Main line rail industry news – Page 785
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NewsGaziantep tram Line 3 contract announced
TURKEY: Gaziantep council has awarded Spanish construction company Comsa EMTE a €20m contract to build Line 3 of the city's developing Gaziray tram network. The contract covers infrastructure, track, signalling and electrification including three substations for the 6·5 km double track route, which will have eight stops. Announcing ...
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NewsNew tram presented in Plauen
GERMANY: The first new tram for Plauen in 37 years has been displayed to the public at an open day. The initial two Bombardier Flexity Classic vehicles were delivered to the city in August, and another four will follow in mid-2014. The 21 m long, 2 300 mm ...
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NewsTiranë tram plans
ALBANIA: Provision for the construction of the first of two proposed tram lines is to be made during the construction of the Tiranë Public Transport Terminal, a rail, bus, minibus and taxi interchange to be developed in the northwest of the capital. TPTT is to replace the current city centre ...
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NewsDB International awarded Haramain High Speed Rail contract
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Railways Organization has formally awarded Deutsche Bahn's consultancy business DB International a 'mid double-digit million euro' contract to support the construction of the 444 km Haramain High Speed Rail project. The scope of the work includes reviewing conceptual, preliminary and detailed designs for the railway systems, including ...
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NewsXi’an metro Line 1 opens
CHINA: Line 1 of the Xi’an metro opened for trial operation on September 16 after almost five years of construction. The 25·4 km east–west line links Fangzhicheng in the east with Houweizhai in the west via Tonghuamen, Chaoyangmen, Wulukou, Beidajie and Hancheng Road. There are 19 stations ...
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NewsGold Coast tram delivered
AUSTRALIA: The first tram for the Gold Coast was presented to project stakeholders by Bombardier Transportation on September 20. The event was also used to launch the branding for the route. The first two Flexity 2 trams arrived in Brisbane from Bombardier’s Bautzen factory in Germany on September 10 ...
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NewsFoundation stone laid for Indian EMU factory
INDIA: Politicians and members of the Railway Board attended a ceremony on September 22 to lay the foundation stone for the Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit Coach Factory which is being developed at Bhilwara in Rajasthan. Construction of the Rs8bn plant was approved in the railway budget for 2013-14. BHEL is ...
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market September 2013
Algeria: Siemens has won a €20m contract to supply Trainguard MT communications-based train control for the extension of Alger metro Line 1. Austria: ÖBB Infrastruktur has awarded Powerlines an €8·3m contract to undertake electrification works for the Wien Hauptbahnhof project. Belgium: Infrabel has awarded ETF Luxembourg and Cegelec ...
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NewsFeature articles in the September 2013 issue of Metro Report International
Articles in the September 2013 issue of Metro Report International. Comment Chua Chong Kheng of Land Transport Authority talks about lessons that Singapore can teach the world of public transport ahead of the LTA-UITP SITCE event News Review Round-up of world metro, light rail and tram news. Hong Kong A ...
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NewsETR610 Pendolinos under construction
EUROPE: A workshop dedicated to the assembly of ETR610 tilting trains for Swiss Federal Railways was inaugurated at Alstom's Savigliano plant in Italy on September 20. SBB ordered the eight Pendolino trains in July 2012, as a SFr275m option on a contract for 14 trainsets which had been placed by ...
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NewsRFF presents €15bn modernisation plan
FRANCE: Investment totalling €15bn over six years would be concentrated on the conventional network to improve reliability, capacity and safety under a plan which infrastructure manager RFF has submitted to Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier. The minister requested the plan following a third audit undertaken by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de ...
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NewsChuo maglev route announced
JAPAN: Central Japan Railway Co has revealed details of the alignment of the planned maglev line from Tokyo to Nagoya. Announcing the route on September 18, the company said that it aimed to start construction work on the ¥5·4tr project next year, subject to government approval. Releasing information about station ...
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NewsEIB loan backs Polish line speed improvements
POLAND: The European Investment Bank has approved a €235m loan to infrastructure manager PKP PLK to support a €541m upgrade of 92·5 km of the 107 km Warszawa - Radom route. This will increase line speeds from 80 km/h at present to 160 km/h for passenger trains and 120 km/h ...
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NewsOil taxes to fund Danish rail investment
DENMARK: The government and two opposition parties have reached an agreement to raise taxes on North Sea hydrocarbon extraction and invest the additional revenue in upgrading the rail network. The deal finalised on September 17 is expected to raise DKr28·5bn for the state, which would allocate the money to the ...
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NewsMore lorries to move by rail
FRANCE: On September 18 Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier announced the creation of two new ‘rail motorway’ services to carry lorry trailers. In his presence, SNCF Geodis Managing Director Alain Picard and Lohr SA President Robert Lohr signed a contract worth €39m for the supply of 102 Modalohr swing-tray wagons that ...
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NewsThe Andersons completes Mile Rail acquisition
USA: The Andersons Inc has purchased wagon cleaning and repair company Mile Rail. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, Mile Rail also has facilities in Nebraska and Indiana as well as mobile units in the central Midwest. 'The addition of Mile Rail complements our existing railcar repair network and ...
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NewsSaudi Landbridge project management consultancy contract awarded
SAUDI ARABIA: The Public Investment Fund has appointed Parsons Brinckerhoff and Fluor Corp to provide project management consultancy services for the design and construction of the 950 km Landbridge railway planned to link Jeddah with Riyadh. At Riyadh the line would connect with the existing 450 km line to Dammam ...
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NewsEurostar wi-fi contract awarded
EUROPE: Siemens has awarded Nomad Digital a contract to supply wi-fi equipment for the fleet of 10 Velaro e320 trainsets under construction for cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar. Announcing the contract on September 18, Nomad Digital said it won the order after demonstrating its ability to provide passengers with ...
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NewsIDB funds Roca electrification
ARGENTINA: Under a US$1⋅2bn conditional credit line being provided over 10 years to the improve commuter services in Buenos Aires, the Inter-American Development bank has approved an initial loan of $300m to the federal government towards a $500m project to upgrade and electrify the 52⋅6 km route on the Roca ...
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Network Rail submits Manchester chord plans
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail submitted its application for legal powers to build a short chord in Manchester to provide additional capacity for cross-city services on September 17. Straddling the border between Manchester itself and the neighbouring city of Salford, the 1·5 km south-to-east Ordsall Chord is intended to allow ...