Main line rail industry news – Page 342
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NewsTelevic Rail acquires information systems supplier GSP
EUROPE: Belgian communications and control technology company Televic Rail has acquired German train, metro and tram passenger information system supplier GSP Sprachtechnologie as part of its international growth strategy. The acquisition ‘gives us greater access to the highly attractive German market and the larger Germany, Austria and Switzerland region’, ...
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NewsPassenger trains start to serve Yakutsk
RUSSIA: Regular passenger trains have started running on the northern section of the Yakutia Railway, following celebrations on July 27 attended by State Counsellor Vyacheslav Shtyrov, on behalf of the President of the Sakha Republic Aisen Nikolayev. Formal approval of the line for passenger operation was granted on July ...
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NewsTalgo signs Egyptian co-operation agreement
EGYPT: Spanish rolling stock manufacturer Talgo has signed a framework co-operation agreement with the Arab Organization for Industrialization for the joint development of capacity and performance improvement projects on the Egyptian rail network. Signed in Madrid by Talgo CEO Jose Maria Oriol Fabra and the Chairman of ...
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NewsRidership surge prompts SNCF to order more TGVs
FRANCE: SNCF Mobilités announced an order for 12 double-deck TGVs on July 31 as part of its fleet renewal strategy. Branded TGV Océane by the operator, the Avelia Euroduplex trainsets are to be supplied by Alstom for use on routes between Paris and Metz and Nancy in eastern ...
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NewsMonopolies Commission urges more competition on German network
GERMANY: Further separation of infrastructure provider DB Netz from the Deutsche Bahn group is amongst a raft of measures recommended by the Monopolies Commission to enhance quality and competition on the rail network. In its seventh report, published on July 25, the Commission highlights the need for better service ...
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NewsSakhalin diesel railcars outshopped
RUSSIA: Three Class RA3 diesel multiple-units to operate regauged regional railway routes on Sakhalin were formally unveiled by Transmashholding on July 26, at a ceremony attended by the Deputy Chairman of the Sakhalin oblast government Vitaly Gudin, RZD’s Deputy General Director, Passenger, Dmitry Pegov, and the First Deputy General Director ...
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NewsLegal row over track safety rule change
BELGIUM: Infrastructure manager Infrabel said on July 30 that it had been forced to defend itself and changes in its maintenance policy in a case brought before the Brussels Francophone Business Court by freight operator Lineas. Services run by Lineas and other operators had been affected by ...
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NewsČD Cargo EffiShunter locomotives unveiled
CZECH REPUBLIC: ČD Cargo has taken delivery of the prototype Class 742.71 EffiShunter 1000M Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotive which CZ Loko has produced by extensively rebuilding a ČKD-built Class 742. ČD Cargo ordered 50 of the locomotives for shunting and light main line duties in a KC2·1bn contract ...
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NewsŠkoda signs Latvian EMU contract
LATVIA: National passenger operator Pasažieru Vilciens has signed the €240m contract for Škoda Vagonka to supply a fleet of 32 dual-system EMUs for the Riga suburban network, the manufacturer announced on July 30. Škoda Vagonka was named as preferred bidder in February, after procurement monitoring agency IUB blocked an ...
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NewsMetre-gauge coaches delivered
BANGLADESH: A batch of 26 new inter-city coaches for Bangladesh Railways’ metre-gauge main lines was expected to arrive at Chittagong Port by the end of July, having been shipped from the Indonesian port of Tanjung Perak, in Surabaya, on July 19. Being supplied by PT Inka under a US$101m ...
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NewsAustria referred to court over driver certification
AUSTRIA: The European Commission announced on July 25 that it would refer Austria to the Court of Justice of the EU for failing to comply with rules regarding the certification of train drivers. At present, the licensing of train drivers in Austria is managed by SCHIG, the public railway ...
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NewsMixed progress with Czech ETCS tenders
CZECH REPUBLIC: ČD has awarded the first contract for the installation of ETCS on its fleet, but has halted the tendering process for other contracts. AŽD Praha and ČD-Telematika are to equip 102 Class 162 and 362 electric locomotives by 2022 at a cost of KC1·4bn, with 39% of ...
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NewsWork begins on Ankara suburban rail extension
TURKEY: Construction has started on an extension of Ankara’s Başkentray suburban railway from the current western terminus of Sincan to Yenikent. The 8 km northwestern extension is being funded from public sources. Completion of the TL353m project is due by the end of June 2022. From ...
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NewsPort of Barcelona rail motorway terminal agreed
SPAIN: An agreement to build and operate a rail motorway terminal in the Port of Barcelona has been signed by the government of Catalunya and SNCF subsidiary VIIA. The terminal will be open to any operator, offering capacity to accommodate eight trains per day carrying unaccompanied lorry trailers to ...
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NewsRobust cyber-security plans keep trains running on time
SPONSORED CONTENT: As primary movers of people and goods, railways play a central role in the economic and social life of most countries, writes Karsten Oberle, Head of the Global Railway Practice at communications group Nokia. Railways have also become an attractive target for potential cyber attacks, due in large part to the enormous economic and societal impacts that can result from cutting off rail service — just a few hours disruption can wreak havoc on most cities.
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NewsGovernment plans €86bn spend to renew German network
GERMANY: A 54% increase in spending on infrastructure renewals will see €86bn invested in the national rail network over the next decade, Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer announced on July 26. Unveiling a 10-year plan for 2020-29 which he described as ‘the biggest railway modernisation programme’ in Germany's history, Scheuer ...
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NewsHauts-de-France keen to reopen Abbeville – Le Tréport
FRANCE: Plans are in hand to run competitively tendered passenger services over the Abbeville – Le Tréport line in northern France that was closed in May 2018. In a corrigendum published on July 19 to an April notice in the Official Journal of the European Union the region specified ...
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NewsSakhalin regauging makes progress
RUSSIA: The first 1 520 mm gauge long-distance overnight passenger services on the island of Sakhalin began running on July 18, following conversion of the 500 km Vzmorye – Nogliki route from 1 067 mm to broad gauge. This marks the latest stage in a programme launched in 2003 ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
A €10m project to expand rail capacity at the CSP Iberian Bilbao Terminal at the Port of Bilbao has been completed. The railway facilities have been expanded from 13 950 to 41 800 m2, and the four tracks extended by 100 m to permit the operation of 550 m trains. ...