Main line rail industry news – Page 390
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NewsSecond phase of driverless metro line opens in Istanbul
TURKEY: The second phase of the driverless metro Line M5 on the Asian side of Istanbul was inaugurated on October 21 with a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Mayor Mevlüt Uysal. The 9·5 km eastern extension adds seven stations between Yamanevler and Çekmeköy-Sancaktepe. The initial 10·5 ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
On October 17 Samskip launched a thrice-weekly intermodal service linking Melzo east of Milano with TMA Logistics’ Holland Cargo Terminal in Amsterdam in 24 h. The same locomotive is used throughout, operated by BLS, and arrivals coincide with shortsea sailings to Hull in the UK. The service is in addition ...
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NewsSulphuric acid wagons ordered
RUSSIA: Ural Mining Metallurgical Co has awarded United Wagon Co’s TikhvinChemMash plant contracts to supply a total of 73 sulphuric acid tank wagons by the end of January. UMMC’s Sredneuralsk Copper Smelter is to receive 17 of the wagons, the Mednogorsk Copper & Sulphur Plant 30 and the Chelyabinsk Zinc ...
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NewsBNSF and GE to test battery freight loco
USA: A battery-electric main line freight locomotive is to be tested in California from 2020, under a research programme supported by local pollution control grants. BNSF and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District have been awarded $22·6m from the California Air Resource Board under the Zero & Near-Zero ...
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NewsGrand Paris Line 16 construction contract awarded
FRANCE: A €718·8m contract to build the eastern section Grand Paris Express automated metro Line 16 has been awarded to Salini Impregilo, Societé du Grand Paris announced on October 19. The Lot 2 contract covers the excavation of 11·1 km of tunnel, running from the junction for the Aulnay depot ...
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NewsElectric buses to replace diesel in Sofia
BULGARIA: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development and Taiwan International Co-operation and Development Fund’s Green Energy Special Fund are to jointly provide tram and trolleybus operator Sofia Elektrotransport with a €7·35m loan to support the acquisition of electric buses under the first phase of a programme to modernise the ...
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NewsBonomi launches updated Omnia cantilever design
ITALY: Electrification specialist Gruppo Bonomi has updated its Omnia cantilever design with what it terms a ‘self-supporting’ variant suited to use in tunnels and other restricted access sites. The Omnia range of overhead line structures has been offered by the Italian supplier since 2008 and has been approved for use ...
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NewsElectro-diesel Vectron takes shape
GERMANY: Siemens Mobility has started the construction of two prototype Vectron Dual Mode electro-diesel locomotives, filling a gap in its current product range. The first is expected to be ready for display at the Transport Logistic fair in München next June. With authorisation for operation in Germany expected by the ...
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NewsLongest train heralds manganese export drive
SOUTH AFRICA: Rising demand for manganese from steel mills has prompted Transnet Freight Rail to launch a programme to drive up capacity for handling manganese ore on its 1 067 mm gauge network. Manganese traffic has grown from around 5 million tonnes a year in 2012 to 12·8 million ...
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NewsŞanlıurfa trolleybus route inaugurated
TURKEY: The first trolleybus route in Şanlıurfa was ceremonially inaugurated by Mayor Nihat Çiftçi on October 16, with regular passenger services planned for next month. This is the first phase of a planned four-route network totalling 78 km which is being developed under the Trambüs brand. The second stage is ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
The Vidi online travel platform now sells tickets for Kuala Lumpur’s Express Rail Link airport service. ERL CEO Noormah Mohd Noor said Vidi enables travellers to plan and choose activities on a single platform, and would ‘certainly broaden our sales distribution’. RATP Group has opened an office in Singapore that ...
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NewsTEX Rail trains tested for radar effects
USA: The first of the Flirt trainsets which Stadler is supplying for the 43 km TEX Rail commuter route linking central Fort Worth with Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has undergone dynamic testing at the airport. Testing between Dallas Fort Worth Junction and DFW Airport Terminal B station was undertaken with ...
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NewsTEX Rail train on test at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
USA: The first of the Flirt trainsets which Stadler is supplying for the 43 km TEX Rail commuter route linking central Fort Worth with Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has undergone dynamic testing at the airport. Testing between Dallas Fort Worth Junction and DFW Airport Terminal B station was undertaken with ...
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NewsIronhorse Resources acquires Arizona short line
USA: Ironhorse Resources has acquired the San Pedro & Southwestern Railroad from ARG Transportation Services, and renamed it as the San Pedro Valley Railroad. The transaction announced on October 17 was handled by specialist company RR Mergers & Acquisitions. The Class III short line serves regional businesses in Cochise County, ...
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NewsBluetooth beacon competition to enhance stations
FRANCE: SNCF’s stations business Gares & Connexions has launched an innovation competition branded Open Beacon aimed at enhancing the accessibility of and service offering at major stations. The term ‘open beacon’ refers to Gares & Connexions’ plan to install Bluetooth geolocation tags in more than 300 stations across the country. ...
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NewsRack trains ordered for Tatra Electric Railway
SLOVAKIA: National operator ZSSK has awarded Stadler a contract to supply five 1·5 kV DC electric multiple-units and an electro-diesel locomotive for the 35 km metre-gauge Tatra Electric Railway network, which has a section of rack operation. Delivery is scheduled for 2022. Announcing the order on October 17, Stadler ...
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NewsShift2Rail announces 2018 grants
EUROPE: Shift2Rail is to provide up to €77·3m of co-funding for 19 research and innovation projects with a total value of €152·6m, the joint undertaking announced on October 17. The funding to be awarded under the 2018 Call for Proposals brings the cumulative spending on railway research to €490m, which ...
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NewsGo-Ahead wins Norway’s first rail tender
NORWAY: Go-Ahead Norge has been selected as the winner of the Lot 1 Sør passenger train operating contract, the first to be tendered by national railway authority Jernbanedirektoratet. The contract announced on October 17 will run for eight years from December 15 2019, with an optional two-year extension. It covers ...
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NewsAerospace innovation for rolling stock electrical systems
FRANCE: Alstom, IGE+XAO and Safran have agreed to establish a centre of excellence for onboard electrical systems in Toulouse. Located at aerospace equipment manufacturer Safran Electrical & Power’s site, the facility will be able to accommodate up to 100 engineers. IGE+XAO is providing design, simulation and manufacturing software under a ...
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NewsTranstech renamed Škoda Transtech
FINLAND: Škoda Transportation Group's Finnish rolling stock manufacturing business Transtech has been renamed Škoda Transtech. Established in 1985 as a subsidiary of the Rautaruukki steel group and latesr acquiring the Valmet plant in Tampere, Transtech was owned by Patentes Talgo from June 1999 until March 2007 when it was sold ...