Main line rail industry news – Page 477
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NewsThales signs Saudi North–South Railway maintenance deal
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Railway Co has awarded Thales a two-year contract to maintain signalling, telecoms and electromechanical systems on the 2 400 km North–South Railway network. This follows from similar one-year contract which was awarded in 2016, building on the relationship formed during the installation and commissioning of the ...
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NewsSNCF and AccorHotels to develop the Orient Express brand
FRANCE: An agreement to exploit the SNCF-owned Orient Express brand within the global luxury hospitality sector was signed by the French national railway and AccorHotels on October 4. AccorHotels plans to develop a chain of hotels under the Orient Express name, and is to acquire a 50% stake in ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
The Office of Rail & Road has begun a review of the ticket vending machine, issuing system and gate market. This will consider whether any structural or other issues may be distorting competition and having an impact on consumers, for example whether there is anything that is preventing innovation and ...
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NewsWales & Borders franchise invitations to tender issued
UK: The Welsh Government invited shortlisted bidders Abellio Rail Cymru, Arriva Rail Wales, KeolisAmey and MTR Corp (Cymru) Ltd to submit final tenders for the next Wales & Borders passenger franchise on September 28. The franchise is scheduled to start in October 2018. The current franchise held by Arriva Trains ...
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NewsLanzhou – Chongqing mixed traffic artery completed
CHINA: The Minxian – Lanzhou railway was opened on September 29, completing a 862 km north–south artery between Lanzhou and Chongqing. Designed for 200 km/h passenger and 160 km/h freight services, the completion of the line has shortned the route between the two cities by about 650 km and ...
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NewsEickholt to lead Siemens-Alstom integration
INTERNATIONAL: The CEO of Siemens’ Mobility Division, Dr Jochen Eickholt, has been appointed Integration Manager to oversee the planned merger of Siemens' mobility business with Alstom, the company announced on October 4. He took up his new role with effect from October 1, following the announcement of the merger agreement ...
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NewsLonger freight trains to go ahead
GERMANY: Planning for the introduction of 740 m long freight trains across the core national network is to be stepped up, following a favourable evaluation by the Federal Transport Ministry. Secretary of State for Transport Enak Ferlemann said on September 22 that efficient railway infrastructure was needed across the country, ...
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NewsMorogoro – Makutupora standard gauge line contract awarded
TANZANIA: State railway infrastructure authority Reli Assets Holding Co has awarded Turkish company Yapı Merkezi a US$1·92bn contract to build the 336 km Morogoro – Makutupora 1 435 mm gauge line. This is the second phase of a proposed 2 200 km standard gauge network which would connect Dar es ...
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NewsAlstom unveils Coradia Stream modular EMU designs for NS and Trenitalia
EUROPE: Alstom unveiled the latest member of its Coradia electric multiple-unit family on October 2, when it presented full-size mock-ups of the Coradia Stream EMUs to be supplied to the Netherlands and Italy. Coradia Stream is intended as a versatile and modular TSI-compliant platform for 160 km/h regional and 200 ...
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NewsWien and Barcelona sign metro co-operation agreement
AUSTRIA: Barcelona transport operator TMB is to assist Wiener Linien in the development of the Wien U-Bahn network, including the modernisation of line U2 and construction of the driverless line U5.The agreement signed on September 29 is valid for three years with the possibility of being extended.TMB said Wiener Linien ...
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NewsHigh power density connection for rolling stock applications
CONNECTOR: The Han 34 HPR EasyCon connector from Harting is designed for high-current transmission with a high power density for use on rail vehicles. The housings and retaining frames can accommodate four 650 A contacts in a single interface, more than doubling the current-carrying capacity compared to the next HPR ...
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NewsPraha tramway expansion plans approved
CZECH REPUBLIC: Praha city council has approved ambitious plans to expand the capital’s tram network with up to 30 new lines or extensions. The aim is to reduce dependency on cars and fossil fuel buses. The programme approved on September 5 is to be implemented in three stages. The first ...
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NewsDB Netz reopens main line through Rastatt
GERMANY: Following a hiatus of around seven weeks, trains began running through the town of Rastatt on the Rhein Valley main line between Karlsruhe and Basel at 01.00 on October 2.The busy freight and passenger artery had been blocked since August 12, when a tunnel beneath the alignment collapsed. The ...
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NewsLithuanian Railways fined €28m for closing line to obstruct competition
LITHUANIA: The European Commission had fined national railway Lietuvos Geležinkeliai €27·9m for hindering competition in the rail freight market by dismantling a cross-border line connecting Lithuania and Latvia. ‘LG used its control over the national rail infrastructure to penalise competitors’, said Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner in charge of competition policy, ...
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NewsPiyush Goyal
INDIA: Piyush Goyal has been named Minister of Railways and Minister of Coal, replacing Suresh Prabhu who relinquished the rail portfolio after a recent series of accidents and becomes Minister of Commerce & Industry.
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NewsRio Tinto operates first fully-autonomous test train
AUSTRALIA: Rio Tinto has successfully operated its first fully-autonomous freight train on its iron ore network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, the company announced on October 2. The 100 km pilot run from Wombat Junction to Paraburdoo was completed without a driver on board. Throughout the trip, the ...
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NewsŽOS Vrútky stake bought by freight operator
SLOVAKIA: Budamar Logistics acquired a 33% stake in rolling stock manufacturer ŽOS Vrútky on September 20, with the aim of securing a stable partner for the maintenance and repair of its wagon fleet. The remaining 67 % is still held by former politician Víťazoslav Móric. Most of ŽOS Vrútky’s business ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Rail Cargo Group plans to operate a trial Germany – Iran freight service this autumn, with a view to launching a weekly service in 2018. DB Cargo Czechia ran its first train on the SŽDC network using its own certification on September 10. The train carrying oilseed rape from Băile ...
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NewsTrenitalia orders wheelchair lifts
ITALY: Rolling stock components supplier Nabtesco Oclap has awarded the Caroil System subsidiary of Mobility Networks Group a contract to supply approximately 300 automatic and manual wheelchair lifts for use by national train operator Trenitalia. Caroil has also announced that it is seeking synergies through ‘aligning its core manufacturing processes’ ...
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NewsRhätische Bahn commissions Trapeze communications system
SWITZERLAND: Trapeze has supplied Rhätische Bahn with a PA-R-I-Ty communication system to provide IP-based voice and data radio links across the metre gauge operator’s network. RhB’s services are managed from 13 workstations at a control centre in Landquart and three workstations at a remote facility in Klosters. PA-R-I-Ty provides 10 ...