Main line rail industry news – Page 419
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NewsSmart gate to identify wagons
SPAIN: Indra is developing a ‘smart gate’‚ which it envisages would be able to digitally identify wagons as they are handled at freight terminals. The technology would be a development of Indra’s electronic identification and toll collection gantries used on motorways, combining laser sensors, high resolution imaging, electronic tags and ...
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NewsBombardier inaugurates Bautzen production hall
GERMANY: Bombardier Transportation inaugurated a new final assembly hall at its Bautzen plant in Sachsen on June 15. Built at a cost of €8m as part of a €30m investment in the site, the hall has a production area of 8 100 m2, with the capacity to assemble and ...
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NewsStadler to supply tram-trains to Lugano
SWITZERLAND: Stadler is to supply nine tram-trains to Ferrovie Luganesi for operation on a network being developed to serve Lugano. Deliveries under the SFr47m contract are due in 2020. The vehicles will initially operate on the existing metre gauge Line S60, which links Lugano with Ponte Tresa. The Stadler ...
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NewsSiemens to supply London Underground deep tube fleet
UK: Transport for London has selected Siemens Mobility to supply 94 metro trainsets for London Underground’s Piccadilly Line, it announced on June 15. The £1·5bn contract is due to be signed following a 10-day standstill period. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2023 from a factory that Siemens will ...
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NewsCoupler condition monitoring agreement
VOITH: Voith Turbo and Siemens have agreed to develop condition monitoring technology for Voith’s Scharfenberg couplers, with the aim of reducing inspection and maintenance costs while increasing availability. Voith will lead development, with Siemens integrating the application into its Railigent suite and MindSphere internet of things operating system. The companies ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
South African company DCD Rolling Stock has been acquired by the TMH Africa joint venture of Russia's Transmashholding (70%) and empowerment partner Mjisa Investments (30%) for a reported R500m. TMH intends to use the business as a local manufacturing partner for global suppliers, and to enter the wider African rail ...
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NewsDanish fleet renewal goes ahead
DENMARK: State passenger operator DSB has been authorised to start the procurement of a new electric train fleet, the Ministry of Transport announced on June 12. The government has reached agreement with a majority of parliamentary parties to press ahead with the fleet renewal strategy unveiled in February. ...
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NewsSNCF reform legislation adopted
FRANCE: The consolidated version of the government’s railway reform legislation was formally adopted by the Sénat in a 245:83 vote on June 14, having been approved by the Assemblée Nationale 452:80 on the previous day. The text had been agreed by a joint committee of MPs and senators on ...
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NewsHelsinki orders more Transtech trams
FINLAND: Helsinki transport operator HKL has ordered a further 10 ForCity Smart Artic trams from Škoda Transportation subsidiary Transtech. The contract announced on June 14 is worth €30m. HKL ordered 40 trams from Transtech under a framework contract in 2010 that includes options for 90 more. In December 2016 ...
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NewsStrukton to show track defect recognition technology at InnoTrans 2018
STRUKTON: Strukton Rail is to use InnoTrans 2018 to unveil automatic video recognition technology which can identify potential tracks defects before they occur. This is being developed by combining Strukton’s video monitoring and specialist track expertise with Siemens' Railigent data analytics technology. ‘The Railigent application suite enables Strukton Rail ...
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NewsAfrican supply chain partnership
AFRICA: Unipart Rail and Gear Rail signed a partnership agreement at the Africa Rail event in Johannesburg on June 13. Unipart said the two companies would benefit from bringing together Gear Rail’s reach in Africa and Unipart Rail’s expertise in modernising supply chains, with the aim of reducing costs and ...
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NewsBrno university tram extension planned
CZECH REPUBLIC: Brno city council decided on June 12 to start tendering for a tram extension to serve the university campus in Bohunice. The 900 m branch would run northeast from Osová to Nemocnice Bohunice, with an intermediate stop at Nová Jihlavská. This would be in a 650 m ...
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NewsNorth Korean railway line opens
NORTH KOREA: The Koam – Tapchon railway viaduct has opened, crossing Sokjon Bay on the east coast to connect a fishing port development on the Songjon peninsula to the national rail network. The opening ceremony was held on May 30, five days after national leader Kim Jong Un had inspected ...
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NewsSiemens reveals Velaro Novo 360 km/h train concept
GERMANY: Siemens unveiled its Velaro Novo concept for the next generation of high speed train on June 13, saying the first sets could be in service in 2023. The 8 MW Velaro Novo is designed for operating speeds of between 250 and 360 km/h, and would set ‘new ...
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NewsFlixTrain brings forward extra services after ‘overwhelming response’
GERMANY: Open access operator FlixTrain has brought forward the introduction of additional services following higher than anticipated passenger demand. It is also introducing seat reservations and launching pop-up shops at main stations. A second daily Stuttgart – Frankfurt – Hannover – Berlin return service will now be introduced on June ...
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NewsNizhny Novgorod World Cup metro extension inaugurated
RUSSIA: An extension of the Nizhny Novgorod metro serving the newly built stadium was inaugurated on June 12, a few days before the start of the FIFA World Cup. Revenue services began the following day. The 2·2 km northern extension of the Sormovsko-Meshcherskaya Line runs from Moskovskaya to Strelka. ...
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NewsSwiss long-distance concession split confirmed
SWITZERLAND: The Federal Office for Transport announced on June 12 its final decision to split the concession to operate long-distance passenger services from the December 2019 timetable change. Most routes and the whole of the inter-city network will be run by incumbent SBB, but BLS will operate Interregio services on ...
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NewsTenders called for Bari – Barletta realignment
ITALY: Bari suburban rail operator Ferrotramviaria has called tenders to build a new underground alignment for the Bari – Barletta railway line in the centre of Andria. The 3 km underground section will include a new stop at Andria Nord. The space freed up by putting the existing surface ...
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NewsCAF to supply 87 trams to Oslo
NORWAY: Oslo public transport operator Sporveien has selected CAF to supply 87 trams, it announced on June 11. The €200m contract includes options for 60 more vehicles. CAF is to supply 100% low-floor Urbos 100 trams similar to those that it has supplied to Nantes in France. Designated SL18 ...
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NewsGE Transportation holds Ukrainian supplier day
UKRAINE: GE Transportation held an industry day in Odesa on June 5 to highlight the opportunities for Ukrainian companies to participate in its supply chain. As part of the event, the US company signed a co-operation agreement with Ukrainian rolling stock manufacturer KVSZ. The industry day follows the signing in ...