Main line rail industry news – Page 699
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market December 2014
Australia: The first stage of TasRail's A$11m Advance Network Train Control System rollout has been completed on the Melba line. ANCS is supplied by Siemens, with radio telecoms from Tait Communications and project support from Australasian Railway Consultancy Services. TasRail has awarded Hazell Bros the civil works contract for ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market December 2014
Canada: The province is providing C$17m for Ontario Northland to refurbish 16 cars used on Polar Bear Express services, fitting leather seats, accessible toilets, modern flooring and power sockets. China: Jilin Midas Aluminium Industries has won a 152m yuan contract to supply CNR Changchun with high speed train body ...
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NewsRailway Directory 2015
INTERNATIONAL: Marking its 120th year of publication, the latest edition of Railway Directory includes extensively-updated listings and contact details for almost 5 000 companies and organisations around the world. Covering every sector of the railway industry, it includes details of around 22 000 senior executives. Separate sections cover government and ...
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NewsOsaka Loop trains
JAPAN: JR West announced on December 8 that it is to procure 21 eight-car electric multiple-units for the Osaka Loop Line. The Class 323 trains are to replace the older Class 103 and Class 201 EMUs. The Class 103 EMUs, delivered in 1964-84, are to be withdrawn completely from the ...
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NewsFinnish open access operator prepares to launch
FINLAND: Privately-owned company Fennia Rail has ordered three diesel locomotives from Czech supplier CZ Loko to support its plans to launch open access freight services in southern Finland by the end of 2015. Fennia Rail is currently negotiating with potential customers in the forest products sector, and hopes ...
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NewsPolish borders high speed rail study
POLAND: Infrastructure manager PKP PLK has awarded Idom a 2·3m złoty contract to undertake feasibility studies for possible extensions of the proposed Warszawa – Poznań/Wrocław Y-shaped high speed rail network. The study will investigate continuing the branches of the future high speed line to the German and Czech borders, ...
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NewsStrukton Rail pulls out of German track construction
GERMANY: Strukton Rail is to end its small-scale track construction and renewal activities in Germany, where the market ‘offers insufficient prospects’. Strukton Rail has been active in the German track construction and renewal sector since acquiring Georg Reisse GmbH in 2007. Its turnover from small-scale activities in Germany amounted ...
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NewsLB Foster to distribute Tracksure fastenings
INTERNATIONAL: Following two years of testing and research, LB Foster Co has signed an agreement to sell Tracksure’s range of rail fastenings in North America. The UK firm’s patented fasteners are designed to prevents nuts loosening through vibration and settlement. Once the nut has been tightened to the accepted ...
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NewsBeograd - Budapest railway upgrade agreement signed
EUROPE: Co-operation agreements for an upgrade of the 350 km Beograd – Budapest corridor to cut journey times from around 8 h to 2 h 40 min were signed by representatives of the Serbian and Hungarian railway authorities on December 17. The agreements were signed in the presence of the ...
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NewsWellington rail operating contract shortlist announced
NEW ZEALAND: Greater Wellington Regional Council announced the shortlisted bidders for a contract to operate the capital’s suburban rail services on December 22. The tender forms part of a programme to procure ‘performance-based partnering contracts’ for all of Wellington’s public transport services The shortlisted bidders are: A joint venture of ...
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NewsToll Group divests Cambodian railway stake
CAMBODIA: Australian logistics group Toll has divested its 55% stake in the Toll Royal Railway joint venture to its local partner Royal Group with effect from December 19. Toll Royal Railway took over the dilapidated metre-gauge network in 2009 under a 30-year concession. The Asian Development Bank and Australian development ...
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NewsTrack Tec acquires ThyssenKrupp turnout and fastening business
GERMANY: Track Tec has signed an agreement to acquire ThyssenKrupp GfT Gleistechnik’s Coswig-based turnout and rail fastening business with effect from January 1. The price was not disclosed. ThyssenKrupp had announced plans to dispose of the track component business in March, saying it was unprofitable and 'under extreme cost pressure'. ...
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NewsInternational Alliance of Rail Vehicle Industrial Design established
CHINA: An International Alliance of Rail Vehicle Industrial Design has been established by CSR Sifang, China Industrial Design Association, European Design Alliance, Tsinghua University and other ‘design agencies, universities and enterprises’ from more than 40 countries including Switzerland, the USA, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Spain. CSR Corp said the ...
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NewsFrauscher to begin Indian axle-counter production
INDIA: Frauscher Sensor Technology India has received Research Designs & Standards Organisation approval for its ACS2000 axle-counting system, enabling it to begin production at a plant in Mysore which was opened in November. Approval was granted based on the existing CENELEC assessment, proven operation elsewhere and proof of reliability ...
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NewsChangsha – Huaihua high speed line opens
CHINA: The Changsha – Huaihua Passenger-Dedicated Line in Hunan province opened on December 16. Construction of the 416 km route with nine stations began in 2010. The alignment is designed for 350 km/h operation, but trains are currently limited to 300 km/h giving an end-to-end journey time of 1 h ...
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NewsFreightCar America expands plant
USA: To meet growing demand, FreightCar America is investing $10m to add an extra production line at its leased manufacturing plant at Cherokee in the Shoals region of Alabama. When fully operational in Q2 2015 the plant will have the capacity to build up to 8 000 wagons/year, with the ...
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News€450m for urban transport projects
FRANCE: The government announced on December 18 that it would be providing €450m to fund 99 urban transport projects with an estimated total cost of €5∙2bn. Including 15 light rail schemes totalling 81 km as well four metro lines with a combined length of 27 km, the projects are expected ...
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NewsWrocław orders Pesa Twist supercapacitor trams
POLAND: MPK Wrocław signed a contract with sole bidder Pesa on December 15 for the supply of six Twist trams with an option for 19 more. The order is part of the Integrated Rail Transport System in Greater Wroclaw Stage II programme. The city transport authority hopes that part ...
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NewsInfrabel warns of project delays
BELGIUM: Meeting on December 16, the board of infrastructure manager Infrabel approved a 2015 budget incorporating savings of €170m. Given the ‘very difficult’ economic climate, spending has been reduced across all categories with the exception of safety investment where €332∙4m is to be spent on programmes including the installation of ...
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NewsWork starts on Chuo maglev
JAPAN: Central Japan Railway officially marked the start of work on the first phase of its Chuo Shinkansen superconducting maglev line between Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka with ceremonies at the Shinagawa and Nagoya station sites on December 17. According to JR Central, construction work on the 286 km between Tokyo ...