Main line rail industry news – Page 530
-
NewsTenders called for up to 213 trams in Warszawa
POLAND: Tramwaje Warszawskie called tenders on February 3 for up to 213 trams with an estimated value of 2·3bn złoty including VAT. The base order includes 85 bidirectional and 18 unidirectional trams 33 m long, as well as 20 unidirectional trams 24 m long. Deliveries are due to take ...
-
NewsPierre Izard
Pierre Izard, Executive Vice-President for Systems & Technologies at SNCF, has been named Chairman of Systra, succeeding RATP President Elisabeth Borne who has become Vice-Chairman. The regular rotation of the chairmanship between Systra shareholders SNCF and RATP has been established since 2010.
-
NewsParis orders battery-overhead electric locomotives
FRANCE: Paris transport operator RATP has awarded CAF a €65m framework contract to design and manufacture 12 battery-overhead electric locomotives for shunting and hauling maintenance trains on the RER network, with an option for up to six more. The 1 000 kW locomotives are to be delivered from CAF’s Bagnères ...
-
NewsHyundai Rotem awarded Cairo metro Line 3 train contract
EGYPT: Hyundai Rotem announced on February 6 that it had been awarded a 433bn won contract to supply 256 cars for Cairo metro Line 3 and maintain them for eight years. Deliveries are scheduled for 2018-20. Extensions to the initial phase of Line 3 will take the ...
-
NewsKansas City Southern sees uncertainty
USA: ‘Looking ahead to 2017, the company is aware of both economic and political uncertainty’, said Kansas City Southern President & CEO Patrick J Ottensmeyer when presenting the railway’s annual results on January 20. ‘However, we continue to emphasise our commitment to growth and we are well positioned to take ...
-
NewsAlstom to refurbish Paris RER Line B trains
FRANCE: Paris public transport authority RATP has selected Alstom to renovate up to 41 MI84 four-car electric multiple-units in service on Line B of the Paris RER network. The €75m contract is expected to be approved by Ile-de-France transport authority STIF on March 22. The base order covers 31 ...
-
NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
South Africa’s Transnet is to use GE’s Predix platform to obtain real-time information on the status of shipments and migrate processes such as payment, customs and inspection from paper to digital formats. Predix ‘will be key in optimising freight efficiency and bringing products to market faster and for less cost ...
-
NewsCP reports record low operating ratio in ‘challenging conditions‘
CANADA: Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd has announced its lowest-ever Q4 operating ratio of 56·2 and a record low full-year OR of 58·6 for 2016, saying focused cost control helped to offset softer than expected traffic volumes. ‘While the fourth quarter was weighed down by challenging operating conditions, including unexpected and ...
-
NewsEurostar lounge seeks 'the spirit of a Parisian apartment'
FRANCE: Eurostar opened its relocated Business Premier lounge at Paris-Nord on February 4. Accessed after passengers pass through an expanded security and passport control area, the lounge is intended to offer a ‘stylish, comfortable environment for both working and relaxing’. The facility on the top floor of the original 19th ...
-
NewsKeith Creel
CANADA: Keith Creel took over as President & CEO of Canadian Pacific on January 31, succeeding E Hunter Harrison who decided to step down immediately.
-
NewsTanzania signs new line contract
TANZANIA: The government signed contracts with Turkish firm Yapı Merkezi and Portugal’s Mota-Engil on February 3 for the construction of a new 1 435 mm gauge railway between Dar es Salaam and Morogoro. To be built under a turnkey contract, the 207 km single-track line is being designed for operation ...
-
NewsRER catenary renewal contract awarded
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau announced on February 3 that it had awarded its first design-build contract for catenary renewal. Under a €277m deal signed the previous day, the RC2 consortium of TSO Caténaires, Setec Ferroviare and Vinci subsidiaries ETF and Mobility is to replace the 1·5 kV DC overhead ...
-
NewsAirport metro line starts trial running in Taipei
TAIWAN: Trial running on the Taoyuan International Airport Line in Taipei began on February 2, offering free rides between Taipei Main Station and Huanbei. Six stations are currently open, with more due to open on February 15, before revenue service begins on the entire line on March 2. Revenue ...
-
NewsEngines ordered for Civity UK DMUs
UK: Rolls-Royce’s MTU business is to supply 140 Series 1800 PowerPacks for use on the 55 Civity UK diesel multiple-units which Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF is building for use on Arriva’s Northern franchise. Announcing the order on February 3, Rolls-Royce said the 390 kW PowerPacks would have 6H 1800 ...
-
NewsReforms aim to ‘blow the dust off’ UK rail ticketing system
UK: A complete overhaul of the structure of Great Britain’s fares system is being planned by the Rail Delivery Group, with the aim of reflecting changes in the way passengers now travel and enabling bidders for future franchises to put forward more innovative ideas for ticketing. ...
-
NewsKenya – Uganda construction timescale agreed
AFRICA: Meeting in Nairobi on February 2, ministers from Kenya and Uganda agreed a ‘synchronised’ timescale for construction of the 1 435 mm gauge railway planned to link the two countries. Signed by Uganda’s Finance Minister Matla Kasila, Kenya’s Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich and Transport & Urban Development Secretary James ...
-
NewsMore Citadis trams ordered for Strasbourg
FRANCE: Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeois has exercised an option to order 10 more Alstom Citadis trams for €28m. This will bring the number of Citadis trams operated by CTS to 63, with the first order placed in 2003. The option announced on February 3 forms part of a framework ...
-
NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Bombardier Transportation has signed a four-year long-term service agreement with Hoppecke Industrial Batteries, which has supplied onboard batteries for about half of Bombardier's rolling stock. 'The agreement is all about working together to form positive synergies and improvements for both businesses', said Richard Jackson, Senior Buyer, Strategic Procurement at Bombardier's ...
-
NewsCSX sees 21% drop in coal traffic
USA: The US rail industry continued to face headwinds from low global commodity prices and the strength of the dollar in 2016, CSX said when presenting its annual results on January 17. CSX generated revenue of $11·1bn last year, down from $11·8bn in 2015, with operating income of $3·4bn compared ...
-
NewsVivarail releases report into D-Train fire
UK: On February 2 Vivarail released a report into a fire on its prototype Class 230 D-Train diesel multiple-unit which occurred during a non-passenger carrying test run at Kenilworth on December 30. Intended to offer a low-cost alternative to new vehicles for use on non-electrified lines, the D-Train comprises former ...