All Railway Gazette International articles in December 2015 – Page 3
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NewsTouax acquires 2 000 GE wagons
EUROPE: Leasing company Touax announced on December 21 that its Touax Rail subsidiary had acquired approximately 2 000 wagons from GE Rail Services GmbH, GE Capital Rail Services Ltd and GE Capital Rail Ltd. Touax said the vehicles it had acquired were ‘complementary’ to those it already manages; they ...
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NewsOman Rail phase two approved
OMAN: A royal decree issued on December 20 declared the second phase of the planned 2 135 km national railway project to be a public utility project. The decree grants powers for land acquisition for Phase 2, which would run south to Fahud from a connection with the Al ...
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NewsSound Transit approves 2016 budget
USA: Puget Sound transport authority Sound Transit approved a $1·2bn budget for 2016 on December 17. ‘Our region’s commuters will see historic progress in 2016’, said Chair Dow Constantine. ‘We will open light rail extensions to Capitol Hill, the University of Washington and Angle Lake and successfully complete our ...
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NewsLithuanian Railways signs Nordic Investment Bank loan
LITHUANIA: National railway LG signed a €50m, 15-year loan agreement with Nordic Investment Bank on December 14. This is the fifth NIB loan to LG since 2009, and takes the total value to €266m. The loan will be used along with EU funds to finance infrastructure projects from LG’s ...
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NewsRussian Railways to sell Transmashholding stake
RUSSIA: On December 16 the Russian Railways board approved plans to sell RZD’s 25% + 1 stake in The Breakers Investments BV, the Dutch-registered company which owns 100% of rolling stock manufacturing group Transmashholding. RZD’s stake would be sold for around 12·6bn roubles to existing shareholders Iskander Makhmudov, Andrei ...
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NewsMore Flexity Berlin trams ordered
GERMANY: Berlin transport operator BVG has exercised an option for a further 47 Flexity Berlin trams from Bombardier Transportation, valued at €176m. BVG signed a framework agreement with Bombardier for up to 206 trams in 2006. An initial order for four pre-series vehicles was followed by a contract for ...
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NewsToulouse plans third metro line
FRANCE: The outline route for a third metro line in Toulouse was unveiled on December 18. At €1⋅72bn it would be the largest public transport project in France outside Paris, according to transport authority SMTC, which hopes to complete construction in 2024. The core route for the project, known as ...
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NewsShanghai extends three metro lines
CHINA: December 18 saw the inauguration of three metro extensions in Shanghai, completing the metro development plan announced in 2005. Under the next phase of the city’s metro expansion programme, four new lines and extensions to five lines are due to open by the end of 2020. A 21·4 ...
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NewsOlsztyn inaugurates its second tram network
POLAND: The official inauguration of regular services on the Olsztyn tram network took place at 12.30 on December 19, with free travel until the end of the month. The first tram network opening since 1959 brings the number of Polish cities with trams to 15. Olsztyn’s original metre gauge ...
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NewsSpeedInnov to develop future TGV
FRANCE: The ministries responsible for transport, research and industry announced on December 17 the creation of SpeedInnov, a joint venture that is to develop ‘the TGV of the future’. The new joint venture also includes Alstom and ADEME, a government agency providing funding for projects aiming to reduce environmental impact ...
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NewsMontréal to call commuter rail tenders
CANADA: Agence Métropolitaine de Transport announced on December 17 that it plans to call tenders for contracts to operate Montréal's commuter rail services and supply new rolling stock. AMT expects to award the operations and rolling stock maintenance contract in autumn 2016. A separate contract for the supply of an ...
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NewsChina orders more high speed sleeper trainsets
CHINA: A €152m contract to supply China Railway Corp with a further five 250 km/h CRH1E-250 sleeper trainsets was announced by the Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation joint venture on December 18. This is the second order for the 16-car sleeper train design, after a 2007 contract for 20 sets which ...
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NewsSNCB signs €3·3bn framework for 1362 M7 cars
BELGIUM: National operator SNCB signed a €1·3bn firm order for 445 Type M7 double-deck passenger vehicles with a consortium of Bombardier and Alstom on December 18. There are options for up to 917 more vehicles which would take the total value to €3·3bn. The M7 cars would be able to ...
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NewsFirst X’Trapolis Mega EMU arrives in South Africa
SOUTH AFRICA: The first pre-series X’Trapolis Mega electric multiple-unit that Alstom is supplying for Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa arrived at PRASA’s Wolmerton depot in Pretoria on December 18. The second pre-series trainset is due to arrive in early 2016. The six-car 1 067 mm gauge EMUs are ...
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NewsBuenos Aires Line H extended
ARGENTINA: On December 18 President Mauricio Macri joined Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, head of the Buenos Aires city government, to officially open the extension of metro Line H from Corrientes to Las Heras. Bringing metro services to over 75 000 inhabitants, this latest extension to Line H currently serves one intermediate ...
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NewsGold Coast double-tracking contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland government announced on December 16 that it had awarded Golding Contractors a contract for civils works related to double-tracking of part of the Gold Coast – Brisbane line. Due to begin in March, the A$163m project would double 8·2 km of the 1 067 mm gauge ...
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NewsFunding to develop Old Oak Common station plans
UK: The European Commission is providing €4m to Transport for London towards planning new stations at Old Oak Common in west London. The funding comes from the Connecting Europe Facility and will be match-funded by TfL. The funding will support development of options for new stations on Old Oak ...
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NewsFaster to Salamanca and Zamora
SPAIN: On December 17 national operator RENFE introduced Alvia services from Madrid to Salamanca and Zamora, following the completion of high speed infrastructure between Olmedo near Medina del Campo and Zamora, as well as upgrading and electrification of the conventional route between Medina del Campo and Salamanca. The fastest journey ...
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NewsMoscow approves new tram lines
RUSSIA: The Moscow city government approved the start of planning for two new tram routes in the south of the city on December 8. The first project is an extension of a route approved in June 2014. Construction of the 8·3 km, 10-stop line from Krasnogo Mayaka to Biryulyovo ...
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NewsShift2Rail issues first open call for research proposals
EUROPE: The Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking issued its first open call on December 17, inviting proposals for a range of research projects expected to have a total value of €170m. Proposals have been invited for nine packages in three of the five Shift2Rail Innovation Programmes (below). An information day is to ...