All Railway Gazette International articles in April 2019 – Page 4
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Metro Report InternationalLéman Express cross-border EMU unveiled
EUROPE: The first completed Alstom electric multiple-unit for the Léman Express cross-border regional passenger service between Genève in Switzerland and destinations in France was unveiled at the manufacturer's Reichshoffen factory on April 10. SNCF has ordered 17 EMUs from Alstom’s Coradia Polyvalent family, known as Régiolis by the operator. The ...
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NewsUN committee backs Luxembourg Protocol
AFRICA: A committee of experts from African finance, planning and economic development ministries has endorsed the adoption of the Luxembourg Rail Protocol to encourage private investment in railway assets across the continent. Meeting in Marrakech, under the auspices of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the committee ...
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NewsBrisbane Cross River contractors selected
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland government’s Cross River Rail Delivery Authority has selected preferred bidders for the three main works packages to build and equip Brisbane’s A$5·4bn cross-city rail link. Enabling works are already underway for the 10·2 km line linking Bowen Hills with Dutton Park, and major construction ...
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Metro Report InternationalHarbin metro Line 1 extended
CHINA: An 8·6 km extension of Harbin metro Line 1 opened on April 10. The extension from Hananzhan (Harbin South railway station) to Xinjiang Street is entirely underground and adds four stations. One more station is scheduled to open at a later date. The initial section of ...
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NewsStadler Rail lists on SIX Swiss Exchange
SWITZERLAND: Trading of Stadler Rail shares on the SIX Swiss Exchange began on April 12. The offer price for the initial public offering was set at SFr38 per share, in the upper half of the announced price range of SFr33 to SFr41. This values the base offer at SFr1·33bn and ...
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NewsHupac looks to automate route planning
SWITZERLAND: Intermodal freight operator Hupac is to automate its route planning and traffic management processes using sensor data and analytics provided by ETH Zürich spin-off company Nexiot. Hupac has previously equipped wagons with Nexiot sensors which provide information on their location, impact events, border crossings and mileage every 5 min. ...
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NewsLorry load limit to boost rail freight
AFRICA: Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority and Zambia Railways Ltd expect to haul 30 000 tonnes/month of fuel from Dar es Salaam to Lusaka as a result of Tanzania’s implementation on March 1 of the East African Community Vehicle Load Control Act, which reduces the maximum weight which can be transported by ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
This month Porsche is to begin using rail to transport sports cars by rail from Germany to Chongqing in China. The company said around 80 000 cars/year are currently shipped to Guangzhou, Shanghai or Tianjin by sea, which takes 50 days; it expects to send 11% by rail with a ...
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NewsEast Coast Rail Link back on
MALAYSIA: Construction of the East Coast Rail Link to open up the country’s eastern seaboard is set to resume next month, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad announced on April 15. Contracts had been awarded in 2017 for China Communications Construction Corp to develop the 530 km ECRL linking Port Klang on ...
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Metro Report InternationalElectric bus planning joint venture formed
BUSES: Transport software company IVU Traffic Technologies and Aachen-based consultancy Ebusplan have formed a joint venture to develop software and components for battery electric buses. Based in Aachen, EBS Ebus Solutions aims to develop rostering tools tailored to the needs of electric bus fleets. The joint venture partners expect ...
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Metro Report InternationalBYD launches ‘longest electric bus’
CHINA: BYD has launched what it claims is the longest pure battery electric bus in the world at its headquarters in Shenzhen. The three-section aluminium alloy bodied K12A is 27 m long and has capacity for 250 passengers. It has a maximum speed of 70 km/h and can be ...
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NewsNordWestBahn retains Niedersachsen contract
GERMANY: Transdev-owned incumbent NordWestBahn has been confirmed as the winner of the next contract to operate Regio-S-Bahn Bremen/Niedersachsen passenger services, following an international tender called by the two Länder. The contract runs from December 2021 until December 2036. It covers routes: RS1: Bremen-Farge – Bremen Hbf – Verden/Aller; RS2: ...
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Metro Report InternationalParis to trial all-night metro operation
FRANCE: All-night service on selected metro and tram lines in Paris is to be trialled later this year, Ile-de-France President Valérie Pécresse announced on April 13. ‘To relaunch going out in Paris, I have decided to break a taboo and run transport 24 h a day’, she tweeted the ...
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NewsDB Regio awarded Elektronetz Ost contract
GERMANY: The Land of Schleswig-Holstein has awarded sole bidder DB Regio the Elektronetz Ost passenger operating contract. Running from December 2022 to December 2035, the contract covers services RB86 Lübeck – Travemünde, RE8/80 Lübeck Hbf – Hamburg Hbf and RB85 Lübeck Hbf – Puttgarden, a total of 175 route-km. There ...
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NewsSlovenian line reopens
SLOVENIA: The 49 km Grosuplje – Kočevje line reopened to freight traffic on April 12, services having ceased in 2009. Work to eliminate 51 level crossings and install barriers and lights at 30 others is scheduled for completion in 2020, when passenger services withdrawn in 1967-70 are to be reintroduced. ...
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NewsCapricorn EMU unveiled by Rhätische Bahn and Stadler
SWITZERLAND: Rhätische Bahn’s first Capricorn electric multiple-unit was unveiled at Stadler’s Altenrhein factory on April 15. The metre-gauge EMUs are branded with the Romansh name for the Alpine ibex which appears on the arms of canton Graubünden. They are scheduled to be delivered in 2019-22. The SFr361m order ...
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Metro Report InternationalBattery leasing credit line set up
USA: Proterra is working with Mitsui & Co to establish a US$200m credit facility to support a battery leasing programme, the electric bus manufacturer announced on April 16. Under the programme, a customer that purchases a Proterra bus can lease the batteries over the 12-year life-cycle of the vehicle. ...
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NewsWarri line cleared for passenger operation
NIGERIA: Federal Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi has instructed Nigerian Railway Corp to start full-scale commercial passenger operations on the 1 435 mm gauge Itakpe – Ajaokuta – Warri railway, following a three month trial of free services. The announcement followed his inspection of the railway on April 11. Instructing NRC ...
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Rail Business UKFirm orders for Hybrid PowerPacks
EUROPE: Contracts have been signed for Rolls-Royce to supply nine MTU Hybrid PowerPacks to Ireland’s Iarnród Éireann and four to UK leasing company Porterbrook. The firm orders announced on April 16 follows letters of intent announced at InnoTrans 2018. The Hybrid PowerPacks are to be delivered between May 2020 ...
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NewsLänderbahn awarded first Czech operating contract
CZECH REPUBLIC: The Ústí nad Labem regional authority has awarded Netinera subsidiary Länderbahn its first passenger train operating contract entirely within the Czech Republic. The contract runs for 10 years from December 2019. It covers the operation of local passenger services on routes U12 RB Osek – Most – Louny ...