Main line rail industry news – Page 7
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NewsE500 electric locomotives delivered to Taiwan
TAIWAN: The first three of 68 Toshiba E500 mixed-traffic electric locomotives were unloaded at the port of Hualien on March 5. In October 2019 the national railway’s procurement agent Bank of Taiwan awarded Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions a NT$11bn contract to supply the locos and ...
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NewsHungarian consortium proposes Talgo takeover
SPAIN: Hungarian consortium Ganz-Mavag Europe has put forward a €619m offer to buy 100% of Talgo, which said the offer was attractive. However, the Spanish government is not keen to see the company in foreign ownership, and options including a potential takeover by CAF are reportedly ...
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NewsBattery tender for freight loco to be developed
AUSTRALIA: Freight operator Aurizon has been awarded a A$9·4m grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to develop, test and trial a battery electric tender to be used in conjunction with a modified diesel locomotive. The tender, described as ‘essentially a big battery-pack on wheels’, will ...
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NewsBeograd – Niš railway to be upgraded for 200 km/h
SERBIA: Minister of Construction, Transport & Infrastructure Goran Vesić has announced that modernisation of the 230 km Beograd – Niš line to enable 200 km/h running is to start in 2025. Completion is envisaged by the end of 2028. In March last year the European Bank ...
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NewsMSC’s purchase of Italo stake approved
ITALY: The European Commission has approved Mediterranean Shipping Co’s planned acquisition of a 50% stake in open access high speed train operator Italo-NTV from Global Infrastructure Partners. The transaction announced in October was examined under the normal merger control procedure, with the Commission concluding that there ...
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NewsCheaper rolling stock financing predicted as Luxembourg protocol comes into force
INTERNATIONAL: A global treaty designed to make it easier and cheaper for the private sector to finance railway rolling stock came into force on March 8. The Luxembourg Rail Protocol to the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment is a treaty under the ...
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NewsABB to set up traction centre after Queensland EMU contract win
AUSTRALIA: ABB has been awarded a US$150m contract to provide complete traction packages for 65 electric multiple-units which Hyundai Rotem is to supply under the Queensland Train Manufacturing Programme. The company is also to invest US$6m to establish a traction centre of excellence in Maryborough with ...
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NewsSpanish gauge-changing technology to integrate Ukrainian railways with the EU
UKRAINE: The use of automatic gauge-changing wheelsets to speed up the movement of freight wagons between Ukraine’s 1 520 mm broad gauge network and the 1 435 mm standard gauge of neighbouring European Union countries is to be piloted by national railway Ukrzaliznytsia and Spanish infrastructure ...
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NewsRail sector welcomes step towards emissions calculation standardisation
EUROPE: The European Parliament’s Environment and Transport committees have jointly adopted a draft report on a proposed EU Regulation which would establish a common methodology to enable fair comparisons of the greenhouse gas emissions from different modes of transport. This was welcomed by the Community of ...
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NewsMexican passenger rail reform plans unveiled
MEXICO: A package of 20 proposals for legislative reforms intended to support the restoration and development of passenger services on the existing rail network has been presented to the Chamber of Deputies. The proposals announced in February would give the government the power to grant concessions to ...
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NewsŚląskie voivodship orders Newag EMUs
POLAND: The Śląskie voivodship has signed a 1·3bn złoty contract with Newag for the supply of 26 four-car Impuls2 electric multiple-units for use by regional operator Koleje Śląskie. The order was announced on February 29 and includes maintenance as well as an ...
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NewsOpen Sales & Distribution Model API sandbox launched
EUROPE: Train ticket retailing technology company Benerail has launched an Open Sales & Distribution Model API sandbox as an experimental ‘playground’ for companies to share ideas and collaborate. The OSDM was developed jointly by UIC, train operators and ticket vendors to provide a European industry standard ...
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NewsSoftware to enhance Slovenian timetable planning
SLOVENIA: National railway Slovenske Železnice has awarded Siemens Mobility subsidiary Hacon a contract to supply and support software for timetable and train path management, including a train path ordering module. The TPS.plan software will include a detailed representation of the infrastructure, rolling stock and signalling. This ...
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NewsDirect Sunshine Coast Rail Line funding commitment
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland state government has committed an initial A$2·75bn to help deliver the first phase of the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line project.
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NewsNorfolk Southern rolls out train incident response data sharing
USA: Norfolk Southern has begun using the RapidSOS digital alert platform to provide first responders with access to information on train cargo and hazardous material data. In the event of a emergency, Norfolk Southern will initiate an alert to first responders transmitting critical information, the incident ...
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NewsHigh speed rail start-up Kevin Speed signs access agreement
FRANCE: Aspiring high speed train operator Kevin Speed has signed a track access framework agreement with infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau, and hopes to launch its first services under the Ilisto brand by the end of 2028.
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NewsSão Paulo – Campinas inter-city train project awarded
BRAZIL: A Chinese-backed consortium has won the bidding auction to introduce inter-city passenger services linking São Paulo with Campinas.
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NewsPhosphate railway modernisation loan signed
TUNISIA: The Saudi Fund for Development is providing a US$55m development loan to support the renewal of 190 km of railway in Sfax, Gafsa and Gabes to increase capacity for transporting phosphate. The agreement with the Ministry of Economy & Planning was signed on February 22. ...