Main line rail industry news – Page 261
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NewsMRS and FCA concessions next in extensions queue
BRAZIL: Proposals for a 30-year extension of MRS Logística’s concession to operate freight services on a 1 674 km network serving the states of Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and São Paulo are due to be submitted to the Federal Audit Court in April. The current ...
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NewsADIF to electrify Galician link
SPAIN: In mid-January ADIF invited tenders for the electrification of the 73 km between Monforte de Lemos and Lugo as the infrastructure manager continues its gradual modernisation of the single track railway running north-south between Monforte and A Coruña.
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NewsPassenger services return to Kočevje
SLOVENIA: Passenger services have resumed on the Ljubljana – Kočevje line after a gap of nearly 50 years, following the completion of a €100m rehabilitation project to facilitate the operation of services to and from the capital The first Kočevje-bound passenger train since ...
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NewsRefurbished Pendolino arrives in Greece
GREECE: The first of five ETR470 Pendolino trainsets being refurbished for use on Trainose’s flagship Athens – Thessaloniki route has been delivered to Thessaloniki and is expected to enter service in March.
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NewsDelhi – Meerut RRTS to get ETCS Hybrid Level 3
INDIA: The 82 km Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System will be the country’s first railway to be equipped with ETCS Hybrid Level 3, which adds short virtual sections on top of a Level 2 installation to allow operation at closer headways. ETCS ...
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NewsMultimodal booking platform FromAtoB closes
EUROPE: Berlin-based multimodal travel booking platform FromAtoB closed at the end of December. In a statement to customers, FromAtoB said 2020 had been a tough year, and ‘no-one could really foresee the impact that this pandemic would have on personal lives, or the economy. After months ...
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NewsRailcoop plans freight launch this year ahead of passenger market entry
FRANCE: Start-up open access operator Railcoop aims to launch its first freight services later this year. If the co-operative’s plans come to fruition, Railcoop would follow up in 2022 with the launch of inter-city passenger services on the Bordeaux – Lyon via Périgueux route.
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NewsPension funds invest in rolling stock leasing company
ALPHA TRAINS: Investment manager AMP Capital and Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board have separately agreed to sell their stakes in rolling stock leasing company Alpha Trains to Dutch pension providers APG, which already owns an indirect interest, and PGGM Infrastructure Fund. Completion is subject to regulatory ...
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NewsBrazilian rail tender draws bidders’ interest
BRAZIL: A 35-year ‘sub-concession’ to operate freight services on the 537 km section of Ferrovia de Integração Oeste-Leste between Caetité and the port of Ilhéus is attracting more interest than expected. The bid auction is due to take place in São Paulo on April 8 with contract ...
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NewsICE4 inspection and maintenance contract awarded
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has awarded Siemens Mobility a contract for the first scheduled inspection and maintenance of 40 ICE4 high speed trainsets, with an option covering a further 50.
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NewsSNCB divests remaining stake in freight operator Lineas
BELGIUM: SNCB has sold its remaining 10% stake in part-privatised freight business Lineas to the federal government’s holding and investment company SFPI, as part of the national train operator’s strategy of focusing on its core passenger activities. In 2015 SNCB sold an initial 69% stake in what ...
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NewsRailpool financing package agreed
EUROPE: Leasing company Railpool’s plans for the acquisition of new vehicles are being supported by KfW IPEX-Bank, ABN AMRO Bank, Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank and ING Bank, which are providing equal amounts of debt capital totalling €150m in a seven-year financing package. KfW IPEX-Bank is ...
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NewsHyundai Rotem wins KTCS-2 onboard contract
SOUTH KOREA: National railway operator Korail has selected Hyundai Rotem to assist with commercialisation of the Korea Train Control System 2, which uses a 4G (LTE-R) communications backbone. Under the contract announced on last month, Hyundai Rotem is to supply onboard equipment for a pilot project ...
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NewsUK government called on to support Eurostar during the pandemic
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar has called for financial support of the kind which has been offered to airlines during the coronavirus pandemic, saying that without government funding ‘there is a real risk to the survival of Eurostar and the green gateway to Europe’.
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NewsChicago commuter operator approves ‘transformational’ order for Alstom coaches
USA: The Metra board has approved the award of a ‘transformational’ $1·8bn framework agreement for Alstom to supply up to 500 double-deck coaches, which the Chicago commuter operator said would be ‘more comfortable, accessible, reliable and safe than the outdated gallery cars they will replace.’ A ...
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NewsFrance pauses tendering of TET inter-city routes
FRANCE: Government plans to let concessions to operate the 10 conventional inter-city services for which it remains responsible have been put on hold pending a review of the tendering conditions.
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NewsRussian tamper kits exported for Make in India assembly
INDIA: Russia’s Sinara Transport Machines has begun delivering WorkSite Tampers in semi-knocked down kit form for local assembly in support of the Make in India programme. The first batch of kits arrived in Chennai on January 12, with a second to follow in early February. STM ...
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NewsMid-life overhaul for Israel Railways double-deck fleet
ISRAEL: Bombardier Transportation has begun design work for the US$15m mid-life overhaul of Israel Railways’ fleet of 143 first generation Twindexx double-deck coaches supplied in 2002-06. The programme will include modernisation of internal and external doors, toilet accessibility improvements and replacement of the passenger information systems and ...
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NewsDelhi – Panipat Regional Rapid Transit System corridor approved
INDIA: The government of the state of Haryana has approved the 103 km Delhi – Panipat Regional Rapid Transit System commuter rail corridor, along with a contribution of Rs47bn towards the estimated Rs216bn cost of the project. The National Capital Territory government is now considering the ...
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