Main line rail industry news – Page 474
-
NewsRail connection to Vaca Muerta proposed
ARGENTINA: State-owned oil company YPF has presented the Ministry of Transport with a US$500m project to build a rail connection to the Vaca Muerta field in the province of Neuquén, requiring new construction and the upgrading of existing infrastructure over a total of 700 km. In addition to materials required ...
-
NewsKorail orders Hyundai Rotem EMUs
SOUTH KOREA: Korail has awarded Hyundai Rotem a 111·6bn won contract to supply 128 electric multiple-unit cars, the manufacturer announced on October 18. Delivey of the 110 km/h trainsets is due to be completed by the end of 2019. Most of the trainsets are to be deployed on commuter ...
-
NewsUK railway news round-up
ScotRail services began calling at the relocated Forres station between Inverness and Elgin on October 17. The replacement station was built by BAM Nuttall; AFM Electrical Ltd acted as subcontractor to Kelly Rail for electrical works. Network Rail has begun market engagement for the planned award of an exclusive concession ...
-
NewsFormer Air France CEO Spinetta to assess future of French rail sector
FRANCE: Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has appointed the former head of Air France-KLM Jean-Cyril Spinetta to draw up a fresh strategy for the rail sector. Announced by Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne on October 16, the Spinetta study is intended to inform transport legislation due to be published in the first ...
-
NewsShell to acquire electric vehicle charging provider
EUROPE: Shell announced on October 12 that it has signed an agreement to buy electric vehicle charging provider NewMotion. NewMotion operates 30 000 private electric charging points for homes and businesses in the Netherlands, Germany, France and the UK. It also provides access to a network of 50 000 ...
-
NewsHyundai Rotem to supply 128 EMU cars to Korail
SOUTH KOREA: Hyundai Rotem signed a 111·6bn won contract with Korail for the supply of 128 electric multiple-unit cars, the manufacturer announced on October 18. Delivery of the 110 km/h trainsets is due to be completed by the end of 2019. Most of the trainsets will be deployed on ...
-
NewsUK training hubs open
UK: Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening officially opened the Doncaster campus of the National College for High Speed Rail on October 9, with its partner facility in Birmingham opening on October 16. The largest of five new national colleges being created by the government ‘to ensure British workers ...
-
NewsLoco upgrade aims to save the power consumption of a town
SWITZERLAND: A Re460 electric locomotive which has been fitted with IGBT traction converters as part of a mid-life refurbishment programme was presented at Swiss Federal Railways’ Yverdon-les-Bains workshops on October 17. The 119 Re460 locomotives form the backbone of SBB’s long-distance passenger locomotive fleet. Delivered by SLM and ABB in ...
-
NewsNagpur metro test running starts with leased train
INDIA: Project promoter Maharashtra Metro Rail Corp has begun test running on a 3·5 km at-grade section of the future Nagpur metro Line 1, using the first of two Hyundai Rotem trainsets which it has leased from Hyderabad ahead of the arrival of its own fleet of ...
-
NewsLocoTech opens modernised maintenance depot
RUSSIA: LocoTech inaugurated a modernised rolling stock maintenance facility in Komsomolsk-na-Amur on the Baikal-Amur Magistral route on October 4. The former Russian Railways depot was transferred to the LocoTech through a PPP agreement under which the company has modernised the site in return for a 40-year locomotive and rolling ...
-
NewsTalgo developing plans for UK rolling stock factory
UK: Spanish rolling stock manufacturer Talgo has confirmed that it is developing plans to open a factory in the UK with a ‘fully localised supply chain’, to support its strategy of gaining a foothold in the British and Irish rolling stock manufacturing and overhaul markets. Talgo President Carlos de Palacio ...
-
NewsOlomouc orders EVO1 trams
CZECH REPUBLIC: Operator DP Olomouc signed a KC212·6m contract on October 4 for the supply of eight EVO1 trams. Krnovské Opravny a Strojírny will supply its single-section low-floor EVO1 model, produced under the Alliance TW Team that also includes Pragoimex and VKV Praha. Three of the unidirectional vehicles ...
-
NewsPortal Bridge renewal launched
USA: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Amtrak Board Chairman Tony Coscia marked the start of work on the long-planned replacement of the Portal Bridge with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 13. The 110-year old two-track swing bridge over the Hackensack River between Kearny and Seacaucus has long been a ...
-
NewsMoscow – Troitsk tram line approved
RUSSIA: Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin approved a tram line linking the city’s metro network to the satellite town of Troitsk on October 12. The 17·8 km route would link the town of 40 000, which lies 37 km southwest of the centre of Moscow, with Prokshino metro station, which ...
-
NewsBombardier and CAF win West Midlands train contracts
UK: Bombardier Transportation and CAF have been selected to supply rolling stock for the next West Midlands franchise, the West Midlands Trains Ltd consortium of Abellio, East Japan Railway and Mitsui & Co announced on October 17. Totalling 413 vehicles, the orders are worth £680m, with financing being led by ...
-
NewsTeething troubles as IEP trainsets enter revenue service
UK: All did not go to plan when the first of the Hitachi Class 800 trainsets ordered under the Department for Transport’s £5·7bn Intercity Express Programme entered passenger service with Great Western Railway on October 16. Industry guests gathered at Bristol Temple Meads station for the inaugural service, the 06.00 ...
-
NewsStadler breaks ground on Utah factory
USA: A groundbreaking ceremony took place on October 13 for Stadler’s rolling stock factory in Salt Lake City. The $50m final assembly plant is being built near Salt Lake City airport and has a link to the Denver – San Francisco line. The modular factory is designed to accommodate ...
-
NewsÖBB coach tender back on track
AUSTRIA: Tendering for a fleet of coaches for daytime and overnight inter-city services for national operator ÖBB is to resume following withdrawal of an objection by Siemens. The company had complained in August about changes to the specification for a framework contract that included an initial tranche of 200 km/h ...
-
NewsTampere tram order finalised
FINLAND: Škoda Transportation subsidiary Transtech announced details of its tram order for Tampere on October 16. The firm order for 19 ForCity Smart Artic trams is worth €104m, and the framework contract includes options for up to 46 more vehicles, which would be delivered in three tranches. ...
-
NewsPolish service approved as LEO Express aims to develop a central European network
EUROPE: Czech open access operator LEO Express expects to announce the launch date for its planned Praha – Ostrava – Katowice – Kraków open access service in the near future, after Polish regulator UTK completed the certification process and granted train paths on October 13. Daily services would leave ...