All Railway Gazette International articles in December 2015 – Page 6
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NewsBerlin S-Bahn operator chosen
GERMANY: Berlin’s Urban Development & Environment Senator Andreas Geisel announced on December 8 that following a competitive tendering process, DB subsidiary S-Bahn Berlin GmbH is to be awarded a further contract to operate the Berlin S-Bahn’s ‘Ring & Branches’ service group. The contract due to be signed on December ...
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NewsHallandsås Tunnel inaugurated at last
SWEDEN: The country’s longest railway tunnel was officially inaugurated on December 8, when Minister of Enterprise Mikael Damberg drove a special train carrying VIPs through the 8·7 km Hallandsås Tunnel, before participating in an opening ceremony at the northern portal. He was joined for the inauguration by the mayor of ...
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NewsRoca electrification reaches Quilmes
ARGENTINA: President Cristina Fernández joined Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo on December 5 to mark the start of electric operations between Buenos Aires and Quilmes, the latest phase to be completed under the programme to electrify the Roca commuter route to La Plata at 25 kV AC. ...
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NewsSiemens wins more Algerian signalling work
ALGERIA: The Estel joint venture of national railway SNTF and Siemens is to supply signalling, safety and train control for 140 km of lines around Alger, serving 18 stations. Worth €340m to Siemens, the package covers the installation of ETCS Level 1 to shorten headways and permit operation of ...
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NewsNorthern and TransPennine Express franchises awarded
UK: The Department for Transport announced on December 9 that it had selected Arriva Rail North Ltd to operate the next Northern Rail franchise from April 1 2016, and First Trans Pennine Express Ltd to run the TransPennine Express franchise from the same date. Both contracts were to be signed ...
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NewsBangkok Orange Line approved
THAILAND: On December 8 the government approved the Orange Line metro project in Bangkok. To be managed by the state-run Mass Rapid Transit Authority, the first phase is due to be completed in August 2022. Tendering of the construction contracts is expected to begin in May. Land acquisition has ...
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NewsMTR to operate Stockholm Pendeltåg
SWEDEN: Local transport authority Storstockholms Lokaltrafik announced on December 8 that it has selected MTR Gamma AB for the next contract to operate Stockholm’s Pendeltåg suburban rail services. Operated since June 2006 by SJ subsidiary Stockholmståg, the Pendeltåg network consists of four routes with a combined length of 241 km ...
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NewsArad station refurbishment complete
ROMANIA: The modernised Arad station opened to the public on December 1 after more than three and a half years of work. A 334m lei project started in April 2012 saw the installation of a new footbridge, lifts and escalators, while maintaining the station’s original architectural features, which date from ...
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NewsCross-border link revived
EUROPE: A fourth cross-border rail link between Germany and the Czech Republic was formally reopened on December 7, with a ceremony attended by Czech transport minister Dan Tok, Bayern interior minister Joachim Herrmann and German State Secretary Dorothee Bär. Closed to passenger traffic in 1945, the 7 km link between ...
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NewsParramatta light rail route chosen
AUSTRALIA: New South Wales Premier Mike Baird, Minister for Transport & Infrastructure Andrew Constance and Minister for Planning Rob Stokes announced the preferred route for the Parramatta Light Rail project on December 8. The 22 km line in the western suburbs of Sydney is intended to connect Westmead and ...
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NewsSabrina Soussan
Following the departure of Jürgen Wilder to DB Schenker Rail, Sabrina Soussan has been named as Chief Executive of the High Speed & Commuter Rail business unit at Siemens Mobility.
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NewsBielefeld inaugurates light rail extension
GERMANY: Around 6 000 people attended the inauguration of a new section of Bielefeld’s light rail network on December 6, enjoying a programme of entertainment in a ‘pre-Christmas atmosphere’, as well as free travel. Following the inaugural journey by a coupled pair of metre gauge Vamos LRVs, the line ...
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NewsKampala trials commuter trains
UGANDA: An experimental commuter rail service was launched in Kampala on December 7, as a joint venture between the Kampala Capital City Authority, Uganda Railways Corp and operating concessionaire Rift Valley Railways. The three partners have agreed run the pilot service for 12 months, following the signing of an initial ...
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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 ...
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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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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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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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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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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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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.