Main line rail industry news – Page 10
-
NewsSaudi Arabia Railways orders its next generation of inter-city trains
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia Railways has signed contracts for Stadler to supply its next generation of passenger trains. The Swiss manufacturer said these would ‘elevate train travel in the kingdom to the next level in terms of passenger comfort, travel experience and reliability’. The contracts signed ...
-
NewsDubai backs Karachi dedicated freight corridor plan
PAKISTAN: Plans to establish a dedicated rail freight corridor and economic zone near Karachi are included in two inter-governmental framework agreements signed by the governments of Pakistan and Dubai on January 17. The agreements cover plans for US$3bn+ of investment in railways, economic zones and infrastructure. ...
-
NewsMadrid Atocha through platforms contract awarded
SPAIN: High speed rail infrastructure manager ADIF Alta Velocidad has awarded Dragados, Tecsa, San José and Puentes y Calzadas an 83-month contract worth €451·6 m to build low-level platforms at Madrid Atocha station The two island platforms on the 1 435 mm gauge cross-city route from ...
-
NewsInvestment aims to make Mozambique – South Africa railway more competitive
MOZAMBIQUE: The African Development Bank has agreed financing for state-owned rail and port authority Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique to purchase locomotives, wagons and tank containers. This aims to improve the competitiveness of the 88 km Ressano Garcia rail corridor between the port of ...
-
NewsDanish railway ready for 200 km/h operation
DENMARK: The railway between København and Ringsted via Køge Nord is now ready for 200 km/h running, infrastructure manager Banedanmark has announced.
-
-
NewsBallard fuel cells to power CPKC shunting locomotives
CANADA: Canadian Pacific Kansas City has ordered a further 12 hydrogen fuel cell power packs from Ballard for delivery during 2024. The 200 kW FCwave fuel cells are intended to power a batch of locomotives to undertake shunting and local freight services in Alberta; they are ...
-
NewsGrant supports wagon orders
SPAIN: The Ministry of Transport, Mobility & the Urban Agenda has awarded leasing company Ermewa Ibérica a €17·3m grant to boost Spanish manufacturing as part of two wagon orders. The orders are for 150 Shimmns coil wagons which will be produced at the Inveho plant at ...
-
NewsAmtrak sets out 2024 plans as it aims to double ridership by 2040
USA: Amtrak has announced the steps it will take this year in support of its ‘ambitious’ plans to double annual ridership to 66 million passengers in 2040. On February 1, the national passenger operator’s President Roger Harris said Amtrak has two overarching objectives for 2024: ‘improving ...
-
NewsConstruction of Seoul express Line C starts as part of the ‘first year of the GTX era’
SOUTH KOREA: Construction of Line C of the Great Train Express commuter rail network in Seoul started on January 25 with a groundbreaking ceremony at Uijeongbu attended by President Yoon Seok-yeol. The 86·5 km Line C will link Suwon in the south with Uijeongbu and Deokjeong ...
-
-
NewsAustrian Federal Railways completes purchase of Go-Ahead’s German rail operations
GERMANY: Austrian Federal Railways’ purchase of The Go-Ahead Group’s rail activities in Germany was completed on February 1. This follows the European Commission’s approval of the deal announced in October. ÖBB told Railway Gazette International that ‘with this acquisition, ÖBB is pursuing its long-term goal of ...
-
NewsFrench regions warn track access charge increase would hurt rail growth
FRANCE: Transport authorities from seven régions and the Greater Paris area’s Ile-de-France-Mobilités have asked the Conseil d’Etat, the supreme court for administrative matters, to reduce a planned increase in track access charges. Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau’s access charges are calculated on a three-year cycle. Its proposal ...
-
NewsToronto passenger train Operations & Maintenance contract finalised
CANADA: Transport agency Metrolinx has finalised the Operations & Maintenance contract for GO Transit passenger rail services in the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area. The contract has been agreed with the ONxpress Operations Inc partnership of Deutsche Bahn International Operations (72%) and Aecon Group (28%), which ...
-
NewsTorino – Ceres line reconnected to national network
ITALY: Services restarted on the Torino – Ceres regional line between central Torino, Caselle airport and Cirié on January 20 following the completion of the first phase of remodelling and reconstruction works. An opening ceremony on the previous day was attended by Minister of Infrastructure and ...
-
NewsConstruction of Western Attica suburban line begins
GREECE: Work has begin the build the Western Attica suburban line to the west of Athens. The route will run 34·6 km from Ano Liosia to Megara on the alignment of an abandoned metre gauge line. There will be seven stations serving communities and industries which ...
-
NewsChocolate and soup cross Eurasia on temperature-controlled trains
INTERNATIONAL: Swiss rail logistics company InterRail Group now offers the regular transport of temperature-controlled containers by rail between Asia and Europe. The diesel-powered 45 ft pallet wide reefer containers are monitored around the clock, with customers receiving at least one detailed report per day. Last year ...
-
NewsNo bids to supply hydrogen trains
NETHERLANDS: No bids were received in response to a call for tenders to supply hydrogen trains for use by Arriva on regional lines in the northern provinces of Groningen and Friesland. An Alstom Coradia iLint hydrogen fuel-cell multiple-unit was tested on the Groningen – Leeuwarden route ...
-
NewsChicago commuter operator allows bikes on all trains
USA: Chicago commuter operator Metra is making permanent a Covid-era policy allowing bicycles on all trains from February 1, and has begun manufacturing and installing bike racks on its coaches.
-
NewsConcerns over PSO contracts directly awarded before tendering rule change
EUROPE: Concerns have been raised over the signing of directly awarded train operating contracts in several countries, shortly before the expiry of a provision in the Fourth Railway Package regulation on competitive tendering.