Main line rail industry news – Page 469
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NewsSwiss long-distance concession delayed
SWITZERLAND: The Federal Transport Office, BAV, has decided to postpone the award of new concessions to operate long-distance passenger services on the national network, and to directly award SBB a two-year extension to its existing contract until the December 2019 timetable change. SBB had been in negotiation with regional operators ...
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NewsStadler Minsk metro car order confirmed
BELARUS: Stadler has confirmed details of the metro trains that it is supplying to Minsk. The first four-car trainset is due to arrive in the capital next year, with the rest following by 2020. Stadler Minsk CEO Philipp Brunner told local media of the order in January ...
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NewsOntario to establish High Speed Rail Planning Advisory Board
CANADA: Plans to establish a High Speed Rail Planning Advisory Board to support the development of proposals for a 250 km/h electrified passenger service on the Windsor – Toronto corridor were announced by the Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne on October 23. The High Speed Rail Planning Advisory Board would ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
Following a competitive sales process, Network Rail has sold its National Logistics Centre in Ryton, Coventry to the West Midlands Pension Fund for £35m and will lease it back for 15 years. This follows an external analysis which suggested that a new inventory and order system would mean the site ...
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NewsCSX shakes up executive team
USA: Former Canadian National Executive Vice-President James Foote is to join CSX Transportation as Chief Operating Officer, the company announced on October 25. Most recently serving as President & CEO of Bright Rail Energy, he will take responsibility for both Operations and Sales & Marketing. Foote will replace the current ...
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NewsSouth Western Railway awards Class 442 refurbishment contract
UK: South Western Railway has awarded Kiepe Electric UK a contract to undertake a £45m refurbishment of 18 Class 442 electric multiple-units for use on fast London Waterloo – Portsmouth services from December 2018. Work to be undertaken at Eastleigh to increase the reliability and efficiency of the units will ...
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NewsTurkmenistan opens loco depot for Kazakhstan – Iran corridor
TURKMENISTAN: A locomotive depot has been opened at Bereket where the north–south corridor between Kazakhstan and Iran meets the east–west Ashgabat – Bereket – Turkmenbashi route. Government officials, staff representatives, elders and young people attended the inauguration celebrations, which included a message from President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov as well as musical ...
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NewsEIB approves rail infrastructure financing
EUROPE: A total of €1·8bn of financing for rail and road transport projects was approved by the European Investment Bank on October 18. The rail projects are: €20m for infrastructure modernisation in Poland, including station, signalling and level crossing upgrade projects;€650m for upgrading routes to Polish ports;€133m to upgrade ...
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News'Innovative challenger' in the German freight market
GERMANY: Swedish open access freight operator Hector Rail announced plans to establish a standalone business unit in Germany on October 23, saying it sees the country as an important market with opportunities for long-term growth. Stig Kyster-Hansen has been named Managing Director of the future German business unit, and he ...
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NewsWagon coating range launched
USA: Axalta Coating Systems has expanded into the wagon paint market with the launch of a dedicated range of Tufcote-branded products designed to protect against chemical and corrosion damage, weathering, and chipping. 'Railcar and transportation maintenance structures are constructed to last and need a tough, durable finish to ensure their ...
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NewsReindeer collisions avoided with satellite technology
NORWAY: Satellite technology has been developed to try to reduce collisions between trains and reindeer in remote areas of Norway. Because reindeer are free-roaming herd animals, a single incident can injure as many as 50 animals. Developed by animal tracking technology company FindMy as a result of hackathon organised by ...
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NewsPrivate car growth in Singapore to stop
SINGAPORE: Land Transport Authority announced on October 23 that it will not allow any growth in the number of private cars and motorcycles in the city from February 2018. The current growth rate of the car number set by LTA is 0·25% per year, at which level it will ...
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NewsHigh speed rail station concepts inspired by culture, people and identity
MALAYSIA: Architectural design concepts for the stations on the Malaysian section of the future Kuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed line were unveiled at the MyStations - Transforming Malaysia event on October 17. Project promoter MyHSR Corp said the designs were ‘inspired by the dynamism of culture, people and identity’ ...
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NewsSJ to fit X2000s with remote condition monitoring
SWEDEN: Inter-city operator SJ has awarded a contract to Perpetuum to provide remote condition monitoring equipment for the wheelsets on its fleet of X2000 tilting trainsets, together with a 10-year service agreement to support its operation. This will be the 10th fleet of trains around the world to be equipped ...
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NewsRoca electrified to La Plata
ARGENTINA: Electric services began operating between City Bell and La Plata on the Roca commuter network in Buenos Aires on October 18, marking completion of an electrification project undertaken as part of a US$250m upgrade of the 1 676 mm gauge commuter routes running south from the capital. With the ...
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NewsOSG introduces onboard ScreeneX embedded glass screens
USA: Currently being trialled on light rail vehicles in New Jersey and suburban trains Germany, ScreeneX embedded glass screen technology was launched in the North American market by supplier Oran Safety Glass at the APTA trade show in Atlanta. ScreeneX has already been deployed in numerous station and outdoor applications, ...
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NewsHydrogen fuel cell multiple-units ordered
GERMANY: Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG has announced an order for Alstom to supply 14 hydrogen fuel cell multiple-units, with options for 33 more. The initial batch of units is to be deployed on Weser-Elbe services between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde and Buxtehude. The contract has been awarded to a consortium ...
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NewsMünster orders more electric buses
GERMANY: VDL Bus & Coach has received a follow-on order to supply five Citea SLF-120 Electric buses to Stadtwerke Münster. In April 2015 VDL delivered five Citeas Electric to Münster for testing. One was delivered under the Fast Charging Systems for Electric Buses in Public Transport (SEB) programme, subsidised ...
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NewsKeolis to take over tram and bus operations in Besançon
FRANCE: Greater Besançon municipality has awarded Keolis a seven-year contract to operate the city’s Ginko network of trams and buses. The contract running from January 1 2018 is expected to generate total revenue of €248·5m. Keolis Besançon Mobilités will take over from Transdev, which currently operates the networks with ...
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NewsPrivate operator to haul iron ore in Turkey
TURKEY: Omsan Logistics is set to become the country’s first private train operator under the 2016 legislation liberalising the rail market. It is a subsidiary of investment group Oyak, the pension fund of the Turkish armed forces, and will be hauling traffic for other group companies. The company announced on ...