Europe – Page 215
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NewsSecond ERTMS pilot line commissioned
DENMARK: Commercial operation using ETCS Level 2 Baseline 3 has started on Banedanmark’s Roskilde – Køge line in Sjaelland, which forms the second Early Deployment Line for the national Signalling Programme. Alstom is installing ETCS on the eastern half of the national network under the Fjernbane Øst ...
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NewsGailtalbahn electrification goes live
AUSTRIA: Electric passenger services on the 31 km Gailtalbahn route between Arnoldstein and Hermagor in southern Kärnten began with the December 15 timetable change. Work to install the 15 kV 16·7 Hz overhead equipment began in June 2018, as part of a programme to electrify all lines ...
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Metro Report InternationalŠkoda wins contract to supply trams to Bonn
GERMANY: Škoda Transportation has won a contract to supply up to 38 ForCity Smart trams to Bonn. The framework contract announced on December 16 could be worth up to KC4bn if all options are exercised. The base order includes deliveries of 26 trams from 2022 and the ...
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Metro Report InternationalLéman Express launches cross-border operations
EUROPE: The Léman Express cross-border suburban network serving Genève and Annemasse began regular operation on December 16, following a formal inauguration on December 12 and a weekend of public celebrations.
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NewsDesiro Mainline EMUs ordered for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
GERMANY: Alpha Trains has ordered seven Siemens Mobility Desiro Mainline electric multiple-units which it will lease to Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn. The EMUs are to be used on Ostseeküste-Ost regional services RE9 Rostock – Stralsund – Binz/Sassnitz and RE10 Rostock – Stralsund – Züssow, which are being operated ...
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Metro Report InternationalSheffield tram-train fleet taken out of service for inspection
UK: Stagecoach Supertram tram train services between Sheffield and Rotherham were suspended on December 13, after manufacturer Stadler advised the operator that the seven Citylink tram-tram vehicles needed to be taken out of service for inspection. This followed what Supertram described as a ‘tram engineering issue‘. Earlier ...
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Metro Report InternationalFlexity tram delivered to Göteborg
SWEDEN: The first of 40 trams that Bombardier Transportation is supplying to Göteborg arrived in the city on December 13 after a three-day journey from the manufacturer’s Bautzen factory. A consortium of Bombardier and Kiepe Electric is supplying 30 unidirectional and 10 bidirectional Flexity trams under a ...
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NewsPesa and PKN Orlen to develop hydrogen fuel cell trains
POLAND: Rolling stock manufacturer Pesa and energy company PKN Orlen signed a letter of intent to develop hydrogen fuel cell trains on December 12. The agreement covers knowledge exchange and testing, with the aim of developing the technology for commercial use in the freight and passenger sectors. ...
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Metro Report InternationalStadler delivers first tram to Kraków
POLAND: On December 13 Stadler delivered the first of 50 trams that it is supplying to MPK Kraków under a framework contract signed on January 2018. The low-floor trams is 33·4 m long and 2 400 mm wide with capacity for 227 passengers including 80 seated. It ...
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NewsLightweight bogie made from recycled carbon fibre
UK: A prototype passenger vehicle bogie made from recycled carbon fibre was unveiled at the Railway Industry Association’s Unlocking Innovation event at the University of Huddersfield on December 10. The bogie is being developed through a two-year programme being undertaken by a consortium of fibre recycling company ...
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Metro Report InternationalMetro do Porto selects CRRC to supply light rail vehicles
PORTUGAL: Metro do Porto has selected CRRC Tangshan to supply 18 light rail vehicles, the operator announced on December 13. CRRC beat bids from Siemens Mobility and Škoda Transportation. The €49·6m order is being financed from the Ministry of Environment & Climate Action’s Environment ...
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Metro Report InternationalUtrecht inaugurates Uithof tram line
NETHERLANDS: Revenue services began running on Utrecht’s 8km Uithoflijn express tram route on December 16, following a formal launch on December 14 attended by Minister of Infrastructure & Water Management Cora van Nieuwenhuizen and a day of free travel.
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NewsERFA calls for state aid guidelines to be updated
EUROPE: The European Rail Freight Association has called on the new European Commission to modernise the State Aid Guidelines for Railway Undertakings to take into account developments in the 11 years since the current guidelines were created. The organisation which represents new entrants to the freight market ...
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NewsBombardier to refurbish Regina EMUs
SWEDEN: Leasing company AB Transitio has awarded Bombardier Transportation a SKr280m five-year contract for the heavy maintenance and refurbishment of 54 two-car and five three-car Regina regional electric multiple-units. Pre-series refurbishment of the first of the EMUs is expected to be completed by mid-2020, with the rest ...
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NewsRail associations welcome EU Green Deal proposals
EUROPE: Railway industry associations have welcomed the transport sector proposals in the EU Green Deal package outlined by new Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a plenary session of the European Parliament on December 11.
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NewsStation aims to reduce driving to car factory
GERMANY: A station has been opened with the aim of reducing the use of cars to access the Audi automotive factory in Ingolstadt. ‘The new station is a milestone for public transport in the region and a clear commitment to a sustainable ...
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Metro Report InternationalMAN to supply 17 battery buses to Hamburg
GERMANY: Hamburg-Holstein transport authority VHH has ordered 17 Lion City E buses from MAN Truck & Bus. A pre-series vehicle is due to be delivered at the end of December for testing, ahead of the start of series deliveries in the second half of 2020; these are ...
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Metro Report InternationalHeiterBlick wins Würzburg tram contract
GERMANY: Würzburg transport authority WVV signed a contract with HeiterBlick for the supply of 18 trams on December 9. The Leipzig-based supplier is due to deliver the vehicles in 2022-24, when they will replace the older GT-E and GT-D vehicles. The five-section trams will have capacity for ...
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NewsShunting locomotives to be converted to dual-fuel
ESTONIA: State-owned oil shale company Enefit Kaevandused and Latvian technology supplier DiGas have agreed to convert two TEM2 and TEM18 diesel shunting locomotives to diesel and LNG dual-fuel power by mid-2020. Based on testing with other types of shunting locomotive, DiGas estimates that retrofitting the locos will ...
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NewsCourse builds opportunities for ex-military personnel
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway is sending staff from Southern’s newly-formed in-house maintenance team on an intensive five-week Level 1 foundation course in property maintenance run by Chichester College. The Building Heroes charity puts ex-servicemen and women through the same course, with Southern helping towards the cost of ...