Asia – Page 18
-
NewsRENFE leases hotel trains to Turkish private operator
TURKEY: Spanish national operator RENFE is to lease two Talgo locomotive-hauled hotel trains to private tourist train operator Sun Tren for use on a luxury tourist service linking Istanbul with Cappadocia.
-
NewsTetra communications deployed on Gobi desert railway
MONGOLIA: Teltronic has deployed a Tetra communications network for the 240 route-km heavy haul railway which is under construction to link the Tavan Tolgoi coking coal mines with Gashuun Sukhait on the border with China. The Spanish company has installed a complete communications system based on ...
-
Metro Report InternationalKuching Automated Rapid Transit contract awarded
MALAYSIA: Sarawak Economic Development Corp subsidiary Sarawak Metro has selected a joint venture of EPR (Kuching), Global Rail and Mobilus for the Kuching Urban Transportation System Package 1 contract, which covers the supply of rubber-tyred hydrogen-powered Autonomous Rapid Transit vehicles, depot equipment, maintenance vehicles, platform gates ...
-
In depthMongolia: Gobi coal exports poised to switch to rail
Despite significant delays caused by the pandemic and a challenging local climate, commissioning of the infrastructure for Mongolia’s Tavan Tolgoi – Gashuun Sukhait Railway is due to start next quarter. The country’s largest current railway construction project will see exports from one of the world’s largest coking coal mines transfer from road to rail.
-
NewsJR Central Chairman Emeritus Kasai dies aged 81
JAPAN: Yoshiyuki Kasai, Chairman Emeritus of Central Japan Railway, has died at the age of 81. Kasai was instrumental in the break-up and part privatisation of Japanese National Railways in 1987. He wrote a detailed personal account of the process in a book entitled Japanese National ...
-
In depthSouth Korea: Medium speed network takes shape
Development of a ‘medium high speed network’ is now in full swing in South Korea, along with the upgrading of other corridors for both high speed and suburban traffic. Benjámin Zelki investigates.
-
NewsLTG Cargo signs Kazakh co-operation agreements
INTERNATIONAL: The Lithuanian national railway’s freight business LTG Cargo has signed its first co-operation agreements in Kazakhstan, as part of its strategy of expanding, diversifying and developing routes between Asia and Europe which avoid Russia. A co-operation agreement with the KTZ Express intermodal subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s ...
-
Metro Report InternationalMTR Corp to invest in start-ups
CHINA: MTR Corp and Hong Kong Cyberport Management Co Ltd have signed a memorandum of understanding for a two-year collaboration to invest in digital technology start-ups. The MTR Lab and Cyberport Macro Fund will select start-ups from Cyberport’s ecosystem that have potential and suit MTR’s rail ...
-
Metro Report InternationalChongqing Line 4 extended northeast
CHINA: The second phase of Chongqing Rail Transit’s Line 4opened from Tangjiatuo to Huangling on June 18, adding 32·6 route-km and 15 stations. Construction began on January 25 2019, and local media reports suggest the project set a new record for speed of construction in Chongqing. ...
-
NewsHotan – Ruoqiang opening completes Taklimakan desert loop
CHINA: The 825 km Hotan – Ruoqiang line in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region opened on June 16. In conjunction with other lines, this completes a 2 769 km railway ring around the Taklimakan desert. Construction of the non-electrified single-track railway between Hotan and Ruoqiang began ...
-
Metro Report InternationalKuala Lumpur opens first phase of Putrajaya Line
MALAYSIA: The first phase of Kuala Lumpur’s fully automated Putrajaya Line was opened on June 16, with revenue services starting at 15.00 following an inauguration ceremony at 10.00 attended by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
-
Metro Report InternationalOperator and university to collaborate on railway technology
CHINA: MTR Corp, MTR Academy and Hong Kong Polytechnic University have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore innovative railway technologies including smart asset and operations management and intelligent maintenance. The three-year partnership aims to bring together the railway expertise of MTR Corp and MTRA with ...
-
In depthHigh speed: Completing South Korea’s core network
Construction teams are at work on the final stages of South Korea’s core high speed network. Quadrupling of the busiest section of the Gyeongbu line between Pyeongtaek and Osong began earlier this year and work on the last section of the Honam line to Mokpo is due to be finished by 2025, explains Benjámin Zelki.
-
NewsFreight shippers call for rail reforms to encourage containerisation in Kazakhstan
KAZAKHSTAN: Freight forwarders, operators and wagon owners have called for reforms to facilitate the increased use of containers for domestic and international rail freight traffic. Following a recent rail industry meeting held in Almaty, logistics group PTC Holding said containerisation is a global trend, but is ...
-
Metro Report InternationalHangzhou metro expands
CHINA: Two extensions of Hangzhou metro Line 3 have opened, taking the city’s network to more than 450 km, with further expansion to 500 km planned. The extensions opened on June 10 run 22·4 km from Chaowang Road to West Wenyi Road ...
-
NewsManila South Commuter Railway financing packages approved
PHILIPPINES: The Asian Development Bank has approved a US$4·3bn loan package to finance construction of the South Commuter Railway between Manila and Calamba. Future services will offer a journey time of around half the 2½ h taken by road. The US$1·75bn first tranche is to be ...
-
In depthInterview: Korail goes in search of market share
Better on-board services and improved post-pandemic hygiene rank high among passengers’ demands, Korail President & CEO Na Hee-Seung tells Benjámin Zelki.
-
NewsThird India – Bangladesh passenger train launched
ASIA: A third India to Bangladesh passenger train was launched on June 1, as cross-border services resumed following a two-year break caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The diesel hauled Mital Express runs twice a week on a 595 km route from New Jalpaiguri in India to ...
-
Metro Report InternationalAlmaty metro extension opens
KAZAKHSTAN: A 3·1 km southwestern extension of the Almaty metro from Moskva to Bauyrzhan Momyshuly opened May 30, adding two stations and taking the line to 13·4 km. The extension is expected to increase ridership on the city’s single metro line from 45 000 to 85 ...
-
Metro Report InternationalSillim Line automatic rubber tyre metro line opens in Seoul
SOUTH KOREA: The Sillim Line rubber tyre automatic metro line linking Saetgang in Yeouido with Gwanak-gu near Seoul National University opened to passengers on May 28, after an inauguration ceremony the previous day. The 7·8 km entirely underground line offers an end-to-end ...