German railway news – Page 44
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NewsSiemens presents first Mireo EMU
GERMANY: Siemens presented the first Mireo electric multiple-unit at its Wildenrath test facility on December 6. The aluminium-bodied modular articulated EMU design is intended for commuter and regional services. DB Regio became the launch customer in February 2017 when it placed a firm order for 24 three-car units. These ...
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NewsRhein-Ruhr-Express trains are ready to roll
GERMANY: The first Desiro HC EMUs being built for Rhein-Ruhr Express services by Siemens Mobility are on course to enter service with the December 9 timetable change, following their formal approval by the Federal Railway Office using its new authorisation process. Under a €1·7bn contract from a consortium of local ...
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NewsBaden-Württemberg backs ETCS in Stuttgart
GERMANY: The Land of Baden-Württemberg agreed in principle on November 27 to support proposals for the roll-out of the European Train Control System and digital interlockings in the Stuttgart region by 2030. The Baden-Württemberg cabinet has authorised the Land transport ministry to enter into financing negotiations with the federal government, ...
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NewsDB orders wagons from Russian supplier UWC
GERMANY: Russian manufacturer United Wagon Co has won what it says is a ‘major breakthrough’ order to supply wagons to Deustche Bahn, beating rival bids submitted by ‘leading companies from Europe and the USA’. The order announced on November 27 covers 130 Sggrs80 articulated container flat wagons which will be ...
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NewsHydrogen train operation planned
GERMANY: The Länder of Brandenburg and Berlin are planning the joint award of a contract for the development and operation of hydrogen fuel cell powered trains on the RB27 Heidekrautbahn route. The proposed contract would start in December 2022 and run for 15 years, a length selected to provide experience ...
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NewsNiedersachsen awards fleet refurbishment contract
GERMANY: Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG has awarded manufacturer Bombardier Transportation a €80m contract to modernise a total of 51 double-deck coaches and 37 Traxx electric and diesel locomotives. The work is to be undertaken at Bombardier's Hennigsdorf and Kassel plants, with an initial 11 pre-series vehicles to be completed by ...
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NewsTransdev announces EMU order as Hannover S-Bahn operating contract confirmed
GERMANY: Transdev announced an order for 64 Stadler Flirt electric multiple-units on November 7, after its NordWestBahn subsidiary was confirmed as the winner of the contract to operate Hannover S-Bahn services from December 2021 until June 2034. There had been four bids for the operating contract tendered by the Hannover ...
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NewsGerman rail projects added to implementation list
GERMANY: Following detailed studies, 29 rail projects included in the 2030 federal transport infrastructure plan have been added to the priority list for implementation, Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer announced on November 6. The decision follows examination of the cost-effectiveness of 44 potential projects, some of which could be added ...
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NewsVossloh acquires Strabag Rail milling business
GERMANY: Vossloh announced on November 5 that it had agreed a deal to acquire Strabag Rail GmbH’s rail milling business, which comprises four milling machines and around 30 employees. Vossloh said the purchase price and expected sales were in the ‘low double-digit million’ range. The transaction is expected to be ...
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NewsICE4 receives ETCS approval in Germany
GERMANY: Federal railway authority EBA has approved the operation of ICE4 high-speed trains with ETCS, Siemens announced on November 5. This will enable their use on the Berlin – München high speed line from the December 9 timetable change. The ICE4 trainsets are fitted with ETCS Baseline 3 onboard equipment, ...
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NewsTSI certification for Škoda Transportation push-pull trainsets
GERMANY: Škoda Transportation announced on November 2 that notified body Eisenbahn-Cert had granted TSI certification for the Type 109E3 locomotives and double-deck push-pull coaches which DB Regio has ordered for use on Nürnburg – Ingolstadt – München regional services operating over the high speed line. When the contract for six ...
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NewsGoldschmidt Thermit Group acquires inspection technology specialist PLR
GERMANY: Welding and maintenance specialist Goldschmidt Thermit Group has acquired Prüftechnik Linke & Rühe, a Magdeburg-based company which provides eddy current and ultrasonic inspection technology for the rail, automotive and aerospace markets. ‘PLR brings extensive know-how in the field of non-destructive testing of rail infrastructure to the Goldschmidt Thermit Group’, ...
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NewsFlirt Akku battery multiple-unit unveiled
GERMANY: Stadler has officially unveiled the prototype Flirt Akku, a version of its Flirt family of electric multiple-units which is equipped with a battery to permit operation on non-electrified or partly-electrified routes. The unit was officially unveiled on October 25, when it carried guests between the Stadler Pankow factory in ...
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NewsElectro-diesel Vectron takes shape
GERMANY: Siemens Mobility has started the construction of two prototype Vectron Dual Mode electro-diesel locomotives, filling a gap in its current product range. The first is expected to be ready for display at the Transport Logistic fair in München next June. With authorisation for operation in Germany expected by the ...
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Rail Business UKWorld rail freight news round-up
Marking 10 years of direct intermodal trains between China and Germany, Deutsche Bahn has established DB Cargo Eurasia as a dedicated business unit to develop Eurasian transit freight. DB and partners including Russian Railways launched a single train between Xiangtang and Hamburg in 2008; it now runs 3 600 per ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Steel producer Evraz is to invest US$60m in two automatic full-section wheel machining lines and a wheel geometry laser measuring hub at its plant in Nizhny Tagil. This is expected to see wheel output increase by 78 000 units per year, most of which are for the Russian market. Indian ...
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NewsFlixTrain: ‘We want to make sustainable mobility accessible to everyone’
Having grown from a tech startup to an international coach company in just five years, FlixMobility has now entered the rail market. The e-commerce platform seeks to become a multimodal provider of sustainable transport, CEO & Co-Founder André Schwämmlein tells Railway Gazette International
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NewsFilzenexpress electrification agreement
GERMANY: An agreement to finance electrification of the 19 km route between Ebersberg and Wasserburg am Inn was signed on September 28 by Bayern Transport Minister Ilse Aigner and Südostbayernbahn’s infrastructure director Christian Kubasch. A feasibility study in 2016 put the cost of electrification at around €22m, including associated station ...
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NewsDB expands international ticket purchase options
EUROPE: Deutsche Bahn has expanded the range of cross-border and foreign rail tickets which can be booked through its website and mobile app. Passengers can now book travel on SNCF and Thalys services, and Eurostar is to be added from October 8. Until now only selected connections were offered ...
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NewsWascosa and Aves One acquire 4 400 wagons
EUROPE: A consortium of wagon leasing company Wascosa and Hamburg-based logistics assets investor Aves One completed the acquisition of 4 400 wagons from the Nacco subsidiary of CIT Group on October 1. Wascosa has also taken over Nacco’s operations in Hamburg. VTG announced plans for the acquisition of Nacco in ...