Asia – Page 5
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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 & ...
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Metro Report InternationalXi’an metro Line 1 extension opens
CHINA: The third phase of Xi’an metro Line 1 opened on September 21, running from Fenghesenlingongyuan to Xianyang Xi Railway Station. The extension is 10·6 km long with seven stations. It takes the total length of Line 1 to 42·2 km with 30 stations, opened in ...
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NewsIndonesian high speed line to be branded Whoosh
INDONESIA: The Jakarta - Bandung high speed railway is to be branded as ‘Whoosh’. Announcing the brand on September 21, the Ministry of Transportation explained that Whoosh comes from the sound of fast trains, and means Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Handal (‘Time saving, optimal operation, ...
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NewsKorail’s first ITX-Maum trainsets enter service
SOUTH KOREA: National operator Korail has put into service the first of a build of 107 inter-regional trainsets being supplied by domestic manufacturer Dawonsys. The first nine four-car EMUs were put into revenue service on September 1, following a ceremony at Taebaek on August 25 attended ...
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NewsToshiba locomotives for Taiwan on test
TAIWAN: Japanese manufacturer Toshiba has begun testing the first of 68 Class E500 electric locomotives ordered by Taiwan Railways Administration to haul inter-city passenger and freight trains.
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NewsKelani Valley rail renovation gets underway
SRI LANKA: A programme to renovate the 59 km Kelani Valley railway between Maradana and Avissawella was launched on September 7 with a ceremony at Homagama station attended by Minister of Transport, Highways & Mass Media Dr Bandula Gunawardena. Expected to take two years to complete, ...