Main line rail industry news – Page 224
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NewsCargoNet leases electro-diesel locos
NORWAY: National freight operator CargoNet has signed a long-term full-service lease agreement for European Loc Pool to supply it with two Stadler EuroDual six-axle electro-diesel locomotives at the end of October 2022. The locomotives will have an output of 2·8 MW in diesel mode and 6 ...
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NewsRailway unions discuss international merger
INTERNATIONAL: The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association in the UK and Ireland and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers in the USA have announced talks with a view to merging by July 1 2022. TSSA has more than 18 000 members at rail, ferry, bus and associated companies ...
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NewsBrno – Blansko upgrading starts
CZECH REPUBLIC: Infrastructure manager SŽ has launched a long-planned modernisation of a section of Corridor 1 from Brno northwards along the River Svitava to Blansko. The work will require a complete closure of the double-track electrified main line for one year from December 12. Local trains ...
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NewsDB begins work to electrify to the Austrian border
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has begun work to install 15 kV 16·7 Hz electrification on a 1·5 km section of line between Pfronten-Steinach and the Austrian border at Schönbichl. This will allow electric operation of trains to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and München via Austria’s Ausserfernbahn, which is not connected ...
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NewsChildren’s railway under construction in Mongolia
MONGOLIA: National operator Ulaanbaatar Railway has begun developing its first children’s railway, where school pupils will be able to gain experience of railway operations. The 2·1 km circular line is being built in the northern city in Darkhan under a project being ...
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NewsCockerill to build locos in Brazil
BRAZIL: Belgian locomotive manufacturer John Cockerill is to set up an assembly plant in the Novo Cavaleiros district in the city of Macaé in Rio de Janeiro state.
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NewsKCS cements CP merger as CN agrees early termination
NORTH AMERICA: Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern confirmed on September 15 that they had entered into a definitive merger agreement, valuing the smaller railroad at approximately US$31bn.
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NewsNorth Korea tests train-launched missile
NORTH KOREA: A railway-borne missile regiment has conducted a test launch to confirm the practicality of firing a missile from a train and to assess the combat readiness and capability of the newly-formed unit. The regiment deployed to the central mountainous area of the country at ...
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NewsNew leasing company targets non-electrified routes with SmartHybrid locos
EUROPE: Private equity infrastructure investor InfraVia Capital Partners has formed Nexrail Lease to supply low-emission locomotives for unelectrified routes. The new leasing company has placed a framework order for up to 50 Vossloh Locomotives DE18 Stage V SmartHybrid locos, and taken over 53 existing locos. CRRC ...
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NewsAlstom awarded Sydney ETCS contracts
AUSTRALIA: Transport for New South Wales and Sydney Trains have awarded Alstom two contracts to design, supply and support ETCS Level 2 trackside equipment. This forms part of the Digital Systems element of the state’s More Trains, More Services programme, which aims to modernise Sydney’s rail ...
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NewsThree and four section electric locomotives approved
RUSSIA: Ural Locomotives has obtained Customs Union approval for its 3 kV DC 3ES6 and 4ES6 locomotives, which are based on the 2ES6 twin-section design with one or two intermediate sections added to provide additional power. This follows testing at the VNIIZhT experimental ring in Shcherbinka. ...
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NewsFunds confirmed to support rail freight relaunch strategy
FRANCE: Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari has affirmed that the government will provide €170m a year to support the rail freight sector until 2024 as part of a National Rail Freight Development Strategy.
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NewsGabon railway concession extended as investors fund expansion
GABON: Sociéte d’Exploitation du Transgabonais’ concession to operate the 650 km railway linking Franceville with the capital Libreville and the port of Owendo has been extended, and a new investor has committed to providing finance and expertise to support a modernisation to increase capacity on the ...
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NewsIron ore miner orders heavy-haul battery locomotive
AUSTRALIA: Mining company Roy Hill has ordered a Wabtec FLXdrive battery-electric heavy-haul freight locomotive. This will replace one the four ES44ACi diesel-electric locos used to haul its 2 700 m long iron ore trains, and is expected to reduce fuel costs and emissions by ‘double digit’ ...
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NewsChannel Tunnel to handle unaccompanied freight
EUROPE: Channel Tunnel operator Getlink is to launch a service carrying unaccompanied lorry trailers, using its ‘unique customs expertise’ to speed up post-Brexit cross-border traffic. The service between the Channel Tunnel terminals in Calais and Folkestone is to be launched on September 18, in addition to ...
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NewsStadler signs MoU for Ukrainian fleet renewal
UKRAINE: A memorandum of understanding setting out principles for co-operation to replace ageing rolling stock and develop the rail sector has been signed by the Ministry of Infrastructure, national railway Ukrzaliznytsia, Stadler and Swiss export risk insurance agency SERV. The MoU was signed at a meeting ...
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NewsThailand looks at battery traction
THAILAND: The Ministry of Transport is pushing ahead with the procurement of battery railcars, and consideration is being given to local production and the conversion of existing diesel locomotives to battery power. The Department of Rail Transport and State Railway of Thailand have been tasked with ...
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NewsCanadian Pacific closes in on KCS merger
NORTH AMERICA: Canadian Pacific announced on September 12 that it ‘looks forward to executing a definitive merger agreement’ with Kansas City Southern, after the smaller railroad’s board deemed that CP’s latest bid now amounted to a ‘Company Superior Proposal’ compared to a previous offer from Canadian National.