Climate and the rail industry – Page 4
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NewsBattery shunter enters service in Ohio
USA: OmniTRAX’s Newburgh & South Shore Railroad has put an AMPS Traction G9 battery shunting locomotive into service in the Cleveland area. The railway has been supported by Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Diesel Mitigation Trust Fund, which provides grants for projects to improve air quality. The ...
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Rail Business UKLNER orders CAF tri-mode inter-city trains
UK: London North Eastern Railway has awarded CAF a contract to supply a fleet of 10 tri-mode 200 km/h inter-city trainsets for use on East Coast Main Line passenger services. The trainsets will be financed and owned by leasing company Porterbrook. CAF said the order announced ...
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NewsEU recovery funds underwrite two more Italian route modernisation schemes
ITALY: As part of an intensive investment programme underpinned by EU funding, infrastructure manager RFI has awarded two route enhancement contracts totalling €633m. Under a €374·2m contract announced on October 31, a consortium of Eteria Consorzio Stabile Scarl and Salcef is to double-track the 9 km ...
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NewsRevised California high speed rail track and electrification design RFQ issued
USA: California High-Speed Rail Authority has released a new request for qualifications for a contract to provide design services for the track and overhead electrification systems. The contract has an estimated value of up to $131·2m, plus options. It would cover high-level designs for track and ...
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NewsBari – Martina Franca line electrified
ITALY: Ferrovie del Sud Est has completed electrification of the 81 km line running from Bari through Casamassima and Putignano to Martina Franca. This will save 1 900 tonnes of CO2 a year, FS Group subsidiary FSE said when the electrification was inaugurated on October 16. ...
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NewsPilbara heavy haul battery locomotive unveiled
AUSTRALIA: A FLXdrive battery-powered heavy haul locomotive for iron ore mining company Roy Hill has been unveiled at Wabtec’s factory at Erie in the USA. ‘This FLXdrive locomotive represents a major step in the journey to a low-to-zero-emission future’, said Wabtec President & CEO Rafael Santana ...
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NewsNijmegen – Roermond upgrading and electrification contract awarded
NETHERLANDS: Infrastructure manager ProRail has awarded Swietelsky Rail Benelux a contract to upgrade, partly double-track and electrify the 88 km Nijmegen – Roermond line. The Maaslijn is one of the longest and most intensively used diesel-operated single-track lines in the Netherlands, with the Arriva-operated services carrying ...
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NewsFlirt Akku battery-electric multiple-units enter service
GERMANY: The first of the Stadler Flirt Akku battery-electric multiple-units ordered by Schleswig-Holstein transport authority NAH.SH have entered revenue service with operator Erixx Holstein. ‘We are taking a huge step towards zero-emission local transport with the 55 battery trains that will run on 11 lines in ...
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Rail Business UKClass 08 diesel shunter converted to battery power
UK: A Class 08 diesel shunting locomotive originally built in the 1950s has been rebuilt to use battery power. Branded 08e, the prototype has been developed by Positive Traction to offer a cost-effective and emission free alternative to diesel power for shunting and industrial applications. ‘Class ...
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NewsElectro-diesel multiple-unit converted to battery-electric power
FRANCE: SNCF Voyageurs and Alstom have unveiled a prototype conversion of an AGC multiple-unit from electro-diesel to battery-electric power as part of a plan to decarbonise the French regional train fleet. Five of the Bombardier Transportation-built electro-diesel multiple-units are due to be converted as part of ...
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NewsRailpool orders Modula heavy shunting and freight locomotives
GERMANY: Leasing company Railpool has ordered 45 Modula heavy shunting and freight locomotives from CRRC’s Vossloh Rolling Stock business, with options to purchase 142 more. The initial batch of locomotives is to be supplied in two variants. All will be fitted with a 1 MW diesel ...
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Rail Business UKZero on-site emission overhead line renewals
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail has completed a four-night overhead line equipment renewal project at Royston which, for the first time in its Eastern Region, was undertaken with the worksite producing no carbon emissions. Hybrid engineering vehicles operated solely in battery mode, welfare facilities were powered ...
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NewsMetra awarded funding to buy battery trains
USA: Chicago commuter operator Metra has been awarded a $169·3m federal Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality Improvement grant for the purchase of up to 16 battery multiple-units. Metra said the zero-emission trainsets are ‘likely’ to be used on its Rock Island Line, benefiting the air quality ...
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail to study composite sleeper profiles
UK: Network Rail has awarded Dutch company Lankhorst Rail a contract to assist with the development of the next generation of railway sleeper. The infrastructure manager plans to use Lankhorst’s KLP composite sleepers manufactured from recycled plastic reinforced with steel to investigate the bending stiffness, flexibility ...
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NewsCalifornia orders hydrogen trains
USA: Stadler has been awarded what it calls a ‘transformative’ contract to supply hydrogen fuel cell multiple-units to California. The contract signed with the California State Transportation Agency and California Department of Transportation on October 12 includes a $80m firm order for four trains, with options ...
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NewsRumo takes delivery of battery-diesel hybrid locomotives
BRAZIL: Freight operator Rumo has taken delivery of two Progress Rail EMD GT38H battery-diesel hybrid locomotives, which will store energy generated during dynamic braking rather than dissipate it as heat. Rumo expects the locos to use up to 45% less fuel and to be produce ...
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In depthTraction: Intermittent wiring could form path to decarbonisation
Is there a feasible way to decarbonise North America’s railroads? Partial electrification matched with battery-powered traction may offer an answer.
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NewsHydrogen train to be demonstrated in Riyadh
SAUDI ARABIA: Alstom and Saudi Arabia Railways are to demonstrate the operation of a Coradia iLint hydrogen multiple-unit in Riyadh. Alstom said ’this ground-breaking demonstration marks the first-ever introduction of a hydrogen-powered train in the Middle East and Africa’. The iLint will operate over a distance ...
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Rail Business UKBattery trains could take Merseyrail to places it couldn’t previously reach
UK: Speaking to Rail Business UK at the opening of Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby, Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram expressed enthusiasm for extending Merseyrail services to more destinations by using battery power to avoid the need for electrification. Merseyrail trains reach Headbolt Lane using ...
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Rail Business UKHeadbolt Lane station opens with battery train service
UK: Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby opened on October 5, with services operated by Merseyrail and Northern terminating from opposite directions. Services run by the two operators previously terminated end-on at Kirkby, where the 750 V DC third rail electrification on the Merseyrail network ends. Merseyrail’s ...