Asia – Page 5
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Metro Report InternationalOpenings add 48 km to Shenyang metro
CHINA: The 34 km cross-city metro Line 4 and a 14·2 km southbound extension of Line 2 opened in Shenyang on September 29. The north-to-south Line 4 links Zhengxin Lu to Chuangxin Lu. Construction of the city’s fifth metro line started in November 2015. The Line ...
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NewsCRRC signs Kazakhstan locomotive agreement
KAZAKHSTAN: A US$1·3bn framework agreement for CRRC to supply national railway KTZ with up to 200 main line and shunting locomotives was announced after Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met the Chinese manufacturer’s President Sun Yongcai at the Third Belt & Road Forum in Beijing. The October ...
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NewsUzbekistan plans South Korean train order
UZBEKISTAN: National Railway UTY is to buy six inter-city electric multiple-units from Hyundai Rotem in 2023-26. The planned order was announced via presidential decree on October 10 after a Uzbek delegation visited South Korea. It is to be financed through a €185m 35-year loan from South ...
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NewsTesting starts on next phase of Hokuriku Shinkansen
JAPAN: Trial running has started on the next section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, which is scheduled to open for revenue service on March 16 2024.
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NewsLuxury cruise train to link Uzbekistan’s Silk Road cities
UZBEKISTAN: Italian luxury hospitality company Arsenale has announced plans to launch a luxury cruise train to take tourists between Toshkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva from late 2026. A memorandum of understanding for the project was signed with national railway UTY and the government’s Tourism Committee in ...
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NewsDhaka – Bhanga railway across the Padma Bridge opens
BANGLADESH: The 82 km line from Dhaka to Bhanga via the 6·2 km Padma Bridge was inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on October 10, ahead of the start of commercial services on November 1. The Prime Minister said the inauguration of the line marks a ...
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Metro Report InternationalInnovative construction methods to be used to build Singapore metro extension
SINGAPORE: Land Transport Authority marked the start of construction of the Cross Island Line — Punggol Extension with a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the future Riviera station on October 10. The 7·3 km CPE will have four stations at Punggol, Riviera, Elias (provisional name), ...
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NewsTurkish treasury to extend support for TCDD
TURKEY: The national treasury is to continue to fund budget deficits run up by state railway infrastructure manager TCDD for a further 10 years until the end of 2033, according to a presidential decree published in the state gazette on October 6. The existing agreement on ...
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NewsUzbekistan Railways orders Škoda electric trains
UZBEKISTAN: National railway UTY has awarded Škoda Group a €320m contract to supply 30 electric multiple-units. The four-car EMUs will be similar to 1 520 mm gauge units which Škoda is supplying to Latvia and Estonia. Features will include ergonomic seating, air-conditioning, wi-fi and external and ...
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NewsGuangzhou – Shanwei high speed line opens
CHINA: A 240 km east-west high speed line connecting Guangzhou Dong station with Shanwei opened on September 26. Extra tracks have been laid alongside the existing four-track alignment over the 53 km from Guangzhou Dong to a junction east of Xintang, where the new line diverges. ...
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Metro Report InternationalDomestically developed tram technology on test
SOUTH KOREA: Domestically-developed articulation technology for low-floor trams has been produced by a consortium of Daejeon Transportation Corp, Hyunwoo Systems, Korea Testing Institute for Industrial Technology, Hyundai Rotem and Shinhyung E&G. The project which aims to remove the need to import equipment began in April 2021, ...
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Metro Report InternationalIslamabad holds light rail talks
PAKISTAN: The Capital Development Authority has met with Chinese railway officials to discuss the potential development of a light rail system in Islamabad. Four possible lines were considered by CDA and two routes have been selected for further development. The first would run for 30·5 km ...
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NewsTurkic states meet to promote Middle Corridor
ASIA: The Organization of Turkic States is assessing the potential for increasing Eurasian rail freight traffic and boosting the Middle Corridor transit route.
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In depthAsia-Pacific: Riding a tidal wave of digital transformation
Railways across the Asia-Pacific region are grappling with the challenges of digitalisation, but the UN believes that taking a co-ordinated approach and establishing partnerships within a regional ecosystem offers the prospect of greater benefits. Raghu Dayal reports.
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NewsWhoosh opens as the fastest railway in southeast Asia
INDONESIA: The 142·3 km Jakarta – Bandung high speed line, now branded as Whoosh, was officially inaugurated by President Joko Widodo on October 2. This follows the launch of a limited free trial service during September, which the President said would continue until the start of revenue ...
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Metro Report InternationalSuspended monorail with glass floor opens in China
CHINA: The Optics Valley Skyrail suspended monorail has opened in Wuhan, with glass-floored vehicles giving passengers a view downwards as well as sideways. The 10·5 km first phase of the line, which is primarily aimed at tourists, runs from Jiufengshan in Jiufeng National Forest Park to Longquanshan. ...
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NewsGyumri – Vanadzor passenger service restarts after 13 years
ARMENIA: South Caucasus Railway has restarted local passenger services between Gyumri, Shirakamut and Vanadzor with the launch of a trial daily train each way. The Russian Railways subsidiary operates the Armenian network under a long-term concession agreement. The 65 km route forms ...
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Metro Report InternationalTunnel dust collection train designed to clear the air
SOUTH KOREA: Korea Railroad Research Institute has developed a train which can remove fine dust from metro tunnels to improve the air quality for passengers. The train was unveiled at KRRI’s research centre in Osong on August 31, at an event which included representatives of 50 ...
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NewsKazakh hydrogen loco co-operation
KAZAKHSTAN: National railway KTZ and Wabtec have signed a framework agreement for the production of hydrogen locomotives and the creation of an engineering centre at the LKZ loco factory in Astana. It was signed on September 17 when Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discussed plans for the ...
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Metro Report InternationalTesting begins on Seoul GTX Line A
SOUTH KOREA: Test running has started on a 28 km section of Line A on the Great Train Express commuter rail network in Seoul. The first test run starting at Suseo station on September 21 was attended by Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure & ...