All Railway Gazette International articles in February 2016
All articles published this month.
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NewsMarket opening presents opportunities and risks
The EU's Fourth Railway Package raises the prospect of significant market opening in the domestic passenger market across Europe. As Mike George of insurance provider Willis Group explains, this heralds a major opportunity for new entrants with entrepreneurial zeal - but only if they understand fully a panoply of operational ...
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NewsEVRAZ wheels certified as TSI-compliant
EUROPE: Russian steelmaker EVRAZ NTMK has begun production of two more types of wagon wheel for the European market, after Czech railway research institute VUZ certified the production process as being compliant with TSI requirements. EVRAZ said the solid-rolled 920 mm BA 314 and ВА 005 wagon wheels are among ...
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NewsTough times bite
RUSSIA: Russian Railways will have to adopt a more customer-focused strategy and improve the quality of services if it is to increase revenue in 2016, new President Oleg Belozerov warned in mid-December. Discussing the provisional year-end results at the final board meeting of 2015, Belozerov said RZD needed to ‘increase ...
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NewsQueensland NGR EMU cars shipped from Mumbai
AUSTRALIA: The first six of 450 electric multiple-unit cars which Bombardier Transportation is building at its Savli plant in India under Queensland’s A$4·4bn New Generation Rollingstock contract were shipped from the Port of Mumbai at the end of January. Following testing the first units are expected to enter service in ...
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NewsCanberra light rail contractor chosen
AUSTRALIA: Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Andrew Barr and Minister for Capital Metro Simon Corbell announced on February 1 that the Canberra Metro consortium has been selected to build and operate the first stage of the planned light rail network. The consortium comprises Pacific Partnerships, CPB Contractors, ...
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NewsSeoul’s Sin Bundang Line extended
SOUTH KOREA: A 12·8 km southern extension of the Sin Bundang Line in Seoul opened on January 30, bringing the total length of the driverless line to 30·1 km. The new section connects the previous southern terminus of Jeongja with Kyonggi University in Gwanggyo. There are five intermediate stations, ...
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NewsRebuilt Den Haag Centraal station opened
NETHERLANDS: The rebuilt Den Haag Centraal station was officially inaugurated by Mayor Jozias van Aartsen and State Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure & Environment Sharon Dijksma during a day of celebrations on February 1. The redesigned terminus is intended to be brighter, more spacious and less cluttered than ...
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NewsGE and TMH announce Russian diesel engine joint venture
RUSSIA: A strategic business plan for the formation of a diesel engine manufacturing joint venture at Penza in Russia was signed by GE and Transmashholding on February 1. GE said the project would address the locomotive needs of Russian Railways, and also supply engines for maritime and distributed power applications. ...
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NewsOstlänken procurement begins as route confirmed
SWEDEN: Infrastructure manager Trafikverket expects to start procurement this month for the construction of the Ostlänken high speed line. On February 1 national consultation agency Sverigeförhandlingen began the formal consultation process with local authorities over the preferred route and location for the intermediate stations. Outlining the planned procurement strategy on ...
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NewsERMEWA merges wagon leasing brands
ERMEWA: Leasing company Ermewa has merged its grain wagon leasing business Compagnie de Transports de Céréales and construction materials wagon specialist Société de Gérance de Wagons de Grandes Capacités into the main Ermewa brand with effect from the start of 2016. Ermewa now has a combined fleet of more ...
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NewsTenerife tram extension approved
SPAIN: The board of Metrotenerife has approved the start of tendering for a 2·5 km extension of tram Route 2 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The cost of construction is put at €37m. The southwest extension of Route 2 from Tíncer to La Gallega would have four stops. It ...
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NewsSiemens opens US rail vehicle services plant
USA: This month Siemens will begin operations at a 5 600 m2 rail vehicle servicing, maintenance and repair plant it has established at the McClellan Park business development on the former McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, California. The site will be Siemens Mobility’s US customer services headquarters and ...
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NewsBeograd Centar station inaugurated
SERBIA: Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić inaugurated the first phase of Beograd’s future main station on January 26. Eight of the 10 tracks and five of the six platforms at Beograd Centar (also known as Prokop) station are now being used by two daily return services to Novi Sad and 105 ...
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NewsRail Supply Group outlines UK industrial strategy
UK: Entitled Fast Track to Growth, the Rail Supply Group’s industrial strategy for the industry was launched in Coventry on February 1 at an event attended by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, Sajid Javid.Described as a ‘detailed action plan for manufacturing and ...
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NewsArriva to launch Praha suburban service
CZECH REPUBLIC: DB subsidiary Arriva Vlaky is to launch an unsubsidised suburban passenger service on the 49 km line between Praha Hlavní and Benešov u Prahy on February 29. The semi-fast trains will run every two hours on weekdays, calling at Vršovice, Strašnice zastávka, Hostivař, Mnichovice, Senohraby and Čerčany. ...
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NewsMobile ticketing technology partnership
TICKETS: Mobile payment specialist Penrillian and smart ticketing software developer Ecebs announced an agreement to combine complementary mobile ticketing technologies during the Transport Ticketing & Passenger Information Global 2016 conference and exhibition in London on January 26. Ecebs is now Penrillian’s preferred Part 11 provider for the white-label Voyager app, ...
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NewsÖBB and SŽ plan rail freight co-operation
EUROPE: Austrian Federal Railways and Slovenia’s SŽ have announced that they are ‘discussing options to enter into an intensified co-operation for their rail freight business’. A letter of intent has been signed, and joint utilisation of assets and the formation of a joint enterprise is planned ‘from 2017 onwards’. The ...
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NewsEuropean approval for CDPQ’s Bombardier deal
BOMBARDIER: The European Commission announced on February 1 that had approved the agreement announced on November 19 which will see Canadian pension and insurance investor Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec invest US$1·5bn to acquire a 30% stake in Bombardier Transportation (Investment) UK Ltd, a new UK-registered holding company ...
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NewsBayern announces München S-Bahn tendering plan
GERMANY: Bayern railway authority BEG set out details of a three-phase plan to tender the operation of München S-Bahn services on February 3. The strategy is designed to reflect the need to manage major investment projects over the next decade, as well as the scale and complexity of the ...
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NewsTransdev wins Sachsen operating contract
GERMANY: The Leipzig and Mittelsachsen transport authorities have selected Transdev Regio Ost for the Dieselnetzes Nordwestsachsen Lot B contract to operate passenger service R6 between Leipzig, Grimma and Döbeln from June 12 2016 to December 2025. The contract covers the operation of almost 1 million train-km/year using a fleet of ...