Main line rail industry news – Page 135
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NewsTrans-Caspian International Transport Route joint venture formed
ASIA: International port and freight terminal operator PSA International and Kazakhstan’s national railway KTZ have agreed to form a joint venture to develop services on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route from China and southeast Asia to Europe. Plans for the KPMC joint venture include the organisation ...
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NewsAmtrak applies for federal grants to expand services
USA: National passenger operator Amtrak has applied for federal funding for projects to improve long distance and Northeast Corridor services. On June 5 Amtrak announced that it was seeking funding for 16 projects on its long distance network including: Cardinal and Sunset Limited service improvements, ...
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NewsNASA looks at alternatives to diesel trains
GERMANY: Sachsen-Anhalt transport authority NASA has commissioned a study of options for replacement of diesel traction on the Land’s regional passenger services. Transport Technologie-Consult Karlsruhe has been awarded a €140 600 contract to look at options including batteries, hydrogen and electrification, as well as potential interim ...
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NewsBattery shunters to make J-TREC rolling stock deliveries
JAPAN: East Japan Railway’s rolling stock manufacturing subsidiary J-TREC has acquired two Hokuriku Heavy Industries ECOlogical MObility lithium-ion battery shunting locomotives. They are to be used for moving new vehicles from the company’s factory to Jimmuji station about 5 km away on the Keikyu-Zushi Line, where ...
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NewsYosaria Trains acquires ex-DB double-deck sleeping cars
SLOVAKIA: Yosaria Trains has taken delivery of 35 out-of-use double-deck sleeping cars which were formerly used on Deutsche Bahn CityNightLine services.
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NewsEurostar seeks solution to avoid suspension of Amsterdam – London services
NETHERLANDS: The CEO of Eurostar has met with Dutch officials to discuss the future of services from London to Amsterdam, after Infrastructure Secretary Vivianne Heijnen said operations may have to be suspended for up to 11 months. In a letter to the Dutch parliament on June ...
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NewsHydrogen train on test
SPAIN: Main line testing is underway with a demonstrator electric-hydrogen bi-mode trainset developed under the Fuel Cell Hybrid Power Pack for Rail Applications project, which aims to produce a zero-emission train competitive with existing diesel trains. The FCH2Rail initiative is being undertaken by a consortium of ...
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NewsSiemens Mobility buys traffic optimisation specialist Optrail
ITALY: Siemens Mobility has acquired Optrail, which provides mathematical algorithms for optimising rail traffic management. Optrail applies operations research and machine learning to solve real-world problems in transport and logistics. Its core product provides real-time conflict resolution by integrating optimisation algorithms, moving beyond traditional sequential ‘meet ...
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NewsHitachi Rail awarded TGV cab signalling contract
FRANCE: National operator SNCF has awarded Hitachi Rail a framework agreement to supply dual ERTMS/TVM onboard signalling equipment for its high speed train fleets, including the future Alstom TGV M trainsets. The equipment will combine the European standard ETCS with the TVM high speed line cab ...
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NewsPlasser & Theurer unveils ÖBB electric maintenance vehicles
AUSTRIA: The first of 56 electric-battery modular maintenance vehicles ordered by Austrian Federal Railways has been unveiled at Plasser & Theurer’s factory in Linz.
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NewsShort line to carry petrochemicals
BRAZIL: The National Land Transport Agency has authorised plans to build a 35 km line linking Rio Bonito to Maricá. The project was announced in the Official Gazette on May 10, after which the promoter had 30 days to confirm final details. Located to the east ...
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NewsItalian ERTMS support scheme approved
ITALY: A €300m scheme to provide direct government grants for the acquisition and installation of ETCS onboard equipment has been approved by the European Commission under EU state aid rules. The programme running to the end of 2026 aims to encourage passenger and freight modal shift ...
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NewsTurkey’s National Train enters service
TURKEY: TCDD Taşımacılık has put into service the first National Train domestically designed and manufactured electric multiple-unit. The 25 kV 50 Hz EMU entered service on May 27 on the route between Adapazarı in the northwest and Gebze on the eastern outskirts of Istanbul. The National ...
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NewsRasht – Astara railway construction agreement signed
IRAN: An intergovernmental agreement for the construction of the 162 km Rasht – Astara railway in northern Iran was signed by the transport ministers of Iran and Russia during a video conference between the national presidents on May 17. The cost of the project is put ...
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NewsBattery freight locomotive conversion underway
AUSTRALIA: One of Aurizon’s Class 4000 diesel locomotives is being converted to a prototype EMD Joule battery powered heavy-haul freight loco which can be charged using renewable electricity and capture regenerated energy when braking or travelling downhill. The operator said the prototype will be ’a measured ...
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NewsFret SNCF to be wound up as deal sought with European Commission
FRANCE: State support for France’s rail freight operators will rise to €200m a year from 2025 while €4bn will be invested in related projects in 2023-32. The French government meanwhile is proposing radical changes to the state-owned rail freight sector to avoid punitive action by the European Commission, writes Jérémie Anne.
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NewsJapanese railway to test biofuel
JAPAN: West Japan Railway is to test the use of biofuels to power diesel multiple-units on the Sanin Main Line between Shimonoseki and Nagatoshi.
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NewsEuropean Sleeper begins operations with Berlin – Brussels night train
EUROPE: Night train start-up European Sleeper has begun passenger operations, providing an overnight rail connection between Brussels and Berlin for the first time since 2008. The inaugural service left Berlin Gesundbrunnen on May 25, engineering works having prevented the use of Hauptbahnhof. The train comprised 11 ...