Heavy haul news
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NewsDiesel locomotive battery tender to be tested in Western Australia
AUSTRALIA: Freight operator Aurizon is to trial the use of a Battery Electric Tender intended to reduce emissions from heavy haul rail operations.
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NewsBHP battery locos delivered to the Pilbara
AUSTRALIA: Mining company BHP has taken delivery of its first purpose-built battery-electric heavy haul locomotives for trials between its Pilbara iron ore mines and Port Hedland.
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NewsWabtec and Vale to test ethanol as a locomotive fuel
BRAZIL: Mining company Vale and locomotive supplier Wabtec have signed an agreement to test the use of ethanol as an alternative to diesel fuel on the Vitória a Minas Railway.
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NewsBattery shunters deployed at Gabonese mine
GABON: Windhoff has supplied five battery-powered TeleTrac RW100AEM shunters and a cable drum wagon to Comilog’s manganese mine at Moanda, where they move trains of up to 130 wagons.
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NewsPacific Railway coal line officially opened
RUSSIA: The 531 km privately owned Pacific Railway connecting the Elga coking coal deposit with a port at Cape Manorsky on the Sea of Okhotsk has been officially opened.
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NewsEuropean Investment Bank backs Mauritanian railway enhancement
MAURITANIA: The European Investment Bank has approved a US$125m loan to support a investment in a heavy haul railway linking the mining area of Zouerate with the coast.
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NewsHeavy haul railway tracklaying makes progress through the desert
ALGERIA: Tracklaying has been completed on the 135 km priority section of the 575 km Western Mining Railway.
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NewsWestern Australia produced iron ore wagon rolled out
AUSTRALIA: Gemco Rail and supply partner CRRC Qiqihar Railway Rolling Stock have delivered the first of 100 iron order wagons which are to be produced in Western Australia for Rio Tinto.
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NewsDesert railway upgrading aims to double iron ore capacity
MAURITANIA: The African Development Bank has approved a US$150m loan to state-owned iron ore firm Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière to support a US$467m programme to double the capacity of its heavy haul railway by 2030. Plans include the acquisition of up to 36 locomotives and ...
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NewsFirst through train runs on Russia’s Pacific Railway
RUSSIA: The first train has travelled the full 531 km length of the recently completed Pacific Railway from the Elga coking coal deposit to a port which is under construction at Cape Manorsky on the Sea of Okhotsk. The train operated on October 30-31 comprised 20 ...
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NewsFortescue and Downer to develop heavy-haul battery loco design
AUSTRALIA: Fortescue Zero and rolling stock supplier Downer have announced plans to develop what they promise will be the world’s most energy-efficient battery electric locomotive. The partnership announced at InnoTrans in Berlin on September 25 is intended to develop what the companies call ‘an innovative zero ...
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NewsJordan and UAE to co-operate on Aqaba railway project
JORDAN: Government and railway officials from the United Arab Emirates have signed four agreements to support Jordan with a US$2·3bn project to build a 360 km railway linking potassium and phosphate production facilities to the port of Aqaba. The line would run from Aqaba’s phosphate export ...
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NewsProgress Rail locos delivered to Mongolian coal railway
MONGOLIA: Progress Rail has delivered the first four of 16 SD70ACe/LW locomotives for the 234 km heavy haul railway which connects the Tavan Tolgoi coal deposits in the Gobi desert to an inland port close to the Chinese border at Gashuun Sukhait. The 1 520 mm ...
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NewsMalmbanan iron ore railway reopens after derailments
SWEDEN: Iron ore trains on the single-track railway between Kiruna and Narvik resumed on March 6 following two recent derailments. Toma Bačić reports.
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In depthInterview: Heavy haul line expands Mongolia’s rail capacity
Interviewed about the challenges of building a heavy haul freight line through the Gobi Desert, CEO of Bodi International Dolgormaa Bukhbat highlights the harsh Mongolian climate and the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on logistics and construction.
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NewsPilbara heavy haul battery locomotive unveiled
AUSTRALIA: A FLXdrive battery-powered heavy haul locomotive for iron ore mining company Roy Hill has been unveiled at Wabtec’s factory at Erie in the USA. ‘This FLXdrive locomotive represents a major step in the journey to a low-to-zero-emission future’, said Wabtec President & CEO Rafael Santana ...
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NewsPilbara iron ore wagon manufacturing agreement
AUSTRALIA: An agreement to manufacture iron ore wagons in the Pilbara region has been announced by Rio Tinto and Gemco Rail, supported by supply partner Qiqihar Railway Rolling Stock and the government of Western Australia. The mining company is expecting to spend a total of ...
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NewsBattery freight locomotive conversion underway
AUSTRALIA: One of Aurizon’s Class 4000 diesel locomotives is being converted to a prototype EMD Joule battery powered heavy-haul freight loco which can be charged using renewable electricity and capture regenerated energy when braking or travelling downhill. The operator said the prototype will be ’a measured ...
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NewsStudy finds batteries and hydrogen could replace diesel locos on heavy freight trains
AUSTRALIA: Batteries or a combination of batteries and hydrogen fuel cells could feasibly replace diesel traction on rail freight corridors across Australia, according to a study undertaken by the University of Queensland and operator Aurizon. Researchers analysised real-world data to assess the energy required to transport ...
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NewsGuinea bauxite miner orders British sleepers
GUINEA: British Steel, Trackwork and Pandrol are to supply 244 000 steel sleepers to mining company Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée, which is upgrading its 135 km standard gauge heavy haul line which links the Sangarédi bauxite mine with Kamsar. Trackwork will process the rolled sleepers ...