Australasia – Page 19
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NewsProgress Rail to acquire Downer EDI’s freight activities
AUSTRALIA: Downer EDI announced on November 21 that it had signed an agreement to sell its freight business to Progress Rail for A$109m. The sale of the freight rolling stock, aftermarket and services activities is expected to close in January. It includes customer contracts, 15 facilities including those at Malaga, ...
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NewsARA emphasises the Value of Rail
AUSRAIL: Australia’s rail industry contributed around A$26bn to the national economy in 2016, according to the Value of Rail report launched by the Australasian Railway Association at AusRail Plus on November 21. Prepared for ARA by Deloitte Access Economics, the report is intended to highlight the many ways that rail ...
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NewsSiemens to develop Queensland ETCS hub
AUSRAIL: In a ceremony during the first day of the AusRail Plus 2017 exhibition, Siemens announced on November 21 that it is investing A$4·8m to develop an ETCS technology centre in Brisbane, to support its signalling activities across Australia, New Zealand and the Southeast Asia region. The company said it ...
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NewsFaiveley Transport to supply NSW EMU subsystems
AUSTRALIA: Wabtec Corp subsidiary Faiveley Transport has been awarded contracts totalling more than US$150m to supply subsystems and maintenance services for 56 double-deck electric multiple-units which the RailConnect NSW consortium of Hyundai Rotem, UGL and Mitsubishi Electric Australia is to supply for NSW TrainLink Intercity services. Faiveley sites in Australia, ...
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NewsBattery option in Auckland order for more CAF EMUs
NEW ZEALAND: Auckland Transport and CAF signed a NZ$$133m contract on November 7 covering the supply of a further 15 three-car electric multiple-units from 2019 and the provision of eight years of maintenance. The order is being funded by NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Council. There is provision in the ...
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NewsTasRail selects freight planning software
AUSTRALIA: TasRail has awarded Biarri Rail a contract to supply its Boss MP cloud-based operations planning and scheduling software in a three-stage process which will run until early 2019. ‘If for example we have a new customer that wants to move several million tonnes of freight via rail, we ...
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Metro Report InternationalParramatta light rail Stage 2 plans announced
AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales government announced its preferred route for the second phase of the Parramatta light rail project on October 18. The 9 km preferred route would extend the network to Sydney Olympic Park, diverging from Stage 1 near Rydalmere and running north of the Parramatta River ...
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NewsRio Tinto operates first fully-autonomous test train
AUSTRALIA: Rio Tinto has successfully operated its first fully-autonomous freight train on its iron ore network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, the company announced on October 2. The 100 km pilot run from Wombat Junction to Paraburdoo was completed without a driver on board. Throughout the trip, the ...
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Metro Report InternationalSydney Metro’s first trainset arrives
AUSTRALIA: Sydney Metro announced the delivery of its first trainset to the Rouse Hill depot on September 26. Alstom is supplying 22 six-car Metropolis driverless trainsets, together with Urbalis 400 communications-based train control, Iconis control systems and Smartlock 400 computer-based interlocking under a €280m contract awarded in September 2014. ...
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NewsWestern Australia budget backs rail growth
AUSTRALIA: The Western Australian government has allocated A$1·4bn for rail investment as part of its 2017-18 budget announced on September 8. The bulk of the money is destined for the Metronet programme to expand and upgrade the Perth suburban rail network, over the next four years. This includes federal funding ...
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Metro Report InternationalKeolis Downer retains contract to operate world's largest tram network
AUSTRALIA: The Victorian government has awarded incumbent Keolis Downer the next contract to operate the Yarra Trams network in Melbourne. The contract announced on September 12 runs for seven years from November 30 2017 and covers the operation of around 5 000 services a day on the world's largest ...
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NewsMelbourne suburban rail operating contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: Metro Trains Melbourne is to continue to operate and maintain the city's suburban rail network, Victoria's Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan announced on September 12. MTM is a joint venture of MTR Corp (60%), John Holland Group (20%) and UGL Rail Services (20%). It has operated the 390 ...
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Metro Report InternationalTesting begins on Gold Coast light rail Stage 2
AUSTRALIA: Testing on Stage 2 of the Gold Coast light rail line commenced on the night of September 7-8. The northern extension will run alongside Smith Street Motorway from Gold Coast University Hospital to Helensvale, where interchange would be provided with Queensland Rail services. The 7·3 km route would ...
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NewsCRRC presents Melbourne EMU mock-up
AUSTRALIA: Evolution Rail has presented to Victoria Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allen a 39 m long mock-up of the electrical multiple-unit cars that it is supplying to operate Melbourne’s suburban network. Last year the Evolution Rail consortium of Plenary, CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles and Downer Group was awarded ...
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NewsAuckland DMUs shipped to Mozambique
MOZAMBIQUE: Eight diesel multiple-units as well as spare parts are being shipped from New Zealand to Mozambique, where they are to operate passenger services around Maputo. The 1 067 mm gauge two-car units have been surplus to requirements since electrification in Auckland in 2014. ‘Selling the trains reduces Auckland Transport’s ...
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Metro Report InternationalMetronet drives Perth expansion plans
AUSTRALIA: The government of Western Australia expects to complete two more extensions to the Perth suburban rail network by late 2021, Premier Mark McGowan announced on August 21. Revised business cases for the two projects have been submitted to federal agency Infrastructure Australia for approval. One would add a ...
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NewsPenguin specialist supports rail infrastructure project
AUSTRALIA: TasRail has appointed a penguin specialist from BirdLife Tasmania to provide advice on the protection of habitats during coastal erosion and landslip prevention works which are expected to get underway in November. The request for tenders requires the contractors to consider environmental constraints and bird life during the work ...
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NewsNSW regional train fleet to be replaced
AUSTRALIA: The entire New South Wales regional train fleet is to be replaced and a new maintenance depot built at Dubbo, state Deputy Premier John Barilaro announced on August 14. Plans to replace the XPT fleet of 60 coaches and 19 power cars used on NSW TrainLink serves linking Sydney, ...
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NewsAurizon to quit intermodal freight
AUSTRALIA: Aurizon Holdings Ltd has announced its intention to withdraw from the intermodal market, with the closure or sale of its activities in the sector. The decision announced on August 14 followed a 12-month review of options including retention, divestment, joint ventures or the closure of activities that it felt ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst CBD & South East tram delivered to Sydney
AUSTRALIA: Transport for New South Wales took delivery of first of 60 Citadis X05 trams that Alstom is supplying to operate on the CBD & South East Light Rail line in Sydney on August 1. The ALTRAC Light Rail consortium has a A$2·1bn PPP contract to build, operate and ...