Latest news – Page 494
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In depthAustralia: The hard truth about interstate freight
High levels of taxation and track access charges are making rail freight uncompetitive with other modes, even on long hauls where speed and volume should give rail a natural advantage.
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NewsBosnian railway rehabilitation study
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: A joint venture of Spanish companies Ardanuy Ingeniería, Eptisa and IPSA has been awarded a €3·6m, 24-month contract to undertake preliminary and main studies and related design for the modernisation of the 172 km Doboj – Sarajevo section of Pan-European Corridor Corridor Vc, which ...
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Metro Report InternationalCalgary Transit deploys Masabi mobile ticketing
CANADA: Calgary Transit has rolled out Masabi’s My Fare contactless mobile ticketing platform across its network, following a pilot project on four routes. Fare products available on the mobile app include monthly and day passes as well as single ride and airport tickets. The platform includes an ...
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NewsLithuanian Railways launches ‘patriotic’ rebranding and international expansion drive
LITHUANIA·: National railway group Lietuvos Geležinkeliai launched a new brand identity on its 101st birthday, reflecting its recent restructuring with the formation of passenger, freight and infrastructure businesses. The full name remains Lietuvos Geležinkeliai, but with the ‘new, more patriotic’ abbreviation LTG rather than LG. ...
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NewsBNSF and Wabtec prepare to test battery-electric locomotive
USA: Wabtec has started conducting factory testing at its Erie plant of a prototype 4 400 hp battery locomotive, ahead of trial operations with BNSF that are planned to take place in the final quarter of this year. BNSF and GE Transportation (now Wabtec) began development of ...
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NewsTrenord’s first Donizetti EMU enters service in Milano
ITALY: The first of 41 Alstom Coradia Stream electric multiple-units ordered by Lombardia regional operator Trenord entered service on the Milano – Gallarate – Luino route on July 5, with free travel offered to mark the occasion. The Trenord joint venture of ...
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NewsAgreements signed to allow direct Amsterdam – London trains
EUROPE: Eurostar is set to launch direct services between Amsterdam and London later this year, following the signing on July 7 of four-country agreements covering the legal and security arrangements. A date for the start of through services has not yet been finalised, the high speed train ...
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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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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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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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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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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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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. ...