Main line rail industry news – Page 443
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NewsZSSK awards EMU contract
SLOVAKIA: National passenger operator ZSSK has awarded a consortium of Škoda Vagónka and ŽOS Trnava a €160m contract to supply 25 dual-voltage electric multiple-units for use on regional services around Žilina. Stadler had also bid for the contract. The EMUs will be based on Škoda’s RegioPanter family. The order covers ...
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NewsInowrocław electric bus order signed
POLAND: The city of Inowrocław signed a contract for Volvo to supply eight electric buses and eight electric hybrid buses on March 9. Volvo is to deliver the 7900 Electric and 7900 Electric Hybrid buses from its Wrocław factory this year, and will be responsible for vehicle and battery ...
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NewsContracts awarded for Belgrano Phase 3
ARGENTINA: Infrastructure authority Trenes Argentinos Infraestructura has awarded contracts to undertake Phase 3 of the track renewals programme on the 1 000 mm gauge Belgrano network. Divided into four lots worth 3∙5bn pesos, Phase 3 covers 300 km including route C12 from Joaquín V González to Metán, as well as ...
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NewsDiesel locomotive rebuilt as an electric
INDIA: A prototype twin-unit electric freight locomotive is being produced at the Diesel Locomotive Works in Varanasi by rebuilding two diesel locomotives. The 12-axle WAGC3 locomotive is to be formed from two permanently-coupled sections each rated at 5 000 hp, compared to 2 600 hp for each of the original ...
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NewsDB Netz commissions first IP-based interlocking
GERMANY: Infrastructure manager DB Netz AG has put into operation its first digital interlocking which uses an IP network architecture to connect with the field equipment. DB Netz has been using computer-based interlockings for many years, but the Siemens installation at Annaberg-Buchholz on the Erzgebirgsbahn is the first in Germany ...
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NewsFGC to refurbish Class 112 EMU fleet
SPAIN: Catalunya regional operator FGC is to undertake a €33m refurbishment of its 22 four-car Class 112 EMUs this year. Built in 1996, the Class 112 fleet is deployed on FGC’s 1 435 mm gauge Vallès commuter network in Barcelona. FGC says that the programme will include technical upgrades to ...
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NewsIndian Prima locomotives equipped with Saft batteries
INDIA: Back-up power for the control and safety systems on the 800 twin-section WAG12 Prima T8 electric locomotive which Alstom is building for Indian Railways will be provided by batteries which Saft is supplying under its largest-ever order in the rail sector. Saft has increased the scope of its Indian ...
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NewsModertrans and Tramwaje Śląskie sign single-section tram contract
POLAND: Tramwaje Śląskie has placed an order for 10 single-section trams from Modertrans. The contract signed on March 8 is worth 29m złoty excluding VAT, and is co-funded by the EU. Modertrans is to deliver the eight unidirectional and two bidirectional vehicles to operate on the network centred on ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
On March 3 the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund announced that national train operator Trainose, which was bought by FS Group last year, had submitted the only binding offer for a 100% stake in rolling stock maintenance business EESSTY. Greece’s privatisation agency said the evaluation process would begin immediately. ...
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NewsThameslink Programme nears completion as final EMU rolls out
UK: The last of 115 Class 700 electric multiple-units for the Thameslink route was rolled out at Siemens’ Krefeld factory in Germany on March 8. In 2013 the Department for Transport awarded the Cross-London Trains consortium led by Siemens a £1·6bn contract to supply 60 eight-car and 55 12-car ...
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NewsEskişehir ForCity tram delivered
TURKEY: Škoda Transportation has delivered the first of 14 ForCity Classic trams that it is supplying to Eskişehir. The metre-gauge tram is to undergo 2 000 to 3 000 km of dynamic testing in Eskişehir, with some of the fleet also being tested on the Bratislava network. Škoda ...
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NewsInter-city coach order placed
POLAND: Long-distance operator PKP Intercity has signed a contract with Poznań-based FPS H Cegielski for the design and manufacture of up to 81 TSI-compliant coaches for operation at 200 km/h. FPS had been announced at the end of last year as sole bidder for the tender issued in June 2017; ...
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NewsCovilhã — Guarda reopening moves closer
PORTUGAL: Minister of Planning & Infrastructure Pedro Marques and European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc participated in a ceremony on March 5 to mark the official start of work to upgrade the 46∙5 km Covilhã — Guarda route, closed to traffic since 2009. With 10 km already completed by Infraestruturas de ...
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NewsHull Trains Managing Director steps down
UK: Will Dunnett has resigned as Managing Director of Hull Trains, in a move which the East Yorkshire to London open access inter-city operator said was unrelated to the extensive and ongoing disruption after its DMU fleet suffered damage during the recent ‘Beast from the East’ bad ...
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NewsSouth International Corridor launched
PORTUGAL: Prime Minister António Costa joined his Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy and European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc at a ceremony in Elvas on March 5 to mark the start of work on the South International Corridor. This will combine new construction and upgrades to create a route from the ports ...
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NewsWien U-Bahn Type X trainset design unveiled
AUSTRIA: The design of the 34 six-car Type X metro trainsets which Siemens is to supply for the Wien U-Bahn was unveiled by operator Wiener Linien on March 8. The Type X trainsets will be used in fully automatic service from 2024 on the future Line U5, which will be ...
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NewsDanish transit freight joint venture to end
EUROPE: Swedish freight operator Green Cargo has decided to withdraw from its DB Cargo Scandinavia joint venture with DB Cargo. The joint venture mainly handles transit traffic through Denmark for the two companies, but Green Cargo said the owners had been unable to reach agreement on certain issues, primarily concerning ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
Italian open access operator NTV, Spanish national operator Renfe and Transdev of France have obtained pre-qualification questionnaire passports enabling them to express interest in franchise competitions without having to resubmit detailed technical information. Southeastern has announced an enhanced compensation package for passengers stranded on trains during severe disruption at Lewisham ...
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NewsPrivate operator begins services on St Petersburg fast tram route
RUSSIA: Passenger services on the initial phase of the fast tram route in St Petersburg began at 07.00 on March 7, making it the city’s first to be operated by a private operator. Travel is free until the end of the month. The 4·2 km section of the planned ...
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NewsIsrael Railways signs Siemens EMU contract
ISRAEL: A contract worth up to €900m for Siemens to supply to Israel Railways with up to 60 four-car and six-car Desiro HC double-deck electric multiple-units over 10 years was signed in Lod on March 7. This includes a firm order for the supply of an initial ...