Europe – Page 223
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NewsPesa to supply Elf 2 EMUs to Koleje Małopolskie
POLAND: Koleje Małopolskie signed a 109m złoty contract with Pesa for the supply of four Elf 2 electric multiple-units on October 28. The four-car EMUs will be 75 m long with six doors per side, and will have capacity for 480 passengers including 200 seated. They will ...
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NewsIstria line revival planned
CROATIA: An agreement to co-operate to rehabilitate the railway from Lupoglav to the port of Raša on the Istria peninsula has been signed by HŽ Infrastruktura and the Port of Rijeka Authority. The 52 km single-track and non-electrified line opened in 1951 but was closed in 2008 ...
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NewsOperail to test LNG freight locomotive
ESTONIA: Operail is to work with Latvian dual-fuel technology company DiGas to convert a GE Transportation C36 locomotive to dual-fuel diesel and LNG operation. Testing is planned for mid-2020, ahead of revenue operation later in the year. Operail said that while LNG shunting locomotives have been tested, ...
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Metro Report InternationalWarszawa tram design goes to public vote
POLAND: Tramwaje Warszawskie has opened a public vote on the styling of the fleet of trams that Hyundai Rotem is to supply to the capital. The supplier has presented three options for the front-end, and the operator will choose one based on the public vote. From October 25 to 30, ...
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Metro Report InternationalBYD to supply 55 electric buses to Vy Buss
NORWAY: Government-owned national rail and bus operator Vy Buss signed an electric bus order with BYD at the Busworld trade show in Brussels on October 22. BYD is to supply a total of 55 buses that would operate in Oslo, Hamar and Haugesund municipalities. Deliveries are due ...
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Rail Business UKHS2 streamlines civils subcontracting process
UK: The four High Speed 2 main works civils contractors have collaborated to introduce a standardised pre-qualification system for subcontractors which is designed to streamline the process, reduce costs and boost productivity. Under the Common Assessment Standard, bidders for work with Align, BBV, EK and SCS Railways ...
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NewsSNCF confirms CAF inter-city EMU order to ‘transform the traveller experience’
FRANCE: The SNCF Mobilités board has formally approved the selection of CAF to supply the railway’s next generation of inter-city trainsets, designated as Confort 200. Meeting in Paris on October 24, the board confirmed the award of a firm order for 28 trains ...
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NewsBeograd – Bar line modernisation agreement signed
SERBIA: An agreement to co-operate to modernise the 208 km Valjevo – Vrbnica section of the line from Beograd to Bar in Montenegro was signed by Minister of Construction, Transport & Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlović and Russian Railways Chief Executive Oleg Belozerov on October 19. Russia and Serbia ...
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NewsAlpha Trains finances Bremen S-Bahn fleet enhancement
GERMANY: Leasing company Alpha Trains is to finance enhancement of the Regio-S-Bahn Bremen/Niedersachsen fleet, including the €100m acquisition of new electric multiple-units as well as the refurbishment of existing trainsets. Regio-S-Bahn Bremen/Niedersachsen services have been operated by Transdev’s NordWestBahn since 2010. Following a competitive tender, in April ...
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Rail Business UKDMUs converted to carry bikes and luggage on the West Highland line
UK: Five Class 153 single-car diesel multiple-units are being converted to carry up to 20 bicycles and large luggage including winter sports equipment, for use by ScotRail to provide additional seating capacity and encourage tourism on the scenic West Highland line. The units ...
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NewsEU funds Napoli – Bari upgrade
ITALY: The European Commission has approved the allocation of €124m from the European Regional Development Fund to support upgrading of 16·5 km of the Napoli – Bari route between Cancello and Frasso Telesino. This includes double-tracking to provide an increase in speed and capacity, the construction of ...
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Rail Business UKNorth-West Transport Hub opens
North-West Transport Hub UK: The rail facilities at the North-West Transport Hub in Northern Ireland’s second city were opened by transport agency Translink on October 21. The new Derry~Londonderry station returns to railway use the city’s former Waterside station, a Grade B-listed nineteenth century structure ...
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NewsGrand Est orders electro-diesels for services to Germany
FRANCE: The Grand Est region has placed a €360m order for a further 39 Alstom Coradia Polyvalent electro-diesel multiple-units for delivery in 2022-24. The order announced on October 22 includes 30 four-car units to be delivered from the end of 2023 for use on cross-border services to ...
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NewsOperail seeks to enter Finland’s rail freight market
FINLAND: Estonian freight operator Operail has established Operail Finland Oy with the aim of entering the country’s rail market. It plans to invest €50m to develop the business and acquire rolling stock, as part of its strategy of diversifying its activities with new services, products and markets. ...
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NewsBLS Cargo selects Vectron for north–south corridor
SWITZERLAND: BLS Cargo has selected Siemens Mobility for a contract to supply 25 multi-system electric freight locomotives, after what it described as an ‘intensive’ tendering process including test running with candidate designs. The locomotives are to be delivered in 2020-25, replacing older locos and supporting the operator’s ...
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NewsLegal challenge halts Gateway Basel Nord
SWITZERLAND: The planned start of construction of the Gateway Basel Nord project for a trimodal container terminal has been delayed following a successful legal challenge by container and logistics company Swissterminal AG. Gateway Basel Nord is the brainchild of a joint venture formed of SBB Cargo, intermodal ...
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Rail Business UKLNER launches Azumas to Lincoln
UK: ‘We are putting Lincoln firmly on the LNER map’, said Customer Service Director Suzanne Donnelly at the formal launch of Azuma services off the East Coast Main Line on October 21. With effect from the December timetable change Lincoln will benefit from a ...
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Metro Report InternationalAvignon tramway inaugurated
FRANCE: The initial section of the Avignon tramway was inaugurated on October 19 with a day of free travel. The 5·2 km route T1 runs east from Saint-Roch Université des Métiers to Gare Centre, then south along Avenue Saint-Ruf and Avenue de Tarascon, before turning east again ...
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NewsEU allocates €838m for Polish rail enhancement project
POLAND: The EU is to provide €838m of cohesion funding for a project to upgrade a 214·5 km section of the TEN-T network between Chorzów Batory in Śląskie voivodship and Zduńska Wola Karsznice in Łódzkie. Due for completion by January 2023, the project includes subgrade strengthening, track ...
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NewsPKP Cargo looks to acquire Romanian operators
EUROPE: Polish freight operator PKP Cargo announced on October 17 that it had started talks to acquire shares in three Romanian operators. Ploiești-based Vest Trans Rail SRL, Ferest Logistics SRL and Romcargounit SRL (both based in București) are active on the Romanian market, and PKP Cargo said ...