Main line rail industry news – Page 628
-
NewsTrenitalia exercises further Vivalto option
ITALY: Trenitalia has exercised an option to buy 136 Vivalto second-class push-pull coaches from Hitachi Rail Italy, the supplier announced on December 9. The contract is worth €190m and covers the supply of 112 intermediate double-deck coaches and 24 driving cars to be used on regional and commuter services. ...
-
NewsBromelton freight terminal to receive federal funding
AUSTRALIA: The federal government is to provide A$9·6m for the construction of the Bromelton Intermodal Rail Freight Precinct west of the Gold Coast under the second round of its National Stronger Regions Fund, which was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss on December 7. This includes a total of ...
-
NewsVossloh Locomotives forms French joint venture
VOSSLOH: Vossloh Locomotives France signed a contract with Socofer France on December 8 to establish a joint venture to be known as IMATEQ. The locomotive services business will be based in Saint-Pierre-des Corps. According to Vossloh, IMATEQ would ‘pool the existing capacities and expertise of each company and thus ...
-
NewsETCS Level 2 goes live in southwest Poland
POLAND: ETCS Level 2 signalling went live on the Legnica – Węgliniec – Bielawa Dolna line in Dolnośląskie voivodship on December 3. Bombardier has installed its Interflo 450 equipment, which is operating in parallel with the conventional signalling, under a 54m złoty contract awarded by infrastructure manager PKP PLK ...
-
NewsKiewit selected to renew Chicago Green Line track
USA: Chicago Transit Authority approved a $13m contract for the Green Line West Track Renewal Project on December 9. Lowest bidder Kiewit Infrastructure Co has been selected to replace the track between Laramie and Harlem/Lake stations at the western end of the CTA’s Green Line. Work on the 4 ...
-
NewsContractors shortlisted for HS2 enabling works
UK: On December 10 project delivery company HS2 Ltd announced the contractors shortlisted to carry out enabling works on the London – Birmingham Phase 1 of High Speed 2. An invitation to tender is expected early next year, with contracts worth £900m to be awarded later in 2016. ‘Today’s ...
-
NewsAurizon to develop second Sydney terminal
AUSTRALIA: Aurizon has signed a heads of agreement with NSW Ports for a new intermodal terminal at Enfield in western Sydney, the company announced on December 7. The agreement is non-binding at this stage, but a binding lease and terminal operator agreement should be signed in the first quarter of ...
-
NewsKeolis takes share in Masabi
MASABI: International transport operator Keolis has taken a share in mobile ticketing provider Masabi as part of an investment made with MasterCard, Lepe Partners and existing shareholder MMC Ventures. The combined investment from the four companies amounts to US$12m. Earlier this year Masabi formed partnerships with both Keolis and ...
-
NewsCairo metro receives EBRD loan
EGYPT: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development has agreed to provide a €100m loan to the National Authority for Tunnels, which will support the procurement of 13 trainsets to be used on Line 2 of the Cairo metro. The supplier would also maintain the trains, which are intended ...
-
NewsVictoria McManus
Reporting to Chairman & CEO William Furman, Victoria McManus has taken up the new position of Executive Vice-President & Chief Strategic Officer at The Greenbrier Companies.
-
NewsErfurt – Leipzig opening will cut journey times
GERMANY: With the parallel operation of two special trains, Deutsche Bahn officially inaugurated 123 km of new high speed line between Erfurt, Halle and Leipzig on December 9. DB expects to launch commercial services over the route with the timetable change on December 13. DB Chairman Rüdiger Grube and other ...
-
NewsBerlin S-Bahn operator chosen
GERMANY: Berlin’s Urban Development & Environment Senator Andreas Geisel announced on December 8 that following a competitive tendering process, DB subsidiary S-Bahn Berlin GmbH is to be awarded a further contract to operate the Berlin S-Bahn’s ‘Ring & Branches’ service group. The contract due to be signed on December ...
-
NewsHallandsås Tunnel inaugurated at last
SWEDEN: The country’s longest railway tunnel was officially inaugurated on December 8, when Minister of Enterprise Mikael Damberg drove a special train carrying VIPs through the 8·7 km Hallandsås Tunnel, before participating in an opening ceremony at the northern portal. He was joined for the inauguration by the mayor of ...
-
NewsRoca electrification reaches Quilmes
ARGENTINA: President Cristina Fernández joined Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo on December 5 to mark the start of electric operations between Buenos Aires and Quilmes, the latest phase to be completed under the programme to electrify the Roca commuter route to La Plata at 25 kV AC. ...
-
NewsSiemens wins more Algerian signalling work
ALGERIA: The Estel joint venture of national railway SNTF and Siemens is to supply signalling, safety and train control for 140 km of lines around Alger, serving 18 stations. Worth €340m to Siemens, the package covers the installation of ETCS Level 1 to shorten headways and permit operation of ...
-
NewsNorthern and TransPennine Express franchises awarded
UK: The Department for Transport announced on December 9 that it had selected Arriva Rail North Ltd to operate the next Northern Rail franchise from April 1 2016, and First Trans Pennine Express Ltd to run the TransPennine Express franchise from the same date. Both contracts were to be signed ...
-
NewsBangkok Orange Line approved
THAILAND: On December 8 the government approved the Orange Line metro project in Bangkok. To be managed by the state-run Mass Rapid Transit Authority, the first phase is due to be completed in August 2022. Tendering of the construction contracts is expected to begin in May. Land acquisition has ...
-
NewsMTR to operate Stockholm Pendeltåg
SWEDEN: Local transport authority Storstockholms Lokaltrafik announced on December 8 that it has selected MTR Gamma AB for the next contract to operate Stockholm’s Pendeltåg suburban rail services. Operated since June 2006 by SJ subsidiary Stockholmståg, the Pendeltåg network consists of four routes with a combined length of 241 km ...
-
NewsArad station refurbishment complete
ROMANIA: The modernised Arad station opened to the public on December 1 after more than three and a half years of work. A 334m lei project started in April 2012 saw the installation of a new footbridge, lifts and escalators, while maintaining the station’s original architectural features, which date from ...
-
NewsCross-border link revived
EUROPE: A fourth cross-border rail link between Germany and the Czech Republic was formally reopened on December 7, with a ceremony attended by Czech transport minister Dan Tok, Bayern interior minister Joachim Herrmann and German State Secretary Dorothee Bär. Closed to passenger traffic in 1945, the 7 km link between ...