Main line rail industry news – Page 14
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NewsNarrow gauge hydrogen trains ordered as operator aims to be ‘modern and sustainable‘
ITALY: Reginal operator Ferrovie della Calabria has awarded Stadler a firm order to supply and maintain a further three 950 mm gauge hydrogen multiple-units. The order announced on January 18 has been placed under a June 2023 framework agreement awarded jointly by FdC and Sardinian transport ...
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NewsAlstom selected for Romanian loco order
ROMANIA: Railway reform authority ARF has named Alstom preferred bidder for a contract to supply 16 four-axle electric locomotives. The announcement was made on January 16, with formal award of the contract subject to a 10-day standstill period. The order worth 767·5m lei+VAT, including 20 ...
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NewsRENFE ticket sales competition commitments made legally binding
SPAIN: Commitments which national train operator RENFE made to address the European Commission’s concerns regarding the supply of data to rival ticketing retailers have been made legally binding under EU antitrust rules. ‘Today’s decision opens up competition in online rail ticketing services in Spain’, said Margrethe ...
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NewsDB Regio places order as Coradia Stream high capacity becomes Coradia Max
GERMANY: DB Regio has ordered nine three-car and nine five-car Alstom Coradia Max partly double-deck electric multiple-units. The announcement of the order on January 18 comes after the Länder of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg awarded DB Regio the contract to operate Ostsee-Alster service RE1 between Hamburg ...
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NewsChanges to EU lorry regulations could hit rail freight
EUROPE: European Commission proposals to revise the Weights & Dimensions Directive covering lorries could have ‘disastrous consequences’ for the rail sector, according to industry associations CER, ERFA, UIC, UIP and UIRR. The Commission has proposed allowing zero-emission lorries and lorries carrying freight which is moved using ...
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NewsInnoTrans 2024 to be more international than ever
INNOTRANS: The InnoTrans 2024 trade fair will be the most international yet, with Messe Berlin reporting that more than 60% of booked exhibitors will come from outside Germany. According to the organiser, more than 99% of the display area covering 42 halls and a total of ...
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NewsFinancing backs CargoBeamer expansion
EUROPE: French private debt manager Flexam Invest Asset Management has financed 40 wagons which CargoBeamer is using to transport non-craneable lorry semi-trailers by rail, principally between Calais and Perpignan. This includes 24 wagons manufactured at a plant which CargoBeamer opened in Erfurt in 2022 to produce ...
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NewsRail Logistics Europe restructures ahead of Fret SNCF breakup
FRANCE: SNCF’s freight and logistics division Rail Logistics Europe has announced a series of leadership changes in preparation for the breakup of Fret SNCF. Following an investigation by the European Commission into potentially illegal state aid for the ailing rail freight operator, the Ministry of Transport ...
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NewsDutch-German cross-border rail connection approved
EUROPE: The German Land of Niedersachsen has approved the start of preliminary works paving the way for the reintroduction of a passenger service on the freight-only line from Neuenhaus to Coevorden in the Netherlands. The Land has applied for federal funding to cover 90% of the ...
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NewsLuzon inter-regional railway study underway
PHILIPPINES: The Department of Transport and the national PPP Center have commissioned Systra and PwC Philippines/Isla Lipana & Co to undertake studies for the North Long Haul Inter-Regional Railway Project.
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NewsRENFE28 management strategy approved
SPAIN: Innovation, digitalisation, boosting public services, leadership in the high speed market, profitability of the freight sector and the improvement of production processes are key objectives outlined in the RENFE28 management strategy which was approved by the national operator’s board on January 12. The four-year plan ...
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NewsWork begins on third Kazakhstan – China railway
KAZAKHSTAN: Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov has formally launched the construction of a third cross-border railway link to China. The 272 km double-track line from Ayagoz to Bakhty and a new border crossing near Tacheng in northern Xinjiang is scheduled to open in 2027. It would connect ...
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NewsGround-penetrating radar helps pre-empt track problems
AUSTRALIA: Queensland Rail and Zetica have begun analysing ground-penetrating radar data to map the condition of unseen parts of the state’s 4 600 km railway network. The GPR equipment was mounted on a Queensland Rail vehicle during a measuring campaign which ran February to April 2023. ...
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NewsSeven consortia submit Kuala Lumpur – Singapore High Speed Rail proposals
MALAYSIA: Seven consortia comprising 31 companies submitted concept proposals for the revived Kuala Lumpur – Singapore High Speed Rail project by the January 15 deadline. The request for information issued by the Ministry of Finance-owned project promoter MyHSR Corp in July 2023 invited local and international ...
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NewsGreenbrier regroups operations by geography
GREENBRIER: Wagon manufacturer The Greenbrier Companies has unveiled a new operations structure intended to support its Better Together strategy announced in April 2023. The company said the ‘streamlined’ organisation was designed to drive organisational effectiveness, improve efficiency, leverage best practice and improve customer experience to drive ...
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NewsSlow tourism train operator launches first service
ITALY: FS Group’s recently formed tourist train business FS Treni Turistici Italiani has launched its first service. Branded Espresso Cadore, the overnight service between Roma Termini and Calalzo-Pieve di Cadore-Cortina will run every Friday night until mid-February. On arrival, a connecting bus takes passengers to Cortina ...
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NewsEIB backs Madrid station enhancements
SPAIN: The European Investment Bank has approved a €550m loan to infrastructure manager ADIF to finance works to increase capacity at Madrid’s Atocha station. The loan approved in December forms part of a €740m framework package agreed in 2021 for works at the capital’s Atocha and ...
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NewsGas-fuelled freight locomotive under development
USA: Plans have been unveiled for the development and testing of a prototype main line freight locomotive with a powered tender, which will be fuelled by renewable natural gas. RNG is a purified biogas that can be used interchangeably with conventional natural gas. ...