Main line rail industry news – Page 206
-
NewsInfranord locos to be equipped with Hitachi ETCS
SWEDEN: Hitachi Rail is to fit ETCS and STM-ATC2 equipment on two Class Tb diesel locomotives operated by state-owned railway construction and maintenance company Infranord. STM-ATC2 enables vehicles equipped with ETCS to operate on lines which have not yet been equipped with ETCS lineside technology. ‘These ...
-
NewsTimetable improvements in Frankfurt – Fulda contract
GERMANY: Following a competitive tender, Rhein-Main and Nordhessen transport authorities RMV and NVV have awarded incumbent DB Regio the next contract to operate Kinzigtal services RE50 Frankfurt – Wächtersbach – Fulda – Bebra and RB51 Frankfurt – Wächtersbach from December 14 2025. Planned changes to long-distance ...
-
News28 000 Saudi women apply for high speed train driving jobs
SAUDI ARABIA: More than 28 000 Saudi women have applied for the first 30 train driving jobs to be open to them. The drivers are being recruited by Spanish national operator RENFE, which has a 12-year contract to operate the Haramain High Speed Rail line between ...
-
NewsCalifornia reverts to double-track high speed line through Central Valley
USA: In a marked reversal of policy since late 2020, the California High Speed Rail Authority’s 2022 Draft Business Plan says it will now complete the initial section of the planned San Francisco – Los Angeles high speed line through the Central Valley as a double-track electrified railway.
-
NewsStart selects Stadler to supply cross-border EMU fleet
EUROPE: Regionalverkehr Start Deutschland has awarded Stadler a contract to supply 20 Flirt3XL electric multiple-units for use on Maas-Wupper-Express service RE13 between Germany and the Netherlands.
-
NewsUK supplier opens local business in Qingdao
CHINA: British rubber-to-metal bonded component manufacturer Ferrabyrne Ltd has established a Chinese subsidiary to provide ‘made in China for China’ products as part of its strategy of offering local content in local markets. Qingdao Ferrabyrne Rail Technologies Ltd is based in the ...
-
NewsPrototype Hybari hydrogen multiple-unit ready for testing
JAPAN: East Japan Railway is to begin testing its prototype HYdrogen-HYBrid Advanced Rail vehicle for Innovation two-car hydrogen multiple-unit during March. Plans for the Hybari unit were announced in June 2019, and agreements for its production were announced in October 2020. The Series FV-E991 test train ...
-
NewsAutonomous freight project awarded US government funding
USA: The Department of Energy has awarded $4·4m from its Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy initiative to support the testing of Parallel Systems’ prototype autonomous battery-electric vehicles for transporting containers by rail. The tests are intended to look at vehicle stability, contact-based platooning and energy efficiency. Stability ...
-
NewsHeidekrautbahn hydrogen trains ordered
GERMANY: Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn has awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to supply and support six hydrogen fuel cell-powered multiple-units for use on Heidekrautbahn service RB27 to the north of Berlin. Delivery is scheduled by the end of September 2024, for operation from the December 2024 timetable change. ...
-
NewsBulgarian train operations reintegrated
BULGARIA: The state rail operations holding company BDZ Holding and its passenger BDZ Ptnicheski Prevozi passenger and BDZ Tovarni Prevozi freight businesses have been reunited as one organisation, Minister of Transport & Communications Nikolay Sabev announced on February 4.
-
NewsMore electro-diesel trainsets ordered
POLAND: Zachodniopomorskie voivodship has placed a 100m złoty order for a further five Newag Impuls 2 36WEh electro-diesel multiple-units for use on partially electrified routes. The additional sets have been ordered using an option in an August 2020 contract which covered an initial two units worth ...
-
NewsTank wagon production to restart in Poltava
UKRAINE: The Poltavavagon engineering group controlled by entrepreneur Sergei Tigipko has announced plans to relaunch the production of tank wagons at the Poltavakhimmash plant in Poltava, having acquired the site following the insolvency of the Azovmash industrial group. According to local media, Azovmash had taken out ...
-
NewsItalian regional operator orders EMUs
ITALY: Abruzzo regional train operator Trasporto Unico Abruzzese has awarded Alstom contracts totalling €33m for the supply of three Coradia Stream electric multiple-units and the installation of ETCS Level 2 and GSM-R. The first of the EMUs is scheduled for delivery from Alstom’s Savigliano site in ...
-
NewsNJ Transit orders double-deck EMU cars
USA: The NJ Transit board has approved the purchase of a further 25 Alstom Multilevel III double-deck electric multiple-unit cars as option on a December 2018 contract for an initial 113 vehicles. The cars will replace Arrow III single-deck vehicles. The order is being funded as ...
-
NewsCommuter rail operations and maintenance to be brought in-house
USA: Having opted to bring the operation and maintenance of its Sprinter and Coaster commuter rail services in-house from June 26, San Diego’s North County Transit District has awarded Siemens Mobility a Technical Support & Spares Supply Agreement covering its Desiro diesel multiple-units. The deal announced ...
-
NewsEgyptian rail freight privatisation consultation
EGYPT: Egyptian National Railways is developing plans to award a concession for the operation of rail freight services on the national network. ENR’s freight traffic currently totals around 4·5 million tonnes/year, but the government believes there is significant potential for growth, which could and increase rail’s ...
-
NewsTanzania orders Chinese wagons for standard gauge network
TANZANIA: Tanzania Railways Corp has ordered 1 430 wagons from CRRC International for use on the country’s embryonic 1 435 mm gauge network. The US$127·2m contract was signed by TRC Director General Masanja Kadogosa and CRRC International’s Assistant General Manager Tang Yunpeng on February 8, at ...
-
-
NewsPortable brake force measurement device
SWITZERLAND: Measurement device specialist Kistler has developed a highly portable device for measuring brake force on trains. Kistler developed the BFMS for staff at SBB’s maintenance depots in Oberwinterthur where the operator was keen to optimise the brake force measurement process. The device comprises four 9303A1B ...
-
NewsAzerbaijan freight loco deliveries completed
AZERBAIJAN: The EKZ electric locomotive manufacturing joint venture of Alstom and Transmashholding has delivered the last of 40 Prima T8 AZ8A heavy freight locos which were ordered by national railway ADY in 2014. Assembled at Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan, the 25 tonne axleload twin-section freight locomotives have ...