Main line rail industry news – Page 527
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NewsRER catenary renewal contract awarded
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau announced on February 3 that it had awarded its first design-build contract for catenary renewal. Under a €277m deal signed the previous day, the RC2 consortium of TSO Caténaires, Setec Ferroviare and Vinci subsidiaries ETF and Mobility is to replace the 1·5 kV DC overhead ...
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NewsAirport metro line starts trial running in Taipei
TAIWAN: Trial running on the Taoyuan International Airport Line in Taipei began on February 2, offering free rides between Taipei Main Station and Huanbei. Six stations are currently open, with more due to open on February 15, before revenue service begins on the entire line on March 2. Revenue ...
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NewsEngines ordered for Civity UK DMUs
UK: Rolls-Royce’s MTU business is to supply 140 Series 1800 PowerPacks for use on the 55 Civity UK diesel multiple-units which Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF is building for use on Arriva’s Northern franchise. Announcing the order on February 3, Rolls-Royce said the 390 kW PowerPacks would have 6H 1800 ...
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NewsReforms aim to ‘blow the dust off’ UK rail ticketing system
UK: A complete overhaul of the structure of Great Britain’s fares system is being planned by the Rail Delivery Group, with the aim of reflecting changes in the way passengers now travel and enabling bidders for future franchises to put forward more innovative ideas for ticketing. ...
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NewsKenya – Uganda construction timescale agreed
AFRICA: Meeting in Nairobi on February 2, ministers from Kenya and Uganda agreed a ‘synchronised’ timescale for construction of the 1 435 mm gauge railway planned to link the two countries. Signed by Uganda’s Finance Minister Matla Kasila, Kenya’s Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich and Transport & Urban Development Secretary James ...
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NewsMore Citadis trams ordered for Strasbourg
FRANCE: Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeois has exercised an option to order 10 more Alstom Citadis trams for €28m. This will bring the number of Citadis trams operated by CTS to 63, with the first order placed in 2003. The option announced on February 3 forms part of a framework ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Bombardier Transportation has signed a four-year long-term service agreement with Hoppecke Industrial Batteries, which has supplied onboard batteries for about half of Bombardier's rolling stock. 'The agreement is all about working together to form positive synergies and improvements for both businesses', said Richard Jackson, Senior Buyer, Strategic Procurement at Bombardier's ...
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NewsCSX sees 21% drop in coal traffic
USA: The US rail industry continued to face headwinds from low global commodity prices and the strength of the dollar in 2016, CSX said when presenting its annual results on January 17. CSX generated revenue of $11·1bn last year, down from $11·8bn in 2015, with operating income of $3·4bn compared ...
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NewsVivarail releases report into D-Train fire
UK: On February 2 Vivarail released a report into a fire on its prototype Class 230 D-Train diesel multiple-unit which occurred during a non-passenger carrying test run at Kenilworth on December 30. Intended to offer a low-cost alternative to new vehicles for use on non-electrified lines, the D-Train comprises former ...
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NewsHyundai Rotem wins Jakarta light metro order
INDONESIA: Hyundai Rotem announced on February 2 that it had been selected to supply rolling stock for the first phase of the light metro network under construction in Jakarta. Hyundai Rotem will work with Woojin Industrial Systems for the supply of eight two-car trainsets. Deliveries are due to take ...
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NewsUnited Wagon Co grows and diversifies
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co manufactured a total of 15 900 wagons in 2016, in line with its targets and representing a 28% increase from the previous year. Its target for 2017 is to increase output to between 18 000 and 20 000 wagons, by making more use of production capacity ...
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NewsUnion Pacific ‘fairly optimistic’ about 2017
USA: ‘While full-year volumes were down substantially year over year, we did see declines moderate in the fourth quarter,’ said Union Pacific Chairman, President & CEO Lance Fritz when presenting the company’s annual results on January 19. ‘As we worked through the challenges of the year, we remained focused on ...
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NewsTrain operators to test 'radical fare changes'
UK: 'Radical changes' to fares which are intended to 'guarantee customers simpler fares and the best possible deal every time they travel' are to be tested following an agreement between train operators and the government, the Rail Delivery Group confirmed on February 1. There will be three elements to ...
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NewsRailway flotations envisaged in Indian budget
INDIA: Plans to float off several Indian Railway subsidiaries including construction arm IRCON, Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corp and Indian Railway Finance Corp were announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the national budget on February 1. He said shares in the IR Public Sector Enterprises would ‘soon’ be ...
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NewsMarmaray upgrading works resume
TURKEY: Surface works on the Asian and European sides of Istanbul’s Marmaray suburban corridor reportedly resumed at the end of January following an agreement between lead contractor OHL and the government.The Marmaray immersed tube tunnel which links railways on either side of the Bosporus Strait opened on time in October ...
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NewsChina – Uzbekistan freight service launched
ASIA: Militzer & Münch Group and InterRail have launched a block train service between Xuzhou in eastern China’s Jiangsu province and Toshkent in Uzbekistan. The first two trains ran in January, carrying 92 20 ft containers containing steel coil. A third train is planned for February. The journey takes 10 ...
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NewsFeature articles in the February 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 The cost of everything... News Main Line Urban Rail Market Industry Innovations Pointers Analysis ...
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NewsKnorr-Bremse completes purchase of Vossloh Electrical Systems
KNORR-BREMSE: The sale of Vossloh AG's Electrical Systems business unit to Knorr-Bremse Systeme für Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH was completed on January 30, following approval by the German federal competition authority. The contract for the sale of the Düsseldorf-based business unit formerly known as Vossloh Kiepe had been signed on December 21. ...
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NewsPesa sole bidder in Gorzów Wielkopolski tram tender
POLAND: Pesa is the sole bidder to supply up to 20 trams to Gorzów Wielkopolski, city transport authority MZK announced on January 31. The 115·1m złoty bid includes a firm order for 14 bidirectional trams from Pesa’s Fokstrot family. These would enable most of the existing fleet of 11 ...
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NewsHoosier State returns to Amtrak fold
USA: Amtrak is to resume providing rolling stock for the Hoosier State inter-city train between Chicago and Indianapolis with effect from March 1, the Indiana Department of Transportation announced on January 30. Serving intermediate stops at Crawfordsville, Dyer, Lafayette and Rensselaer, the state-sponsored train operates four days per week each ...