Australasia – Page 18
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Metro Report InternationalRail boost in Auckland transport plan
NEW ZEALAND: Further investment in suburban and light rail is to be funded under the NZ$28bn Auckland Transport Alignment Programme unveiled by Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Mayor Phil Goff on April 26. Described as the country's largest ever civil construction programme, ATAP 2018 is intended to ‘create a 21st ...
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NewsRail boost in Auckland transport plan
NEW ZEALAND: Further investment in suburban and light rail is to be funded under the NZ$28bn Auckland Transport Alignment Programme unveiled by Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Mayor Phil Goff on April 26. Described as the country's largest ever civil construction programme, ATAP 2018 is intended to ‘create a 21st ...
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NewsPort of Brisbane rail link study announced
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland and federal governments have agreed to jointly fund a A$1·5m independent study into improving rail freight connections between Acacia Ridge and the Port of Brisbane. This could include the construction of a dedicated freight line. To be completed in the next 12 months, the study will take ...
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NewsWaratah Series 2 EMU delivered
AUSTRALIA: The first of 24 eight-car Waratah Series 2 double-deck suburban electric multiple-units has been delivered to Sydney. The new fleet is expected to be in service by early 2019. Ordered from Downer EDI in December 2016 under the New South Wales government’s A$1·5bn ‘More Trains, More Services’ programme, the ...
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NewsRegional corridor studies to go ahead
AUSTRALIA: The federal government has selected three projects for development under the Faster Rail Prospectus announced as part of the 2017 budget. The aim of the programme is to develop proposals for faster rail services between major cities and their surrounding regions, to support ‘continued economic success’. The budget allocates ...
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NewsNapier – Wairoa reopening to handle ‘Wall of Wood’
NEW ZEALAND: Timber trains are expected to resume running by the end of this year on part of KiwiRail’s mothballed Napier – Gisborne line in the east of North Island, the operator announced on February 26. The line has been out of use for the past six years, but KiwiRail ...
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NewsSydney to get second airport rail link
AUSTRALIA: The federal and New South Wales state governments have agreed to build a rail link to serve the planned Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek, which is expected to open in 2026. Launching the Western Sydney City Deal on March 4, Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull and NSW Premier Gladys ...
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Metro Report InternationalTesting begins on Sydney’s CBD & South East Light Rail
AUSTRALIA: Testing has started on the CBD & South East Light Rail line in Sydney, Transport for New South Wales announced on February 25. Night-time testing of an Alstom Citadis X05 light rail vehicle is taking place on a section of the future network on Alison Road in Randwick. ...
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NewsFive consortia shortlisted for Cross River Rail
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland state government has shortlisted ‘a strong field of national and multinational companies’ to bid for the two main works packages to build and equip the A$5·4bn Cross River Rail link in Brisbane, Deputy Premier Jackie Trad announced on February 20. The Cross River Rail Delivery Authority invited ...
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NewsMelbourne opens elevated rail alignment
AUSTRALIA: Revenue services began operating on a new elevated alignment through the Melbourne suburb of Noble Park on February 15, when the Victoria state government’s Level Crossing Removal Authority commissioned the first section of viaduct on the Cranbourne-Pakenham line. A 2·7 km section of the city’s busiest suburban line through ...
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Metro Report InternationalSydney metro train on test
AUSTRALIA: Dynamic testing of the first Sydney metro train has started on the elevated section of the city’s future metro line. Alstom delivered the first of 22 trainsets to the Rouse Hill depot on September 26. Testing is initially taking place in that area, before being expanded to the ...
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NewsUncertainty derails Aurizon’s Galilee plans
AUSTRALIA: Prospects for the construction of rail links to serve controversial mining developments in Queensland’s Galilee Basin coal reserves have been thrown into doubt after heavy haul operator Aurizon announced on February 9 that it had decided to withdraw its application for funding from the federal government’s Northern Australia Infrastructure ...
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NewsAdelaide electrification contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: Electrification of the 40 km Adelaide – Gawler suburban route is set to resume in the coming weeks, following the award of a contract for the first phase of the A$615m project. The South Australia state government announced on January 18 that it had selected Lendlease to complete 25 ...
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NewsBallarat Line upgrading contract signed
AUSTRALIA: Upgrading and capacity enhancement works on the Melbourne – Ballarat line in Victoria are to be completed by late 2019, under a A$551·7m contract announced on January 16. Funded by the state and federal governments, as part of the A$1·6bn Regional Rail Revival initiative, the project is being managed ...
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NewsBombardier to supply more VLocity DMUs
AUSTRALIA: Bombardier Transportation has been awarded a A$146m contract to supply a further nine three-car VLocity diesel multiple-units to Transport for Victoria. Deliveries are scheduled for 2019, and will take the state’s VLocity fleet to 88 units. The 160 km/h DMUs will continue to be manufactured in Dandenong, and will ...
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Metro Report InternationalGold Coast light rail Stage 2 inaugurated
AUSTRALIA: Revenue services began running on Stage 2 of the Gold Coast light rail line on December 18, following an inauguration ceremony the previous day attended by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Transport Minister Mark Bailey and Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate. Free rides were offered to local residents and visitors ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst tram arrives in Canberra
AUSTRALIA: CAF has delivered the first of 14 trams that it is supplying for the network under construction in Canberra. The five-section vehicle was shipped from Spain in October, arriving in Port Kembla before being transported by road to the capital. CAF is part of the Canberra Metro consortium which ...
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NewsNGR EMUs ready to enter service in Brisbane
AUSTRALIA: The first of 75 New Generation Rollingstock trainsets being built by Bombardier for the Brisbane suburban network are expected to begin carrying passengers on December 11, Queensland Rail Chief Executive Officer Nick Easy confirmed on December 6. With 70% of Queensland’s population growth expected in the South-East region, the ...
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NewsNew South Wales fleet replacement advances
AUSTRALIA: Three consortia have been shortlisted for the contract to replace the NSW TrainLink regional rail fleet of XPT, Endeavour and Xplorer trains, the New South Wales state government has announced. The bidders are: Regional Futures, led by Downer; Bombardier Consortium; Momentum Trains, led by CAF. Transport for NSW ...
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NewsHigh Capacity Metro Train mock-up supports design process
AUSTRALIA: The Evolution Rail consortium of Downer, CRRC and Plenary has produced a full-scale mock up of the 65 electric multiple-units for Melbourne suburban services which it is to supply and maintain under the Victorian government’s High Capacity Metro Trains PPP contract. As part of the design process, the 39 ...