Latest news – Page 668
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Metro Report InternationalWork starts on Wien metro reconfiguration
AUSTRIA: A groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the future Matzleinsdorfer Platz station on October 8 marked the start of work on the reconfiguration of Wien metro Line U2 and new driverless Line U5. The event was attended by Transport Minister Norbert Hofer, Deputy Mayor Maria Vassilakou, city transport senator ...
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NewsŠkoda presents Mannheim tram mock-up
GERMANY: Škoda Transportation has presented a 16·5 m long mock-up of the ForCity Smart trams that it is supplying to Rhein-Neckar transport authority RNV in Mannheim. Earlier this year RNV awarded Škoda Transportation a €250m contract to supply 80 trams, with options for 34 additional vehicles. They ...
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Rail Business UKHS2 unveils Birmingham station concepts
UK: Proposals for two new high speed stations in the West Midlands were unveiled by HS2 Ltd on October 9 as part of a public engagement programme. HS2 is seeking feedback on the designs before formal submissions for planning approval are lodged with Birmingham City Council and Solihull Metropolitan ...
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NewsElectric locomotive works to be privatised
UKRAINE: The State Property Fund of Ukraine has begun preparations to privatise the Dnipropetrovsk Electric Locomotive Plant in the city of Dnipro (formerly Dnipropetrovsk). The plant is to be sold in an auction, but the starting price and date have not been announced. The plant is equipped to produce main ...
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NewsSolaris signs Kaunas trolleybus contract
LITHUANIA: Kaunas public transport operator UAB Kauno Autobusai has signed a €29·4m contract with Solaris Bus & Coach for the supply of 85 trolleybuses. Deliveries of the low-floor Trollino 12 vehicles are due in 15 months from contract signing. The trolleybuses will have capacity for 85 passengers, including 27 ...
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NewsSNCB updates Hasselt workshops
BELGIUM: An extension to the SNCB rolling stock workshops at Hasselt was formally opened on October 8, with a ceremony attended by CEO Sophie Dutordoir, the new Managing Director of SNCB Technics Gerd de Vos, Governor of Limburg Herman Reynders and the Mayor of Hasselt Nadja Vananroye. Under development since ...
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Metro Report InternationalUITP and APTA sign MoU
NORTH AMERICA: UITP and APTA signed a memorandum of understanding on September 25 to strengthen their relationship and future co-operation. The two organisations will work together on areas of mutual benefit to their members and organise joint training programmes. The first topics identified for co-operation are electric buses and ...
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NewsUnion Pacific launches Unified Plan 2020 to improve performance
USA: On October 1 Union Pacific began the phased roll-out of its Unified Plan 2020, an operating plan designed to implement ‘precision scheduled railroading’ principles with the aim of achieving an operating ratio of 60 by 2020 and 55 in the longer term. UP said the implementation of precision scheduled ...
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Rail Business UKTrainPal smartphone app offers split ticketing options
UK: A smartphone booking app which calculates split ticketing options has been launched by Ctrip, the parent company of flight booking platform Skyscanner. The intricacies of the UK ticketing system mean it is sometimes possible for passengers to save money by booking separate tickets for different sections of a through ...
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NewsFirst Caen tram delivered
FRANCE: The first Citadis X05 tram arrived at the Fleury-sur-Orne depot in Caen on October 4, having left Alstom’s La Rochelle factory two days earlier. In November 2016 the city awarded Alstom a €52m contract to supply 23 trams for the 16·8 km three-line network which is ...
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NewsNorthern Latitudinal Railway concession signed
RUSSIA: Having been approved by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in mid-August, a formal concession agreement covering construction of the Northern Latitudinal Railway was signed at the ProMotion 1520 forum in Sochi on October 3. The SShKh consortium will be responsible for financing, building and operating the 113bn rouble line, which ...
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Metro Report InternationalWork begins on T13 Express tram-train route in Paris
FRANCE: Work on the T13 Express tram-train project in the western suburbs of Paris was officially launched on October 5, with the start of construction of a new depot at Versailles. The first 18·8 km phase would introduce tram-train services from the existing RER station at Saint-Cyr to Noisy-le-Roi ...
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NewsVTG completes Nacco acquisition
EUROPE: Hamburg-based wagon leasing group VTG increased its total fleet to more than 94 000 vehicles on October 5, with its acquisition of CIT Rail Holdings (Europe) SAS and the associated Nacco Group. The takeover announced on July 1 2017 had been approved by the relevant competition regulators in ...
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NewsPolymer sleeper research partnership
AUSTRALIA: The University of Southern Queensland has formed a partnership with Austrak and Laing O’Rourke to develop and deploy fibre-reinforced polymer composite materials as an alternative to timber in sleepers and bridge transoms. The A$10m project has been backed by an A$3m grant from the government’s Co-operative Research Centre – ...
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Rail Business UKRegulator opens investigation into GTR and Northern passenger information
UK: The Office of Rail & Road announced on October 5 that it had opened an investigation into whether Thameslink Southern & Great Northern franchisee Govia Thameslink Railway and Arriva’s Northern had breached its requirements to do everything reasonably practicable to provide appropriate, accurate and timely information to their passengers ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Matthew Rose is to step down as Executive Chairman of BNSF Railway in April 2019, having held the role for six years. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer from 2000-13. ČD Cargo has cancelled a tender for the supply of five high-power main line diesel locomotives for cross-border operation ...
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NewsBreakthrough for new Albula tunnel
SWITZERLAND: Rhätische Bahn’s 5 860 m long new Albula tunnel was holed through on October 2. Train services are expected to start in late 2021 or early 2022, with more than 15 000 trains carrying 1·2 million passengers/year. The existing 5 864 m long tunnel on the Chur – St ...
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Rail Business UKNorthern unveils CAF multiple-units to bring a 'step-change in quality'
UK: The first CAF Class 195 diesel multiple-unit and Class 331 electric multiple-unit for the Northern franchise were officially unveiled by operator Arriva Rail North’s Managing Director David Brown and Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry at Alstom’s Edge Hill depot in Liverpool on October 4. The 25 two-car and 30 ...
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NewsBlockchain-based locomotive data analysis trial announced
RUSSIA: Locomotive and rolling stock supplier Transmashholding has announced a partnership with blockchain developer Vostok to provide verified and distributed fleet data collection, analysis and storage. Vostok’s private blockchain platform is to be integrated with the SmartMaintenance diagnostics and forecasting system developed for TMH by data mining company ...
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NewsTexas Central names contractor and starts engineering design
USA: High speed rail promoter Texas Central announced on October 4 that it had appointed Italian civil engineering group Salini Impregilo to lead the civil construction consortium that would build its proposed Houston – Dallas route using Japanese Shinkansen technology. It has also issued a Limited Notice to Proceed, allowing ...