Main line rail industry news – Page 516
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NewsLakeshore East – East Corridor Expansion procurement begins
CANADA: Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx have issued a request for qualifications for a contract to finance and build the Lakeshore East - East Corridor Expansion project in the Greater Toronto area. The scope includes laying a third track on the 11 km between Beechgrove Road and Durham Junction, rebuilding two ...
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NewsSpecialised containers for fertiliser exports
BOLIVIA: State-owned oil and petrochemicals company YPFB has ordered 250 wagons and 500 specialised containers which will be used to transport fertiliser on the country’s 1 000 mm gauge rail network. While the wagons are being manufactured locally in Santa Cruz, the containers are now being delivered by CIMC of ...
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NewsAnont takes over at SRT
Anont Luangboriboon, Deputy Director General of Thailand’s Highways Department, has been named Acting Governor of the State Railway of Thailand while Voravidh Champeeratana, head of the Securities & Exchange Commission, becomes Chairman. Their appointments follow the dimissal of former Governor Wuthichart Kalyanamitra along with most of SRT’s Board by Prime ...
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NewsHalf-price tickets to encourage PayPal payment
RUSSIA: Airport shuttle service operator Aeroexpress and online payment company PayPal have launched a promotional campaign offering a 50% discount on return tickets bought through the operator’s www.aeroexpress.ru website and paid for using PayPal. ‘Every year we see the increasing popularity of electronic sales channels, so we try to offer ...
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NewsSeries 2020 trains ordered ahead of Tokyo Olympics
JAPAN: Tokyu Corp has ordered three 10-car electric multiple-units from J-TREC for use on Denentoshi Line suburban services in Tokyo from spring 2018. The 1 067 mm gauge units will be designated Series 2020, to mark the city’s hosting of the 2020 Olympic Games. The 1·5 kV DC units will ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Wagon manufacturer WBN Waggonbau Niesky has reported a record order intake of €137m for 2016, with 90% of new orders coming from Europe and 10% from Asia. Last year exports accounted for 70% of the €56·5m worth of products delivered. EBITDA was up 15·4% year on year to €4·4m. ...
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NewsTransdev wins Rhein-Ruhr ticketing contract
GERMANY: Following a European tender, Rhein-Ruhr transport authority VRR has awarded Transdev a contract to manage its ticket distribution systems for 11 years from December 1 2019, when the current contract held by Deutsche Bahn ends. The public transport services covered carry around 4 million passengers on a typical weekday. ...
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NewsAlmaty – Toshkent wide-bodied Talgo service launched
ASIA: The national railways of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have launched a passenger service between Almaty and Toshkent using wide-bodied coaches developed by Talgo. The first train arrived in the Uzbek capital on March 22. Regular services will initially run twice per week in each direction, departing from Almaty on Saturdays ...
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NewsEuropean Commission sees Rail Baltica as a priority project
EUROPE: Lithuania’s Minister of Transport & Communications Rokas Masiulis met European Co-ordinator for the TEN-T North Sea-Baltic Corridor Catherine Trautmann on March 22 to discuss the progress of the Rail Baltica project to build a 1 435 mm gauge line from Poland to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Trautmann assured the ...
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NewsSwedish national operator to bid for Norwegian contracts
NORWAY: Swedish national passenger operator SJ has established local subsidiary SJ Norge to bid for the operating contracts which are being tendered under Norway’s railway reform programme. The Ministry of Transport & Communications expects to award two contracts this year covering the operation from December 2018 of the Sørlandet, Jær ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
As part of the testing programme, a Hitachi Intercity Express trainset has operated to the purpose-built maintenance depot in Swansea via the Severn Tunnel, Newport, Cardiff, Bridgend and Port Talbot for the first time. 'For passengers in Wales this milestone marks another step closer in experiencing the benefits of investment ...
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NewsContract awarded for Belgrano track renewals
ARGENTINA: Infrastructure authority Trenes Argentinos Infraestructura has announced the award of a contract to undertake track renewals on the 1 000 mm gauge Belgrano network, under the second phase of a programme that will see a total of 1 600 km upgraded across the provinces of northwestern Argentina. Awarded to ...
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NewsTransport for West Midlands to take Midland Metro in-house
UK: Transport for West Midlands is to take over the day-to-day operations of the Midland Metro light rail line when the current contract held by National Express ends in October 2018. ‘Metro is embarking on an unprecedented period of expansion and we believe bringing services in-house will provide the extra ...
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NewsLutz confirmed as DB Chairman as board reshaped
GERMANY: Meeting on March 22, the Deutsche Bahn AG Supervisory Board confirmed the appointment of Dr Richard Lutz as CEO of the national railway, succeeding Dr Rüdiger Grube who stepped down as Chairman of the Management Board in January. Having served as Chief Financial Officer since 2010, Lutz had been ...
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NewsVivarail battery-powered demonstrator on test
UK: Vivarail has begun testing a former London Underground D78 car which it has converted into a demonstrator vehicle for the use of onboard batteries. Testing of the vehicle’s range and performance are being undertaken at the Quinton Rail Technology Centre, to help inform plans for the future development of ...
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NewsMontecargo privatisation negotiations completed
MONTENEGRO: The Ministry of Finance has completed negotiations for Polish group OT Logistics to acquire a 51% stake in national rail freight operator Montecargo and a 30% stake in Port of Bar operator Luka Bar. The privatisation must now be approved by parliament. Under the final agreement, OT Logistics ...
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NewsCables designed to increase fire safety
CABLES: Industrial cabling supplier Nexans has launched the Flamex SI-FR range of fire-resistant cables for onboard power and control systems. These are designed to withstand harsh operating conditions including variations in temperature, snow, rain, sunlight and heavy vibration, and can also operate at up to 170°C with a maximum operating ...
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NewsStadler selected for high-capacity EMU contract
HUNGARY: Sole bidder Stadler Bussnang has been selected for a framework contract to supply high-capacity electric multiple-units, national passenger operator MÁV-Start announced on March 17. Further negotiations will now take place before a firm order is signed. MÁV-Start called tenders in December for the supply of up to 40 ...
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NewsStadler selected for high-capacity EMU contract
HUNGARY: Sole bidder Stadler Bussnang has been selected for a framework contract to supply high-capacity electric multiple-units, national passenger operator MÁV-Start announced on March 17. Further negotiations will now take place before a firm order is signed. MÁV-Start called tenders in December for the supply of up to 40 ...
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NewsPisa Mover inaugurated
ITALY: An automated peoplemover linking Galileo Galilei Airport with Pisa Centro railway station was inaugurated on March 18. Travel is free until March 26. Pisa Mover services take 4 min to complete the 1·8 km route, which includes an intermediate station at San Giusto/Aurelia, where there is a 1 ...