits and platforms, as well as departure ...
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NewsHaramain High Speed Rail market study commissioned
SAUDI ARABIA: Haramain High Speed Rail project concessionaire Al-Shoula Consortium has appointed Royal HaskoningDHV to carry out a detailed market study for the line. This is intended to help Saudi Railways Organization predict passenger numbers and needs, and support the development of targeted operations strategies to offer the most ...
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Metro Report InternationalTo Ilkley Moor by MaaS
UK: The West Yorkshire Combined Authority is investigating the concept of Mobility as a Service, which could lead to the development of an app or website enabling users to plan, book and pay for multi-modal travel through a single account, providing an easy alternative to the private car. Users would ...
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NewsHydrogen locomotive on the Liliputbahn
AUSTRIA: To support its development of a hydrogen fuel cell for use on locomotives, Railway Competence Certification is undertaking a proof-of-concept demonstration on the 381 mm gauge Liliputbahn miniature railway in Wien’s Prater park. Hydrogenics has supplied the fuel cell, which is connected to the battery of a TEMO ...
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NewsStadler signs Slovenian multiple-unit contract
SLOVENIA: Stadler formally signed its first contract in Slovenia on April 17, a €170m deal to supply 26 multiple-units to national railway Slovenske Železnice. Stadler had been the sole bidder for the contract, which covers 11 Flirt multi-system electric multiple-units, five Flirt diesel-electric multiple-units and 10 Kiss double-deck EMUs. Deliveries ...
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NewsSENER to design Porto light rail extension
PORTUGAL: Engineering consultancy SENER has been appointed to undertake detailed design for the planned Metro do Porto light rail Line G. The 2·8 km route would run underground from Boavista/Casa da Música to Praça da Liberdade, with a total of four stations. SENER said the station at Praça da Liberdade ...
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NewsMasabi and Chalo target Indian transport ticketing market
INDIA: A partnership to offer mobile fare collection and journey planning technology in the Indian market was announced by Masabi and Chalo on April 18. Indian journey planning and ticketing company Chalo (previously called Zophop) is to integrate UK-based mobile ticketing and software-as-a-service supplier Masabi’s Justride Mobile Ticketing SDK into ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
GB Railfreight has awarded Alstom a 12-year contract worth £15m to maintain 12 Class 92 locomotives used on Caledonian Sleeper services. The work will be undertaken at Alstom's Wembley depot, securing employment for a production team of five people plus a number of support roles. 'Our new contract with GBRf ...