Latest news – Page 649
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NewsCzech long-distance operating contracts announced
CZECH REPUBLIC: Liberalisation of the Czech long-distance passenger market took a major step forward on November 30 when the Ministry of Transport selected operators to run subsidised services on three routes from December 2019, when the current 10-year contract with state incumbent ČD expires. RegioJet has won an eight-year contract ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Ukrainian Railways put the first of 30 TE33A Evolution Series diesel locos being supplied by GE Transportation into service on December 13. ‘Today’s launch of GE locomotives onto the network is a great demonstration of the successful start of our long-term co-operation with our American partners’, said UZ’s acting CEO ...
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NewsDresden to house national rail research centre
GERMANY: Federal funding of €5m has been allocated in the 2019 budget to establish a national railway research centre in Dresden. The centre’s work will focus on researching and developing new types of traction drive technology and other areas of railway engineering. Economics Minister for the Land of Sachsen Martin ...
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NewsLeo Express wins regional contract
CZECH REPUBLIC: The Pardubice region has selected Leo Express to run subsidised services on the 024 Ústí nad Orlicí–Mlýnický Dvůr and 025 Dolní Lipka – Hanušovice routes currently operated by ČD. Leo Express’s first subsidised public service contract is to run for 10 years from December 2019. It plans ...
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NewsRail Freight Forward alliance to fight climate change
EUROPE: During the UN climate conference in Katowice, the Rail Freight Forward alliance of 14 European rail freight operators and four associations announced on December 14 a target of boosting rail’s market share from 18% to 30% by 2030. It suggests that this could save up to 290 million tonnes ...
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Metro Report InternationalOklahoma City Streetcar inaugurated
USA: The Oklahoma City Streetcar was inaugurated on December 14 at a ceremony in Leadership Square attended by officials including Mayor David Holt. Travel is free until January 5. ‘Our streetcar will be an important economic development tool for our entire city, accommodating visitors and residents alike’, said Holt. ...
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NewsSod-turning launches construction of 1 700 km Inland Rail corridor
AUSTRALIA: Construction of the 1 700 km Melbourne – Brisbane Inland Rail freight corridor was officially launched on December 13 when Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack turned a ceremonial first sod in Parkes, NSW. Scheduled to be completed in 2025, the Inland Rail project includes the construction of 600 km ...
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NewsPKP Cargo gains access from the Baltic to the Adriatic
SLOVENIA: The Advanced World Transport subsidiary of privatised Polish freight operator PKP Cargo purchased an 80% stake in Slovenian freight company Primol-Rail on December 6. Primol-Rail was founded in 2016, although it has not yet begun train operations. ‘This purchase creates the opportunity to enter the Slovenian market’, said PKP ...
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Metro Report InternationalBYD electric buses delivered to São Paulo
BRAZIL: A ceremony on December 10 marked the delivery of 15 battery electric buses to São Paulo by Chinese manufacturer BYD. Three of the buses are being tested by operator Transwolff in the south of the city as part of a pilot project which uses solar energy generated with ...
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NewsBST awarded second CR400AF high speed train order
CHINA: China Railway Corp has awarded the Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation joint venture a 3·1bn yuan contract to supply a further 15 eight-car and three 16-car CR400AF high speed trainsets designed for operation at up to 350 km/h. The contract announced by the 50:50 joint venture of Bombardier Transportation and ...
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NewsMore DT5 metro trains ordered for Hamburg
GERMANY: Hamburger Hochbahn has directly awarded a consortium of Alstom and Bombardier Transportation a contract to supply 13 additional DT5 metro trainsets. The contract includes two options each for the supply of a further 16 sets. The order brings the number of DT5 sets ordered to 131, of which ...
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Metro Report InternationalBudapest railway projects approved
HUNGARY: The government has approved projects to develop the suburban rail network serving Budapest. It plans an investment in the region of HF1tr, to be partly funded by the EU. HÉV lines H6 and H7 are to be connected by building a new section of track at Közvágóhíd, and ...
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Rail Business UKRail Sector Deal aims to boost supply chain
UK: The government has announced details of its Rail Sector Deal, which is intended to improve engagement with the supply chain so that companies better understand future demand and can invest with more confidence. Plans include ‘significantly’ reducing digital signalling costs by 2025, doubling rail exports by 2025, supporting apprenticeships, ...
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NewsSOB orders more Flirts
SWITZERLAND: A firm order for Stadler to supply Schweizerische Südostbahn with a further 12 Flirt electric multiple-units was signed in St Gallen on December 13. The latest option to be exercised covers seven eight-car Flirt Traverso long-distance units with a copper-coloured livery, and five four-car silver-coloured Flirt regional EMUs. ...
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NewsYekaterinburg metro cars modernised
RUSSIA: Transmashholding has completed the overhaul of four 81-717.5 and 81-714.5 metro cars for Yekaterinburg metro. The work was carried out by TMH subsidiary OEVRZ, which signed an agreement with the metro operator in September. The vehicles’ lifetime has been extended by 15 years, with bodyshells, ventilation system, bogies ...
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NewsAlstom delivers Avignon’s first Citadis Compact tram
FRANCE: Alstom delivered the first of 14 trams that it is supplying to Avignon on November 29. The journey from Alstom’s La Rochelle factory took three days. The three-section Citadis X05 Compact is 24 m long and 2 400 mm wide with capacity for 140 passengers. The tram is ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Russian Railways, Russian Export Centre and the African Export-Import Bank signed a memorandum of understanding at the Russia Calling investment forum in Moscow on November 30 agreeing to co-operate to implement export and investment projects in the rail sector. The memorandum runs for three years with the possibility of extension. ...
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Metro Report InternationalHudson-Bergen light rail extension progresses
USA: New Jersey transport agency NJ Transit has awarded a design and preliminary engineering contract worth $160·2m to WSP USA to develop the Route 440 extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail network. The 1·1 km extension would take the existing Jersey City branch of HBLR from West Side Avenue ...
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NewsAmsterdam electric bus contract signed
NETHERLANDS: Amsterdam city transport operator GVB signed a contract with VDL Bus & Coach on December 12 for the supply of 31 battery-electric buses with options for up to 69 more. The buses are due to enter service in 2020 on routes 15, 22 and 36. VDL is to ...
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NewsNJ Transit orders double-deck EMUs from Bombardier
USA: A firm order for 113 double-deck EMU cars was approved by the NJ Transit board on December 12. A base contract will be placed with Bombardier Transportation for what the commuter rail operator claims will be ‘the first self-propelled multilevel railcars in the USA’. The contract ...