Latest news – Page 185
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NewsPesa selected to supply 62 EMUs to Romania
ROMANIA: Railway reform board ARF announced on October 30 that it had selected Pesa Bydgoszcz to supply 62 electric multiple-units for use on regional services. A contract worth between 3·2bn and 4·2bn lei is to be signed following the standstill period when losing bidder Alstom can ...
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Metro Report InternationalMelbourne G Class tram mocked up for testing
AUSTRALIA: A full-size mock-up of Melbourne’s future G Class tram has been produced to obtain feedback from passenger, driver, technical and accessibility groups ahead of series production. In 2022 Victoria’s Department of Transport awarded Alstom a €700m framework contract to supply 100 customised Flexity 2 trams ...
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In depthComment: UK turns its back on rail growth
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to abandon the remaining phases of the High Speed 2 programme reflects the UK government’s growing antipathy to rail investment and equivocation about climate targets, leaving Britain’s railway without a clear plan for future expansion.
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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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NewsNijmegen – Roermond upgrading and electrification contract awarded
NETHERLANDS: Infrastructure manager ProRail has awarded Swietelsky Rail Benelux a contract to upgrade, partly double-track and electrify the 88 km Nijmegen – Roermond line. The Maaslijn is one of the longest and most intensively used diesel-operated single-track lines in the Netherlands, with the Arriva-operated services carrying ...
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Rail Business UKRegulator approves Network Rail’s £43·1bn five-year plan
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has published its final determination setting out how Network Rail plans to use the £43·1bn being made available to fund infrastructure operation, maintenance and renewal during the five-year Control Period 7 starting on April 1 2024. Network Rail has ...
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NewsEuropean Commission says Spain has failed to apply Single European Railway Area rules
SPAIN: The European Commission has decided to refer Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union, saying it has failed to correctly transpose and apply Directive 2012/34/EU establishing a Single European Railway Area. The Commission explained on October 18 that it believed the Spanish ...
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Metro Report InternationalUrban transport industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector.
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Metro Report InternationalDubai invites expressions of interest for metro Blue Line
UAE: Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority has invited expressions of interest in a design and build contract covering civil works, railway systems and rolling stock for the planned metro Blue Line. Around 15·5 km of the 30 km line would be underground and 14·5 km elevated. ...
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NewsFreight railways revived in northern Argentina
ARGENTINA: Trenes Argentinos Cargas has restarted freight services on a 158 km section of the Belgrano Cargas metre-gauge network in the north of the country after a 10-year hiatus. The railway connecting Pichanal with Río Del Valle has reopened following extensive reconstruction. The inaugural train on ...
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NewsNew Orleans – Baton Rouge passenger train agreement signed
USA: Amtrak has signed an agreement with Louisiana’s Department of Transportation to develop a long-planned inter-city service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. ‘An Amtrak line connecting Louisiana’s capital to the largest metropolitan area in the state will have immense economic benefits for both cities and ...
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Rail Business UKTicket office closure proposals scrapped after passenger watchdogs object
UK: The government has asked train operators to withdraw proposals to close most station ticket offices in England, after watchdog bodies Transport Focus and London TravelWatch formally objected. Announcing the decision on October 31, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the government would ‘continue our work to ...
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Metro Report InternationalAlexandria metro contract signed
EGYPT: The National Authority for Tunnels has awarded a consortium of Orascom Construction and Colas Rail a €1·3bn contract to build the first metro line in Alexandria. The contract covers engineering, procurement and construction of the 21·7 km first phase of the metro line, serving 20 stations. ...
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NewsFlirt Akku battery-electric multiple-units enter service
GERMANY: The first of the Stadler Flirt Akku battery-electric multiple-units ordered by Schleswig-Holstein transport authority NAH.SH have entered revenue service with operator Erixx Holstein. ‘We are taking a huge step towards zero-emission local transport with the 55 battery trains that will run on 11 lines in ...
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NewsJoint venture to expand Uzbek rail freight terminals
UZBEKISTAN: Rhenus Group and the Uztemiryulkonteyner subsidiary of national railway UTY have signed a memorandum of co-operation to establish two joint ventures to operate and expand road-rail transshipment terminals in Andijon and Samarkand. They also agreed to take strategic measures to expand capacity and increase rail ...
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Metro Report InternationalPorto light rail extension agreed as expansion plan announced
PORTUGAL: Metro do Porto has awarded a consortium of Alberto Couto Alves, FCC Construcción and Contratas y Ventas a €379·5m contract for the construction of light rail line H (Ruby). The 6·4 km Line H would connect Casa da Música on lines A, B, C, E, ...
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Rail Business UKAutomated cliff monitoring protects Dawlish railway
UK: Smart cameras, sensors, Telent’s MICA workforce automation platform and Purple Transform’s SiYtE insights software have been combined to alert staff to safety risks where the railway at Dawlish runs below potentially unstable cliffs. IoT sensors fitted along the cliffs detect any rock fall and send ...
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NewsHitachi Rail’s acquisition of Thales GTS approved
EUROPE: The European Commission has approved Hitachi Rail’s proposed €1·66bn acquisition of Thales’ Ground Transportation Systems business, subject to agreed divestments to preserve competition in the signalling market. The announcement on October 30 means the deal has now been cleared by all 13 competition authorities which ...
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NewsFerrari Formula 1 team switches to rail
NORTH AMERICA: CEVA Logistics is organising the rail transport of Scuderia Ferrari’s Formula 1 equipment between three North American Grand Prix races as part of plans to reduce the sport’s carbon emissions. CEVA has been managing Scuderia Ferrari’s logistics since 2022, and says the movement of ...
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NewsMiddle Corridor joint venture to co-ordinate China – Europe rail freight
INTERNATIONAL: The national railways of Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan have formed an equally-owned joint venture to develop multimodal services on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route between China and Europe. The agreement to create Middle Corridor Multimodal Ltd was signed at the Silk Road forum in Tblisi ...