All Railway Gazette International articles in April 2019 – Page 6
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Rail Business UKStagecoach disqualified from three franchises in pension dispute
UK: Stagecoach Group has been disqualified from the Department for Transport’s three current passenger franchise competitions, the company announced on April 10. Incumbent Stagecoach had been shortlisted for the East Midlands franchise, which the DfT announced on April 10 had been won by Abellio, and for the West Coast Partnership ...
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Rail Business UKBimode and hydrogen trains as Abellio wins next East Midlands franchise
UK: The Department for Transport named Abellio as the winner of the next East Midlands passenger franchise on April 10. Formal award is subject to a regulatory standstill period. The contract is due to begin on August 18 2019 and run until at least August 21 2027, with DfT having ...
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NewsReal-time insight into port’s rail traffic
NETHERLANDS: Port of Rotterdam Authority has launched the OnTrack application, which provides real-time insight into rail flows within the port and its terminals. The aim is to inform operators’ planning processes and help shippers anticipate any deviations from the schedules. At present, most terminals use their own planning system ...
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NewsGhana eastern line concession agreed
GHANA: A US$2·2bn build-operate-transfer concession agreement for the 340 km Accra – Achimota – Koforidua – Bososo – Boankra – Kumasi railway project was signed by the Ministry of Railway Development and Ghana European Railway Consortium on April 4. The agreement must now be approved by the cabinet and parliament. ...
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Metro Report InternationalNaming ceremony for Grand Paris Express TBM
FRANCE: The first tunnel boring machine to excavate metro Line 14 South of the Grand Paris Express network was named at a ceremony at Thiais on April 3. Next month, TBM Claire will start boring the initial 4·5 km section of tunnel between the future Pont de Rungis station ...
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NewsSri Lanka opens first phase of China-financed Southern Railway line
SRI LANKA: The 26·8 km Matara – Beliatta first phase of the Southern Railway project was officially opened by Minister of Transport & Civil Aviation Arjuna Ranatunga on April 8. The US$278m cost of Phase 1 was financed through a 20-year loan agreed by Export-Import Bank of China and the ...
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Metro Report InternationalMessina tramway saved from closure
ITALY: The Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport has allocated €100m for an extension and upgrade of the Messina tram line. The funding would be put towards construction of a northern extension of the route from Annunziata to serve the university. Other planned improvements to be funded by the government ...
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Metro Report InternationalMelbourne grade separation contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: The Southern Program Alliance consortium of Acciona Geotech subsidiary Coleman Rail, Lendlease and WSP has been awarded a A$536m contract for grade separation works in southeast Melbourne. The contract announced on April 1 is an extension of a A$588m contract to remove level crossings which had been won ...
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NewsPrivately backed light rail scheme progresses in Khon Kaen
THAILAND: The Prime Minister’s Office has granted approval for a proposed light rail route to be developed in Khon Kaen. Construction is expected to begin in the final quarter of 2019. The 22·6 km route would run on the median strip of the north-south main road that bisects the ...
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NewsOrlando bonds approved as Brightline becomes Virgin Trains USA
USA: Virgin Trains USA was granted approval by the Florida Development Finance Corp on April 5 to raise a further $950m in Private Activity Bond sales to fund the second phase of the inter-city passenger project formerly branded as Brightline. The announcement followed an initial sale of $1·75bn in tax-exempt ...
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NewsNew Generation Rollingstock accessibility modification contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: The government of Queensland has awarded Bombardier Transportation a A$361m contract to undertake modifications to improve the accessibility of the 75 electric multiple-units which are being introduced to the southeast Queensland rail network under the New Generation Rollingstock programme. The modified trains are expected to re-enter service from 2020 ...
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NewsTransmashholding sales up
RUSSIA: Rolling stock manufacturer Transmashholding has announced a 44% year-on-year increase in sales to 224·8bn roubles for 2018. Sales of single-deck coaches were up 62% to 696, while sales of double-deck coaches were up 59% to 65. The company launched a major project to update its range of coaches, and ...
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NewsDB tests talking robot head
GERMANY: A robot head which smiles at passengers and greets them with ‘My name is FRAnny. How can I help you?’ is being tested by Deutsche Bahn’s information technology arm DB Systel and airport operator Fraport. The initial trial is at Frankfurt airport, with trials at Berlin Hbf planned for ...
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Metro Report InternationalCubic awarded Irish mobile ticketing contract
IRELAND: The National Transport Authority has awarded Cubic Transportation Systems a contract worth more than US$4m to supply and maintain a mobile ticketing system. This will included a mobile app enabling users to purchase and present tickets for multiple operators. It is to be piloted on a number of Bus ...
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NewsThailand – Cambodia railway to open this month
ASIA: The 1·3 km cross-border rail link between Arayaprathet in Thailand and Poipot in Cambodia which was completed last year is to be opened on April 22, Thailand’s Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith told the ASEAN PPP Summit in Bangkok on April 4. Speaking to Railway Gazette International on the sidelines ...
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NewsTCDD awards soda plant link contract
TURKEY: Infrastructure manager TCDD announced on April 2 that it had awarded contracts for construction of an 18·5 km branch to a soda plant at Yenikent. The contract award to a consortium of HCA Insaat, Imaj Altyapi Ust Yapı and Efecemler Ins Nak Madencılık is valued at TL353·5m; TCDD received ...
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NewsENR orders 160 km/h Talgo trainsets
EGYPT: Egyptian National Railways has selected Talgo to supply and maintain a fleet of six 160 km/h trainsets at a total cost of around €158m, the manufacturer announced on April 7. Intended to operate inter-city services on ENR’s principal routes linking Alexandria, Cairo and Aswan, the trains ...
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NewsPresident inaugurates Tehran metro Line 6
IRAN: President Hassan Rouhani and Tehran Mayor Pirouz Hanachi inaugurated the first phase of metro Line 6 on April 7. The 9 km underground route runs south from Shohada Square, where interchange is provided with Line 4, to Dowlat Abad. One intermediate station has opened, and six ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
CFL Multimodal, RTSB and Chengdu International Railway Service Co have launched a service between Bettembourg-Dudelange in Luxembourg and Chengdu Qingbaijiang International Railway Port in China. The inaugural service left the Grand Duchy on April 4, with the containers scheduled to arrive in Chengdu on April 19. A weekly service is ...
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NewsCRRC tests ‘variable configuration’ EMU
CHINA: CRRC Tangshan has completed pre-delivery testing of a variable configuration electric multiple-unit, which is designed to be formed of two power cars and up to 16 single or double-deck coaches. The train has been designed to enable operators to configure train lengths in response to changes in passenger demand, ...