Europe – Page 160
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NewsAutomated wagon inspection project launched
GERMANY: The DigiTwin project has been launched to develop automatic measurement systems able to create a ‘digital twin’ of passing wagons to support train preparation and predictive maintenance. The two-year project is being undertaken by Bonn-based lineside monitoring equipment company RailWatch and freight operator Metrans Rail ...
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NewsPlans for high speed services to Madrid Barajas airport revived
SPAIN: The government intends to revive proposals to run high speed passenger services to and from Madrid’s main airport at Barajas, Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos said at the FITUR international trade fair which was held in the capital on May 19-23.
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Metro Report InternationalLonger Erfurt tram unveiled ahead of garden festival
GERMANY: Erfurt operator EVAG has unveiled the first of 14 Stadler Tramlink trams ordered to replace its first generation of low-floor vehicles and provide an increase in capacity on the 103 km metre-gauge network. Two of the new trams are scheduled to enter service in June ...
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NewsKijfhoek hump yard modernisation contract awarded
NETHERLANDS: Infrastructure manager ProRail has awarded Siemens Mobility a €110m contract to modernise the Kijfhoek hump yard southeast of Rotterdam. The project aims to improve efficiency, reliability and safety while reducing lifecycle costs. An important link between the port and Europe’s inland industrial areas, the largest ...
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NewsRail Baltica calls tenders for unexploded ordnance survey
LATVIA: Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail has called tenders for a contract to identify unexploded ordnance and carry out geotechnical works where the future standard gauge railway will pass through the former Cekule military area. The area around 20 km from central Riga contained a ...
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NewsInter Cargo leases Traxx locomotives
POLAND: Freight operator Inter Cargo has leased two Bombardier Traxx locomotives from Railpool under a deal which includes full maintenance. The Class 186 locomotives will augment Inter Cargo’s own fleet of 22 electric locos, and are being used on domestic services within Poland. ‘We are pleased ...
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NewsAutonomous train begins GoA2 testing
FRANCE: Test running with an automated train in attended ATO mode is underway in northern France as the latest phase of a pan-industry programme to develop autonomous trains for regional passenger services.
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NewsOperating contract tender cancelled after incumbent submits only bid
SLOVAKIA: The Ministry of Transport has cancelled a public tender for the operation of passenger services on the 95 km Bratislava – Komárno line, after the only bidder was national passenger operator ZSSK which offered a price that far exceeded the ministry’s expectations. A direct award ...
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NewsAgilis awarded expanded Regensburg/Donautal operating contract
GERMANY: Bayern railway agency BEG has awarded incumbent Agilis the next contract to operate Regensburg/Donautal passenger services. The contract covering the Ulm – Ingolstadt – Regensburg and Neumarkt – Regensburg – Plattling routes will run for 14 years from December 2022. It will see an increase ...
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NewsFirst MIKA trainsets enter service
SWITZERLAND: BLS has put the first of its Stadler MIKA electric multiple-units into revenue service on the Bern – Neuchâtel route. Stadler was named preferred bidder for the operator’s largest-ever rolling stock contract in May 2017, beating a rival offer from Bombardier Transportation. Two orders totalling ...
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NewsValle d’Aosta electrification included in Italian recovery plan
ITALY: Electrification of the 66·3 km Ivrea – Aosta section of the Chivasso – Aosta line by 2026 has been included in the National Recovery & Resilience Plan, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure & Transport Giancarlo Cancelleri has announced. Infrastructure manager RFI estimates that electrification will cost ...
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NewsEurostar to increase services and complete Thalys merger as £250m refinancing agreement secured
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar has announced a £250m refinancing agreement with its shareholders and banks, which it said would enable it to continue to operate services and meet its short to mid-term financial obligations. The refinancing package announced on May 18 comprises £50m ...
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NewsOperators target more wagonload freight
GERMANY: A group of 11 private freight operators and publicly-owned DB Cargo have announced plans to promote and foster the wagonload business. Unveiling the proposals on May 11, the founder members of Netzwerk Zukunft Einzelwagenverkehr (Network Future Wagonload Traffic) said co-operation would be needed if the ...
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Metro Report InternationalTvärbanan branch opens to Bromma airport
SWEDEN: The first phase of an 8 km northwestern branch of Stockholm’s Tvärbanan light rail line was opened for revenue service on May 16. Diverging from the orbital Sikla – Solna Tvärbanan at Norra Ulvsunda, the branch bridges over Ulvsundavägen runs 1·3 km northwest to Bromma ...
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NewsVia Vindobona deal promises 4 h Berlin – Wien timing
GERMANY: Plans for a dramatic acceleration of inter-city passenger services between the capital cities of Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria were outlined at the third German Rail Summit held virtually on May 17. Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer highlighted plans agreed by the three countries in ...
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Metro Report InternationalBucurești finally signs order for 100 trams
ROMANIA: A €200m EU-backed contract for a partnership of Astra Vagoane Călători and CRRC Qingdao Sifang to supply 100 trams was signed by Mayor of București Nicușor Dan on May 11. The first of the trams is scheduled to be delivered in August 2022, with the rest ...
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NewsMinho line electrification completed
PORTUGAL: Infraestruturas de Portugal has completed the 25 kV 50 Hz electrification of its Minho line between Viana do Castelo and Valença in the far north of the country.
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NewsUkraine signs framework agreement for 130 electric locomotives
UKRAINE: Alstom is on course to supply up to 130 electric freight locomotives to national railway Ukrzaliznytsia under one of four framework agreements signed by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and France’s Minister of the Economy, Finance & Recovery Bruno Le Maire in Kyiv on May 13. ...
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In depthTrack Maintenance: Sinara banks on a full-service model
Having built up its track maintenance division through a series of acquisitions in recent years and started developing a new range of high-performance machines for Russian Railways, Sinara Transport Machines is now targeting the export market, reports Vladmir Waldin.
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NewsStadler lodges objection to DSB multiple-unit contract
DENMARK: Stadler has lodged an objection to DSB’s selection of Alstom for a contract to supply around 150 electric multiple-units as part of its Future Train rolling stock renewal strategy. The national passenger operator had named Alstom as preferred bidder on April 12 for its largest-ever ...