Main line rail industry news – Page 294
-
NewsEuropean coalition to improve international rail travel
EUROPE: A willingness to co-operate to increase rail’s share of the international passenger market is a set out in political statement signed by a ‘coalition of the willing’ comprising all EU member states except Croatia, Estonia, Cyprus and Malta (the latter two having no railways) and including ...
-
NewsRobotic welding at Tikhvin wagon factory
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co has installed a robot for welding open wagon components at its Tikhvin plant, ensuring high quality welds by minimising human variability. The company said the robot would release highly-skilled specialist electric gas welders to undertake other work which requires semiautomatic welding. The robotic ...
-
NewsČortanovci tunnel drilling completed
SERBIA: Drilling of the 1 156 m long second bore of the Čortanovci tunnel was completed with a breakthrough ceremony on June 5. The 1 086 m first bore had been holed through on April 3. Under construction since August 2017, the Čortanovci tunnel and an adjacent ...
-
NewsFirst trainset for Rielsfera low cost high speed rail services heads to Spain
SPAIN: The first of nine double-deck TGV Duplex trainsets being modified for use by SNCF’s Spanish subsidiary Rielsfera was despatched from the Technicentre Est-Européen at Pantin in France on June 6 following the installation of signalling and train protection equipment needed for operation in Spain.
-
NewsRumo signs Paulista railway concession
BRAZIL: National land transportation agency ANTT and the Ministry of Infrastructure have signed the long-awaited extension of Rumo Logística’s concession to manage and operate the Paulista network. The concession covers 1 463 km of 1 600 mm gauge route, 243 km of 1 000 mm gauge ...
-
NewsHydrogen train development agreement signed
ITALY: A five-year agreement for the development of hydrogen trains and associated infrastructure has been signed by Alstom and energy company Snam. Under the agreement announced on June 4, Alstom would manufacture and maintain newly-built or converted hydrogen trains, while Snam would develop infrastructure for hydrogen production, ...
-
NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
The first two of four CZ Loko Effishunter 1000 locomotives ordered by Slovenia’s SŽ-Tovorni Promet in January 2019 were delivered on June 3. They are quieter and 24% more powerful than the operator’s existing shunting locos, and meet Euro Stage IIIB emission standards. A single Effishunter 1000 ...
-
NewsKnorr-Bremse begins production of low-noise brake blocks for new wagons
SPAIN: Knorr-Bremse’s Pamplona plant has begun volume production of Problock J816M low-noise composite brake blocks for new-build wagons, adding to the low-noise brake blocks which the company supplies for retrofitting to existing vehicles. ‘This product represents a key strategic addition to our portfolio’, said Dr. Nicolas Lange, ...
-
NewsLineas announces barge replacement train services
GERMANY: To facilitate a shift of freight from barge to rail at a time when water levels in the River Rhein are at their lowest in five years, Lineas is to increase its services and capacity on the corridor over the summer period from June 15. ‘With ...
-
NewsNew tunnel in Nürnberg – Schirnding electrification plan
GERMANY: Plans to electrify the 140 km line from Nürnberg via Marktredwitz to Schirnding near the Czech border in northeast Bayern have been unveiled by DB Netz at events in Lauf and Schwandorf.
-
NewsUniversities study options for battery traction to replace diesel
GERMANY: A three-month study of the extent to which battery-powered trains could replace diesel traction in Germany is being undertaken through a collaboration between rolling stock financing company Rock Rail, Technische Universität Dresden and the UK’s University of Birmingham. According to lobby group Allianz pro Schiene, electrified ...
-
NewsKuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed rail project further delayed
ASIA: The government of Singapore has agreed to Malaysia’s request for a seven month extension to the pause in project development for the proposed Singapore – Kuala Lumpur high speed line. Malaysia had said it would like to propose some changes to the project, and the ...
-
NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Bombardier Transportation has appointed Huber+Suhner as preferred supplier of rolling stock power, control and communication cables under a new five-year agreement which will extend the companies’ collaboration to more than 25 years. The BEML board has approved the signing of a memorandum of ...
-
NewsCanadian Pacific completes Central Maine & Quebec Railway acquisition
INTERNATIONAL: Canadian Pacific formally completed its acquisition of the Central Maine & Quebec Railway on June 3, with the takeover of the railway’s US business.
-
NewsAssociations emphasise importance of public transport in tackling climate change
EUROPE: The International Union of Railways, International Association of Public Transport and European railway suppliers’ association UNIFE have called for ‘a new sense of urgency’ in developing a more sustainable transport mix, arguing that decision makers need to look beyond the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath and not forget that ‘the rising danger’ of climate change ‘has not stopped during the crisis’.
-
NewsCarbo Rail becomes Retrack Slovakia
SLOVAKIA: VTG Rail Logistics has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in freight operator Carbo Rail following regulatory approval of the transaction which had been announced in February. Bratislava-based Carbo Rail was formed in November 2016 through the merger of Carbosped and Rail Sped, and now ...
-
NewsHistoric Praha viaduct modernised
CZECH REPUBLIC: Full operation across the Negrelli viaduct in Praha resumed on June 1, following the completion of a three-year project to refurbish the capital’s oldest railway bridge across the Vltava River.
-
NewsNS streamlines strategic planning as Scheib steps down
USA: Norfolk Southern has announced a number of organisational changes following the departure of Executive Vice-President & Chief Strategy Officer John Scheib on June 1.
-
NewsLazio high speed station agreement signed
ITALY: FS Group has reached agreement for the construction of a new station on the Roma – Napoli high speed line to serve the southern part of Lazio region.
-
NewsMitsubishi Electric Corp acquires stake in EKE-Electronics
FINLAND: Mitsubishi Electric Corp has acquired a 34% stake in EKE Group’s train automation and management systems business EKE-Electronics. The companies have also entered into a wide-ranging co-operation agreement. This gives EKE-Electronics access to fast-growing markets as well as resources for further development, and the ability to ...