All Railway Gazette International articles in February 2012
All articles published this month.
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NewsFast internet means satisfied passengers
CZECH REPUBLIC: Nomad Digital is supplying on-train wireless internet technology for the five Stadler Flirt trains which Leo Express has ordered for its planned launch of Praha - Ostrava open access services in December. Nomad said the wi-fi system based on its R3500 router will aggregate all ...
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NewsLondon Midland and TransPennine Desiro contracts signed
UK: Rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains confirmed on February 29 that it had signed contracts to procure and finance 20 four-car Class 350 Siemens Desiro electric multiple-units for London Midland and First TransPennine Express, 'as part of a contract worth around £145m'. 'The finalisation of these contracts with London ...
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News
Moretti stays on at CER
FS CEO Mauro Moretti (photo) has been re-elected as Chairman of the Community of European Railways for a two-year term. CER’s Management Committee is now made up of the following members: Roger Cobbe, Board Member, ATOC; Vladimír Lupták, Director General, ZSR; Jan Sundling, Chairman, ASTOC; Maria Wasiak, CEO, PKP SA; ...
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NewsFGC assists with Jaén tram operations
SPAIN: On February 27 the Mayor of Jaén, José Enrique Fernández de Moya, signed an agreement with FGC President Enric Ticó that will see the Catalan regional operator undertake an audit of the city's 4·7 km light rail route which has not seen regular service for more than nine months. ...
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NewsERA should be 'the single railway authority in Europe'
EUROPE: The European Railway Agency should be transformed into a single safety certification and vehicle authorisation body for Europe, according to a joint vision for the future presented by the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies (CER) and supply industry association UNIFE on February 28. The proposal was made ...
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NewsCrossrail rolling stock contract invitations to negotiate issued
UK: Prequalified bidders Bombardier Transportation, CAF, Hitachi Rail Europe and Siemens were formally invited to negotiate for the contract to supply rolling stock and the maintenance depot for the Crossrail project on February 28. Crossrail will provide a high-capacity service running 118 km east-west across London using existing lines linked ...
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NewsGSM-R to support open access on Czech freight corridor
CZECH REPUBLIC: Infrastructure manager SŽDC has awarded Kapsch CarrierCom a contract to design and supply GSM-R communications for the 172 km Decín - Ústí nad Labem - Melník - Vsetaty - Kolín route by June 2013. The contract announced on February 20 includes 22 new and seven existing base stations. ...
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NewsPakistan pins hopes on private sector
PAKISTAN: Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani inaugurated the first privately-managed Business Express service between Lahore and Karachi on February 3. The train is operated under an agreement between Pakistan Railways and Four Brothers International, which sells the premium-priced tickets aimed at business travellers and provides the onboard services including bedding, catering ...
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NewsLa Cartuja branch opens in Sevilla
SPAIN: RENFE added a new route to its suburban network in Sevilla on February 20, when trains began operating every hour on route C2 between Santa Justa and La Cartuja. Originally built for high speed services to the Expo 92 site, the La Cartuja branch has been upgraded by ...
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NewsTehran - Mashhad electrification project launched
IRAN: The Minister of Roads & Urban Development attended a ceremony to officially launch work to electrify the Tehran - Mashhad line on February 1. The first phase of the upgrading project is expected to take 24 months to complete. Electrification and infrastructure upgrades will raise the top speed of ...
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NewsGovernment go-ahead for Kerala coach plant
INDIA: Plans to establish a coach manufacturing plant at Palakkad in Kerala were approved by the cabinet on February 16. With the capacity to produce 400 coaches per year, the new factory would develop 'state of the art' aluminium vehicles for Indian Railways. The cost of the project is put ...
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NewsBombardier and Uralvagonzavod to form tram joint venture
RUSSIA: Rolling stock and armoured fighting vehicle manufacturer Uralvagonzavod has signed a letter of intent with Bombardier to establish a joint venture to build trams in Yekaterinburg. Uralvagonzavod would assemble articulated cars with a floor height 350 mm above rail and a capacity for up to 210 passengers. Group subsidiary ...
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NewsGroupe Eurotunnel opens privately-funded training centre
FRANCE: Groupe Eurotunnel opened its Centre International de Formation Ferroviaire de la Côte d’Opale in Coquelles on February 2. Eurotunnel says that the centre is the first privately-funded facility of its kind in Europe. Representing an investment of around €3m, Ciffco will provide training courses for 15 disciplines on a ...
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NewsSiemens to expand light rail production in Wien
AUSTRIA: Siemens has announced plans to invest around €50m to increase the capacity of light rail production facilities at its Simmering plant in Wien, which is the headquarters of the Metro, Coaches & Light Rail business unit within the Rail Systems Division of its Infrastructure & Cities Sector. Unveiling a ...
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NewsFGC and EuskoTren join forces
SPAIN: Regional operators FGC and EuskoTren are to jointly offer consultancy and operating services for railway and light rail projects in Spain and abroad. Services to be offered will include operations planning, maintenance facility design and the training of maintenance and operating personnel. The agreement announced on February 22 provides ...
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NewsCairo metro Line 3 opens
EGYPT: The 4∙2 km five-station Phase I of Cairo metro Line 3 was opened on February 21, linking the eastern part of the capital from the city centre.A consortium led by Vinci Construction with Bouygues Travaux Publics, Orascom and Arab Contractors, took 51 months to complete the underground section between ...
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NewsRefurbished TGV PSE trains as good as new
FRANCE: The first of 60 refurbished TGV PSE trainsets is expected to re-enter service on LGV Rhin-Rhône during March, following overhaul at the Hellemmes Technicentre near Lille. The refurbishment has been styled by a partnership of seating specialist Compin and creative agency RCP Design Global. Adopting 'a cognitive and sensory ...
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NewsTajik Railways takes delivery of Evolution locomotives
TAJIKISTAN: State railway Rohee Ohani Tojikiston has begun taking delivery of six GE Transportation TE33A Evolution locomotives manufactured in Kazakhstan. GE Transportation's main US plant in Erie supplied a single TE33A to Mongolian Railways in 2009, but the Tajik locomotives ordered in November 2011 are the first to be exported ...
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NewsMidCargo is now CFL Cargo Sverige
SWEDEN: Freight operator MidCargo has been renamed CFL Cargo Sverige, reflecting CFL Cargo's purchase of a 51% stake in the company with effect from January 1. MidCargo was established in 1990 as BK Tåg, and is now a joint venture between CFL Cargo and Svensk Tågkraft. It is to be ...
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NewsSZDC invites bids for construction of Plzen - Rokycany line
CZECH REPUBLIC: Infrastructure manager SZDC has invited bids for its largest ever contract, covering the construction of a new alignment between Plzen and Rokycany which will replace the sinuous 20·2 km existing route to reduce Praha - Plzen journey times by 6 min. The project forms part of SZDC's Corridor ...