Latest news – Page 1321
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NewsBerlin opts for 99 trams
GERMANY: Following successful trials of four prototype Flexity Berlin trams since September, city transport operator BVG has placed an order with Bombardier for 99 vehicles at a cost of €305·3m. This includes 40 vehicles 40 m long and 59 of the 31 m version. A further 33 are likely to ...
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News'Story book ending' gets Central Link off to a sound start
USA: Revenue services on Seattle's $2·3bn Central Link light rail line began on July 20, after more than 92 000 people sampled free rides during the July 18-19 opening weekend. Sound Transit ran free services at 7½ min headways, with two extra 'gap trains' making additional trips on July 18 ...
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NewsSilesian tram investment
POLAND: Local authorities in Silesia are co-operating in a 556m zloty project to modernise the region’s extensive tram network with the aid of EU funding. The cities are linked by a 350 km tram network, but the infrastructure needs modernisation and most of the 346 trams are aging 105Na cars, ...
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NewsWorld rail market July 2009
Austria: ÖBB Infrastructure Bau has awarded Funkwerk IT a framework contract for the supply of AlisterCargo electronic interlockings for marshalling yards. Installations in Wien and Graz will be completed this year. Canada: On June 18 US-based RJ Corman Railroad Group announced it had finalised the acquisition of Railpower Technologies Corp ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - July 2009
The state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines have bought a 75% stake in Manila MRT3 operator Metro Rail Transit Corp from private investors in a deal reported to be worth around US$800m. The remaining 25% is owned by privatesector banks. Lack of demand caused ...
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NewsSiemens offers Desiro City to the UK market
UK: Siemens unveiled Desiro City, the latest addition to its Desiro range for the UK market on July 16. The high-capacity commuter EMU forms the basis of the company's bid to win the contract to supply 1 300 cars for expanded north-south cross-London Thameslink services, the procurement of which is ...
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NewsGE signs Indonesian locomotive deal
INDONESIA: State railway PTKA has confirmed an order for 20 GE Transportation C20-EMP diesel locomotives, to be delivered in 2010-11. A memorandum of understanding also commits PTKA and GE Transportation to developing a long-term plan for the purchase or lease of up to 150 additional locomotives.The signing ceremony was held ...
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NewsPartners sign locomotive development agreement
EUROPE: A further step in the formation of a joint venture to produce locomotives for Russian Railways was taken on July 16, when RZD Chief Executive Vladimir Yakunin, Sinara Group CEO Dmitry Pumpyansky and Siemens board member Siegfried Russwurm signed an agreement in München in the presence of German Chancellor ...
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NewsCoastal route for LGV-PACA
FRANCE: After studying a range of options, Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo has confirmed the preferred route for the proposed LGV Provence - Alpes - Côte d'Azur to Nice. This will follow the existing coastal railway through Marseille and Toulon rather than taking a shorter direct route east from Aix-en-Provence. ...
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NewsEBRD funds Russian rail reform
RUSSIA: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is to provide Russian Railways with a US$500m long-term loan to enable the state-owned railway to restructure its balance sheet and continue with an institutional reform programme despite the current economic crisis. The 10-year unsecured loan will be the largest which EBRD ...
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NewsRails to the port
GREECE: Construction group Themeli has been awarded a €77·2m contract for civil works and the supply of electro-mechanical equipment for the 5·4 km extension of the Athens tram network from Faliro to Piraeus (RG 1.09 p12). Operator TRAM SA also plans to build a 3 km connection between Helliniko stop ...
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NewsPartners selected for Brasilia light rail project
BRAZIL: On June 25 Montpellier’s transport authority TAM signed a partnership agreement with the Brasilia Federal District to provide technical consultancy for six years during construction of Brasilia’s first tramway. The Brastram consortium, which includes Alstom Transport, has been selected to build phase I of the city’s LRT network. ...
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NewsRio de Janeiro orders Chinese trains
BRAZIL: Two contracts for suburban and metro trains were signed during a visit to China by Sérgio Cabral, Governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro. A US$165m contract partly funded though the World Bank was inked with China National Machinery Import & Export Corp on June 30. This ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market July 2009
Australia: In a A$36m deal the South Australia government has acquired six Alstom Citadis trams built for Madrid but now surplus to requirements. They will be in services by December, sooner than new vehicles could be built. Brazil: São Paulo metro has awarded a consortium of Bombardier, Temoinsa and Tejofran ...
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NewsReliable touch screen
SCREEN: Touch screens are firmly established in applications such as ticket vending machines and check-in terminals. However, many designs, particularly in the largest sizes, are sensitive to dirt and moisture, easily damaged and require regular calibration. Conrac has introduced a touch screen which it says is better suited for ...
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NewsSky Harbor airport peoplemover contracts signed
USA: The City of Phoenix and Bombardier Transportation have signed contracts for the construction of an automated peoplemover at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The agreement announced on July 14 consists of a US$186m design and build contract, plus a separate 10-year operations and maintenance contract worth US$69m. ...
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NewsAlger metro on course for hand over
ALGERIA: The start of services on Africa’s second metro is anticipated by the end of the year. The Siemens-led construction consortium plans to hand over Alger Line 1 to operator RATP Développement for trial running by the end of September. The 9·2 km line runs from from Haï el ...
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NewsLondon Overground Class 378 ready to enter service
UK: London Overground is to put the first Bombardier Class 378 Electrostar high density inner-suburban EMUs into revenue service on July 20, following a formal launch by Mayor of London Boris Johnson on July 13. Bombardier's Derby plant has delivered the first five of 24 dual-voltage 750 V DC/25 kV ...
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NewsMainz places Variobahn order
GERMANY: Mainz transport operator MVG has placed a €20m order with Stadler for nine metre-gauge Variobahn trams. They will be delivered from 2012, and an option is available for a further six vehicles. The five-section 100% low-floor trams will be 30 m long with four passenger doors per side. ...
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NewsSeeing round corners
ITALY: Meneghino metro trains which Firema and AnsaldoBreda are supplying to Milano are fitted with the first installation of Reicom’s Cyclope technology, which enables drivers to see CCTV images of platforms on an in-cab screen while they are still up to 300 m from the next station. In Milano ...