All Railway Gazette International articles in August 2017
All articles published this month.
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NewsTrafikverket unveils 12-year investment plan
SWEDEN: Transport infrastructure authority Trafikverket formally launched its 2018-29 national plan on August 31, submitting its spending proposals to the government and starting a three-month public consultation process. Formal adoption of the plan is expected in the spring of 2018. The national plan covers state-owned infrastructure for all modes, including ...
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NewsVR orders double-deck coaches
FINLAND: National operator VR has awarded Škoda Transportation subsidiary Transtech Oy a €50m order to supply a further 20 Type Ed double-deck coaches as an option on a contract signed in 2015. Production is scheduled to begin next year, for delivery in 2019. Maisa Romanainen, Senior Vice-President of Passenger Services ...
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NewsEntroncamento – Badajoz passenger service reinstated
PORTUGAL: National operator CP reinstated a daily return passenger service on the 141 km Eastern Line between Entroncamento and the Spanish city of Badajoz on August 29, using Allan diesel railcars built in the 1950s and refurbished by EMEF Contumil in the early 2000s. Passenger services on the route had ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
London Waterloo fully reopened on August 29 following what Network Rail described as ‘one of the largest and most complex upgrades in the station’s history'. However owing to ‘safety critical work to test the signalling taking slightly longer than planned’ following a collision on August 15, there was extensive disruption ...
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NewsEgyptian National Railways plans to form stand-alone freight business
EGYPT: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development has invited expressions of interest in a contract to assist Egyptian National Railways with the planned conversion of its freight business into a stand-alone subsidiary company. The intention is that this would have managerial independence and operate through commercial relationships with the ...
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NewsTuran Express launches subsidised Almaty passenger services
KAZAKHSTAN: Private company Turan Express has begun operating local passenger services from Kapshagai and Uzynagash to Almaty on behalf of the city authority. Following the failure of two privately funded attempts to introduce services on Almaty – Kapshagai corridor, the local authority decided to call tenders for the operation of ...
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NewsWork begins on Limmattalbahn light rail project
SWITZERLAND: President Doris Leuthard attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Limmattalbahn light rail project at Schlieren near Zürich on August 28. Preparatory work began on August 2 for the first phase of the route, which is due to open between Altstetten in Zürich and Geissweid in Schlieren to the ...
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NewsHigh speed to Extremadura in 2019
SPAIN: The Ministry of Development says that it remains on course to open in 2019 the first section of the high speed line between Madrid and Badajoz, in the Extremadura region close to the border with Portugal. With tracklaying now in progress, the first section to enter service with diesel ...
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NewsMumbai metro Line 4 receives AIIB funding
INDIA: The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is to provide US$500m towards the estimated US$2·22bn cost of the metro Line 4 project in Mumbai. To be delivered by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, the project is due to be completed in 2021. Line 4 would run on a ...
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NewsBearings meet tough specification and tight deadlines
MOROCCO: National operator ONCF has awarded SKF a contract to supply 15 000 passenger and freight rolling stock wheelset bearings over three years. Announcing the win on August 28, SKF said it was the only supplier which could meet ONCF’s strict technical specifications and begin delivering ready-certified bearings with a ...
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Metro Report InternationalGAZ develops electric bus prototypes for the Russian market
RUSSIA: GAZ Group is developing an upgraded prototype electric bus, which it expects to deliver to Moscow for testing in December. This follows new requirements for electric buses put together by city operator Mosgortrans following tests of various vehicles. Mosgortrans tested a prototype GAZ electric bus between January and ...
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NewsElectric locomotive arrives in Israel
ISRAEL: The first of 62 Traxx AC electric locomotives which Bombardier Transportation is building at Kassel in Germany for Israel Railways arrived at Kishon Port in Haifa on August 28, and was then transported by rail to ISR’s Kishon workshops. ISR currently has no electrified lines, but 25 kV 50 ...
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NewsHS2 Ltd begins procurement of London stations construction partners
UK: The process to appoint the Construction Partners for High Speed 2’s London Euston and Old Oak Common stations has been formally launched by project promoter HS2 Ltd. It expects to issue invitations to tender to shortlisted bidders by the end of the year and award the contracts in autumn ...
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Metro Report InternationalMaryland Purple Line breaks ground
USA: A groundbreaking ceremony for the Purple Line in Maryland took place on August 28. The 25·7 km light rail line with 21 stops is being built between Bethesda and New Carrollton in the northern suburbs of Washington DC. The ceremony also included the signing of a $900m Full ...
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Metro Report InternationalSonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit commuter line opens
USA: Celebrations on August 25 marked the opening of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit commuter line in the North Bay area of California. T-shirts and free travel were offered on the first day, followed by half-price travel until the introduction of normal fares on September 5. SMART runs for 69 ...
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NewsSMART commuter rail line opens
USA: Celebrations on August 25 marked the opening of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District commuter line in the North Bay area of California. T-shirts and free travel were offered on the first day, followed by half-price travel until the introduction of normal fares on September 5. SMART runs for ...
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NewsBucurești metro expansion progresses
ROMANIA: București metro authority Metrorex has awarded a consortium of Metroul and Amberg Engineering an €8·4m, 22-month contract to undertake pre-feasibility and feasibility studies for a southern extension of metro Line 4. The contract winner beat a bid from a consortium of Egis Rail and BG Ingénieurs Conseils. The ...
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Metro Report InternationalKunming metro Line 3 opens
CHINA: The fourth metro line in Kunming opened at 10.00 on August 29. Trial operations on Line 3 are taking place between 06.20 and 22.45, with fares based on distance. The 23·4 km east-west route serves 20 stations between Western Hills Park and East Coach Station via ...
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NewsTank wagon telematics contract
EUROPE: Asto Telematics has been awarded a contract to equip Sasol Germany’s fleet of ethylene oxide tank wagons and tank-containers with its new aJour ATEX Compact+Sensor telematics technology. This is intended to allow Sasol to monitor wagon movements, temperature and impact forces. In the event of potential danger, an automated ...
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Metro Report InternationalNew York’s summer of hell
Welcome to ‘the summer of hell’. As if the well-documented problems at New York’s Penn Station were not enough for the city’s commuters to contend with, Subway passengers are approaching the end of their collective tether as delays and disruption continue to mount on North America’s largest metro network.