All Asia articles – Page 8
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NewsMachine vision to support autonomous trains
CHINA: US-based visual perception technology company PerceptIn has worked with rolling stock manufacturer CRRC to develop a long-range machine vision device for high speed trains which it says can automatically detect obstacles up to 1 000 m ahead, providing autonomous driving systems with the time needed to react. PerceptIn is ...
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News
Modi inaugurates Odisha enhancement works
INDIA: Visiting the eastern state of Odisha on January 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inaugurated the recently-completed electrification of two lines totalling 813 route-km. Undertaken at a cost of Rs10·9bn, the 25 kV 50 Hz wiring programme covered the north-south corridor connecting Jharsuguda to Vizianagaram via Sambalpur, Titlagarh and ...
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News
Taiwan orders 50 inter-city trainsets
TAIWAN: A NT$44·3bn contract for Hitachi to supply 50 12-car inter-city trainsets was signed by Taiwan Railway Administration and its procurement agent Bank of Taiwan on January 15. The contract covers half of the new trains to be ordered under TRA’s development plan for 2015-24. The 1 067 mm ...
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News
State approves Bangalore suburban rail network
INDIA: The Karnataka state cabinet has approved a four-route suburban railway network planned for Bangalore. Services would use dedicated tracks to serve 81 stations, including 30 elevated. The estimated Rs230·1bn cost would be funded by the central government (20%), the state government (20%) and loans from multilateral or domestic ...
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Bangladesh Railway orders Progress Rail locomotives
BANGLADESH: A contract for Progress Rail to supply 40 diesel locomotives was signed by Bangladesh Railway in Dhaka on January 14. The 1 676 mm gauge locomotives are to be supplied from the Progress Rail plant at Muncie in the USA, with deliveries scheduled to start in 24 months and ...
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News
Work starts on Mandalay – Kunming study
MYANMAR: A joint team of local and Chinese engineers has started work on ground surveys to finalise the alignment for the planned 431 km rail link from Mandalay to the Chinese border at Muse. Intended to link Myanmar with Kunming, the line is being promoted as part of the China-Myanmar ...
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News
Co-operation to promote Eurasian rail freight
INTERNATIONAL: The International Union of Railways and freight association FERRMED signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at promoting a more efficient and sustainable Eurasian logistics chain during the 23rd UIC general assembly which was held in Paris last month. The two organisations aim to exchange knowledge and best practice to ...
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News
Export drive expected as Chinese market loses momentum
CHINA: While the demand for railway technology is expected to continue at a high level for the next five years, the Chinese market has lost momentum and is not expected to grow, according to a new study by German consultants SCI Verkehr. This may put pressure on Chinese suppliers to ...
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News
‘Engineering masterpiece’ Bogibeel Bridge opens
INDIA: The country’s longest combined rail and road bridge was officially opened when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off a Northeast Frontier Railway inter-city train from Tinsukia to Naharlagun on December 25. The 4·94 km Bogibeel Bridge crosses the River Brahmaputra between the Dibrugarh and Dhemaji districts of the northeastern ...
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JR Central to test N700S at 360 km/h
JAPAN: President of Central Japan Railway Shin Kaneko announced on January 6 that the N700S prototype trainset will be tested at up to 360 km/h later this year. Running trials with the 16-car N700S prototype began in March last year, and the train has since achieved a maximum speed of ...
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News
Xinjiang coal railway inaugurated
CHINA: The 435 km Hongnao Railway in the Xinjiang region was formally opened to traffic on January 1. Approved by the National Development & Reform Commission in 2014, the line is one of the longest in China to be developed using private investment. Running from Naomaohu in the ...
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East Japan Railway tests driverless operation
JAPAN: East Japan Railway is testing automatic train operation on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, with a view to assessing the feasibility of converting routes to driverless operation. The 34·5 km circular route was selected for testing because it does not share tracks with other lines. JR East envisages that ...
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Chengde – Shenyang heads next tranche of PDL openings
CHINA: National operator China Railway Corp has launched passenger services on four more new lines, following on from the five routes that opened on December 25-26 and taking the total length of new line inaugurated this month to more than 2 500 route-km. December 29 saw the start of operation ...
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Seoul starts work on regional express network
SOUTH KOREA: Groundbreaking ceremonies for the northwestern arm of Seoul’s planned three-line Great Train Express network were held at the Kintex exhibition centre in Goyang on December 27. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure & Transport, the GTX network is intended to link outlying suburbs in the north and ...
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News
Five new lines open in two days
CHINA: Revenue services began on two more high speed lines on December 25, with another inaugurated the following day, along with two new mixed-traffic railways. First to open on December 25 was the 293 km Harbin – Mudanjiang Intercity Railway, running southeast from the capital of Heilongjiang province to a ...
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Chinese coaches to re-equip Yangon – Mandalay expresses
MYANMAR: The national parliament in Naypyitaw has approved government plans to purchase new rolling stock for Myanma Railways’ principal Yangon – Mandalay services using funding from China. The Ministry of Transport & Communications intends to procure 14 standard and 14 first class vehicles for the route, which carries more than ...
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Heavy freight locomotive delivered
AZERBAIJAN: National railway ADY has taken delivery of the first of 40 Prima T8 AZ8A twin-section 25 kV AC heavy freight locomotives ordered for use on the Baku – Tbilisi – Kars corridor. The EKZ joint venture of Alstom (75%) and Transmashholding (25%), which is based at Astana in Kazakhstan, ...
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Rail Business UK
Rail section of China to UK service extended
INTERNATIONAL: Freight forwarding company Davies Turner has extended the rail element of its Express China Rail less-than-container-load service linking Wuhan in China with the UK. Containers were previously transferred from rail to road in Warszawa, but now continue to Duisburg, from where they are sent by road under bond to ...
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LVMH buys luxury train operator
INTERNATIONAL: High-end wine, fashion, cosmetics, hotel and retail group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Belmond, which owns or manages 46 hotel, restaurant, train and cruise brands including the Venice-Simplon Orient Express , British Pullman , Royal Scotsman , Grand Hibernian , Andean ...
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Russian Railways presents platskartny modernisation concept
RUSSIA: The future look of Russian Railways’ platskartny coaches which offer the cheapest and most basic accommodation on very long-distance services was unveiled at the Transport Week exhibition and conference in Moscow last month. On show was two-window mock-up of part of a coach for visitors to inspect and ...
