Main line rail industry news – Page 668
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NewsRail.One to restructure into two businesses
RAIL.ONE: Concrete sleeper and ballastless track manufacturer Rail.One has announced plans for a corporate restructuring. Expected to be implemented during the third quarter of 2015, this will see separate companies formed for Germany, which it describes as ‘our most important market’, and for the ‘systematic further development’ of the company’s ...
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NewsTanzanian standard gauge contracts announced
TANZANIA: A Chinese consortium led by China Railway Materials has been awarded a US$7·6bn contract to build a 2 561 km standard gauge railway from Dar es Salaam to Burundi and Rwanda, Minister of Transport Samuel Sitta told parliament on May 30. Construction could be formally launched within weeks Sitta ...
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NewsGO Transit driving cars unveiled
CANADA: Ontario’s Minister of Transportation Steven Del Duca visited GO Transit's Willowbrook depot on June 2 to unveil the first of 67 double-deck driving cars ordered by regional transport authority Metrolinx to increase capacity around on Toronto commuter services. Metrolinx has ordered a total of 127 coaches to an updated ...
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NewsNS CEO resigns in wake of Qbuzz bidding scandal
NETHERLANDS: Timo Huges resigned as Chief Executive Officer of national passenger operator NS with immediate effect on June 5, after the supervisory board withdrew its confidence as further details emerged about the irregularities in the Qbuzz subsidiary’s bid for the Limburg operating contract. No severance payment will be made. ...
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NewsOstlänken consultants appointed
SWEDEN: A consortium of Cowi and Systra has been selected to undertake technical planning work on the third section of the 150 km Ostlänken line linking Stockholm and Linköping. Diverging from the current Stockholm – Göteborg trunk line at Järna, west of Södertälje, the ‘East Link’ would run southwest through ...
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NewsJorge Bastos
Brazillian President Dilma Rousseff has appointed Jorge Bastos as Director General of national transport agency ANTT.
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NewsMumbai Metro passes 100 million in a year
INDIA: Mumbai Metro Line 1 has carried 100 million passengers in its first year of revenue service, operating concessionaires RATP Dev and Transdev announced on June 4. Opened on June 8 2014, the 11·4 km east-west line is run jointly by the two French companies on behalf of the Reliance-led ...
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NewsVossloh signs Russian track collaboration agreement
RUSSIA: A memorandum to co-operate in the development of track components for high speed lines and for localised production was signed by Russian Railways and Vossloh AG during the 10th International Railway Business Forum Strategic Partnership 1520 in Sochi on June 5. RZD and Vossloh have been testing a turnout ...
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NewsSpanish urban rail infrastructure concessions sold
SPAIN: Allianz Capital Partners and Bastion Infrastructure Group have bought construction firm Comsa Emte’s stakes in three urban rail infrastructure concessions for an undisclosed price. Two of the concessions are for the management of infrastructure on Barcelona metro Line 9. The third covers the operation and maintenance of light rail ...
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NewsWien places firm order for 119 trams
AUSTRIA: Wien transport authority Wiener Linien has formally awarded Bombardier Transportation a €431m contract to supply 119 Flexity trams with an option for 37 more, the manufacturer announced on June 4. Bombardier had been named preferred bidder on December 1. The firm contract includes 24 years of maintenance support under ...
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NewsTransnet and China Development Bank sign R30bn locomotive loan
SOUTH AFRICA: State-owned freight transport company Transnet signed a R30bn loan agreement with China Development Bank on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Cape Town on June 4. The loan is part of a bilateral memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries’ presidents last December. The proceeds ...
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NewsSydney intermodal terminal agreement
AUSTRALIA: An agreement for the development and operation of a major intermodal freight terminal in southwest Sydney was signed by the federal government’s Moorebank Intermodal Co and the Sydney Intermodal Terminal Alliance of Qube Holdings (67%) and Aurizon (33%) on June 4. The development would be on federal and ...
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NewsPink city’s first metro line opens
INDIA: Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje flagged off the inaugural train to open the first phase of the Jaipur metro on June 3. Public services began at 14.00. Trains will initially operate every 10 to 15 min from 06.45 to 21.00, with off-peak fares to be charged all ...
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NewsDB to be directly awarded Berlin S-Bahn operating contracts
GERMANY: The Länder of Berlin and Brandenburg have announced their intention to award the incumbent S-Bahn Berlin GmbH subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn two ‘transitional’ contracts to continue to operate the Berlin S-Bahn network’s North-South and Stadtbahn service groups until planned competitively-tendered contracts are awarded. This follows the direct award ...
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NewsMontenegro fleet modernisation
MONTENEGRO: Zagreb-based TŽV Gredelj is modernising Montenegrin passenger operator ŽPCG’s fleet of five Class 412 electric multiple-units, which were built by RVR in Riga in 1985. The work includes installing new seats, toilets and windows. In addition, ŽPCG signed a contract last month for TŽV Gredelj to modernise four couchette ...
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NewsWien announces driverless U-Bahn plan
AUSTRIA: The future Wien metro Line U5 will have driverless operation, city transport company Wiener Linien announced on June 2. Managing Director Günter Steinbauer said U5 would provide a good opportunity to test fully automatic operation. This is expected to permit shorter headways and better service regulation and fault response. ...
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NewsTalgo trains enter service in Russia
RUSSIA: The first of Federal Passenger Co’s seven Talgo trainsets was inaugurated by Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin and Talgo Chairman Carlio de Palacio with a ceremony at Moscow’s Kurskaya station on June 1. The first service operated by the Talgo stock was the 14.00 from Moscow to Nizhny ...
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NewsElisabeth Borne
Elisabeth Borne has been confirmed as President of Paris transport operator RATP, following her predecessor Pierre Mongin’s move to GDF-Suez.
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NewsArriva wins re-awarded Limburg operating contract
NETHERLANDS: The province of Limburg announced on June 2 that second-ranked bidder Arriva would be awarded a €55·5m/year contract to operate rail and bus services for 15 years from December 11 2016. The Abellio Limburg business of NS subsidiary Qbuzz had been named as the winner of the contract on ...
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NewsSaudi Arabia offers 1 000 railway scholarships
SAUDI ARABIA: The Ministry of Education and Saudi Railways Organization have signed a partnership agreement to provide scholarships which will enable 1 000 Saudis to undertake specialist railway courses abroad over the next five years. Minister of Education Dr Azzam bin Mohammad Al-Dakhil said this would provide ...