All Railway Gazette International articles in December 2019 – Page 8
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Metro Report InternationalLonger trams delivered to Vitoría-Gasteiz
SPAIN: The first seven-section CAF Series 600 Urbos tram was presented at Ibaionso depot in Vitoría-Gasteiz on December 10, ahead of the start of overnight testing the following week. Three more were scheduled to be delivered from CAF’s Irún factory by the end of 2019. Three seven-section ...
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NewsGo-Ahead takes over Norway’s first tendered services
NORWAY: The first service to be taken over by the private sector as part of the government’s passenger rail tendering programme left Stavanger for Oslo at 06.47 on December 15. National rail authority Jernbanedirektoratet awarded UK-based international transport group Go-Ahead the Lot 1 Sør contract in ...
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NewsTenders called to rebuild San Sebastián station
SPAIN: Tenders were issued on December 12 for reconstruction of the main line station in San Sebastián as part of the ‘Basque Y’ high speed programme. The result will be the partial integration of the existing station with the adjacent, underground, bus station, and the incorporation in the finished complex ...
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NewsFreight coalition publishes Contingency Management handbook
EUROPE: In a bid to avoid the widespread disruption to international rail traffic which occurred following the tunnel collapse at Rastatt in August 2017, and to provide greater resilience for commercially sensitive traffic, a coalition of rail freight operators and industry associations has put together a Contingency ...
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NewsYibin – Guiyang Passenger-Dedicated Line opens
CHINA: The 372 km Yibin – Guiyang Passenger-Dedicated Line opened on December 16. It has 11 stations and is designed for 250 km/h operation. This completes the 648 km Chengdu – Guiyang line, following the opening of the initial Chengdu – Leshan section ...
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NewsPopular Landscape Railway In Switzerland rack EMUs ordered
SWITZERLAND: Metre-gauge railway group BVZ Holding has awarded Stadler a SFr45m contract to supply five two-car Abt rack EMUs for use on its 9·4 km Gornergrat mountain railway from 2021. The units will be branded Polaris, derived from POpular LAndscape Railway In Switzerland. The follows the ...
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Rail Business UKORR consults on accessibility of rail-replacement coach services
UK: The Office of Rail & Road is consulting on a revision of its Accessible Travel Policy Guidance relating to rail-replacement coach services. The Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations come into effect for coaches on January 1 2020, with the aim of ensuring that disabled people, in ...
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NewsUnion Pacific completes Positive Train Control implementation
USA: Union Pacific has completed the implementation of Positive Train Control on all sections of its network where federal rules require the safety system to be deployed. ‘PTC is one of the biggest rail industry breakthroughs, designed to keep our crews and communities safer through technology’, said ...
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NewsTrenitalia signs Calabria operating contract
ITALY: A passenger operating contract running to 2032 was signed by the Calabria region and national operator Trenitalia on December 11. The agreement provides for expenditure of €300m in the region during the contract period. This includes the €210·2m purchase of 27 Alstom Coradia Stream Pop multiple-units ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
TX Logistik changed the Italian terminal of its Leipzig – Verona service from Quadrante Europa to Sommacampagna-Sona from December 15. ‘In Sommacampagna-Sona we are the sole customer for intermodal traffic’, said Norbert Rekers, Regional Director, Central Intermodal Europe. ‘We expect short waiting times and optimised parking spaces.’ ...
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Rail Business UKHeritage loco group to train Siemens Mobility apprentices
UK: Siemens Mobility apprentices are to be taught about diesel-electric traction through a partnership with the Deltic Preservation Society, under a reciprocal agreement which will see the heritage locomotive group benefit from Siemens’ knowledge and workshop capabilities. DPS Electrical Engineer Graham Clarke will lead one-day and three-day ...
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail and Strukton Rail to co-operate on R&D
UK: Dutch engineering company Strukton Rail has signed a memorandum of understanding to support the delivery of Network Rail’s £245m research and development portfolio during Control Period 6 (2019-24). The collaboration will build on work undertaken through the European Shift2Rail partnership’s Innovation Programme 3 covering the cost-efficient ...
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NewsVinkovci – Vukovar electrification contract signed
CROATIA: The contract for modernisation, resignalling, electrification, level crossing upgrading and station modernisation on the Vinkovci – Vukovar line was signed by HŽ Infra, Comsa SA and Comsa Instalaciones Y Sistemas Industriales SA in Vukovar on December 20. The 18·7 km line connects the Zagreb – Vinkovci ...
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NewsOpenings expand Chinese high speed rail network
CHINA: The 313 km Xuzhou – Yancheng Passenger-Dedicated Line opened on December 16. It has nine stations and is designed for 250 km/h operation, reducing the fastest journey times from 3 h 51 min on the conventional line to 1 h 31 min on the PDL. The ...
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NewsCroatian cut-off line opened
CROATIA: Prime Minister Andrej Plenković inaugurated the 12·2 km Gradec – Sveti Ivan Žabno cut-off line with a ceremony on December 16, the day after the start of revenue services on the first new line to be built in Croatia for 52 years. ...
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News‘Landmark’ $3·7bn deal paves way for passenger rail expansion in Virginia
The Virginia Railway Express commuter rail service is operated under contract by Keolis. USA: The state of Virginia announced on December 19 that it had reached agreement to acquire more than 360 km of railway from Class I railroad CSX Corp for $3·7bn. Under what governor ...
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NewsSignalling supplier reopens upgraded branch line
CZECH REPUBLIC: Regular passenger services returned to the so-called Plum Railway in the Ústí nad Labem region with effect from the December 15 timetable change, after signalling company AŽD Praha reached agreement with the local government to restore services on the Litoměřice horní nádraží – Most line U10.
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Metro Report InternationalAbidjan metro package approved
CÔTE D’IVOIRE: The government has formally approved the technical and funding proposals for construction of an elevated metro line in Abidjan, which is to be developed by a consortium of French companies.
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Metro Report InternationalXiamen metro Line 3 train unveiled
CHINA: CRRC has rolled out the first trainset for Xiamen metro Line 3. The manufacturer said the Type B vehicles have aluminium bodyshells and incorporate a new generation of control technology. It said the blue seats inside were inspired by waves surrounding ...
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Rail Business UKCanal to be used to transport materials for bridge replacement project
UK: The Leeds & Liverpool Canal is to be used to transport materials for the replacement of a bridge between Rishton and Church & Oswaldtwistle stations on the East Lancashire line which is scheduled for February 15-23. A pontoon will also be placed on the canal at ...