Main line rail industry news – Page 321
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NewsRhein-Ruhr S-Bahn tendering dispute settled
GERMANY: An out-of-court settlement has been reached over the decision by Rhein-Ruhr transport authority VRR to cancel a contract for Keolis to operate S-Bahn Rhein-Ruhr services. Details of the agreement announced on December 10 were not disclosed. In July 2016 VRR awarded Keolis the Lot A contract ...
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NewsNS tests automatic train operation
NETHERLANDS: National operator NS carried out its first trials of automatic train operation on the night of December 10-11, when a CAF Sprinter New Generation electric multiple-unit ran under computer control on the Hanze Line. The experiment took place under Grade of Automation 2, with a member ...
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NewsLubelskie voivodship orders eight Newag EMUs
POLAND: Newag is to supply eight two-car Impuls 2 electric multiple-units to Lubelskie voivodship in eastern Poland. The contract signed on December 9 is worth 146·6m złoty including VAT. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed in December 2021, and the manufacturer will provide a 64-month warranty on ...
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NewsSZU orders Stadler EMUs
SWITZERLAND: Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn has awarded Stadler a SFr46·7m contract to supply five three-section Be570 electric multiple-units for the 1 435 mm gauge Uetlibergbahn, which forms Route S10 of the Zürich transport network. Intended to replace the line’s Be520 and B220 vehicles, the new EMUs will ...
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NewsRENFE to launch Avlo low-cost high speed rail for everyone
SPAIN: National operator RENFE has unveiled the Avlo branding for its future low-cost high speed train service. Avlo is to be launched on the Madrid – Zaragoza – Barcelona corridor on April 6 2020, with tickets to go on sale in January. It would then be expanded ...
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NewsHaramain launches Jeddah airport service at 300 km/h
SAUDI ARABIA: High speed services to and from Jeddah airport were launched on December 11. The six-track station serving Terminal 1 at King Abdulaziz International Airport is linked to the 450 km Haramain High Speed Railway between Makkah and Madinah by a 6·6 km branch. This includes ...
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NewsBombardier Transportation inaugurates rolling stock test facility
GERMANY: Bombardier Transportation inaugurated a €16m rolling stock testing facility at its Bautzen factory on December 12, with guests including Sachsen’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer and Canadian ambassador Stéphane Dion. Around 50 employees can work in three shifts at the test centre, ...
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NewsSouth African company joins the global supply chain with TMH contract
EGYPT: The TMH International subsidiary of Russian rolling stock manufacturing group Transmashholding has awarded South African company SME Exports a contract to supply 800 heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems for coaches ordered by Egyptian National Railways. SME Exports supplies HVAC to customers in South Africa and Botswana, ...
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NewsSBB adds cross-border capacity
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways will offer a major increase in capacity on international inter-city routes with effect from the timetable change on December 15. Announcing details at an event held in Zürich Hauptbahnhof on November 23, SBB said that demand for travel ...
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NewsLong-term loco brake maintenance agreement signed
KAZAKHSTAN: Alstom Kazakhstan and Knorr-Bremse Russia have signed a comprehensive agreement for the corrective and preventive maintenance of braking systems on up to 200 twin-section freight locomotives and 95 passenger locomotives being supplied to national railway KTZ. This includes the supply of replacement parts. ...
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NewsVincent Ducrot named next SBB Chief Executive
SWITZERLAND: The Swiss Federal Railways board has appointed Vincent Ducrot as CEO with effect from April 1 2020. He will succeed Andreas Meyer, who is stepping down at the end of March. SBB said 57-year old Ducrot knows Switzerland’s public transport sector very well. He has been ...
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NewsPRASA put into administration
SOUTH AFRICA: The interim board of Passenger Rail Authority of South Africa has been dismissed, and the troubled organisation has been put into administration Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announced on December 9. ‘The continued decline of the quality of service PRASA provides to the commuting ...
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NewsLocal content emphasised as Alstom awarded Perth train contract
AUSTRALIA: Public Transport Authority of Western Australia has formally signed the A$1·3bn contract for Alstom to supply and maintain diesel and electric multiple-units for use around Perth. Announcing completion of the deal on December 10, PTA said the biggest rolling stock contract that it had placed had ...
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NewsTransANT lightweight wagons for multiple bodies on test
AUSTRIA: Testing is underway with TransANT modular wagons with exchangeable bodies which Rail Cargo Group has developed in conjunction with its customers. The wagons are available in lengths between 10 m and 21 m. The basic vehicle with no body can be used to ...
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NewsVy Tog wins Bergen – Oslo operating contract
NORWAY: National railway agency Jernbanedirektoratet has named Vy Tog as preferred bidder for the Lot 3 Vest operating contract, which covers long-distance passenger services from Bergen to Voss, Myrdal and Oslo, and local services between Bergen and Arna. The winning bidder was announced on December 9. Jernbanedirektoratet ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
United Wagon Co is to supply a second batch of 20 dump cars to BrIK by the end of 2020. The Type 32-6982-01 cars will be used to transportation and bulk and lump mineral cargoes for the mining and construction industries. Hector Rail and the Södra Skogsägarna ...
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NewsRM Rail expands hopper wagon range
RUSSIA: RM Rail’s Ruzkhimmash plant has developed a further four types of hopper wagon, taking its wagon range to 78 designs. The Type 19-1273 (-01) and 19-1274 (-01) are designed to carry mineral fertilisers or grain, with a corrosion-resistant internal protective coating making them suitable for transporting ...
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NewsHelping short lines to prepare for emergencies
USA: ‘Short lines need to be thinking through disaster preparation, response, mitigation and resiliency on the calm days so that they’re ready to respond in a crisis’, explained American Short Line & Regional Railroad Association President Chuck Baker when the organisation announced a package of resources designed ...
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NewsRZD sells its stake in Transcontainer
RUSSIA: State railway group RZD has sold its majority stake in intermodal operator Transcontainer to private freight and logistics company Delo Group, which runs intermodal terminals and port facilities across the Russian Federation. The Russian government had given its approval in April for the sale of RZD’s ...
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NewsWabtec delivers locomotives to Egypt
EGYPT: Wabtec has delivered 10 Evolution Series diesel locomotives to Egyptian National Railways and the Ministry of Transportation. In June 2017 the Ministry of Transportation and Egyptian National Railways signed a US$575m letter of intent for the supply of 100 mixed-traffic locomotives from GE, which subsequently merged ...