Australasia – Page 17
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NewsThree bidders prequalify for Perth EMU order
AUSTRALIA: The government of Western Australia has prequalified three bidders for a contract to supply up to 41 six-car electric multiple-units for the Transperth network serving Perth: Alstom Transport Australia;the Momentum West consortium of CAF and UGL;a consortium of EDI Rail and Bombardier Transportation. The government expects to select ...
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NewsMernda extension completed
AUSTRALIA: A public open day on August 19 marked the official completion of an 8 km extension of Melbourne’s South Morang Line to Mernda, with around 6 000 local residents invited to sample a shuttle service on the route. Regular services are due to begin running with the introduction of ...
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Metro Report InternationalMernda extension completed
AUSTRALIA: A public open day on August 19 marked the official completion of an 8 km extension of Melbourne’s South Morang Line to Mernda, with around 6 000 local residents invited to sample a shuttle service on the route. Regular services are due to begin running with the introduction of ...
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Metro Report InternationalWellington trolleybuses to be converted to battery operation
NEW ZEALAND: The Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority is giving a NZ$763 000 grant for the conversion of 50 Wellington trolleybuses to battery power. Bus operator NZ Bus is to install fast-charging stations at the Karori and Kilbirnie depots, and the converted buses are expected to enter service at ...
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Rail Business UKWorld rail freight news round-up
Nurminen Logistics plans to launch a regular container train service from the port of Helsinki to China via Russia and Kazakhstan in the final quarter of this year. The company reports that demand for Finnish railway transport services grew considerably in H1 2018, boosted by container transport from Finland to ...
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NewsCoastal Pacific service to restart in December
NEW ZEALAND: KiwiRail’s tourist-focused Coastal Pacific service from Christchurch to Picton is to restart on December 1, two years after being suspended as a result of damage to the line caused by the 7·8 magnitude Kaikoura earthquake of November 14 2016. Infrastructure repairs allowed the Main North Line to be ...
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NewsVictoria orders more Alstom EMUs
AUSTRALIA: Transport for Victoria has awarded Alstom a €60m contract to supply a further five X’Trapolis electric multiple-units to increase capacity on Melbourne’s 1 600 mm gauge suburban network. Each of the 145 m long six-car 1·5 kV DC EMUs will have a capacity of 1 238 passengers, with ‘enhanced’ ...
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NewsDriverless heavy haul train completes first iron ore delivery
AUSTRALIA: Rio Tinto completed its first iron ore delivery using a driverless train on July 10. The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator had granted approval on May 16, and full commercial operation is planned for late 2018. The fully-loaded autonomous train with three locomotives carried 28 000 ...
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Metro Report InternationalAlstom awarded Sydney metro maintenance contract
AUSTRALIA: Metro Trains Sydney has awarded Alstom a 15-year contract to maintain the 22 six-car Metropolis automated trainsets, Urbalis 400 CBTC and point machines which the company is supplying for the 36 km Sydney Metro Northwest project. Alstom is to deploy its HealthHub maintenance platform, which is designed around condition-based ...
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Rail Business UKInvestor sees 'interesting opportunity' in rail revenue technology
SEATFROG: Venture capital investor Octopus Ventures has led a £4·5m Series A funding round at Seatfrog, which has developed mobile auction technology enabling passengers to upgrade train and airline seats until the time of departure. Existing investors including Howzat Partners also participated. Octopus Ventures partner Luke Hakes will join the ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
A part of government proposals to provide a more level playing field for rail freight, Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail and DB Cargo are to test the operation of 740 m trains on the Brabant line between Sloe and Dillingen in August. Increasing train length from the current maximum of ...
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NewsQueensland invests in Maryborough upgrade
AUSTRALIA: Visiting the Downer Rail rolling stock plant at Maryborough on June 26, Queensland’s Minister for Transport & Main Roads Mark Bailey announced that the state government is providing a A$10m grant for infrastructure improvements to support work on a range of refurbishment projects for Queensland Rail. The grant is ...
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NewsNew South Wales transport budget
AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales government has allocated A$14·4bn towards public transport in its state budget for 2018. Maintenance of the Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink Intercity networks has been allocated A$1·5bn, and signalling and train control upgrades are in line for A$880m. Fleet procurement funding includes A$496m for the ...
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Metro Report InternationalElectric buses ordered for Christchurch
NEW ZEALAND: Christchurch bus operator Red Bus has ordered three Enviro200EV battery buses from a joint venture of Alexander Dennis and battery supplier BYD. The 12 m long buses will have a capacity of 60 passengers and will be air-conditioned. Due to be delivered in March, the vehicles ...
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Metro Report InternationalParramatta light rail project approved
AUSTRALIA: The first stage of the Parramatta light rail project has received planning approval, Transport for New South Wales announced on May 30. ‘This is an exciting time for the people of Parramatta and for visitors to this fantastic part of Sydney’, said NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Construction and ...
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NewsFortescue plans rail link to fourth mine
AUSTRALIA: Around 143 km of new railway is to be built in the Pilbara region of Western Australia as part of a A$1·7bn development programme announced by Fortescue Metals Group Chief Executive Elizabeth Gaines on May 28. The extension from the Solomon Hub will connect the group’s planned Western Hub ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
From June 1, Russia's FESCO Transportation Group is to offer a transit time of 15 days between Busan and Moscow, an improvement on the 21-23 days currently offered. The acceleration has largely been achieved by reducing transhipment time at the port of Vladivostok and by faster transit times on the ...
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NewsWollongong training centre inaugurated
AUSTRALIA: The Australian Research Council’s Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Rail Track Infrastructure at the University of Wollongong was officially opened by federal Minister for Education & Training Simon Birmingham on May 23. Intended to develop the next generation of track and infrastructure engineers, ITTC Rail will ...
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NewsRio Tinto’s automated trains approved
AUSTRALIA: Rio Tinto has been granted accreditation by Australia’s Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator, approving the autonomous operation of iron ore trains in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, the group announced on May 18. Confirming that the AutoHaul project is ‘on schedule to be completed by the ...
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NewsFunding package to boost TasRail infrastructure
AUSTRALIA: The federal government has allocated A$59·8m for the Tasmanian Freight Rail Revitalisation ProgrammeAs part of its latest budget, matching a similar commitment from the state. The A$119·6m Tranche Two of TasRail’s Infrastructure Investment Fund is intended to support infrastructure rehabilitation and enhancement works over a four-year period from June ...