Main line rail industry news – Page 436
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NewsUK railway news round-up
Direct Rail Services has called tenders for the supply of 10 mixed traffic diesel-electric locomotives and the provision of spare parts. DRS currently operates a fleet of more than 100 locomotives, and said it was ‘seeking solutions to create benefits and efficiencies’ under a strategy of ‘moving to a more ...
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NewsCSX agrees short line spin-offs
USA: CSX Transportation has reached agreement to sell almost 300 km of railway in Alabama and Georgia to Denver-based HGS Railway Holdings, following its announcement earlier this year that up to one-third of its total network was being reviewed for possible closure or sale. HGS has established two wholly-owned subsidiaries ...
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NewsRail.One opens Aschaffenburg concrete sleeper plant
GERMANY: Rail.One officially began series production of concrete sleepers at a new plant in Aschaffenburg with an inauguration ceremony on April 11. The site will produce the B70 sleeper design which is widely-used in Germany, as well as other types of sleeper for German and European main line and urban ...
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NewsThe Canadian coaches to be refurbished
CANADA: VIA Rail has awarded Cad Railway Industries a C$46m contract to upgrade 25 coaches used on The Canadian service between Toronto and Vancouver. Announcing the contract on April 10, VIA Rail said the stainless steel coaches dating from the 1950s would be ‘completely refurbished and transformed to better meet ...
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NewsAlstom opens Canadian light rail vehicle factory
CANADA: Alstom opened an assembly plant for light rail vehicles in Brampton, Ontario on April 10. The factory will be used to produce 61 light rail vehicles that Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area transport authority Metrolinx ordered in May 2017. The C$528m contract includes an option for ...
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NewsMercitalia and UTLC sign China – Europe rail freight MoU
INTERNATIONAL: Italian national freight operator Mercitalia Rail and the United Transport & Logistics joint venture of the national railways of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop integrated container services between China and Europe. UTLC would provide logistics services between China and Europe on the ...
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NewsNewag to rebuild 60 locos
POLAND: PKP Cargo has awarded Newag a 477m złoty contract to modernise its ageing shunting fleet by rebuilding 60 Class SM48 locomotives as Type 15D/A locos, designated Class ST48. The work is to be undertaken between October 2018 and May 2021, and follows a previous contract covering 30 locomotives. Only ...
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NewsPhnom Penh airport shuttle train launched
CAMBODIA: A shuttle service from Phnom Penh’s main station to the international airport was inaugurated by Minister of Public Works & Transportation Sun Chanthol on April 10. Travel is free until the end of July. Services run every 30 min and take around 25 min to cover the 9·6 km ...
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NewsTMH to maintain San Martín fleet
ARGENTINA: The TMH-Argentina subsidiary of Russia’s Transmashholding has been awarded a contract to maintain the locomotives and coaches used on the 76 km San Martín commuter route between Retiro San Martín station in Buenos Aires and Pilar. Running for 24 months, the US$29·7m contract announced on April 9 covers 24 ...
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NewsAll aspects of Japanese rail technology in one place
JORSA: The Japan Overseas Railway System Association’s Japan Hall is now a regular feature of the InnoTrans trade fair, and this year it will bring together 13 member firms to occupy the whole of Hall 7.2a. ‘Our members include suppliers, operators and institutes, enabling us to present all aspects of ...
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NewsTRC returns as vertical separation ends
TANZANIA: A new Tanzania Railways Corp has been established to bring together railway infrastructure and operations, following a decade of vertical separation, Minister of Construction, Transport & Communications. Prof Makame Mbarawa explained at a ceremony in Dar es Salaam to launch the organisation. Under the terms of the Tanzania Railway ...
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NewsMongolian railway draft feasibility study completed
MONGOLIA: A draft feasibility study for the 549 km Erdenet to Ovoot Railway Project has been delivered to mine development company Aspire Mining Ltd by China Gezhouba Group International Ltd. Apire said its Northern Railways subsidiary which is promoting the multi-user railway project would now review, assess and provide feedback ...
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NewsApp to support move to in-cab signalling
UK: Software specialist 3Squared has worked with Virgin Trains East Coast to develop an app to help train drivers familiarise themselves with in-cab signalling systems. The European Rail Traffic Management System, Driver Machine Interface app is now available on a white label basis for use by other passenger or ...
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NewsRZD awards 327-loco supply and maintenance contracts
RUSSIA: Transmashholding has signed two contracts to supply main line locomotives to Russian Railways. For the first time TMH will take sole responsibility for whole-life maintenance of locos it has supplied to the national operator. Announcing the contracts on April 4, TMH said it expected the inclusion of long-term maintenance ...
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NewsEurostar’s first Amsterdam service an ‘exciting and momentous day’ for high speed rail
EUROPE: ‘It is an exciting and momentous day, not just for Eurostar but the story of high speed travel across Europe’, Eurostar Chief Executive Mike Cooper told Railway Gazette International on the cross-Channel operator’s first revenue service from London to Amsterdam on April 4. The service runs twice daily ...
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NewsIsaka – Kigali electrification proposed
AFRICA: The governments of Tanzania and Rwanda have commissioned a feasibility study into electrification of the long-planned 521 km cross-border rail link between Isaka and Kigali. Provisionally costed at US$2·5bn, the line is intended to connect the landlocked countries of Rwanda and Burundi with the inland container terminal at Isaka ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Konkan Railway inaugurated a multimodal logistics park at Balli station near Madgaon in Goa state on March 28. The park has been set up with an investment of Rs430m by Konkan Railway and Container Corporation of India Ltd. Swedish port operator Yilport has awarded Green Cargo a three-year contract to ...
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NewsGrand Central unveils refurbished train
UK: The first of 10 Alstom Class 180 inter-city diesel multiple-units to be refurbished by Arriva TrainCare under a £9m programme was unveiled by open access operator Grand Central on April 3. The full interior refresh includes new seats with leather edging in standard class, new floor coverings throughout, an ...
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NewsHigh speed trainset to be converted for freight
ITALY: National freight operator Mercitalia has revealed plans to convert an ETR500 high speed trainset to carry freight. The Mercitalia Fast service would be aimed at the market for time-sensitive shipments, with customers expected to include couriers, logistics operators, manufacturers and distributors. The ETR500 would be equipped for the rapid ...
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NewsEurasian transit freight joint venture restructured
INTERNATIONAL: The United Transport & Logistics Co intermodal transit freight joint venture of the national rail operators of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia was reorganised with effect from April 2. UTLC said the changes which had been approved by the partners at the end of last year were intended to increase ...