Main line rail industry news – Page 480
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NewsISR launches ’Akko – Karmi’el passenger services
ISRAEL: Regular passenger trains began running to the Galilean city of Karmi’el on September 20, with the start of revenue operation on ISR’s 23 km Akko – Karmi’el branch. The double-track branch diverges from the Haifa – Nahariya line between ’Akko and Kiryat Motzkin. Built by Israel Roads Ltd at ...
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NewsČD orders RegioPanter EMUs
CZECH REPUBLIC: National operator ČD has ordered nine Škoda Vagónka Class 650 RegioPanter 3 kV DC/25 kV AC electric multiple-units for delivery by December 2018. This will take ČD fleet of RegioPanter Class 440, 640 and 650 EMUs to 37. ČD intends to deploy the latest batch of EMUs ...
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NewsMinsk – Vilnius corridor electrified
EUROPE: Completion of 25 kV 50 Hz electrification of the route between Minsk and Vilnius was marked with a ceremony on September 16. Work to electrify the final 111 km had begun in September 2015. Work on the 84 km Belarusian section between Maladzyechna and the border near Kena was ...
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NewsAlstom delivers first locomotive bodyshell to India
INDIA: The first bodyshell for the fleet of 800 WAG12 twin-section electric locomotives which Alstom is to supply to Indian Railways was unloaded at Haldia in the Port of Kolkata on September 20, ready for delivery to the factory at Madhepura where the fleet will be assembled. In November 2015 ...
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NewsVirgin Trains launches Seatfrog first class upgrade auction app
UK: In what the inter-city operator claims is a ‘a world first for rail passengers’, Virgin Trains East Coast has worked with travel technology company Seatfrog to launch an iOS and Android app which enables passengers to upgrade standard class tickets to first class by placing bids in an auction ...
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NewsAluminium alloy components increase wagon capacity
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co has obtained certification for its Type 19-9549-02 grain hopper wagon, which uses a high-strength aluminium alloy roof to reduce weight by more than 1 tonne compared to equivalent steel designs while also offering corrosion resistance. This enables to the capacity of the 25 tonne axleload wagon ...
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NewsCoach order and new line agreement signed
BANGLADESH: A contract for Indonesian company PT Inka to supply Bangladesh Railways with 200 coaches was signed on September 14, and was followed two days later by the finalisation of a joint venture agreement for the construction of a new line. The 5·8bn taka coach contract is being financed by ...
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NewsIndustrial Division expands loco fleet
POLAND: Leasing company Industrial Division has signed two agreements to acquire a total of 36 locomotives, which will take its fleet to 170. Under the first deal ID is to take over 31 locomotives currently used by PHU Lokomotiv, including a Pesa Gama Marathon as well as various older electric ...
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NewsHydrogen-powered double-deck train design concepts wanted
CANADA: Greater Toronto transport agency Metrolinx has issued a request for proposals seeking design concepts showing how hydrogen fuel cells could be integrated into double-deck electric multiple-units.Metrolinx plans to commission a number of rolling stock manufacturers to prepare designs and demonstrate the impact that incorporating hydrogen fuel cells into ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Extending a partnership first launched in 2015, Swiss telematics specialist Savvy, GPS specialist ScandFibre Logistics and wagon leasing group Transwaggon have announced plans to equip a further 6 000 wagons with Savvy's CargoTrac data transmission tags, adding to the 3 000 already fitted. The partners have also extended their collaboration ...
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NewsPetrochemical exporter plans modern wagon fleet
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co’s bulk freight transport subsidiary Unicon 1520 and petrochemical exporter Avestra Group have agreed to develop the use of modern tank wagons and tank containers to transport liquefied hydrocarbon gases, methanol and other chemicals. Unicon 1520 Executive Director Victor Ivanov said it planned to ‘mobilise a broad ...
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NewsWorld rail market - September 2017
Estonia: This month passenger operator Elron will begin its transition to a ticketing system developed by Ridango which includes terminals for stations and vending machines for use on trains, and also supports online distribution. Contactless bank card payment will be accepted from the first half of 2018. India: ...
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NewsSwiss long-distance concession bids go in
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways and regional operator BLS have submitted separate bids to the Federal Transport Office to run long-distance passenger services under the concession which is due to come into effect from December. The SBB bid includes joint operations with SOB to be managed under a long-term co-operation agreement. ...
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NewsSMRT to run Thomson-East Coast Line
SINGAPORE: Land Transport Authority has selected SMRT for the initial contract to operate and maintain the Thomson-East Coast Line, the authority confirmed on September 15. Running from Woodlands in the north to Sungai Bedok in the east, the 43 km L-shaped route serving 31 stations is expected to open in ...
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NewsAustrian court halts ÖBB coach tender
AUSTRIA: Plans to replace ÖBB’s rolling stock used on daytime inter-city services to Italy and to update its overnight fleet with new trains are in doubt after Austria’s Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht) ruled that the tender process should be stopped. The state-owned operator requires new stock to replace existing EuroCity ...
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NewsKoleje Śląskie launches Pesa's Elf2 EMU
POLAND: The first of a fleet of Elf2 electric-multiple units being built for Koleje Śląskie by Pesa was officially launched in Katowice on September 13. The Elf2 is an updated version of the manufacturer’s Elf family, of which 77 sets have been built for various operators since 2010. Pesa says ...
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NewsSuburban EMU mock-up on display
RUSSIA: Transmashholding presented a full-size mock-up of its planned Class EP2TV suburban electric multiple-unit at the Expo 1520 trade fair at Shcherbinka. TMH General Director Kirill Lipa said the new EMU was designed for high traffic routes in European Russia and the Urals. It is to be produced by TMH’s ...
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NewsSheffield tram-train enters service
UK: The first of seven Class 399 Citylink vehicles being supplied for the Sheffield – Rotherham tram train project was launched into passenger service with a special run between Nunnery depot and Meadowhall on September 14. Invited guests included Transport Minister Paul Maynard and the CEO of Stadler Rail Valencia ...
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NewsHoppers and heavy loads
RUSSIA: RM Rail displayed a Type 19-1259 grain hopper and Type 13-1258 flat wagon at the Expo 1520 trade fair in Shcherbinka. The hopper has a tare weight of 24 tonnes a capacity of 76 tonnes or 127 m3, while the flat wagon is designed for the transport of various ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
CRRC is to carry out a recruitment campaign in the USA during October, holding events at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Stanford University and California State University, Bakersfield. The Chinese rolling stock group plans to recruit ‘82 overseas students and 35 overseas mature, ...