Main line rail industry news – Page 317
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NewsRail infrastructure manager adopts shorter name
CZECH REPUBLIC: Infrastructure manager Správa Železniční Dopravní Cesty was renamed Správa Železnic with effect from January 1. The change which had been approved by the government in December is intended to shorten the complicated name and enhance the organisation’s image with the general public. SŽDC was founded ...
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NewsNarrow gauge operator orders EMUs
SWITZERLAND: Chemin de Fer Nyon-Saint-Cergue-Morez has awarded Stadler a contract to supply six two-car electric multiple-units. Deliveries are scheduled between late 2021 and early 2022. The 1·5 kV DC EMUs will be similar to four Abe4/8 units which Stadler supplied to the 27 km long metre-gauge line ...
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NewsVilnius – Klaipedia electrification and upgrading contracts awarded
LITHUANIA: Contracts have been awarded to increase capacity and complete electrification on the Lithuanian section of Pan-European Corridor IX between the Belarusian border and the Baltic Sea port of Klaipeda. The east–west corridor carries three-quarters of the national operator’s freight and two-thirds of all passenger journeys. ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Indian rolling stock and construction equipment manufacturer BEML and construction firm Ircon International have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore opportunities to co-operate in export markets. Ircon said it had a ’strong International presence and proven capabilities’ in tracklaying, electrification and infrastructure construction, including current projects ...
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NewsCuomo proposes southern extension to New York Penn Station
The congestion at New York Penn Station has become a major political issue in recent years. USA: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo used an address at the Association for a Better New York on January 6 to announce plans for a locally funded expansion of Penn Station ...
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NewsEU grant for Hrvatski Leskovac – Karlovac modernisation
CROATIA: An agreement for the EU to provide a 2·7bn kuna grant towards a 3·45bn kuna project to modernise and double-track the 44 km Hrvatski Leskovac – Karlovac section of the Zagreb – Rijeka corridor was signed on December 27. Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport & Infrastructure ...
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NewsWabtec expands capabilities with purchase of RELCO Locomotives
USA: Wabtec Corp has announced the expansion of its remanufacturing and repair capabilities with the acquisition of RELCO Locomotives for $29m. RELCO Locomotives is an established company in the leasing, rebuilding, and repair sector, with operations in Albia and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It has projected sales for ...
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NewsInfrabel CEO nominated to head SNCF Réseau
FRANCE: The current head of Belgian infrastructure manager Infrabel, Luc Lallemand, has been nominated as the next head of French infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau, subject to approval by regulatory authority ART (formerly Arafer). At its meeting on January 7, the SNCF Réseau board reportedly endorsed the ...
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NewsShift2Rail invites 2020 research proposals
EUROPE: Within the framework of its Annual Work Plan, the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking issued its 2020 call for proposals on January 7, covering research and innovation projects with a total value of €146·6m. Applications are due by April 21. The call covers 19 topics, of which eight ...
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NewsHigh speed rail wins market share
ITALY: Evidence that high speed rail competes effectively against air was presented to Terrapinn’s World Rail Festival in Amsterdam by Serafino Lo Piano, Head of Sales, Long-Distance Rail, at Trenitalia. Since the launch of the Frecciarossa brand 10 years ago, he said, rail’s share of the market ...
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NewsAuditors warn of Rail Baltica cost and timescale risks
EUROPE: Procedures for managing the Rail Baltica project are mostly in place but inefficiencies and a lack of change and risk management systems mean the project could exceed its agreed budget and timeline, according to a report issued jointly by the national audit bodies of Estonia, ...
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NewsADIF orders three more infrastructure monitoring trains
SPAIN: National infrastructure manager ADIF has selected Stadler and MerMec for a €74·5m contract to supply and commission three infrastructure monitoring trains and to undertake their maintenance for a period of five years.
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NewsTriesteRailPort project allocated European funding
ITALY: The TriesteRailPort project to enhance rail facilities at the Port of Trieste is to be financed with a €39m loan signed by the European Investment Bank on December 20 as well as €6·5m from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility. Trieste handles more than 10% of Italy’s ...
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NewsMÁV-Start places final order under Kiss EMU framework agreement
HUNGARY: National passenger operator MÁV-Start has formally signed a contract for Stadler to supply a further 21 six-car Kiss double-deck electric multiple-units for delivery by the end of 2022, the manufacturer confirmed on January 7. The €313m firm order which has been finalised following the confirmation ...
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NewsFirst of 30 Prima M4 locomotives delivered to ONCF
MOROCCO: National railway ONCF has taken delivery of the first of 30 Alstom Prima M4 locomotives which are being supplied under a €130m contract announced in February 2018. The 3 kV DC electric locomotives have a nominal power of 5·5 MW, operating speed of 160 km/h and ...
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NewsPension investor takes stake in Alpha Trains
EUROPE: Arcus European Infrastructure Fund 1 has sold its 41·1% stake in rolling stock leasing company Alpha Trains to Dutch investment group APG. Alpha Trains has a portfolio of 363 locomotives and 432 trainsets leased to operators in 17 countries including Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the ...
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NewsGenesee & Wyoming acquisition completed
INTERNATIONAL: The US$8·4bn acquisition of freight railway group Genesee & Wyoming by affiliates of New York and Toronto listed global investor Brookfield Infrastructure and Singapore’s foreign reserves investor GIC has been completed. The US$112 per share deal had been announced in July. ‘This transaction is an excellent ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Trial operation of a double-stack container train on the 306 km Rewari – Madar section of Indian’s Western Dedicated Freight Corridor was undertaken on December 27. Trials are being undertaken with prototype BLCS-A and BLCS-B double-stack container wagons with 25 tonne axleloads which have been developed ...
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NewsChuanshan port freight line opens
CHINA: The Chuanshan port freight line near Ningbo in Zhejiang province opened on December 26, running 29·3 km from Daqi station to Zhongzhai via Chuanshangang. The 31·5 km line to Beilun has also been electrified as part of the 4·1bn yuan project. Freight traffic on the Chuanshangang ...