Main line rail industry news – Page 786
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NewsFollobanen technical consultancy framework agreement
NORWAY: Infrastructure manager Jernbaneverket has awarded a framework contract for technical consultancy for the Follobanen project to a Swiss/Norwegian consortium of Amberg Engineering, Multiconsult and Dr Ing A Aas-Jacobsen AS. The three-year agreement with an option for a one-year extension will enable Jernbaneverket to access specialist technical skills and expand ...
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NewsStadler takes on spare parts management for BLS
SWITZERLAND: Stadler Rail has been awarded a contract to manage spare parts for the fleet of KISS double-deck electric multiple-units which it is supplying to BLS. Stadler said this was the first time it had been asked to stock and deliver all spare parts for a customer, and the ...
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NewsNew York MTA places framework order for commuter EMUs
USA: New York MTA has placed a framework order worth $1·8bn with Kawasaki Rail Car for the supply of up to 676 multi-system commuter rail EMU cars. Designated M-9, the trains would be designed for use by MTA’s two suburban operations, Metro-North which runs north into Connecticut from New York’s ...
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NewsThree expressions of interest in Greek rail privatisation
GREECE: Three expressions of interest in the purchase of a 100% stake in national train operator Trainose were submitted by the September 16 deadline, the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund privatisation agency has announced. The companies involved were not disclosed by HRADF, but local media has named them as French ...
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NewsGovernment extends rail investment programme
MALAYSIA: Prime Minister Najib Razak has announced plans to spend a further 160bn ringgit on main line and urban railways by 2020, a three-fold increase on capital expenditure levels seen over the past 20 years. Noting that ‘we are seeing a massive expansion of the rail network in Asia’, Razak ...
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NewsRoy Hill railway construction contract
AUSTRALIA: Lead contractor Samsung C&T has awarded John Holland a A$257m subcontract covering rail infrastructure and track construction for a 342 km heavy haul railway being developed as part of the Roy Hill Iron Ore Project in Western Australia. The line will be built through remote terrain to link a ...
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NewsSerco to run Dubai's Al Sufouh tram route
UAE: Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority signed a contract with Serco on September 16 for the commissioning and operation of the emirate’s first light rail line. Valued at 105m dinar, the 75-month contract provides 15 months for preparation, including staff recruitment and training, plus five years of operations. ...
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NewsFred Maroudas
Fred Maroudas has joined UK rolling stock leasing company Eversholt Rail as Chief Financial Officer, responsible for finance, risk and IT. A former Director of Treasury at Network Rail and latterly Finance Director at Heathrow Airport, he succeeds Simon Purves.
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NewsNews in Brief
Route clearance is underway for the 137 km Shanghai - Nantong railway in China’s Yangtze River Delta region. To assist visually-impaired passengers, Indian Railways is to provide Braille signage including seat numbers on its coaches. High speed operator Thalys has reported year-on-year increases of 1·7% in turnover ...
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NewsKonkan Railway installs bio-toilets
INDIA: Konkan Railway has begun equipping its stations with 'bio-toilets' which used anaerobic biodigester technology developed by the Defence Research & Development Organisation for use in remote areas. The railway said the maintenance-free toilets can be installed in two days rather than the two months needed for standard toilets ...
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NewsLithium loco battery
BATTERY: StartPac’s Li64RR lithium ion 64 V battery for use on locomotives is a 150 kg unit based on aviation industry technology. It is designed to replace two 32 V lead acid batteries weighing 1000 kg. ‘The Li64RR is based on the newest technology, and is extremely safe, lightweight and ...
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NewsMayor unveils first Auckland EMU
NEW ZEALAND: The first of 57 three-car EMUs being built by CAF for the Auckland suburban network was unveiled by the city’s mayor Len Brown at the new Wiri depot on September 12. He was joined at the event by Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee, Auckland Transport Chairman Lester Levy and ...
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NewsCalgary orders next-generation LRVs
CANADA: Calgary Transit announced on September 11 that it had ordered 60 light rail vehicles from Siemens for its expanding CTrain network, at a total cost of C$200m. The first of the S200 series cars is expected to arrive from the company’s Sacramento plant in August 2015, with deliveries to ...
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NewsGrand Paris Express contracts awarded
FRANCE: Having approved a budget of €5·3bn in July for the first phase of its ambitious programme to develop a network of automated metro lines around the capital, Société du Grand Paris has now awarded a tranche of design and project management contracts. Forming part of a sustainable development strategy ...
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NewsMulti-faced approach is key to maximising rail capacity
INTERNATIONAL: Making best use of capacity on key corridors requires all stakeholders to work together, and address the issue from a ‘systems’ perspective, according to Stefan Wendel, Programme Director for European rail freight Corridor 1 linking Rotterdam and Genova. Speaking in the Railway Gazette TV interactive debate The Capacity Challenge ...
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NewsDRS orders 10 electro-diesel locomotives from Vossloh
UK: Freight operator Direct Rail Services has become the launch customer for Vossloh España’s dual-mode locomotive design, ordering 10 locomotives to be designated Class 88. Financed by leasing company Beacon Rail, the Class 88 fleet would be capable of electric operation from a 25 kV 50 Hz overhead supply or ...
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NewsUral Locomotives unveils twin-section AC 11201
RUSSIA: Ural Locomotives unveiled a pre-series AC 11201 electric freight locomotive at the Expo 1520 trade show in Moscow on September 12. The locomotive has been produced at the Siemens-Sinara joint venture’s plant near Yekaterinburg using traction equipment from Siemens, and it is designed for operation on AC networks throughout ...
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NewsTelent to renew NR’s traction power control network
UK: Network Rail has started a four-year programme to modernise and consolidate its electric power control network, covering traction power, signalling and telecommunications. The infrastructure manager says it is the country’s largest single consumer of electricity. NR confirmed on September 12 that it had awarded a four-year contract to Telent ...
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NewsWagon component joint venture
RUSSIA: US rolling stock component and braking equipment manufacturer Wabtec Corp signed a joint venture agreement with United Wagon Co at the Expo 1520 railway show at Shcherbinka on September 12, paving the way for the introduction of new technology in the Russian and CIS rail freight markets. Incorporated in ...
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NewsSiemens and Russian Machines unveil metro car design
RUSSIA: Siemens and local partner Russian Machines confirmed their intention to tender jointly to supply metro cars for Moscow by unveiling a mock-up of their proposed design at the Expo 1520 event being held at Shcherbinka on September 11. Moscow Metro is expected to call tenders for the supply of ...