All Railway Gazette International articles in August 2016
All articles published this month.
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NewsRail freight news in brief
CSX has launched the Queen City Express service between the Port of Wilmington and CSX’s intermodal terminal in Charlotte, North Carolina. Far East Land Bridge is to open an office in Milano to support the development of freight trains between Italy and China. A weekly eastbound intermodal service with ...
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NewsSecond metro line opens in Incheon
SOUTH KOREA: Revenue services on the second metro line in Incheon started at 05.30 on July 30. The 29·1 km Line 2 links Geomdan Oryu in the north with Unyeon in the south. Construction started on June 26 2009. Of the 27 stations, five are above ground. The combined ...
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NewsPanda train marks Chengdu Line 3 opening
CHINA: A panda-themed train marked the start of passenger service on the fourth line of the Chengdu metro on July 31. The interior featured panda motifs, including handles shaped like panda heads, poles painted to resemble bamboo and footprints on the floor. In addition, the announcements are made using a ...
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NewsJapanese loan to fund Colombo light rail project
SRI LANKA: The Japanese government is to provide a soft loan for the construction of a light rail network in Colombo. The announcement by Western Region Megapolis Project Chairman Ajita de Costa followed the visit of a Japanese delegation led by Vice Minister for Economy, Trade & Industry Hirofumi Katase ...
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NewsDeveloping stronger steels
EVRAZ: Russian steel maker Evraz will use the InnoTrans exhibition to highlight its export business; the company says it plans to export more than 100 000 tonnes of rail from its Novokuznetsk works in Siberia this year.The Novokuznetsk rolling mill was extensively refurbished in 2013, and since then Evraz has ...
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NewsRio de Janeiro metro Line 4 opens to carry Olympic participants
BRAZIL: Vice President Michel Temer, Rio de Janeiro state governor Luiz Fernando Pezão and Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes attended the opening ceremony for the city’s third metro line on July 30. Line 4 serves the Olympic Village, and will only be used by athletes and spectators until September 17, when ...
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News'Brexit': no rush for change
The result of the UK's referendum on its membership of the European Union sent shockwaves across Europe. Yet while the UK's relationship with the EU will never be the same again, the short-term implications for the European railway sector should not be so dramatic.
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NewsHyperloop Transportation and DB announce prototype innovation train
GERMANY: Hyperloop Transportation Technologies and Deutsche Bahn have announced a plan to create a prototype ‘innovation train’ as a showcase for the use of digital technologies. JumpStarter company HTT said its work on the Hyperloop concept of passenger-carrying capsules running in evacuated tubes had led to the development of ‘digital ...
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NewsCarajás branch completed
BRAZIL: Tracklaying on the 101 km branch from the Carajás Railroad main line to Vale SA’s S11D mining project has been substantially finished, the company announced on July 29. Construction locomotives are now able to traverse the entire length of the line. Completion of the branch from the junction near ...
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NewsCAF awarded Brussels metro train contract
BELGIUM: Brussels city transport operator STIB has awarded CAF a 12-year framework contract for the supply of metro trainsets. The agreement announced on August 2 covers a firm order for an initial 43 trainsets worth €353m to be delivered from 2019, with the option for STIB to order up to ...
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NewsMetrolinx orders 125 Bombardier BiLevel coaches
CANADA: Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area transport agency Metrolinx has exercised options worth C$428m for a further 125 Bombardier BiLevel double-deck coaches to accommodate expected ridership growth at GO Transit, the manufacturer announced on August 2. Production at Bombardier’s Thunder Bay plant is scheduled to run from the second quarter ...
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NewsSutton resignalling contract awarded
UK: Network Rail has awarded Siemens Rail Automation the contract for the Victoria 2 resignalling project, which will see control of the 750 V DC third rail electrified suburban routes serving Sutton and Wimbledon in south London transferred to the Rail Operating Centre at Three Bridges. Siemens is to supply ...
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NewsSurbana Jurong acquires SMEC
SMEC: Singapore-based urban development consultancy Surbana Jurong announced its acquisition of 100% of Australian infrastructure consultancy SMEC Holdings for S$400m on August 1. The combined business has revenue of S$1·1bn, with 9 800 employees in more than 95 offices across 40 countries in Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Africa and ...
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News‘Brexit’ uncertainty hits Eurostar business
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar has reported a ‘challenging’ second quarter of 2016, with passenger numbers down 3% on the same period the previous year to 2·7 million, and sales revenues 10% lower at £208m. There was a ‘slowdown in business travel’ in the run-up to the ...
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NewsNoida Metro signs operational assistance agreement
INDIA: Noida Metro Rail Corp and Delhi Metro Rail Corp signed a memorandum of understanding on July 29 covering operations and maintenance assistance. DMRC will provide assistance in the run-up to opening of the metro line and in the first three years of commercial operation, which is due to ...
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NewsGreat Western Railway orders more Hitachi trainsets
UK: Franchised passenger operator Great Western Railway and leasing company Eversholt Rail confirmed an order for an additional seven electro-diesel trainsets from Hitachi Rail Europe on August 3. The new trainsets will be built at Hitachi Rail Italy’s Pistoia plant. They are in addition to the 57 trainsets which Hitachi ...
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NewsPrivate operator awarded subsidised long-distance passenger contract
CZECH REPUBLIC: The Ministry of Transport announced on August 1 that it had directly-awarded private company GW Train Regio a 10-year contract to operate fast services on the 157 km Plzeň – Most route R16 from December 2016. Services are currently provided by national operator ČD. GWTR would be the ...
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NewsALE delivers Saudi trainset
SAUDI ARABIA: Specialist heavy-lift logistics company ALE has delivered the first two of the six trainsets which Saudi Railway Co has ordered from CAF for use on the North–South line. In the latest shipment, the nine coaches and two 100 tonne diesel-electric locomotives forming one complete trainset were delivered from ...
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NewsLittle Snow Leopard arrives in Changchun
CHINA: The first train for the Changchun metro was presented to the city on August 2. Nicknamed Little Snow Leopard, the six-car Type B set is the first of 22 that CRRC Changchun is supplying for the city’s first metro line. According to the city administration, the white exterior livery ...
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NewsBrussels metro CBTC contract awarded
BELGIUM: Brussels city transport operator STIB has awarded the French subsidiary of Ansaldo STS a framework contract for the design, supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of communications-based train control and automatic train supervision equipment for metro lines 1, 2, 5 and 6. An initial €88m firm contract covering east–west lines ...