Main line rail industry news – Page 515
-
NewsJoanna Whittington
Joanna Whittington has been confirmed as CEO of the UK’s Office of Rail & Road. Formerly Director of Railway Markets & Economics at ORR, she had been acting as Interim CEO since January 2016.
-
NewsTibbett Logistics invests in București intermodal terminal
ROMANIA: Tibbett Logistics is to make a ‘substantial six-figure euro’ investment this year to enhance its București International Rail Freight Terminal, which it says is the only privately operated open-access rail container terminal in the capital. This follows a significant increase in freight volumes handled at BIRFT, with five block ...
-
NewsWorld rail market March 2017
Poland: PKP Cargo has expanded its drone fleet with Dron House’s Bielik 3·5 kg carbon fibre design. Last year it began using DJI Phantom 3 and Eagle drones to monitor its trains, and has reported a 50% reduction in cargo theft. South Africa: Transnet is to use GE’s Predix ...
-
NewsGrupo México to acquire Florida East Coast Railway
USA: On March 28 Grupo México announced that its transport business GMéxico Transportes had reached an agreement to acquire Florida East Coast Railway Holdings Corp from Fortress Investment Group. The Mexican company said adding FEC to its existing operations in Texas would ‘immediately establish GMXT as an important railroad owner ...
-
NewsFrance and Spain seek rail motorway proposals
EUROPE: Rolling stock manufacturers are to be invited to submit expressions of interest in supplying wagons capable of carrying lorries on ‘rail motorway’ services between France and Spain, it was agreed at a meeting of a working group on March 27 bringing together the transport ministries of both countries as ...
-
NewsUPS adds six cities to China – Europe rail freight network
INTERNATIONAL: UPS has added six more cities to its intermodal rail network linking China and Europe. Changsha, Chongqing, Suzhou and Wuhan have been added in China, joining Zhengzhou and Chengdu. The additional locations have been chosen for their proximity to manufacturing, commercial and cultural centres in inland China. Duisburg and ...
-
NewsLegoland Japan themed train launched
JAPAN: An electric multiple-unit operating on Nagoya Rinkai Rapid Transit Co's Aonami Line has been specially decorated to promote the Legoland Japan theme park ahead of its official opening on April 1. The EMU’s four cars are themed on the Lost Kingdom Adventure, Dragon Coaster, Rescue Academy and Submarine Adventure ...
-
NewsSBB orders 14 EMUs for RER Vaud
SWITZERLAND: A SFr125m contract for Stadler Rail to supply 14 four-car Flirt electric multiple-units for use on the RER Vaud network centred on Lausanne was signed by Swiss Federal Railways on March 24. The EMUs are scheduled to be delivered by 2020. They will be 75 m long with 324 ...
-
NewsFreight tram to support electric car production
GERMANY: CarGoTram freight services returned to Dresden’s tram network on March 24, carrying automotive parts between the Friedrichstadt freight terminal and Volkswagen’s car factory at the Großen Garten on Straßburger Platz. CarGoTram was first launched in 2001 to reduce the need for lorries to pass through the city centre to ...
-
NewsMore Innovia trainsets ordered for Kuala Lumpur
MALAYSIA: Kuala Lumpur transport agency Prasarana has ordered a further 27 four-car metro trainsets for the Kelana Jaya Line from a consortium of Bombardier Transportation and Hartasuma. Bombardier has a 1·2bn ringgit share of the 1·7bn ringgit contract that was announced on March 27. The order for aluminium-bodied Innovia ...
-
NewsThird-party operators get access to ČD depots
CZECH REPUBLIC: The government has passed an amendment to the Railway Act obliging state operator ČD to provide non-discriminatory access to its depots on a commercial basis with effect from on April 1. Third-party operators will be granted access to ČD’s repair, maintenance and servicing facilities, fuelling and toilet waste ...
-
NewsCRRC to supply rolling stock to Philadelphia
USA: The board of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has approved the purchase of 45 double-deck coaches from CRRC MA Corp for use on its Regional Rail network of commuter services. CRRC’s bid of $137·5m for the base order of 45 coaches and $161m including options for 10 more beat ...
-
NewsIsrael Railways Traxx locomotive on test
ISRAEL: The first of 62 Traxx AC electric locomotives being built for Israel Railways has been completed and is now undergoing testing at Bombardier Transportation’s factory at Kassel in Germany. ISR called tenders in July 2014 for the supply of between 62 and 78 locomotives as part of its 25 ...
-
NewsWork starts on new tram line in Istanbul
TURKEY: Construction of a new tram line in Istanbul began on March 20. The 10 km route will run along the southern edge of the Golden Horn from Eminönü to Alibeyköy Cep Otogari. Interchange will be provided with tram route T1 at Eminönü, with metro line M2 at Küçük ...
-
NewsMauritius light rail work begins
MAURITIUS: Preparatory work started on a light rail line on March 20, following a foundation stone laying ceremony on March 11. Preparatory works are expected to last three months. The 26 km Metro Express line would link Port Louis with Curepipe, serving 19 stops with an end-to-end journey time ...
-
NewsFirst MTR joint venture wins South Western franchise
UK: The First MTR South Western Trains Ltd joint venture of the UK's FirstGroup (70%) and Hong Kong's MTR Corp (30%) has been selected as preferred bidder for the next South Western passenger operating franchise, the Department for Transport announced on March 27. Formal award of the new contract is ...
-
NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Russian Railways expects to launch an electronic trading platform for freight services during April. According to RZD President Oleg Belozerov, this will enable customers to order and pay for transport online, and also make it possible for third parties to pay for services, ‘without lengthy approval procedures and with transparent ...
-
NewsWorld rolling stock market March 2017
Armenia: Refurbishment of two two-car Type 81-717 Yerevan metro trainsets has been sponsored by mobile telecoms company Ucom, which is to provide 4G coverage on the network. Belarus: Stadler Minsk CEO Philipp Brunner told local media on January 23 that Stadler had been selected to supply 10 ...
-
NewsWorld rail infrastructure market March 2017
Asia: MyHSR and LTA have awarded the joint development partner contract for the Kuala Lumpur - Singapore high speed rail project to a consortium of WSP Engineering Malaysia, Mott MacDonald and Ernst & Young Advisory Services. There were eight bids for the contract to provide project management, technical and tendering ...
-
NewsFirst refurbished Alfa Pendular trainset handed back
PORTUGAL: The first refurbished Alfa Pendular tilting trainset was handed over to national operator CP by maintenance business EMEF on March 24.EMEF is refurbishing all 10 of CP’s premium inter-city trains under a contract worth €18m. The trains were supplied in 1999-2000 by a consortium led by Fiat Ferroviaria and ...