All Railway Gazette International articles in July 2020 – Page 7
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Rail Business UKFranchise support to be extended by 18 months
UK: The government is preparing for a further 18 months of financial support for passenger train operators once the existing Emergency Measures Agreements expire on September 20, industry insiders have confirmed. A formal decision is expected to be announced by Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps ...
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Metro Report InternationalEmergency support for Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams
UK: The Scottish Government is to provide up to £9m of emergency funding for the Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams to help mitigate the financial impact of the drop in ridership as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The emergency measures announced on July 7 will be ...
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Metro Report InternationalUrban transport industry news round-up
Kiepe Electric, IFTEC and Siemens have completed a project to modernise 14 three-section GT6N trams for Nürnberg operator VAG, which carried out refurbishment of the bogies, motors and brakes itself. Work is now underway on 26 four-section trams as part of a €24m life-extension project. ...
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NewsSecond-hand inter-city coaches arrive in Portugal as CP looks to bolster fleet
Photo: José Carlos Barbosa PORTUGAL: National operator CP has completed the purchase of 51 hauled coaches from Spanish counterpart RENFE as part of its efforts to mitigate an acute shortage of rolling stock. Initial negotiations started in February, when CP anticipated buying only 16 vehicles for ...
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NewsFrench regulators formalise co-operation ahead of market opening
FRANCE: National transport regulator ART and rail safety authority EPSF have agreed to strengthen their co-operation in preparation for opening up of the domestic rail market to competition, the two organisations announced on July 7.
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Metro Report InternationalWuppertal Schwebebahn services suspended amid tyre trouble
GERMANY: Weekday services on the Wuppertal Schwebebahn suspended monorail are to be withdrawn for up to a year to enable urgent guideway repairs, the operator has confirmed. Following an emergency meeting of its supervisory board on July 2, municipal transport and utility company Wuppertaler Stadtwerke announced ...
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Metro Report InternationalRoad traffic expected to fall as Athens metro extension opens
GREECE: A 4 km extension of Athens metro Line 3 was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis on July 6, with revenue services starting the following day. The extension from Agia Marina adds three new stations at Agia Varvara, Korydallos and ...
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NewsLaunch customer orders Euro 6000 six-axle electric locomotives
SPAIN: Captrain España has become the launch customer for Stadler’s Euro 6000 six-axle multi-system electric locomotive design, signing a framework contract with leasing company Alpha Trains for up to 21 locos. The contract announced on July 7 includes a firm order for an initial 11 locos to ...
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Rail Business UKSnowdon Mountain Railway takes delivery of diesel-battery locomotives
UK: The Snowdon Mountain Railway has taken delivery of two 800 mm gauge diesel-battery hybrid Abt rack locomotives ordered last year from Clayton Equipment, which specialises in the production of bespoke designs for specialist railway, metro, mining and tunnelling applications. Thanks to the hybrid drive, the ...
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Metro Report InternationalTrams return to Gorzów Wielkopolski
POLAND: Tram operations in Gorzów Wielkopolski have resumed following a three-year suspension while a major renewal programme was undertaken. Services restarted on July 2, as part of a celebrations marking the city’s 763th anniversary. Trams are running again on the full length of the 9·5 km east–west ...
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Metro Report InternationalBerlin U-Bahn station to be renamed over racism concerns
GERMANY: Berlin city transport operator BVG intends to rename Mohrenstrasse station on U-Bahn Line U2 ‘out of understanding and respect’ for the ‘sometimes controversial’ debate about the name of the eponymous road, which uses an archaic term for people from North Africa. ‘As a cosmopolitan company and ...
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NewsKars Logistics Centre prepares to receive international rail freight
TURKEY: The first train has run to the Kars Logistics Centre, which is being built to serve the Kars – Tbilisi – Baku railway connecting Turkey with Georgia and Azerbaijan. Full commercial operations are planned to begin by the end of the year. ...
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In depthSpain: Two corridors to boost Iberian freight
Upgrading and reconstruction is in progress to facilitate creation of two freight corridors in the Iberian peninsula. One will link Portugal’s Atlantic ports with the French border at Irún/Hendaye, while the other offers a direct route between the Levante region and the industrial heartlands of northern Spain. Mike Bent reports.
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Metro Report InternationalBlackpool trams to resume as UK light rail operators reflect government guidance
UK: Blackpool’s trams are to begin operating once more from July 19, having been suspended since March 29 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Operator Blackpool Transport said the resumption of services on the 16 km route was intended to ‘support the town’s economy and provide an important ...
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NewsIndian Railways invites bids to run private passenger trains
INDIA: Confirming its intention to work with private operators to address a shortfall in passenger capacity, the Indian Railway Board issued requests for qualification on July 1 for 35-year concessions to operate private trains on the national network from 2023. IR currently operates around 13 500 ...
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NewsČD calls tenders for multi-system locomotives
CZECH REPUBLIC: National operator ČD called tenders on July 2 for a framework contract covering the supply of up to 90 multi-voltage 200 km/h electric locomotives. There would be a firm order for 40 locos, with options for up to 50 more to be exercised within eight ...
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Rail Business UKBattery traction agreement signed as Hitachi sees market for more than 400 trains in the UK
UK: Hitachi Rail and battery company Hyperdrive Innovation have signed a memorandum of understanding for the joint development of a battery pack suitable for powering trains, and a roadmap towards a manufacturing agreement which would cover any future orders. The battery packs would ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Railroad Development Corp subsidiary Iowa Interstate Railroad opened a bridge over the Raccoon River in Booneville, Iowa, on June 30. Named after RDC executive William J Duggan, the structure west of Des Moines replaces a 119-year-old truss bridge. The Federal Railroad Administration funded half of the cost ...
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Metro Report InternationalFare collection inclusivity with payment at shops
USA: Customers of transport operators which use Cubic Transportation Systems’ TouchPass digital ‘fare collection as a service’ platform will be able to add stored value to their ticketing accounts at local shops under a partnership agreement with payments technology company InComm. The agreement will enable transport authorities ...
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Rail Business UKWelding gantry supplied to Bombardier Transportation’s Derby factory
UK: KM Tools has supplied Bombardier Transportation’s Derby factory with a custom welding gantry for the production of rolling stock bodyshells. Bombardier required a new gantry that closely matched the ones already operational, so KM Tools reverse engineered a new machine to the required specification and with ...