Main line rail industry news – Page 498
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NewsUK railway news round-up
Conservative Member of Parliament for Epsom & Ewell Chris Grayling has retained his position as Secretary of State for Transport in the cabinet announced by Prime Minister Theresa May following the general election. Network Rail has begun a ‘soft’ market-testing exercise seeking external expertise to determine what would be the ...
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NewsIsrael Railways sets out ambitions to double the network by 2040
ISRAEL: An ambitious strategy to double the size of the national rail network by 2040 and develop links to neighbouring countries was set out by Israel Railways at a presentation in Tel Aviv in June 8. The proposals would see the network expand from the 1 232 km which ...
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NewsOscar Vazquez
Oscar Vazquez has been named Country Managing Director for Bombardier Transportation in Spain. Retaining his role as Project Portfolio Head for Continental Europe & Metro Applications, he replaces Álvaro Rengifo who will continue in an advisory role.
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NewsSNCF Logistics’ investment in BLS Cargo approved
SWITZERLAND: SNCF Logistics’ planned acquisition of a 45% stake in BLS Cargo will come into effect at the beginning of July, BLS AG said on June 14. This follows Swiss and German regulatory approval for the planned acquisition, which had been announced by the companies on February 16. From July ...
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NewsBeer train launched
BELGIUM: Rail freight operator Lineas ran a pilot service carrying Jupiler beer from AB InBev’s brewery at Jupille near Liège to Delhaize’s warehouse in Ninove on June 13. The train is to run three times per week, and is expected to remove 5 000 lorry trips per year from the ...
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NewsKyiv orders more Elektron trams
UKRAINE: Kyiv tram operator Kyivpastrans has announced that Elektrontrans has submitted the best offer to supply seven 100% low-floor trams to operate on the city’s 1 524 mm gauge network. The supplier’s offer of 301m hryvnia beat a higher bid from UKVZ. It will supply its T5B64 unidirectional five-section ...
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NewsSTIF to drop RER branding
FRANCE: From July 1 Ile-de-France transport authority STIF plans to cease using the term ‘RER’, which was originally an abbreviation for Réseau Express Régional. According to the staff publication La Lettre du Cheminot, STIF’s decision follows studies suggesting that the distinctions between the various brands used for public transport in ...
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NewsVolkerRail awarded five-year maintenance contract
NETHERLANDS: Infrastructure manager ProRail has awarded VolkerRail a contract to undertake day-to-day track maintenance on the complex rail network in the Amsterdam area for five years from October 1. Announcing the signing of the deal on June 13, VolkerRail said the performance-based contract would provide the contractor with the freedom ...
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NewsSão Paulo suburban EMU on test
BRAZIL: São Paulo suburban operator CPTM has started testing the first Class 9500 electric multiple-units that Hyundai Rotem is supplying. CPTM awarded Hyundai Rotem a R$788m contract in 2013 to supply 30 eight-car EMUs. A contract was awarded to CAF at the same time for a further 35 sets. ...
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NewsDr Joaquin Arambula
Dr Joaquin Arambula has been appointed to the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors as an ex-officio member, while CEO Jeff Morales stepped down on June 2.
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NewsVästtrafik awards EMU refurbishment contract
SWEDEN: Västtrafik has awarded Alstom a SKr90m contract to refurbish 18 ASEA/ABB X12 and X14 two-car electric multiple-units dating from 1991-95 which are used on Göteborg – Borås and Uddevalla – Borås – Varberg services. The refurbishment to be undertaken between autumn 2017 the end of 2020 includes ...
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NewsTehran metro Line 7 inaugurated
IRAN: The first phase of the sixth metro line in Tehran was inaugurated on June 10, connecting San’at Square to Basij on a 22 km alignment. Line 7 will eventually be 31 km long, once extensions at both ends open in March 2018. Nine more stations are ...
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NewsComplex interoperability requirements in Chicago PTC contract
USA: Wabtec Corp has signed a $22m contract to design, supply and commission Positive Train Control for the Belt Railway Company of Chicago, which owns and operates about 470 km of track, including 43 km of main line track. Under the contract announced on June 7 Wabtec is to provide ...
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NewsAlstom and Teleste sign framework agreement
FINLAND: Teleste Corp has signed a framework agreement to supply Alstom with on-train passenger information and public address systems, CCTV, communication technology and TFT and LED displays. Teleste’s products are ‘designed to let passengers enjoy clear, visible and up-to-date information during every phase of their journey’, said Pekka Vänni, Director ...
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NewsLund – Malmö quadruple tracking contract
SWEDEN: Trafikverket has selected the Lund – Arlöv Fyra Spår consortium of NCC and OHL for a SKr2bn contract to quadruple a section of the busy Lund – Malmö route. The civil works and railway systems contract announced on June 8 covers the construction of two temporary tracks between Hjärup ...
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NewsHudson Bay Railway services to Churchill suspended after washouts
CANADA: Hudson Bay Railway services between Amery, 47 km northeast of Gillam, and Churchill have been suspended indefinitely owing to ‘unprecedented and catastrophic’ flood damage and are not expected to resume before the winter season, parent company OmniTRAX announced on June 9. HBR has been unable to operate to Churchill ...
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NewsPatrick Jeantet
SNCF Réseau President Patrick Jeantet has been elected as President of French railway industry association Fer de France, succeeding Egis Group President Nicolas Jachiet.
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NewsAtkins awarded Cornish resignalling contract
UK: Atkins has been awarded a £9m contract to upgrade the signalling between Truro and St Erth. This forms part of Network Rail’s Cornwall Capacity Enabling Scheme to enable one extra train per hour to operate between Plymouth and Penzance. Atkins will be responsible for GRIP stages 4b to 8 ...
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NewsUK rail freight traffic down
UK: According to statistics published by the UK’s Office of Rail & Road on June 8, a total of 17∙2 billion net tonne-km of freight were moved on the national network in 2016-17, a 3% decrease on the year before and the lowest recorded since 1997-98 when a 16∙9 billion ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
In support of India’s Swachcha Bharat Abhiyan national sanitation programme, on June 1 Chittaranjan Locomotive Works rolled out the first WAG-9H electric freight locomotive to be equipped with a built-in a toilet cubicle with biodigester. DP World has awarded GB Railfreight a three-year contract to manage the movement and preparation ...