Climate and the rail industry – Page 7
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In depthInterview: Creating a sustainable global player
Giuseppe Marino rejoined Hitachi Rail as Group CEO at the start of April. In his first interview with the railway trade press, he reflects on the company’s strategic challenges in the evolving rail market and outlines his priorities to Nick Kingsley.
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NewsBattery shunters to make J-TREC rolling stock deliveries
JAPAN: East Japan Railway’s rolling stock manufacturing subsidiary J-TREC has acquired two Hokuriku Heavy Industries ECOlogical MObility lithium-ion battery shunting locomotives. They are to be used for moving new vehicles from the company’s factory to Jimmuji station about 5 km away on the Keikyu-Zushi Line, where ...
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NewsHydrogen train on test
SPAIN: Main line testing is underway with a demonstrator electric-hydrogen bi-mode trainset developed under the Fuel Cell Hybrid Power Pack for Rail Applications project, which aims to produce a zero-emission train competitive with existing diesel trains. The FCH2Rail initiative is being undertaken by a consortium of ...
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Rail Business UKRail Minister commits to trans-Pennine electrification ‘in full’ and HS2 to Manchester
UK: Suggestions that the Transpennine Route Upgrade may be scaled back in response to funding constraints were rejected by Transport Minister Huw Merriman when questioned by Rail Business UK.
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NewsPlasser & Theurer unveils ÖBB electric maintenance vehicles
AUSTRIA: The first of 56 electric-battery modular maintenance vehicles ordered by Austrian Federal Railways has been unveiled at Plasser & Theurer’s factory in Linz.
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Rail Business UKBattery powered inter-city train under development
UK: Hitachi Rail is working with Turntide Technologies to design and manufacture traction battery systems for trial installation on an inter-city trainset. Turntide said installing traction batteries to make a Hitachi electro-diesel trainset into a tri-mode unit could cut fuel usage and reduce carbon emissions by ...
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NewsBattery freight locomotive conversion underway
AUSTRALIA: One of Aurizon’s Class 4000 diesel locomotives is being converted to a prototype EMD Joule battery powered heavy-haul freight loco which can be charged using renewable electricity and capture regenerated energy when braking or travelling downhill. The operator said the prototype will be ’a measured ...
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NewsElectrification contract awarded
SLOVAKIA: Infrastructure manager ŽSR has awarded ELTRA a €216·1m contract to modernise and electrify the 33·5 km Bánovce nad Ondavou – Humenné line east of Košice. The single-track line will be electrified at 3 kV DC with provision for future conversion to 25 kV 50 Hz. ...
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NewsAutonomous battery-powered wagons to be deployed in Michigan
USA: Intramotev has been awarded funding for the first commercial use of its TugVolt concept for an autonomous battery-electric wagon. Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility & Electrification has awarded a $200 000 grant for the deployment at a mining site in the state’s Upper Peninsula in ...
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NewsConsultants appointed to support Toronto commuter rail enhancement
CANADA: Regional transport authority Metrolinx has appointed a team led by Arup to act as technical adviser for the GO Expansion programme to provide frequent all-day electric train services across the Toronto region. Arup and subconsultants AECOM, Egis and Network Rail will support Metrolinx’s Technical Management ...
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Metro Report InternationalWabtec to modernise Hong Kong battery locomotives
CHINA: Hong Kong’s MTR Corp has awarded Wabtec a £12m contract to modernise 25 Mk3 electric-battery maintenance locomotives to improve performance and extend their service life by at least 15 years. The locos were built in the UK in 1996-97 by Brush Traction, which was subsequently ...
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NewsHydrogen shunting loco plan
GERMANY: Duisport Rail has signed a letter of intent with Vossloh Rolling Stock for the possible use of two hydrogen locomotives at its inland port facilities. The operator and its parent company Duisburger Hafen are currently building a new container terminal, where operations are intended to ...
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Rail Business UKChiltern electrification alternatives studied
UK: Chiltern Railways is working to present the Department for Transport with options for a fleet renewal programme, with London Marylebone being the only non-electrified London terminal and pressure for the withdrawal of diesel trains continuing to mount, particularly from local residents. Industry insiders report that ...
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NewsJoule battery loco unveiled ahead of trial
USA: Pacific Harbor Line has unveiled a Progress Rail EMD SD40JR Joule battery electric locomotive ahead of a one-year trial. Anacostia Rail Holdings subsidiary PHL provides shunting services and dispatches all BNSF and Union Pacific trains within the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. It ...
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NewsHydrogen locos to be tested on coal trains
CANADA: Piloting the use of hydrogen locomotives is included in an agreement for Canadian Pacific Kansas City to haul steelmaking coal from Teck Coal’s four operations in southeastern British Columbia. The agreement announced on May 4 builds on existing services for Teck and runs until the end ...
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Metro Report InternationalTramway electrification competency guidance published
UK: The Light Rail Safety & Standards Board has published its latest Overhead Line Equipment Systems Training & Competency Guidance. ‘This guidance will effectively support the delivery of light railway engineering OLE competency in relation to training apprentices, new recruits and improving the skills of existing ...
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NewsSNCF seeks third catenary renewal train
FRANCE: Faced with the prospect of renewing a substantial proportion of the overhead line equipment across the national railway network, SNCF Réseau has announced its intention to procure a third catenary renewal train. The infrastructure manager has recently put into service two highly automated machines, (known ...
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NewsStudy finds batteries and hydrogen could replace diesel locos on heavy freight trains
AUSTRALIA: Batteries or a combination of batteries and hydrogen fuel cells could feasibly replace diesel traction on rail freight corridors across Australia, according to a study undertaken by the University of Queensland and operator Aurizon. Researchers analysised real-world data to assess the energy required to transport ...
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Metro Report InternationalAhmedabad and Surat metro electrification contracts awarded
INDIA: Gujarat Metro Rail Corp has awarded two contracts to a consortium of Siemens Mobility and state-owned project company Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd for the supply of electrification equipment and project management on Ahmedabad Metro Phase 2 and Surat Metro Phase 1.
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NewsRepublika Srpska railway rehabilitation study
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: The government of the Republika Srpska entity has signed a memorandum of understanding for Turkish rail contractor ERG to conduct studies for the planned modernisation of the Doboj – Tuzla – Zvornik railway. The agreement was signed by the entity’s President Milorad Dodik ...