Main line rail industry news – Page 493
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NewsTramino XL enters service in Leipzig
GERMANY: The first Tramino XL tram entered service on Route 4 in Leipzig on July 13. Operator Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe will start seeking suggestions from the public for names for the new fleet in the autumn. In February 2015 LVB selected Solaris to supply five trams for €7·7m, with options ...
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NewsSheffield, Swansea and Windermere electrification cancelled
UK: The government confirmed on July 19 that it had cancelled the planned 25 kV 50 Hz electrification of the Midland Main Line between Kettering, Nottingham and Sheffield, the Cardiff – Swansea route and the Oxenholme – Windermere branch. ‘Rapid delivery of passenger benefits, minimising disruption and engineering work should ...
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NewsDubai Expo train mock-up revealed
UAE: Alstom has presented a full-size mock-up of a Metropolis metro car for the Route 2020 metro project to a delegation from Dubai Roads & Transport Authority during its visit to France. Alstom is supplying 50 five-car trainsets for the Route 2020 project under a contract awarded ...
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NewsInland Rail consultation starts
AUSTRALIA: Another milestone for the long-planned Inland Rail corridor was reached on July 19, when the New South Wales state government released the Environmental Impact Statement for the Parkes – Narromine upgrading project in New South Wales. Project promoter ARTC says public consultation on the EIS will run until August ...
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NewsCAF invests in Italian wheelset and wagon businesses
ITALY: Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF announced on July 19 that its CAF MiiRA wheelset, axles, gearbox and couplers business had acquired wheelset and wagon maintenance company Rifer, which has more than 60 employees and a turnover close to €10m. CAF Group said the acquisition would supports its growth and ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
The Department for Transport has extended Govia’s current London Midland franchise from October 15 to December 10 under the existing terms. DfT has an option for a further extension to February 4 which it can exercise by August 18. The Govia joint venture of Go-Ahead and Keolis and the West ...
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NewsAlpenglow Rail acquires its first short line
CANADA: Alpenglow Rail announced the acquisition of its first rail business on July 12. VIP Rail is based at Sarnia in Ontario’s Chemical Valley region, and provides shunting, transloading, warehousing, road haulage and wagon storage, cleaning and repair services. Denver-based Alpenglow Rail was founded by former OmniTRAX executives Rich Montgomery, ...
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NewsRegiobahn to operated expanded S28 route
GERMANY: Rhein-Ruhr transport authority VRR is to award incumbent Regiobahn a contract to operate the expanded S-Bahn service S28 for 15 years from December 2021. Regiobahn was founded in 1992 and is owned by a group of local authorities on the Kaarster See – Neuss – Düsseldorf – Erkrath Nord ...
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NewsStadler awarded Syntus EMU maintenance contract
NETHERLANDS: On July 18 Syntus formally awarded Stadler Service Nederland a 15-year contract to undertake all aspects of maintenance for 16 Flirt electric multiple-units which are currently being tested ahead of entry into service between Zwolle, Kampen and Enschede from December 2017. The nine three-car and seven four-car 1·5 kV ...
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NewsBEG to award transitional Augsburg contract
GERMANY: Bayern railway authority BEG has announced its intention to award incumbent Transdev subsidiary Bayerische Regiobahn a contract to continue operating Dieselnetz Augsburg II passenger services from the end of the current contract in December 2019 until December 2021. The contract covers the operation of 3 million train-km/year using Alstom ...
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NewsBi-mode trains in prospect as HS2 northern routes confirmed
UK: Transport Secretary Chris Grayling issued a Command Paper on July 17 confirming the planned routes for the northern sections of High Speed 2, which would link London and Birmingham with Leeds and Manchester, including connections to the existing East Coast and West Coast main lines.The ‘majority’ of the route ...
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NewsHigh speed infrastructure manager issues €600m dark green bond
SPAIN: High speed rail infrastructure manager ADIF Alta Velocidad has issued a €600m ‘green bond’ via a syndicate of banks BBVA, BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole and Santander. The bond has a six-year term at a 0·8% rate of interest. Green bonds must be used to finance or refinance environmentally ...
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NewsKyiv orders more Pesa Fokstrot trams
UKRAINE: Kyiv tram operator Kyivpastrans announced on July 17 that it had selected Pesa to supply 40 low-floor trams for 1·8bn hryvnia. The previous tender was cancelled, as there was only one bidder. The second tender attracted bids from Pesa and Elektrontrans. Pesa will supply its 26 m ...
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NewsAbellio takes full ownership of WestfalenBahn as market gets more competitive
GERMANY: The Abellio GmbH German subsidiary of Dutch state passenger train operator NS has reached an agreement to acquire the stakes in Westfalenbahn which are currently held by municipal partners moBiel, Mindener Kreisbahnen and Verkehrsbetriebe Extertal. The transaction announced on July 18 is subject to regulatory approval, and terms were ...
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NewsOptimising rolling stock HVAC energy use
EUROPE: Climate chamber operator Rail Tec Arsenal and Dutch engineering consultancy ADSE are to co-operate to accurately determine the yearly energy consumption of rolling stock heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment. RTA will measure HVAC energy usage under different climatic conditions, to produce data which could be combined with meteorological ...
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NewsHS1 concession sold on
UK: A consortium including South Korea’s National Pension Service has agreed a £3bn deal to purchase the 30-year concession to manage High Speed 1 from the two Canadian pension funds which have managed the line since November 2010. The concession covers the operation and maintenance of the 109 km rail ...
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NewsBrookfield Rail becomes Arc Infrastructure
AUSTRALIA: Western Australia’s infrastructure management concessionaire Brookfield Rail announced on July 17 that the company was changing its name to Arc Infrastructure. CEO Paul Larsen said the move was ‘an exciting time for our business. While we remain a Brookfield company, we’re looking forward to creating our own unique identity’. ...
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NewsKazan orders seven Uraltransmash trams
RUSSIA: Trading company Fobos-TS signed a 111·3m rouble contract on July 7 to supply seven Uraltransmash 71-407 trams to Kazan transport agency Metroelektrotrans. The price includes worth 8m roubles per tram from the government’s programme of federal funding aimed at encouraging tram purchases. The first two trams are ...
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NewsNovocherkassk orders five trams
RUSSIA: Sole bidder Elektrotransport has been selected to supply five trams to Novocherkassk. The model has not yet been announced, but the tender specifications suggest Uraltransmash’s 71-407, despite the trading company having previously worked with UKVZ. The tender specifies 16 m long trams with at least 39% low-floor and ...
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NewsComplete Klang Valley SBK Line opens
MALAYSIA: The second phase of Klang Valley MRT Line 1, also known as the SBK Line, was inaugurated at 16.00 on July 17. A free shuttle service runs between Kajang and National Museum, before the start of full running from Kajang to Sungai Buloh from 06.00 on July 18. ...