Main line rail industry news – Page 538
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market December 2016
Belarus: Tines and Unibep have signed an MoU with the city of Vitebsk for the modernisation of 20 km of tram tracks in 2017-20. Belgium: Infrabel has completed a €21m project to deploy a Traffic Management System supplied by CSC, brought into use overnight on November 11. Identical to ...
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NewsAlstom slab track approved for testing
GERMANY: Federal railway authority EBA has approved Alstom’s NBT concrete slab track for operational testing. To obtain the German approval, Alstom worked with notified body TÜV Rheinland InterTraffic and Technische Universität München’s Department of Civil, Geo & Environmental Engineering. Alstom co-developed NBT for use on mixed-traffic main line railways with ...
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NewsNetwork Rail plans Bolton station expansion
UK: As part of the electrification and modernisation of the Manchester – Preston corridor, a fifth platform is to be opened at Bolton next year, Network Rail has announced.A series of enhancements to Bolton station are being taken forward by NR and the local council, which is co-ordinating construction of ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
InterRail of Switzerland is expected to launch a service carrying containers by rail between China and the UK in January, aiming to compete with air freight for higher-value consignments such as automotive parts and electronic goods. DB Cargo UK would provide haulage from Calais to Barking, according to CEO Hans-Georg ...
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NewsShiki-Shima luxury cruise train on test
JAPAN: East Japan Railway is testing a luxury cruise train ahead of its planned launch on May 1. Known as the Train Suite Shiki-Shima (Island of Four Seasons), and bearing the designation Series E001, the 10-car set has an observation car at each end offering passengers unobstructed panoramic views. Three ...
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NewsEMUs enter service in Kazakhstan
KAZAKHSTAN: Four Type EP3D electric multiple-units supplied by Transmashholding’s Demikhovsky Engineering Plant entered service with national railway KTZ this month. They are being used on the 240 km route from Astana south to Karaganda and the 300 km route north from Astana to Kokshetau. The order for the EMUs placed ...
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NewsHokuriku extension route agreed
JAPAN: Plans to extend the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka via Obama and Kyoto were agreed by the coalition government on December 20. A 125 km section extending the line from its present terminus at Kanazawa to Tsuruga is currently under construction, with completion expected in 2022-23. The government’s decision will ...
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NewsPKP PLK signs €175m Rail Baltica upgrading loan
POLAND: The European Investment Bank has agreed a €175m loan to infrastructure manager PKP PLK to fund modernisation of the 106 km Sadowne – Czyżew – Bialystok route, which will connect to the standard gauge line through the Baltic States which is being developed under the Rail Baltica project. ‘This ...
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NewsAlpha Trains completes €605m refinancing
EUROPE: Leasing company Alpha Trains has completed the integration of 63 of its electric multiple-units into its ring-fenced senior secured financing platform, along with a refinancing of existing bank facilities and the addition of a further capex facility. The Stadler and Bombardier EMUs have been operating since the end of ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
The Solaris Tram joint venture announced by Stadler and Solaris at InnoTrans 2016 is to be formally established with effect from January 1, initially targeting customers in Poland and Germany. The partners plan that each will hold 40% of the joint venture, with remaining 20% to be offered to outside ...
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NewsPorterbrook and Northern to develop electro-diesel MU
UK: Faced with an ongoing shortage of diesel multiple-units and delays to Network Rail’s electrification programme, rolling stock company Porterbrook Leasing and Northern franchise operator Arriva announced on December 22 that they are to develop an electro-diesel multiple unit by converting former Thameslink dual-system Class 319 EMUs. Northern has already ...
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NewsWabtec purchases Workhorse Rail
USA: Wabtec Corp has acquired Workhorse Rail, which supplies wagon components including couplers and related parts, mainly for the North American aftermarket, with annual sales of $35m. ‘Workhorse Rail brings an excellent reputation, strong engineering capabilities and new products to our portfolio’, said Wabtec President & CEO Raymond T Betler ...
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NewsSMBC Rail to buy American Railcar Leasing
USA: Wagon leasing company SMBC Rail Services announced on December 19 that it had reached agreement to acquire the American Railcar Leasing business currently owned by investment group Icahn Enterprises. The transaction is expected to complete in the first half of 2017. SMBC Rail will pay $2·78bn in cash for ...
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NewsIndian suburban rail development guidelines published
INDIA: In response to an increasing number of requests from state governments interested in the introduction of new suburban rail services, the Ministry of Railways has published draft policy guidelines which states can be use when developing proposals. The strategy envisages that proposals would be led by state ...
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NewsSNCF Réseau approves €46bn spending plan
FRANCE: Meeting on December 20, the board of infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau formally approved the first multi-year performance contract with the national government, as required under railway reform legislation enacted in 2014. Welcoming the government’s long-term commitment to the rail network as a ‘very important step’, SNCF Réseau said the ...
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NewsFirst international ETCS Level 1 in service
EUROPE: ETCS Level 1 signalling was commissioned over the 5 km between Aubange in Belgium and Rodange in Luxembourg on December 11. According to Belgian infrastructure manager Infrabel, this is the first conventional cross-border route in Europe to be equipped with ETCS. With physical work on the Belgian side requiring ...
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NewsVossloh Electrical Systems sold to Knorr-Bremse
GERMANY: On December 21 Vossloh signed a contract for the sale of its Electrical Systems business unit to Knorr-Bremse. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017, subject to regulatory approval, and would be backdated to July 1 2016. The deal is worth €72·5m in cash, ...
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NewsCAF to supply new fleet for Schönbuchbahn modernisation
GERMANY: Transport authority Zweckverband Schönbuchbahn has selected CAF for a €51·3m contract to supply nine three-car light rail vehicles of a new design for use on the Schönbuchbahn. The 17 km locally-owned railway southwest of Stuttgart is to be upgraded and electrified to accommodate growing ridership. Announcing the agreement on ...
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NewsKiwiRail to end electric freight haulage
NEW ZEALAND: Following two years of studies, national railway KiwiRail announced on December 21 that it had decided to cease electric haulage of freight trains on the North Island Main Trunk line in favour of using diesel locomotives. Electric traction will be phased out over the next two years, but ...
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News
Alstom to buy Nomad Digital
UK: Alstom announced on December 21 that it had signed an agreement to buy onboard connectivity technology company Nomad Digital for an undisclosed price. Alstom said Nomad would bring ‘complementary leading-edge products’ and a strong global footprint with 80 major customers in more than 40 countries, which would accelerate its ...