Main line rail industry news – Page 472
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NewsCAF to supply more trams to Stockholm
SWEDEN: CAF has won a further tram order from Stockholm transport authority Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, the company announced on October 25. The €37m contract for 12 trams includes 10 three-section trams for the Tvärbana line, which is due to be extended in 2021, and two four-section trams for the Lidingöbanan ...
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NewsAlstom to supply more trams to Rabat
MOROCCO: Société des Transports de Rabat-Salé has signed a €45m contract with Alstom for the supply of 22 Citadis trams, the manufacturer announced on October 26. The 32 m long low-floor vehicles will run in coupled pairs and will augment the fleet of 44 Citadis trams that Alstom supplied ...
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NewsSurferlab to develop augmented vehicle technology
FRANCE: On October 25 Bombardier Transportation, Prosyst and the University of Valenciennes & Hainaut-Cambrésis inaugurated Surferlab, a joint facility which will develop embedded digital technology for safer and more intelligent rail, road, air and maritime transport. The three priority areas for Surferlab are connected and predictive maintenance, artificial intelligence, and ...
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NewsDeutsche Bahn launches driverless shuttle
GERMANY: National railway Deutsche Bahn launched an electric driverless shuttle service in the town of Bad Birnbach in Bayern on October 25. DB said it aims to use the multi-year project to become better acquainted with the technology, and test the acceptance of driverless shuttles among passengers. ‘Our ...
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NewsWest Midlands Trains announces London Northwestern brand
UK: Services on the West Coast Main Line to be operated as part of the next West Midlands franchise are to be branded London Northwestern, the West Midlands Trains Ltd consortium of Abellio, East Japan Railway and Mitsui & Co announced on October 27. The new West Midlands franchise is ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Stadler signed its first Flirt EMU maintenance contract in Norway on October 26, a three-year extendable deal with NSB Gjøvikbanen which runs from January 1 and covers 10 units. The existing Lodalen maintenance facility in Oslo will be adapted for the contract, which is modelled on a similar agreement with ...
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NewsTraxtion Group targets African rail market
AFRICA: The Sheltam group has been rebranded as Traxtion Group, following a 30% investment from Harith General Partners’ Pan African Infrastructure Development Fund 2. Traxtion Group aims to partner with locomotive and wagon manufacturers, track construction companies, consulting engineers and project developers in the African rail market. Chairman Brian ...
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NewsVDL to supply electric minibuses to Noord-Holland
NETHERLANDS: Transdev subsidiary Connexxion has placed an order with VDL Bus & Coach for 62 electric minibuses to be used for services that are part of the Noord-Holland Noord concession from next year. The 8 m long MidCity Electric buses will be fitted with 87 kWh batteries. The order ...
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NewsMetro do Porto operating concession awarded
PORTUGAL: Barraqueiro SGPS has been selected for a contract to operate and maintain the Metro do Porto light rail network in 2018-25. The contract was awarded on the basis of the lowest bid following an international tender, with Barraqueiro’s offer of €204m coming in below the reference value of ...
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NewsSwiss long-distance concession delayed
SWITZERLAND: The Federal Transport Office, BAV, has decided to postpone the award of new concessions to operate long-distance passenger services on the national network, and to directly award SBB a two-year extension to its existing contract until the December 2019 timetable change. SBB had been in negotiation with regional operators ...
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NewsStadler Minsk metro car order confirmed
BELARUS: Stadler has confirmed details of the metro trains that it is supplying to Minsk. The first four-car trainset is due to arrive in the capital next year, with the rest following by 2020. Stadler Minsk CEO Philipp Brunner told local media of the order in January ...
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NewsOntario to establish High Speed Rail Planning Advisory Board
CANADA: Plans to establish a High Speed Rail Planning Advisory Board to support the development of proposals for a 250 km/h electrified passenger service on the Windsor – Toronto corridor were announced by the Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne on October 23. The High Speed Rail Planning Advisory Board would ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
Following a competitive sales process, Network Rail has sold its National Logistics Centre in Ryton, Coventry to the West Midlands Pension Fund for £35m and will lease it back for 15 years. This follows an external analysis which suggested that a new inventory and order system would mean the site ...
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NewsCSX shakes up executive team
USA: Former Canadian National Executive Vice-President James Foote is to join CSX Transportation as Chief Operating Officer, the company announced on October 25. Most recently serving as President & CEO of Bright Rail Energy, he will take responsibility for both Operations and Sales & Marketing. Foote will replace the current ...
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NewsSouth Western Railway awards Class 442 refurbishment contract
UK: South Western Railway has awarded Kiepe Electric UK a contract to undertake a £45m refurbishment of 18 Class 442 electric multiple-units for use on fast London Waterloo – Portsmouth services from December 2018. Work to be undertaken at Eastleigh to increase the reliability and efficiency of the units will ...
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NewsTurkmenistan opens loco depot for Kazakhstan – Iran corridor
TURKMENISTAN: A locomotive depot has been opened at Bereket where the north–south corridor between Kazakhstan and Iran meets the east–west Ashgabat – Bereket – Turkmenbashi route. Government officials, staff representatives, elders and young people attended the inauguration celebrations, which included a message from President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov as well as musical ...
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NewsEIB approves rail infrastructure financing
EUROPE: A total of €1·8bn of financing for rail and road transport projects was approved by the European Investment Bank on October 18. The rail projects are: €20m for infrastructure modernisation in Poland, including station, signalling and level crossing upgrade projects;€650m for upgrading routes to Polish ports;€133m to upgrade ...
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News'Innovative challenger' in the German freight market
GERMANY: Swedish open access freight operator Hector Rail announced plans to establish a standalone business unit in Germany on October 23, saying it sees the country as an important market with opportunities for long-term growth. Stig Kyster-Hansen has been named Managing Director of the future German business unit, and he ...
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NewsWagon coating range launched
USA: Axalta Coating Systems has expanded into the wagon paint market with the launch of a dedicated range of Tufcote-branded products designed to protect against chemical and corrosion damage, weathering, and chipping. 'Railcar and transportation maintenance structures are constructed to last and need a tough, durable finish to ensure their ...
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NewsReindeer collisions avoided with satellite technology
NORWAY: Satellite technology has been developed to try to reduce collisions between trains and reindeer in remote areas of Norway. Because reindeer are free-roaming herd animals, a single incident can injure as many as 50 animals. Developed by animal tracking technology company FindMy as a result of hackathon organised by ...