All Railway Gazette International articles in December 2020 – Page 6
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In depthComment: Time to seize the moment
An unprecedented year is drawing to a close. Time and again, that adjective has been rolled out to describe the tumultuous challenges that 2020 has brought to the global economy and wider society as the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
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Metro Report InternationalWabtec’s Metroflexx braking certified ahead of use on Grand Paris Express trains
BRAKING: Tüv Süd has provided safety, quality and performance standard certification for Metroflexx, Wabtec’s ‘next-generation’ braking system for metro trains. Designed to significantly reduce the weight, energy consumption and life-cycle cost of a train, Metroflexx communicates with the train computer and traction equipment to optimise use of ...
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NewsFinnish Rail and Turku One Hour Train companies formed
FINLAND: Companies have been established by the government and local authorities to plan two major rail projects. Suomi-rata Oy, or Finnish Rail, will develop plans for new alignments and additional tracks needed to provide a 1 h journey time on the main corridor between Helsinki and Tampere, ...
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NewsBombardier Transportation steps up output at Crespin
FRANCE: Production of rolling stock at Bombardier Transportation’s Crespin factory in northern France is to be stepped up thanks to a €25m investment programme. Dubbed Plan 1000, the package announced by the company on December 4 will give the plant the ability to turn out 1 000 ...
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Metro Report InternationalTaichung postpones Green Line opening amid ‘malfunction’ concern
TAIWAN: Commercial operations on the first line of the Taichung metro will not begin as scheduled on December 19, Mayor Lu Shiow-yen confirmed on December 14. Under construction since 2009 at a cost of NT$59·3bn, the 16·7 km driverless metro line running from TRA’s Beitun station in ...
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Metro Report InternationalWireless trams reach Luxembourg Centrale
LUXEMBOURG: An extension of the city of Luxembourg’s tramway 2 km south from Place de l’Etoile to the mainline interchange at Gare Centrale opened on December 13. There are intermediate stops at Hamilius in the historic centre, and at Place de Metz and Place de Paris ...
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NewsEstonian electrification design contract awarded
ESTONIA: Infrastructure manager Eesti Raudtee has awarded a joint venture of Spanish engineering companies Ardanuy Ingeneria and Ayesa Ingenieria y Arquitectura a €3·7m contract to produce the technical requirements and preliminary designs for its 500 track-km 25 kV 50 Hz electrification programme. Ardanuy said the contract would ...
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Rail Business UKGWR to test Hitachi battery hybrid inter-city train
UK: Leasing company Eversholt Rail and Hitachi Rail Europe have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an underfloor battery powerpack to be trialled on a Class 802 electro-diesel inter-city trainset operated by Great Western Railway on the London – Penzance route.
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Rail Business UKJanuary rail fare increase delayed to March 1
UK: The annual change in rail fares will be delayed from January until March 1 2021, the Department for Transport announced on December 16. Regulated fares will then increase by RPI+1, a 2·6% rise. Passengers renewing season tickets will be able to do so at current rates ...
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NewsČD’s RegioPanter fleet grows further
CZECH REPBLIC: National operator ČD has awarded a consortium of Škoda Transportation and Škoda Vagonka firm orders for 48 additional RegioPanter 3 kV DC/25 kV 50 Hz dual-voltage regional EMUs. The orders confirmed on December 11 comprise 19 two-car units with 140 seats, procured under a ...
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Metro Report InternationalUrban transport industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector
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Metro Report InternationalKnorr-Bremse to supply Beijing metro train subsystems
Source: Andrew Benton CHINA: Rolling stock manufacturer CRRC has awarded Knorr-Bremse a ‘mid double-digit million-euro’ contract to supply subsystems for trainsets ordered to operate two automated metro lines under construction in Beijing. Knorr-Bremse is to supply braking systems featuring EP 2002 controls, as well as IFE external ...
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Rail Business UKNIC reports sets out five options for rail investment in the Midlands and north
NIC report UK: The National Infrastructure Commission has released its final report into the rail needs of the Midlands and north of England, commissioned by the government to inform the development of an Integrated Rail Plan. In the report published on December 15, NIC calls for a commitment to a ...
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Metro Report InternationalBangkok Gold Line peoplemover opens
THAILAND: The first section of Bangkok’s Gold Line peoplemover opened for revenue service on December 16, with Prime Minister Prayuth Cha-o-cha presiding over the launch ceremony. The rubber-tyred peoplemover is the first automated urban rail route in Bangkok, running over an initial 1∙7 km corridor with three ...
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NewsAutomated locomotive completes first trip
FRANCE: ‘A semi-autonomous train’ has run ‘under real operating conditions’ on the 16 km Longwy – Longuyon line in eastern France, national operator SNCF announced on December 16.
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NewsVästtrafik Zefiro Express EMU completed
SWEDEN: Bombardier Transportation has completed assembly of the first of 45 three-car Zefiro Express 200 km/h electric multiple-units ordered by Västra Götaland regional transport authority Västtrafik.
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Rail Business UKCall for clarity and a clear plan for the future of rail in the north of England
UK: Calls for a long-term plan for rail in the north of England dominated Transport for the North’s annual conference on December 14. Leader of Leeds City Council Judith Blake called for local accountability, insisting that ‘elected politicians must have a say on projects to reflect the ...
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NewsMFD Rail aims to build leading intermodal wagon business
SWITZERLAND: The management team and funds advised by Oaktree Capital Management have invested in MFD Rail, a start-up which aims to become one of Europe’s leading intermodal wagon leasing company over the next few years. MFD Rail says building a business from scratch ‘without having to ...
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Metro Report InternationalGold Coast smart ticketing ready for visitors
AUSTRALIA: Cubic Transportation Systems contactless smart ticketing has now been rolled out across the entire Gold Coast Light Rail network in Queensland, enabling passengers to pay using credit or debit cards, smart phones and smart watches. The deployment is the first to use Cubic’s new platform validators, ...
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