Main line rail industry news – Page 704
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NewsPepy shuffles his pack
A number of senior management changes have been approved by SNCF President Guillaume Pepy as the company prepares for restructuring as part of the wider French railway reform process (p25). Among the senior appointments, Florence Parly joins SNCF from Air France as Deputy Director-General, starting in the role on November ...
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NewsDoppelbauer to head ERA
Dr Josef Doppelbauer has been appointed as the next Executive Director of the European Railway Agency, succeeding Marcel Verslype with effect from January 1 2015. Doppelbauer started his career at the Alcatel Research Centre in Wien, Austria, becoming Technical Director in 1997. After moving to Paris as Chief Technical Officer ...
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NewsFirst PRASA commuter EMU bodyshell assembled
SOUTH AFRICA: Alstom's Lapa factory in Brazil has produced the first bodyshell for the 600 X'Trapolis Mega commuter electric multiple-units ordered by Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa. The stainless steel bodyshell is based on a design supplied to São Paulo, and has been completed seven months after financial ...
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News£3·3bn premium wins East Coast franchise for Stagecoach and Virgin
UK: The Inter-City Railways consortium of Stagecoach Group (90%) and Virgin Holdings (10%) has been selected to operate inter-city services on the East Coast Main Line, the Department for Transport announced on November 27. The contract is to be signed following the usual 10-day standstill period. Starting on March 1 ...
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NewsBeijing signs metro Line 16 letter of intent
CHINA: A letter of intent setting out the planned terms of a PPP concession agreement covering railway systems, rolling stock and operations for the future Beijing metro Line 16 was signed on November 26 by the municipality and the Beijing MTR Corp joint venture of MTR Corp (49%), Beijing Capital ...
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NewsExpress Rail Link orders CNR trains for 50% capacity increase
MALAYSIA: Kuala Lumpur airport rail link operator Express Rail Link signed an agreement for CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles to supply six electric multiple-units on November 25. They will provide a 50% increase in capacity on the 57 km line, which recorded 20% growth in ridership during 2013 and has experienced ...
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NewsCSR Mitre fleet enters service
ARGENTINA: On November 25 the first 12 of 30 six-car electric multiple-units supplied by CSR of China for the Mitre commuter network were officially brought into service on the route between Buenos Aires Retiro and Tigre. Ordered at a cost of US$228∙6m by the federal government, the new fleet will ...
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NewsTransylvanian ETCS Level 2 contract awarded
ROMANIA: Infrastructure manager CFR-SA has awarded a consortium of Alstom, Alcatel Lucent Romania and Pas 97 Impex a 498m leu contract to equip the 170 km Simeria – Coşlariu – Sighișoara line with ETCS Level 2 and GSM-R. This forms part of a 40-month modernisation project which is intended to ...
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NewsCAF-led consortium wins Toluca line train and signalling contract
MEXICO: The Secretariat of Communications & Transport has selected a CAF-led consortium including Isolux-Corsán, AZVI and Thales to supply rolling stock and electrical and mechanical systems for the 57·7 km Mexico City – Toluca line. The €690m contract is expected to be signed in December. CAF would have a ...
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NewsWestern Dedicated Freight Corridor electrification contract awarded
INDIA: Dedicated Freight Corridor Corp of India has awarded a consortium of Japanese firm Sojitz Corp and local partner Larsen & Toubro a ¥50bn contract to supply and install 2 x 25 kV 50 Hz electrification equipment on the 915 km Rewari – Vadodara section of the Western Dedicated Freight ...
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NewsOakland Airport peoplemover opens
USA: The ‘BART to OAK’ peoplemover linking Oakland International Airport with Coliseum BART station was officially inaugurated with a day of free rides on November 21. Regular passenger services starting the following day. The 5·2 km cable-hauled automated peoplemover runs on a mostly elevated alignment, with some at-grade and ...
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NewsTraxx Last Mile to Turkey and back
EUROPE: Bombardier Transportation and ÖBB's freight division Rail Cargo Group have completed a 4 000 km trial run using a Traxx AC Last Mile locomotive to haul a freight train from Sopron on the Austrian-Hungarian border, through Romania and Bulgaria to Tekirdag near Istanbul and back. Rail Cargo Group currently ...
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NewsFeature articles in the December 2014 issue of Metro Report International
Articles in the December 2014 issue of Metro Report International. Comment APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy stresses the importance of fighting for public transport News Review Round-up of world metro, light rail and tram news City digest Chinese metro and tram developments, French tram openings, Australian light rail, New ...
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NewsFirst Jazz Duo delivered to Gdańsk
POLAND: The first of five Pesa Jazz Duo trams was officially presented to the city of Gdańsk on November 12. It is expected to enter passenger service in December. Operator ZKM Gdańsk signed a contract for five Jazz Duo trams in September 2013, having selected Pesa as preferred bidder ...
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NewsTrial runs start on Paris tram route T8
FRANCE: Trial running without passengers began on tram route T8 in Paris on November 18, ahead of the start of passenger services on December 16. Route T8 runs north from Saint-Denis Porte de Paris to Delaunay-Belleville, where it splits into two branches, terminating at Villetaneuse-Université and Epinay-Orgemont. Interchange ...
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NewsMumbai approves more metro lines
INDIA: Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority approved the construction of two metro lines on November 20. A 32 km line from Wadala in the south to Thane and Kasarvadavali in the north would be designated metro Line 4. there would be 24 underground and six elevated stations. Interchange would ...
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NewsStadler opens Belarusian factory
BELARUS: President Alexander Lukashenko attended the opening of Stadler’s factory in Fanipol on November 20. The factory was built on a greenfield site in the town outside Minsk and will be used for the production of Kiss and Flirt trains, as well as trams, for the CIS market. ...
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NewsKéRail iron ore line opens
CANADA: The inaugural train on a 21 km rail spur serving Tata Steel Minerals Canada’s Direct Shipping Ore Project in the Labrador Trough near Schefferville was operated by Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary KéRail on November 2. From Schefferville-Knob Lake Junction the iron ore is transported over the Tshiuetin Rail Transportation ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market November 2014
Australia: Expressions of interest in a A$2·8bn contract to supply and maintain 520 EMU cars for NSW TrainLink Intercity services were submitted by Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, Downer EDI Rail/CNR Changchun, Hyundai Rotem, Stadler and UGL Rail Services/Mitsubishi Electric/CSR. Brazil: Paper manufacturer Klabin has placed the first order for GE ...
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market November 2014
Argentina: Sbase has awarded Siemens a €30m contract to upgrade the 5 km Buenos Aires metro Line C with Trainguard MT train control and Controlguide Vicos operations control systems, Airlink radios, Sicas interlockings, and passenger information systems. Azerbaijan: Bouygues Travaux Publics is to build a tunnel at the ...