Europe – Page 257
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NewsTBMs ordered for Łódź cross-city tunnel
POLAND: The contractor building the Łódź cross-city tunnel has signed a contract for Herrenknecht to supply two tunnel boring machines. Work on the project is expected to begin in mid-2019, with the first TBM ready by the end of the year. A 13·04 m diameter TBM, the largest used ...
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NewsTrains certified as ‘Guaranteed French Origin’
FRANCE: Certification of origin might be more closely associated with wine and cheese, but Bombardier Transportation has now obtained the Pro France association’s ‘Guaranteed French Origin’ certification for the Francilien and Omneo/Regio 2N multiple-units designed and produced at its Crespin site in Hauts-de-France. ‘This is the first time a ...
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Metro Report InternationalAccessibility and sustainability at the heart of Berlin transport plan
GERMANY: The Senate of the Land of Berlin on February 26 issued a 2019-23 transport plan, with accessibility and emissions reduction key components. As well as the bus, tram, U-Bahn and ferry networks operated by municipal company BVG, the plan also addresses multimodal transport investment and integration with the regional ...
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Rail Business UKChannel Tunnel Brexit works funded in out-of-court settlement
EUROPE: On March 1 the UK government agreed to pay Eurotunnel up to £33m in an out-of-out-court settlement to bring to an end the Channel Tunnel concessionaire’s legal challenge against the Department for Transport’s decision to award ferry companies DFDS and Brittany Ferries contracts to provide cross-Channel freight transport services ...
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NewsInlandsbanan acquires DMUs for local services
SWEDEN: Inlandsbanan has acquired five second-hand Alstom Lint diesel multiple-units for the planned launched of a regular passenger service on part of its route. Inlandsbanan is owned by 19 local authorities and operates seasonal tourist-focused passenger services along the north – south inland route from Gällivare to Mora. It has ...
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NewsLotos Kolej orders Griffins and Dragons
POLAND: Open access freight operator Lotos Kolej signed an 80m złoty contract with Newag on February 28 for the supply of five electric locomotives. Newag is to supply three six-axle Dragon 2 locos and two four-axle Griffin locos by the end of May, and will provide seven years of ...
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NewsEU to finance upgrading of Turkey’s European link
TURKEY: A €275m grant to support the €1bn modernisation of the 233 km line from Istanbul to the Bulgarian border at Kapıkule was signed by representatives of the European Union and Turkey on February 28. The route is designated as being of European significance because it links to the core ...
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Rail Business UKMSSL acquires Bombardier UK rolling stock component business
UK: Indian automotive and transport component supplier Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd's PKC Group announced on February 28 that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bombardier Transportation’s UK rolling stock electrical component and system production and installation activities. This includes the manufacturing of wiring harnesses, panels and cabinets and ...
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Rail Business UKPolicymakers back HS2 as contractors challenge costs
UK: Representatives of the High Speed Rail Industry Leaders group joined national and regional politicians in Birmingham on February 25 to unveil a giant jigsaw of Britain, writes Tony Miles. This was intended to highlight the regional connectivity benefits of High Speed 2, with the ‘missing piece’ in the jigsaw, ...
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NewsTÜV Süd acquires SNC-Lavalin’s instrumented wheelset technology
EUROPE: TÜV Süd announced the acquisition of SNC-Lavalin’s IWT4 instrumented wheelset technology business on February 27, saying this would strengthen its position as a one-stop-shop for the independent assessment, testing and approval of rolling stock. The IWT4 instrumentation is applied to the wheelset without any structural modification, ensuring structural integrity ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
The Public Accounts Committee published its Rail Management & Timetabling report on February 27. Key findings included the Department for Transport’s management being characterised by cost overruns, project delays and disruption; there is not enough transparency about the service improvements that passengers can expect and the levels of profit that ...
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NewsCustom announcements to create an audio brand for DB stations
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Station&Service has appointed Acapela Group to create digital public address announcements for use at its 5 400 stations. Acapela said the German-language announcements would be custom-made to provide a ‘pleasant unique voice experience’, with an audio brand identity that would be recognisable as belonging to ...
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NewsStation retail management business to be sold
ITALY: FS Group has selected Altarea Cogedim as the winning bidder for its Centostazioni Retail business, which manages commercial and advertising activities at Milano Porta Garibaldi, Torino Porta Susa, Padova, Roma Ostiense and Napoli Afragola stations. This includes more than 18 000 m2 of retail space at stations used by ...
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NewsFirst Rail Baltica main line design contract awarded
ESTONIA: Project promoter RB Rail has selected Spanish company IDOM to provide design and supervision services for the Pärnu – Rapla section of the Rail Baltica 1 435 mm gauge line. The contract covers master and detailed technical design of the substructure, superstructure and related civil works which is to ...
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Rail Business UKPut customers first, Williams tells UK rail sector
UK: The rail industry needs ‘to adapt to a fast changing world’, and ensure that it focuses on the needs of passenger and freight customers, according to former British Airways Chief Executive Keith Williams, who was last year commissioned by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling to undertake a ...
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NewsUN convention to speed up cross-border rail travel
INTERNATIONAL: The text of an international agreement which has been developed to streamline cross-border passenger rail travel was adopted by the Inland Transport Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe at its meeting in Genève on February 22. The Convention on the Facilitation of Border Crossing Procedures for ...
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NewsRail Baltica linked logistics terminals approved
LITHUANIA: The government has designated planned freight terminals in Vilnius and Kaunas as projects of national importance, and appointed national railway LG to implement them. ‘The public logistic centres in Vilnius and Kaunas are projects of strategic importance’, said Minister of Transport & Communications Rokas Masiulis on February 20. ‘We ...
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NewsCER sets out policy priorities for 2019-24
EUROPE: A policy agenda for 2019-24 was unanimously adopted by the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies at its general assembly in Brussels on February 20. This includes five commitments for CER members: continuing the digital transformation of processes and services; stressing customer orientation; offering carbon-free rail operations in ...
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NewsMore trains ordered for Poznań regional network
POLAND: Wielkopolskie voivodship signed a contract with Pesa for the supply of five five-car Elf2 electric multiple-units on February 14. Pesa beat bids from Newag and Stadler, and will work with its subsidiary ZNTK Mińsk Mazowiecki to supply the EMUs between June and December 2020. The EU is providing ...
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Rail Business UKAlexa skill enables passengers to book travel assistance
UK: Virgin Trains has launched a ‘skill’ for Amazon Alexa virtual assistants which enables passengers with disabilities to book assistance for their journey using simple voice commands. The JourneyCare service usually requires users to fill in an online form or call a helpline after booking, which involves repeating information which ...