Main line rail industry news – Page 706
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NewsManchester starts to build Second City Crossing
UK: Construction of Manchester Metrolink’s Second City Crossing officially began on November 11, with the start of work on the northernmost section between Victoria and Exchange Square. Forming part of a three-year programme of urban development works known as Grow, the second route through the city centre is intended ...
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NewsEBRD to fund CFM modernisation
MOLDOVA: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is to provide €52·5m to support the reform and modernisation of state railway Calea Ferată din Moldova, under an agreement signed in Chișinău on November 14 by Prime Minister Iurie Leancă and EBRD’s Director for Transport, Sue Barrett. Faced with an ageing ...
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NewsCZ Loko to remanufacture Latvian freight locos
LATVIA: National operator LDz has selected CZ Loko to remanufacture 14 Type 2M62U twin-section diesel locomotives used by its freight subsidiary LDz Cargo. LDz currently has a fleet of 30 Lugansk-built 2M62Us, dating from 1987, along with 40 of the older 2M62s and 33 single-section M62s. Two of the 2M62Us ...
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NewsSelf-propelled wagon prototype
CROATIA: A self-propelled wagon fitted with a 55 kW diesel generator and hydraulic transmission giving it the ability to move around worksites at up to 100 km/h under remote control has been developed by RZV Čakovec and partners. The prototype has two ballast hoppers which can be hydraulically tipped in ...
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NewsEurostar orders seven more e320s
EUROPE: Marking the 20th anniversary of the launch of passenger services through the Channel Tunnel with a celebration at London St Pancras on November 13, Eurostar announced that it had signed Heads of Agreement with Siemens for seven more e320 trainsets. On display in Platform 5 was one of ...
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NewsNorthern Line extension legal powers granted
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin has granted a Transport & Works Act Order for Transport for London to extend London Underground’s Northern Line to Battersea. TfL submitted a TWO application in April 2013, which was followed by a formal consultation and public inquiry. Construction of the ...
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NewsFirst Hitachi Class 800 trainset unveiled
UK: The first of 122 trainsets for inter-city services on the East Coast and Great Western main lines was unveiled at Hitachi’s factory at Kasado in southwest Japan on November 13. The trains are being supplied by Hitachi under the Department for Transport’s Intercity Express Programme. Hitachi is building ...
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NewsSecond OmniTram in service
UKRAINE: The second OmniTram 100% low-floor tram developed by the Electrontrans joint venture of Ukrainian manufacturer Electron and Transtech F&E of Germany has entered service in Lviv. The first five-section car was delivered to Lviv in July 2013, and is now in operation on the city’s metre-gauge network which is ...
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NewsZhuhai tramway starts trial operation
CHINA: Trial operation on the Zhuhai tramway started on November 7, when invited VIPs took an initial ride. The launch coincided with the city holding the 10th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, which began on November 11. Trial running is initially taking place on the eastern section of ...
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NewsDubai tramway opens
UAE: The first tram line in Dubai was officially inaugurated on November 11 by the Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Regular passenger services began at 06.30 the following day. The first phase of the tramway is 10·6 km long with 11 stops. Starting near ...
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NewsSlovakia funds free rail travel
SLOVAKIA: With effect from November 17, around 46% of the population will be eligible for free travel on subsidised train services, under a proposal endorsed by the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico on October 22. The provision is part of a €250m national economic stimulus package approved by the ...
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NewsLubrication business sold
GERMANY: As part of a strategy of divestments to concentrate on core activities, Balfour Beatty Rail GmbH has sold its track lubrication and turnout equipment business to LB Foster Co with effect from November 1. The FWO business unit is based in Bochum and has customers in Europe and ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news in brief
MerMec has signed a co-operation agreement with FS Group’s engineering consultancy Italferr. The two companies aim to pool their technical skills to increase their presence in the international market and promote their products and services. Initially running for two years, the agreement envisages that the companies will develop joint ...
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NewsVidiwave wins Colas Rail on-track plant CCTV contract
UK: Following a nine-month development programme and 12 months of rigorous field trials, Vidiwave has been awarded a contract to supply specialised CCTV systems for Colas Rail’s entire UK track maintenance fleet. The mobile CCTV equipment manufacturer has been working with Colas Rail since 2011 to develop an inspection ...
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NewsSiemens unveils ÖBB’s Desiro cityjet
AUSTRIA: The first of 101 three-car Desiro EMUs which Siemens is building for ÖBB was unveiled at the company’s Uerdingen plant on November 10, in a ceremony attended by Federal Minister of Infrastructure Alois Stöger, ÖBB Chief Executive Christan Kern and Siemens Mobility CEO Jochen Eickholt, along with the provincial ...
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NewsNorthern Mongolian Rail Corridor agreement signed
MONGOLIA: The Northern Railways rail infrastructure subsidiary of Aspire Mining has signed an engineering, procurement and construction framework agreement with China Railway 20 Bureau Group covering Phase 1 of the Northern Mongolian Rail Corridor. This follows parliament’s approval of the government’s national rail policy in October. Phase 1 of ...
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NewsAdvanced Train Management System trial contract signed
AUSTRALIA: Live testing of the Advanced Train Management System is set to begin shortly, following the signing of a contract between infrastructure manager Australian Rail Track Corp and Lockheed Martin Australia. The two-year trial is to be undertaken between Whyalla and Port Augusta in South Australia. ATMA uses GPS ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - November 2014
With support from JICA, Myanmar's Ministry of Rail Transportation plans to spend 'more than US$700m' to upgrade and extend Yangon's circular railway. It would replace rolling stock, double train speeds, modernise stations and install fencing. Japan International Co-operation Agency is providing assistance. An elevated urban railway is also proposed, to ...
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NewsFulton Center interchange opens in New York
USA: The Fulton Center interchange opened on November 10 between John and Fulton Streets in New York’s Lower Manhattan district. The metro interchange integrates Fulton Street station on the 2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, J and Z lines with Cortlandt Street on the R Line using a new ...
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NewsLos Angeles breaks ground on Purple Line extension
USA: A groundbreaking ceremony for the metro Purple Line extension took place in the Mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles on November 7. The 6·3 km first phase will extend the line west from Wilshire/Western along Wilshire Boulevard to La Cienega Boulevard, with intermediate stations at La Brea and Fairfax. ...