High speed rail industry news
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Rail Business UK
Breakthrough completes boring of High Speed 2’s longest tunnel
UK: On March 21, tunnel boring machine Cecilia broke through the north portal of the Chiltern Tunnel on High Speed 2.
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News
Series E8 enters service on Yamagata mini-Shinkansen
JAPAN: East Japan Railway put its first Series E8 high speed trainsets into revenue service on the Yamagata Shinkansen on March 16.
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News
Tsuruga joined to Shinkansen network
JAPAN: ‘Today’s opening will touch the hearts of many domestic and international users and move the future forward’ said JR West President Kazuaki Hasegawa at the inauguration of the Kanazawa to Tsuruga extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen.
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News
High speed rail bypass contract awarded
SPAIN: High speed rail infrastructure manager ADIF Alta Velocidad has awarded Sacyr Construcción a €49m contract to build the first section of a 19 km bypass around the town of Loja on the Antequera – Granada high speed line. Trains currently use a single track, dual ...
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News
MSC’s purchase of Italo stake approved
ITALY: The European Commission has approved Mediterranean Shipping Co’s planned acquisition of a 50% stake in open access high speed train operator Italo-NTV from Global Infrastructure Partners. The transaction announced in October was examined under the normal merger control procedure, with the Commission concluding that there ...
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News
High speed rail start-up Kevin Speed signs access agreement
FRANCE: Aspiring high speed train operator Kevin Speed has signed a track access framework agreement with infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau, and hopes to launch its first services under the Ilisto brand by the end of 2028.
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News
JR Kyushu speeds up track inspection
JAPAN: JR Kyushu is using image processing with AI capabilities to automate high speed line track inspections, replacing the need for staff to go out on foot.
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In depth
China: Water Rabbit delivers network growth
More than 3 500 km of new railway was opened in China during 2023, expanding the national network to almost 160 000 route-km. Toma Bačić reviews recent developments.
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In depth
High Speed: FRA grant kick-starts Brightline West
Construction of a high speed inter-city passenger railway in the congested corridor between Las Vegas and Southern California is expected to get underway this year, following the approval of federal funding for the Brightline West project. Dave Lustig investigates.
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News
Procurement of Portugal’s broad gauge high speed line begins
PORTUGAL: Tenders have been called for the starter section of the proposed high speed corridor between Lisboa and Porto. The first tenders covers Stage 1 between Porto and Oiã near Aveiro. Infrastructure manager Infraestruturas de Portugal held a ceremony at its headquarters at Almada on January ...
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Rail Business UK
West Midlands – Manchester rail plan is not a HS2 revival, mayors say
UK: Metro Mayor for the West Midlands Andy Street and his Greater Manchester counterpart Andy Burnham report that they have held constructive talks with the Secretary of State for Transport, Rail Minister and senior officials from the Department for Transport regarding their work to assess how ...
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Rail Business UK
HS2 Phase 2 cancellation raises ‘urgent and unanswered questions’
UK: The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee makes six recommendations in its latest report on High Speed 2, which calls on the government to answer questions raised by its decision to cancel Phase 2. The recommendations are: The Department for Transport should set out ...
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News
CPK seeks input into rolling stock specifications
POLAND: The CPK project has invited passenger train operators to provide feedback on future rolling stock requirements. The consultation process aims to specify the functional and technical features for the future high speed trains. CPK plans to establish a rolling stock company which would purchase a ...
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In depth
Track Design: Introducing J-slab to India
Work has started on the installation of ballastless track on the Mumbai – Ahmedabad high speed line, marking the first application of J-slab technology in India. Two local production plants have been developed with support from Japanese consultants. Benjámin Zelki investigates.
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News
Hydrogen high speed train to be developed
SPAIN: A group of Spanish companies has been awarded funding for the Hympulso project to power a Talgo 250 gauge-changing high speed trainset using renewable hydrogen. Talgo Class 730 electro-diesel trainsets used by national operator RENFE have a power car behind each driving car containing a ...
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Rail Business UK
HS2 route no longer protected from development
UK: The government has formally lifted the planning protection which had been put in place to safeguard the route of the now-cancelled Phase 2a of High Speed 2 between the West Midlands and Crewe. Land close to Handsacre will continue to be safeguarded to allow HS2 ...
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News
RENFE28 management strategy approved
SPAIN: Innovation, digitalisation, boosting public services, leadership in the high speed market, profitability of the freight sector and the improvement of production processes are key objectives outlined in the RENFE28 management strategy which was approved by the national operator’s board on January 12. The four-year plan ...
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News
Seven consortia submit Kuala Lumpur – Singapore High Speed Rail proposals
MALAYSIA: Seven consortia comprising 31 companies submitted concept proposals for the revived Kuala Lumpur – Singapore High Speed Rail project by the January 15 deadline. The request for information issued by the Ministry of Finance-owned project promoter MyHSR Corp in July 2023 invited local and international ...
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News
Network Rail Consulting awarded California high speed rail contract
USA: The consultancy arm of British infrastructure manager Network Rail has been awarded a $73·2m contract to provide rail systems engineering services to the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Network Rail Consulting will be supported by subconsultants Egis and Ricardo, as well as local companies C2PM DR ...
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News
JR Central develops automated Shinkansen overhead line checks
JAPAN: Central Japan Railway has developed an automated overhead line inspection system that can be fitted to series-built trains used on the Tokaido Shinkansen. Able to check the position of wires and the condition of fittings while trains are travelling at up to 300 km/h, the ...