Main line rail industry news – Page 454
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NewsSuburban services introduced to Beijing
CHINA: Beijing Suburban Railway Co inaugurated two services on December 31 linking the capital with its outer suburbs. The Sub Central Line links Beijing Xi with the sub-administrative centre of Tongzhou to the east of the city. Services run from Beijing Xi to Beijing main station through the 9·2 ...
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NewsBetter franchise design could have reduced TSGN disruption, says NAO
UK: Some of the extensive disruption experienced by passengers on the Thameslink, Southern & Great Northern franchise over the last three years could have been avoided if the Department for Transport had taken more care to consider passengers in its design of the franchise, head of the National Audit Office ...
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NewsMendrisio – Varese cross-border services begin
EUROPE: Regional train operator TILO began revenue passenger services on the 17·7 km cross-border line between Mendrisio in Switzerland and Varese in Italy on January 7. This followed an inauguration ceremony on December 22, when guests included President of the Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard, Italian Minister of Transport Graziano Delrio, ...
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NewsGibela moves into South African EMU factory
SOUTH AFRICA: In the first week of January the Gibela joint venture of Alstom and local partners Ubumbano Rail and New Africa Rail moved into its new factory and training centre in Dunnottar, 50 km east of Johannesburg. This is being built as part of a €4bn contract to supply ...
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NewsEast Coast Rail Link contracts awarded
MALAYSIA: Main contractor China Communications Construction Co has appointed AECOM to provide site supervision services for the construction of stations, viaducts, tunnels and depots for the East Coast Rail Link project, and has awarded HSS Integrated a 83m ringgit contract to provide supervising consultancy services for Package 1 which covers ...
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NewsBourgogne-Franche-Comté and Grand Est order multiple-units
FRANCE: Firm orders with a total value of €100m covering the supply of 14 more Coradia Polyvalent multiple-units to the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Grand Est regions were announced by Alstom on January 8. Bourgogne-Franche-Comté has ordered eight four-car electric multiple-units, known as Régiolis by SNCF, while Grand Est has opted for ...
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NewsVilnius – Klaipeda electrification agreed
LITHUANIA: Tenders are to be called this year for electrification of the 350 km main line from the port city of Klaipeda to the junction with the electrified line from Kaunas to Vilnius, after the board of national railway LG gave its approval during December. The project would also involve ...
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NewsBudapest Rákos – Hatvan upgrade gets underway
HUNGARY: Work to modernise and upgrade the Budapest Rákos – Hatvan section of the Budapest – Miskolc main line is to get underway during February for completion by December 31 2020. The line forms part of Pan-European Corridor V, and also handles significant suburban traffic. A HF62bn contract covering the ...
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NewsDüsseldorf trams reach ISS Dome
GERMANY: Düsseldorf’s tram network was extended by 2 km on January 7, when a northern extension of Line 701 was inaugurated. The new route from Rath S-Bahn station to ISS Dome has three stops. The €30m cost of work was funded entirely by the city.
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NewsMore Vamos light rail vehicles ordered for Bielefeld
GERMANY: Bielefeld transport operator moBiel announced on January 4 that it had ordered a further 24 Vamos light rail vehicles from a consortium of Heiterblick and Kiepe Electric. The contract is worth €90m. Leipzig-based Heiterblick will supply bodyshells and bogies, with Düsseldorf-based Kiepe Electric responsible for electrical equipment. Like ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Finland's first open access operator Fenniarail quadrupled its contracted freight volumes with the start on January 4 of a contract to haul 30 000 wagonloads/year of imported birch from the Russian border at Vainikkala to UPM's mills at Kaukaa and Kymi. UPM is the first pulp and paper maker to ...
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NewsCRRC to supply locomotives to Jamaica
JAMAICA: Aluminium company Alpart has awarded CRRC Qishuyan Co a contract to supply DF8B diesel locomotives in the first half of 2018. CRRC said the order which was confirmed during December was its first from Jamaica, which is the 104th country where the group has won contracts. ...
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NewsPoznań Metropolitan Railway to launch this year
POLAND: The creation of a network of regular local passenger services centred on Poznań is to begin this year, after the local authorities reached a funding agreement in December. Poznań Metropolitan Railway services are to be operated by voivodship-owned company Koleje Wielkopolskie. The initial phase is expected to launch in ...
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NewsChinese investment threatens conflict of loyalties
Chinese infrastructure investments in Central and Eastern Europe continue to pose concerns for EU leaders, reports Tim Banning.
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NewsJakarta airport rail link inaugurated
INDONESIA: The 36·4 km rail link to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport began full commercial operation on January 2, following a formal inauguration by President Joko Widodo. Trial services had been launched on December 26 to promote the new line. A 12 km branch has been built to connect the airport ...
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NewsJakarta airport rail link inaugurated
INDONESIA: The 36·4 km rail link to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport began full commercial operation on January 2, following a formal inauguration by President Joko Widodo. Trial services had been launched on December 26 to promote the new line. A 12 km branch has been built to connect the airport ...
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NewsProgress Rail acquires Italian signalling company ECM
ITALY: Progress Rail completed the acquisition of Pistoia-based signalling and control system supplier ECM SpA on January 2. Progress Rail said ECM had invested in developing of leading edge technologies including computer based interlocking and automatic train protection systems, making it ‘an attractive complement’ to the US group’s signalling portfolio. ...
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NewsSocial impact of Kuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed line to be studied
MALAYSIA: Project promoter MyHSR Corp has awarded ERE Consulting Group a contract to carry out a social and heritage impact assessment for the Malaysian section of the planned Kuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed line. 'The appointed consultant will be responsible to assess the possible social impact arising from the ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
The European Investment Bank signed a €30m loan agreement with Talgo on December 21 to support the development of high speed and commuter trains, including a prototype EMU for short and medium-length journeys. Stone Canyon Industries company A Stucki has acquired Magnus, which supplies bronze locomotive traction support bearings for ...
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NewsBoard changes to support Pesa restructuring
POLAND: The supervisory board of rolling stock manufacturer Pesa Bydgoszcz announced changes to the management board on January 3, saying this would strengthen the board to support ongoing restructuring. Krzysztof Sędzikowski was appointed CEO and President of the management board, while Andrzej Juszczyński became Vice-President and CFO. Sławomir Piątek ...