Main line rail industry news – Page 480
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NewsWien metro reaches Oberlaa
AUSTRIA: Chancellor Christian Kern, Wien Mayor Michael Häupl and Executive City Councillor for the Environment Ulli Sima attended a ceremony on September 2 to open an extension of Wien metro Line U1. The 4·6 km southern extension from Reumannplatz to Oberlaa adds five stations and brings Line U1 to ...
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NewsUi-Sinseol Light Rapid Transit line opens in Seoul
SOUTH KOREA: A ceremony on September 4 attended by Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon marked the opening of the Ui-Sinseol Light Rapid Transit light metro line. Running north from Sinseol-dong to Ui-dong, the 11·4 km underground line serves 13 stations. Interchanges are provided with metro lines 1 and 2 at ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Leasing company GATX Rail Germany has awarded WBN Waggonbau Niesky a contract to supply 50 Moltrag modular wagons for use by BASF from April 2018, with an option for a further 100. The Gemeinschaft der Europäischen Transsibirien Operateure & Spediteure (Association of European Trans-Siberia Operators & Forwarders) has changed the ...
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NewsHazardous materials training academy for short lines
USA: The Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has awarded the Short Line Safety Institute a $500 000 grant to create a Hazardous Materials Training Academy in Washington DC. ‘Small railroads will greatly benefit from the expertise and resources the Hazardous Materials Training Academy will provide’, said SLSI Executive Director ...
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News4Transit awarded C$300m Toronto RER contract
CANADA: The 4Transit joint venture of Hatch, Parsons, and WSP Canada has been awarded a C$300m contract to provide technical advisory services for two major work packages within transport agency Metrolinx’s Regional Express Rail programme to upgrade the rail network in the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area. ‘This massive transformation ...
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NewsPoland – Ukraine rail connections expanded
EUROPE: Passenger links between Poland and Ukraine have been improved with the launch on August 24 of a Ukrainian Railways Intercity+ service from Przemyśl to Kyiv via Lviv, Ternopil and Vinnytsia. The second cross-border IC+ service follows the launch last December of a Przemyśl – Kyiv service via Lviv and ...
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News1 520 mm gauge Traxx locomotive to be certified this year
RUSSIA: The First Locomotive Co of Bombardier Transportation and local investors announced at Expo 1520 that is expects to obtain certification this autumn for its 1 520 mm gauge member of the Traxx locomotive family. The prototype 2EV120 Prince Vladimir twin-section locomotive built at the company’s Engels factory was exhibited ...
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NewsEurovia buys German contractor THG
GERMANY: Vinci subsidiary Eurovia announced on August 31 that it had become the majority shareholder in rail infrastructure contractor THG Baugesellschaft. Based in Nordrhein-Westfalen, THG has around 60 staff and generated revenue of €17m in 2016. It provides services including track and turnout renewals, subgrade construction and other civil engineering ...
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NewsBirmingham tram extension receives government funding
UK: The Department for Transport announced on September 1 that it is to provide £59·8m towards the construction of the Edgbaston extension of the Midland Metro tram route in Birmingham. The package means that the £149m project is now fully funded. Preliminary work started in the summer on the ...
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NewsTrams reach Tallinn airport
ESTONIA: Revenue service began on an extension of the Tallinn tram network to the airport on September 1, following an official inauguration ceremony two days earlier attended by Acting Mayor Taavi Aas and Estonia’s Rail Baltica project co-ordinator Kristjan Kaunissaare. The 700 m southern extension of Route 4 includes ...
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NewsLastochka Premium inter-regional EMU offers higher comfort
RUSSIA: The Ural Locomotives joint venture of Sinara Group and Siemens displayed a Lastochka Premium inter-regional version of their Desiro RUS electric multiple-unit family at the Expo 1520 trade fair at Shcherbinka. Russian Railways had previously used the Lastochka Premium brand to refer to some faster services operated using standard ...
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NewsBaghdad metro operator sought
IRAQ: The government is reported to be seeking an operator for two proposed underground metro lines in Baghdad. Both lines would be 23 km long. Line 1 would have 25 stations and Line 2 would have 22, with one interchange station serving both lines. The main maintenance ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
CASCO Signal (Chengdu) Ltd is to establish its southwest China regional headquarters on the China Railway Industrial Park in Chengdu. IVU Traffic Technologies has announced that revenues in the first half of 2017 were up 15% to €26m while gross profit rose by 10% to €19m. EBIT was slightly ...
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NewsTrafikverket unveils 12-year investment plan
SWEDEN: Transport infrastructure authority Trafikverket formally launched its 2018-29 national plan on August 31, submitting its spending proposals to the government and starting a three-month public consultation process. Formal adoption of the plan is expected in the spring of 2018. The national plan covers state-owned infrastructure for all modes, including ...
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NewsVR orders double-deck coaches
FINLAND: National operator VR has awarded Škoda Transportation subsidiary Transtech Oy a €50m order to supply a further 20 Type Ed double-deck coaches as an option on a contract signed in 2015. Production is scheduled to begin next year, for delivery in 2019. Maisa Romanainen, Senior Vice-President of Passenger Services ...
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NewsEntroncamento – Badajoz passenger service reinstated
PORTUGAL: National operator CP reinstated a daily return passenger service on the 141 km Eastern Line between Entroncamento and the Spanish city of Badajoz on August 29, using Allan diesel railcars built in the 1950s and refurbished by EMEF Contumil in the early 2000s. Passenger services on the route had ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
London Waterloo fully reopened on August 29 following what Network Rail described as ‘one of the largest and most complex upgrades in the station’s history'. However owing to ‘safety critical work to test the signalling taking slightly longer than planned’ following a collision on August 15, there was extensive disruption ...
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NewsEgyptian National Railways plans to form stand-alone freight business
EGYPT: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development has invited expressions of interest in a contract to assist Egyptian National Railways with the planned conversion of its freight business into a stand-alone subsidiary company. The intention is that this would have managerial independence and operate through commercial relationships with the ...
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NewsTuran Express launches subsidised Almaty passenger services
KAZAKHSTAN: Private company Turan Express has begun operating local passenger services from Kapshagai and Uzynagash to Almaty on behalf of the city authority. Following the failure of two privately funded attempts to introduce services on Almaty – Kapshagai corridor, the local authority decided to call tenders for the operation of ...
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NewsWork begins on Limmattalbahn light rail project
SWITZERLAND: President Doris Leuthard attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Limmattalbahn light rail project at Schlieren near Zürich on August 28. Preparatory work began on August 2 for the first phase of the route, which is due to open between Altstetten in Zürich and Geissweid in Schlieren to the ...