All Railway Gazette International articles in December 2015 – Page 2
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NewsSharon Dijksma
Sharon Dijksma was appointed as State Secretary at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure & Environment with effect from November 3. She replaces Wilma Mansveld, who resigned following the publication of a critical report into the Fyra high speed train debacle.
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NewsAbellio receives first R-net Flirt 3 EMU
NETHERLANDS: The first of six Stadler Flirt 3 electric multiple-units ordered by Abellio to operate services on the Gouda – Alphen aan den Rijn route arrived at NedTrain’s Leidschendam depot on December 3. In 2014 the province of Zuid-Holland awarded NS Reizigers and Abellio Rail NRW GmbH a contract ...
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NewsCeremony launches Laos railway construction
LAOS: A groundbreaking ceremony in Vientiane on December 2 marked the formal start of construction of a Chinese-backed standard gauge main line running north-south through Laos from the Chinese border to the Thai frontier at Nong Khai. Lao President Choummaly Sayasone ceremonially dug into a pyramid of sand, telling assembled ...
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NewsMobile ticketing joint venture formed
FRANCE: The creation of the Wizway Solutions joint venture dedicated to developing mobile ticketing technology was announced on December 3. Four founder members each have a 25% share: Paris transport authority RATP, national railway SNCF, digital security company Gemalto and telecoms provider Orange. The venture is supported by the Ministry ...
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NewsJR Central considers Texas Central investment
USA: Central Japan Railway confirmed on November 23 that it was considering whether to take a financial stake in Texas Central Partners, which is promoting a privately-financed 386 km high speed line between Dallas and Houston. JR Central has been working closely with the promoters, and is acting as technology ...
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NewsNetwork Rail awards East West Rail contract
UK: Network Rail announced on December 4 that it has awarded an alliancing contract to Atkins, Laing O’Rourke and VolkerRail covering the design and construction of Phase 2 of the East West Rail scheme. Involving the reopening of currently disused railway infrastructure between Bletchley and Bicester, Phase 2 would enable ...
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NewsRhätische Bahn takes first delivery of Albula line trainset
SWITZERLAND: StadlerRail delivered the first new-generation trainset for Rhätische Bahn’s Albula line to Landquart depot on December 2. Testing of the 1 000 mm gauge trainsets ordered to operate express services between Chur and St Moritz, is due to begin between December 7 and 11, with certification by the ...
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NewsFourth Follo Line civil works package awarded
NORWAY: Infrastructure manager Jernbaneverket has awarded two contracts worth in excess of NKr2bn for civil and railway remodelling works as part of the Follo Line project to build a 22 km cut-off to enhance capacity between Oslo and Ski. Running largely in tunnel, the Follo Line is scheduled for completion ...
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NewsRail industry news in brief - December 2015
Following discussions between DB, local authorities, environmental and community bodies, the German government has announced that the long-proposed Y-shaped new line from the Hannover area towards Hamburg and Bremen has been dropped in favour of the Alpha-E alternative of upgrading existing lines. With its remit expanded to cover motorways ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - December 2015
The European Commission has approved a €38·6m Cohesion Fund grant to Košice transport authority DPMK for the €47·8m purchase of 33 Pragoimex Vario LF2+ trams which were ordered in three batches in 2014-15. The French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is to provide a €4·2m grant for the ...
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NewsZSSK to end Bratislava – Košice inter-city services
SLOVAKIA: National passenger operator ZSSK announced on December 4 that it would withdraw all of its inter-city services on the 445 km Bratislava – Košice main line with effect from January 18, having previously cut service levels by 40% earlier this year. Czech open access operator RegioJet had warned in ...
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NewsEIB loan to fund Südbahn upgrading work
AUSTRIA: Austrian Federal Railways and the European Investment Bank signed a €1·8bn loan agreement on November 30 for upgrading work on the Südbahn route between Wien and Graz to 2026. The loan is to be disbursed over the next three years in tranches of €600m. The money will support ...
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NewsNanjing – Anqing PDL opened
CHINA: The 258 km Nanjing – Anqing Intercity Railway was opened to revenue service by China Railway Corp on December 6, following four months of test running. Under construction since 2010 at a cost of 25bn yuan, the 200 km/h Passenger-Dedicated Line mainly serves the province of Anhui, with a ...
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NewsSarah Feinberg
Having been nominated by President Barack Obama in July, Sarah Feinberg was confirmed as head of the Federal Railroad Administration by the Senate in a vote on October 28. She had been acting FRA Administrator since January.
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NewsSendai opens second metro line
JAPAN: The second metro line in Sendai was inaugurated on December 6 at a ceremony attended by Mayor Emiko Okuyama. The 13·9 km underground Tozai Line links Arai with Yagiyama-Dobutsu-Koen. Interchange with the north-south Namboku Line is provided at Sendai Station. There are 13 stations on the new line, ...
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NewsTrams return to Birmingham city centre
UK: December 6 marked the opening of the first extension of the Midland Metro light rail route in Birmingham since the line opened in 1999. The short section including new stops at Snow Hill and Bull Street is the first phase of the 1·4 km city centre extension to ...
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NewsManchester opens first phase of Second City Crossing
UK: The first stage of Manchester Metrolink’s Second City Crossing was inaugurated on December 6 with the opening of a stop at Exchange Square. Services on the 600 m section between Exchange Square and Victoria Station operate every 6 min during the day, running through onto Metrolink’s Oldham line. ...
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NewsICx becomes ICE 4
GERMANY: ‘The ICE 4 will launch a new era for inter-city travel’, said Deutsche Bahn CEO Dr Rüdiger Grube on December 4, at a ceremony at Berlin Südkreuz to unveil the first pre-series ICx trainset. He was joined by federal transport minister Alexander Dobrindt and Siemens Mobility CEO Dr Jochen ...
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NewsLuxembourg tram model on display
LUXEMBOURG: A full-sized mock-up of the tram that CAF is to supply to Luxembourg City went on display on December 7. It will remain in the Kirchberg district for public viewing until January 31. At 15 m, the model is one-third of the length of the 21 Urbos trams ...
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NewsSRO launches push-pull trains at 180 km/h
SAUDI ARABIA: President of Saudi Railways Organization Mohammed bin Khalid Al-Suwaiket attended a ceremony in Dammam on December 7 to mark the start of faster passenger services to Riyadh using four push-pull trainsets supplied by CAF of Spain. Designed for a maximum speed of 200 km/h, the trains will operate ...