CRRC has produced a 1 MW battery locomotive for Guangdong Zhongnan Iron & Steel Co.
Heavy haul Power International has leased a ninth Stadler EuroDual electro-diesel loco from European Loc Pool for use from September on key heavy freight corridors in Germany and beyond.
New Zealand’s KiwiRail is to withdraw the Interislander route’s only train ferry ‘Aratere’ this year, as the loading infrastructure is to be redeveloped to accommodate two planned new rail-equipped ships. ‘Until the new ships arrive, we will continue to move rail freight using road-bridging, but we will invest to super-charge this operation to ensure that all rail freight will be serviced at the levels our rail freight customers need and expect’, said CEO Peter Reidy on April 30.
Pecovasa has awarded COMSA’s rolling stock maintenance subsidiary GMF Railway Maintenance Services a €10·3m, 12-month contract to modernise 100 PM3 car transporter wagons used by RENFE Mercancías to accommodate modern cars which are larger and heavier than older designs.
Heidelberg Materials UK has begun using JPA wagons leased from VTG Rail UK which have been retrofitted with Knorr-Bremse’s FreightControl Sentinel system. This integrates anti-slide technology, brake condition monitoring and event data analytics to provide real-time diagnostics and decision-making.
Vossloh has won orders to supply rail fastenings and switches worth €59m to Algeria for projects including the Western Railway Mining Line to serve the Gara Djebilet iron ore mine in Tindouf province and the Dumiat Industrial Zone in Béchar.
BBL Logistik has leased two additional Stadler Euro9000 six-axle electro-diesel locomotives from European Loc Pool, taking its fleet to five EuroDual and four Euro9000 locos. ‘With the EuroDual, we have already achieved excellent results on both electrified and non-electrified routes’, said BBL Logistik Managing Director Jens Ziese. ‘The Euro9000 takes it a step further with its multisystem capabilities. This performance is a true gamechanger, especially for our complex construction train operations.’
Kazakhstan is exporting 60 000 tonnes of grain to Morocco by rail and sea, with national railway KTZ organising 17 trains to run from Zhana-Yesil and Sarykol to the Latvian port of Liepāja.
Eco Material Technologies has opened the Blissville Rail Terminal in Queens, operated by Precision Terminal Logistics and served by the New York & Atlantic Railway. It will be used to supply fly ash and cement to the New York area. ‘Utilising rail transportation streamlines delivery and aligns with our mission to advance sustainable solutions for the construction industry’, said Eco Material CEO Grant Quasha.
Mongolia‘s parliament has ratified an agreement with China for the construction of a connection between the railheads at the Gashuun Sukhait border crossing. This will increase capacity for exporting of coal from the Tavan Tolgoi deposit to China. Construction by Erdenes Tavantolgoi and China Energy is expected to take two years.
A bill to modernise the Short Line Railroad Maintenance Tax Credit was introduced to the US senate on April 30. There is currently a $0·40 tax credit for each dollar invested in upgrading shortline rail and bridges, capped at $3 500 per mile; the bill would increase this to $6 100 and index the cost to inflation. The American Short Line & Regional Railroad Association says the credit has driven more than $8bn in private investment in infrastructure since being introduced in 2005, but ‘outdated caps and limitations are threatening to erode its potency’.