Main line rail industry news – Page 521
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NewsGreenbrier aims to grow in South America
BRAZIL: 'We are expanding our investments in Brazil to reach customers who need high-quality transportation equipment and in pursuit of continued growth and further diversification of Greenbrier's global business into new markets', said The Greenbrier Companies Chairman & CEO William A Furman on March 2. This followed Greenbrier’s announcement that ...
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NewsUNIFE seeks better access to Japanese market
INTERNATIONAL: European suppliers’ association UNIFE has called on the Japanese government to ensure ‘transparent and open’ procurement in the country’s railway sector, ‘particularly given the major contracts Japanese suppliers have been awarded in the European Union.’ The ongoing negotiations for an EU-Japan Free Trade Agreement were discussed during the sixth ...
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NewsRecord orders put CAF on track for growth
CAF: Spanish rolling stock, infrastructure, signalling and services supplier CAF has announced a record order intake for 2016, a year in which it had consolidated its ‘new growth cycle’ and strengthened its financial position. Looking ahead, CAF said it was on track for growth in coming years, with a greater ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
Network Rail has applied for planning consent for a rolling stock depot at Exeter which would be used by train operator Great Western Railway from mid-2019. Situated alongside the existing facilities at Exeter St David's station, it would include modern facilities for servicing, cleaning and maintenance, as well as office ...
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NewsCRC orders 250 km/h trains for Diamond Economic Circle
CHINA: China Railway Corp has awarded the Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation joint venture a contract to supply 18 eight-car CRH1A-A high speed trainsets. The 250 km/h trainsets designated Zefiro 250NG by the manufacturer are to be operated by the Chengdu and Kunming railway bureaux in the ‘Diamond Economic Circle’ region ...
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NewsThree prequalify for next East Midlands franchise
UK: Three bidders have prequalified to bid for the next East Midlands passenger franchise, the Department for Transport announced on March 1. They are: Arriva Rail East Midlands Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn's Arriva UK Trains Ltd; First Trenitalia East Midlands Rail Ltd, a 70:30 joint venture of ...
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NewsPresidential inauguration for LGV Sud Europe Atlantique
FRANCE: The LGV Sud Europe Atlantique high speed line between Tours and Bordeaux was inaugurated on February 28 in the presence of President François Hollande, SNCF Réseau President Patrick Jeantet and Laurent Cavrois, President of the LISEA consortium which has built and part-financed the new line under a 50-year concession. ...
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NewsVerster goes south, Hynes moves north
UK: Abellio and Network Rail announced on January 20 that Phil Verster would be stepping down as Managing Director of the ScotRail Alliance to take the same position at East West Rail. EWR is being established by the UK government as a stand-alone entity independent of NR to take forward ...
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NewsFeature articles in the March 2017 issue of Railway Gazette International
Feature articles in the latest issue of Railway Gazette International, the leading business journal for railway operators and suppliers, read in 140 countries. Subscribe to Railway Gazette International today. Comment Change at the top News Main Line Urban Rail Market Industry Innovations Pointers ...
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NewsNewag signs Łódź EMU contract
POLAND: Łódź suburban operator Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna signed a contract on February 28 for Newag to supply 14 three-car Impuls 2 electric multiple-units for 236·8m złoty, and maintain them for 12 years at a cost of 1·476 złoty/train-km. Stadler supplied ŁKA’s current fleet of 20 two-car Flirt3 EMUs and had ...
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NewsDeadlines extended as Caltrain seeks to save electrification programme
USA: San Francisco to San Jose commuter operator Caltrain announced on February 27 that it had reached agreement with contractors Balfour Beatty and Stadler to extend the contractual deadlines for start of work on the Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project.Caltrain had been expected to issue ‘Notice to Proceed’ ...
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NewsNo holes in the plan as Swiss cheese reaches China by rail
INTERNATIONAL: Raclette cheese, fondue cheese, milk chocolate and prepared milk have been delivered in what operator Far East Land Bridge said was the first ever shipment of Swiss dairy products to China by rail. The goods travelled by rail from Duisburg in Germany to Chongqing in China via the Trans-Siberian ...
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NewsLong-distance operating contract tender cancelled
SLOVAKIA: The Ministry of Transport & Construction has formally cancelled the tendering of a €10m contract to operate subsidised long-distance passenger services between Bratislava and Banská Bystrica via Šurany and Levice. As a result, all passenger services on the 230 km route will continue to be operated by state-owned ZSSK ...
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NewsKTZ expects traffic growth in 2017
KAZAKHSTAN: A business development plan for 2017-21 has been approved by the board of national railway KTZ. Net income in 2017 is expected to reach 29bn tenge and operating profit 127bn tenge, up from 28bn and 90bn tenge respectively in 2016. Traffic is expected to be 188·7 billion tonne-km in ...
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NewsCaltrain cancels Parsons PTC contract
USA: San Francisco to San Jose commuter operator Caltrain has terminated Parsons Transportation Group’s contract to supply Positive Train Control for the route. In late 2011 the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board which owns and operates Caltrain selected Parsons for a contract to design and install a $138m ...
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News‘Modernisation, movement and beauty’ of Algeria’s future inter-city trainsets
ALGERIA: National railway SNTF and Alstom have revealed the final design for the 17 Coradia Polyvalent electro-diesel multiple-units which are under construction in France for use on inter-city services between Alger, Oran, Annaba, Constantine and Béchar from January 2018. The SNTF units will be similar to the Coradia Polyvalent units ...
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NewsBlue Dolphin enters revenue service
CHINA: The first CRH400AF China Standard EMU prototype developed by CRRC Qingdao Sifang was officially put into revenue service on the Beijing – Guangzhou high speed line on February 25, the company has confirmed to Railway Gazette. Code-named Blue Dolphin, the eight-car trainset had successfully completed more than 600 000 ...
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NewsBerlin orders more Flexity trams
GERMANY: Berlin transport authority BVG has exercised the final option in its framework contract for Flexity Berlin trams, supplier Bombardier Transportation announced on February 27. The order for 21 trams is valued at €71m. The 100% low-floor seven-section bidirectional trams will be 40 m long and will be equipped ...
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NewsSaudi Railway Co launches first passenger services
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Railway Co began operating its first regular passenger service between Riyadh and Al-Qassim on February 26, using one of its CAF-built diesel trainsets which can operate at up to 200 km/h. Until April 1 the service will run five days a week, leaving the terminus close to ...
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NewsTramwaje Warszawskie reach Nowodwory
POLAND: The latest expansion of the Warszawa tram network opened to passengers on February 27, with the commissioning of a 1·5 km northern extension to Nowodwory. Built by a ZUE-Strabag consortium under a 31·6m złoty contract, the extension runs from Tarchomin Kościelny and has an intermediate stop at Štefánika. ...