Latest news – Page 614
-
Metro Report InternationalVR Group to operate Tampere tramway
FINLAND: Tampere’s Municipal Public Transport Committee has selected national railway VR Group to operate the tramway being developed in the city. Six parties prequalified for the contract: VR Group, Stockholms Spårvägar, Länsilinjat, Väinö Paunu, Go-Ahead Finland, and a consortium of Transtech and Keolis; Go-Ahead Finland subsequently withdrew ...
-
NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
OmniTRAX's Stockton Terminal & Eastern Railroad in California has begun using a Tier 4 compliant 1 050 hp Knoxville Locomotive Works SE10B T4L locomotive with an MTU 2000 V12 engine. It was purchased with the assistance of a grant from the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Central District, which ...
-
NewsNorfolk Southern releases mobile app for shippers
USA: Norfolk Southern has released a mobile app for iOS and Android which provides access to data available in its AccessNS desktop e-commerce portal. The railway’s customers can manage inventory, track real-time movements, add important shipments to a watchlist for priority visibility, search for specific shipments on the NS network, ...
-
Rail Business UKStation Access Map aims to facilitate independent travel
UK: An ‘Access Map’ has been launched to provide rail users with information about accessibility at stations. This includes whether stations have step free or partial step free access; what facilities are available, including accessible toilets and changing places, and alternative accessible stations. Developed by the Rail Delivery Group, train ...
-
Metro Report InternationalSecond metro line opens in Panamá City
PANAMA: The second line of the Panamá City metro opened for revenue service on April 25. Line 2 runs on an entirely elevated alignment east from an interchange with Line 1 at San Miguelito to Nuevo Tocumen via San Antonio and Hospital del Este. The 21 km route serves ...
-
NewsRocky Mountaineer expands dome car fleet
CANADA: The first four of 10 custom-designed double-deck dome cars which high-end tourist train operator Rocky Mountaineer has ordered from Stadler are expected to enter service shortly, operating from Vancouver to Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff during the 2019 tourist season. Rocky Mountaineer said the order placed in May ...
-
Metro Report InternationalSecond metro line opens in Fuzhou
CHINA: The second metro line in Fuzhou opened for revenue service at 09.30 on April 26. The underground Line 2 runs for 30·6 km from Yangli in the east to Suyang in the west, serving 22 stations. The National Development & Reform Commission approved the line in November 2012. ...
-
Metro Report InternationalGdańsk tram purchase to be funded from late delivery fines
POLAND: Gdańsk tram operator GAiT is purchasing 15 more Jazz Duo trams from Pesa, the city authorities announced on April 25. The order forms an option on a contract signed in February 2018. Due to arrive by the end of 2020, the trams from the option will be partly ...
-
Metro Report InternationalElizabeth Line launch planned for 2020-21
UK: A ‘robust and realistic’ plan for the launch of Elizabeth Line services through central London during a ‘six-month delivery window with a midpoint at the end of 2020’ was announced by project promoter Crossrail Ltd on April 25. The opening was originally planned for December 2018, but in August ...
-
NewsBrazilian locomotives fitted with Saft batteries
BRAZIL: Battery systems from Saft are being fitted to 58 GE Transportation locomotives used by freight operator MRS Logística. The 64 V batteries will provide power to start the 16-cylinder engines up to 14 times a day. They are based on Saft’s SRX190 FR-PP or SRX1900P cells, provide a capacity ...
-
NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
On April 24 Wabtec marked the delivery to CN of the 1 000th Evolution Series Tier 4 locomotive to be produced at the former GE Transportation plant in Fort Worth, Texas. ‘This achievement underscores our bold decision in 2013 to develop a Tier 4 locomotive’, said Rafael Santana, Chief Executive ...
-
NewsVR orders double-deck dining cars
FINLAND: National railway VR Group has awarded Škoda Transtech a €24m contract to supply a further seven double-deck dining cars. They are to be to be produced at the Škoda Transportation subsidiary’s Kajaani factory for entry into service on the Helsinki – Turku and Helsinki – Tampere routes in 2021-22. ...
-
NewsNSB Group rebrands as Vy
NORWAY: State-owned train operator NSB Group relaunched as Vy on April 24, bringing its rail, bus and electric car-sharing activities together under a single brand. ‘The name Norwegian State Railways no longer adequately expresses what we do’, explained Chairman Dag Mejdell. ‘The NSB Group operates rail and bus services ...
-
NewsHigh-capacity container wagons ordered
RUSSIA: Eurosib SPb - Transport Systems has awarded United Wagon Co’s Tikhvin plant a contract to supply 400 Type 13-6903 container wagons by February 2020. They will have 25 tonne axleload bogies, capacity of 74·5 tonnes and a loading length of 80 ft, enabling them to carry high-capacity containers including ...
-
Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
The House of Commons Transport Select Committee has launched the 'Trains fit for the future?' inquiry into the development of trains using alternative fuels such as hydrogen or batteries, and how vehicle design can be ‘future proofed’ to meet changing passenger needs. The deadline for written submissions is May 23. ...
-
NewsLänderbahn confirmed as Ostsachsen II operator for 12 more years
GERMANY: Netinera subsidiary Länderbahn announced on April 1 that it will continue to run Ostsachsennetz II services under its Trilex brand for a further 12 years from December 14 2019. In April 2018 DB Regio subsidiary Start Ostsachsen was selected for the concession by a group of four transport ...
-
NewsHauts-de-France starts regional tendering
FRANCE: Proposals to tender the operation of regional passenger services in Hauts-de-France from the end of 2022 were unveiled by the regional council on April 23. Following the lead set by Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur last month, the region is planning to open up local rail services to competition in line with ...
-
Rail Business UKVirgin Trains proposes airline model for long-distance rail travel
UK: A complete rethink of the way long-distance rail services in Great Britain are operated forms a key part of Virgin Trains’ submission to the government’s Williams Rail Review of the rail industry. Despite the possibility that Virgin Trains will cease operating rail services in the UK within the next ...
-
NewsRailComm wins Savannah yard automation contract
USA: The Georgia Ports Authority has selected RailComm to provide a yard management system to support the expansion of rail facilities at the Port of Savannah. This forms part of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project to equip the port to handle the larger container ships which have been able to ...
-
Metro Report InternationalTest track complex to be built in Singapore
SINGAPORE: Land Transport Authority has announced plans to build a metro train test centre on the former site of the Raffles Country Club in Tuas. The 50 ha site near the East-West Line’s Tuas West depot would include an endurance loop, a performance and integration loop and a straight ...