Main line rail industry news – Page 255
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NewsImproving access to rail to get freight off the roads
GERMANY: A package of measures to improve access to the rail network and incentivise companies to switch freight from lorries to more environmentally-friendly trains has come into effect this month. The initiative is designed to support the Ministry of Transport & Digital Infrastructure’s aim of increasing ...
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NewsSupport for Israeli section of ‘Gulf to Gulf’ railway
ASIA: Israel’s National Infrastructure Committee has given its backing to proposals to extend the Jezreel Valley railway to the border with Jordan, in what is envisaged to be the first stage of a possible ‘Gulf to Gulf’ railway linking the Bay of Haifa with Jordan, Saudi ...
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NewsODEG retains Baltic coast operating contract
GERMANY: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern transport authority VMV has awarded incumbent Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn the next contract to operate Ostseeküste II passenger services along the Baltic Sea coast. The contract awarded to ODEG on March 1 covers the operation of services RE9 Rostock – Stralsund – Sassnitz/Binz and RE10 Rostock ...
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NewsCZ Loko targets Scandinavian shunter replacement market
EUROPE: Czech manufacturer CZ Loko has won a contract to supply an EffiShunter 1000 four-axle diesel-electric locomotive to Oslo-based leasing and maintenance company Trainpoint Norway, and will prioritise obtaining approval for use in Sweden is it sees a large potential market for the replacement of ageing ...
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NewsDiscontinuous electrification proposed on Brandenburg regional route
GERMANY: Hybrid battery-electric trains could be running on the Berlin – Neuruppin – Wittenberge route by 2028, according to a study undertaken for the District of Ostprignitz-Ruppin by the Innoverse transport consultancy.
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NewsČD signs framework contract for 160 Pesa regional DMUs
CZECH REPUBLIC: National operator České Dráhy and Polish manufacturer Pesa Bydgoszcz have signed a KC14·5bn framework agreement for the supply of up to 160 regional diesel multiple-units, with a firm order worth almost KC3bn for an initial 33 units. The 120 km/h low-floor DMUs will be ...
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NewsJoban Line ATO ready to launch
JAPAN: East Japan Railway expects to start automatic train operation in commercial service on March 13, when the equipment goes live for Joban Line (Local) services in northern Tokyo.
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NewsHydrogen train trial to inform electrification thinking
GERMANY: Baden-Württemberg local operator Südwestdeutsche Landesverkehrs is to test an Alstom iLint hydrogen multiple-unit in regular service.
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NewsETCS to the Sunshine Coast
AUSTRALIA: Work has started on an A$43m project to install ETCS Level 1 automatic train protection on Queensland Rail’s Sunshine Coast line between Caboolture, Nambour and Gympie North.
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NewsGermany needs faster electrification, says Allianz pro Schiene
GERMANY: The federal government needs to accelerate significantly the rate of electrification if it is to achieve its target of having at least 70% of the national network wired by 2025, according to the non-profit transport alliance Allianz pro Schiene.
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NewsGrand Est concession attracts ‘good response’
FRANCE: ‘Between four and 10’ companies or consortia have prequalified for a concession to operate a group of branch lines in the Grand Est region, according to the region’s Vice-President responsible for Transport David Valence.
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NewsRailpool and Končar sign loco maintenance agreement
CROATIA: Leasing company Railpool and Končar Electric Vehicles have signed an agreement for the maintenance of Bombardier Traxx locomotives in Zagreb. Several of Railpool’s Traxx locomotives are used in Croatia by a number of freight operators. ‘We have chosen an experienced and strong partner for preventive and ...
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NewsColas-led consortium to modernise Ligne des Horlogers
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau has awarded a consortium of Colas Rail, Colas Génie Civil and Legrand a €22m contract to refurbish a 70 km section of the Ligne des Horlogers route between Besançon and the Swiss border near La Chaux-de-Fonds. This will include 34 km ...
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NewsCosta Rica commissions feasibility study into Pacific railway revival
COSTA RICA: Railway agency INCOFER has awarded Korea National Railway, Dong Il Engineering and Soosung Engineering a contract to study the feasibility of reviving the 98·3 km line running west from the capital San Jose with Puntarenas on the Pacific coast. KNR ...
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NewsNiedersachsen orders the ‘quietest trains in Germany’
GERMANY: ‘Niedersachsen has never ordered so many new trains in one go’, said Land Minister of Transport Dr Bernd Althusmann when transport authority LNVG named Alstom as preferred bidder to supply 34 partly-double-deck electric multiple-units for use on Expresskreuz Bremen/Niedersachsen services. The contract announced on February ...
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NewsHungarian freight hub to serve the Adriatic corridor
HUNGARY: The government and Hamburger Hafen & Logistik’s intermodal rail subsidiary Metrans have signed an agreement to build a freight hub at Zalaegerszeg, in the west of the country near Austria, Slovenia and Croatia and on routes to the Adriatic ports of Trieste, Koper and Rijeka. Metrans ...
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NewsLithuania and Poland told to comply with EU railway rules
EUROPE: The European Commission is undertaking infringement procedures against Lithuania and Poland regarding compliance with two directives affecting railway matters. On February 18 the Commission sent Lithuania a letter of formal notice regarding the incorrect transposition and implementation of the single European railway area rules in ...
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NewsKnorr-Bremse announces the death of Heinz Hermann Thiele
KNORR-BREMSE: Majority shareholder and long-time Chairman of the Knorr-Bremse executive and supervisory boards Heinz Hermann Thiele died on February 23 at the age of 79. The company said he was one of Germany’s leading industrial managers. He had joined Knorr-Bremse as a legal clerk in the ...