Australia railway news – Page 7
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NewsDriverless heavy haul railway expanded to serve automated iron ore mine
AUSTRALIA: A 166 km branch has been built to connect Rio Tinto’s new Gudai-Darri iron ore mine in the Pilbara to its 1 700 km heavy haul network, which is operated using AutoHaul driverless trains. The first loaded train ran in June, with production scheduled to ...
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Metro Report InternationalCanberra battery tram order
AUSTRALIA: CAF has been awarded a contract supply five battery-equipped light rail vehicles to Canberra from 2024. It will also retrofit the city’s 14 existing five-section Urbos 100 vehicles with batteries, so that the entire fleet will be able to operate on the catenary-free extension to ...
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NewsSolar powered signalling installed
AUSTRALIA: Solar powered signalling has been installed on a passing loop at Coolleearlee in New South Wales on the Narromine to North Star section of the Inland Rail project. A battery back-up can provide for 10 days of operation. Australian Rail Track Corp said solar power ...
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NewsQueensland unveils Brisbane rail expansion strategy
AUSTRALIA: A pipeline of investment valued at more than A$20bn will support the long-term expansion of the southeast Queensland rail network under proposals published by the state government on August 2.
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Metro Report InternationalParramatta tram collision warning system
AUSTRALIA: A collision warning system developed by Bosch is to be installed on the 13 seven-section trams that CAF is to supply for Stage 1 of the Parramatta Light Rail network in western Sydney. The 12 km, 16-stop Stage 1 connecting Westmead to the Parramatta CBD, ...
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NewsAurizon completes ‘transformative’ acquisition of One Rail Australia
AUSTRALIA: Aurizon announced on July 29 that it had completed the acquisition of One Rail Australia for A$2·35bn. The acquisition includes two distinct businesses. One Rail’s bulk haulage and general freight assets in South Australia and the Northern Territory, including the 2 200 km Tarcoola – ...
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Metro Report InternationalSolar panels installed on Yarra Trams depot
AUSTRALIA: Melbourne’s Yarra Trams has commissioned 100 kW of solar panels installed on the roof of its Southbank depot, the first of seven depots to be equipped with a total of 200 solar panels to produce over 550 MWh/year. Installed with funding support from the Victorian ...
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NewsAurizon cleared to acquire One Rail
AUSTRALIA: Aurizon expects to complete its acquisition of One Rail by the end of July, following a qualified approval of the deal by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission.
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NewsAdelaide – Gawler electrification finally inaugurated
AUSTRALIA: Electric suburban services between Adelaide and Gawler were launched in June 12, following the completion of a long-delayed electrification programme.
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Metro Report InternationalState-wide contactless ticketing deployment gets underway in Queensland
AUSTRALIA: Contactless payment is now available on Brisbane’s Ferny Grove suburban rail line, as a trial ahead of a large-scale deployment across Queensland’s rail, bus and ferry services under transport agency Translink’s A$371m Smart Ticketing project.
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Metro Report InternationalNSW commits to Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2
AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales government has confirmed A$602·4m of funding to enable the start of detailed planning and preliminary works for Stage 2 of the Parramatta Light Rail project in western Sydney. Tracklaying was recently completed for the 12 km, 16-stop Stage 1 connecting Westmead ...
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NewsUS locomotives rebuilt for Australia
AUSTRALIA: Wabtec is supplying a fleet of modernised diesel locomotives to an Australian customer for the first time, with a contract to rebuild 28 second-hand diesel locomotives for delivery to Fortescue Metals Group over two years. The locos are being rebuilt to the AC44C6M specification at ...
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NewsAurizon bulk freight locos enter service
AUSTRALIA: Aurizon has taken delivery of the first four of 10 diesel locomotives which UGL’s Newcastle factory is supplying for hauling copper, lead, zinc and grain trains in New South Wales and Western Australia. The first four locos are being used to haul minerals at Cobar ...
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NewsAustralian government’s plans are positive for the rail industry, says ARA
AUSTRALIA: The Australasian Railway Association says the newly-elected federal government ‘is likely to be positive for the Australian rail industry’, given commitments which were announced in the lead-up to the election. The incoming Labor government’s National Rail Manufacturing Plan and National Reconstruction Fund would support ...
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NewsARA to lead delegation from down under at InnoTrans
INNOTRANS: The Australasian Railway Association is to lead an Australian rail industry delegation to InnoTrans 2022. As at previous InnoTrans events, the ARA will have a stand at the exhibition and will host social events, with participation and use of the general section of the stand ...
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Metro Report InternationalEnergy storage, accessibility and local content in Melbourne’s Next Generation Trams contract
AUSTRALIA: Victoria’s Department of Transport has awarded Alstom a €700m framework contract to supply 100 G Class customised Flexity 2 trams to Melbourne from 2025. The agreement announced on April 21 includes 15 years of maintenance, which Alstom said would make it ’the biggest tram contract ...
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NewsRegionerate Rail selected to build Gowrie – Kagaru section of Inland Rail corridor
AUSTRALIA: Australian Rail Track Corp has selected the Regionerate Rail consortium as preferred bidder for a PPP contract to build and maintain the 128 km Gowrie – Kagaru section of the 1 700 km Inland Rail corridor. Regionerate Rail comprises Clough, GS Engineering & Construction, Webuild, ...
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NewsAustralasian Railway Association warns of skills shortages
AUSTRALIA: The local rail sector faces a shortfall of up to 70 000 skilled workers by 2023, according to a report published by the Australasian Railway Association in conjunction with the AusRail Plus conference in Sydney. ARA CEO Caroline Wilkie said attracting and retaining talent was ...
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NewsAustralian report recommends measures to promote rail freight
AUSTRALIA: The Australasian Railway Association has released a report which states how government and industry can support greater use of rail freight.
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NewsGreen refinancing for Sydney rolling stock contract
AUSTRALIA: Sydney suburban rolling stock PPP concessionaire Reliance Rail has refinanced its bank debt facilities with a A$1·8bn 21-year Green Sustainability-Linked Loan. Reliance Rail’s 2006 contract with the New South Wales government covers the supply and maintenance of 78 Waratah EMUs, which account for about a ...