All Railway Gazette International articles in March 2015 – Page 2
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NewsTranstech to supply more double-deckers
FINLAND: National operator VR has selected Transtech Oy as preferred bidder for a €90m contract to supply 27 double-deck coaches in 2016-17. The order covers a further 10 Edm double-deck sleeping cars and 17 Edo driving cars, similar to vehicles that the Finnish rolling stock manufacturer has previously supplied to ...
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NewsDomestic DMUs for Belgrano Norte
ARGENTINA: On March 25 Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo unveiled the first of 20 Alerce diesel multiple-units that are to be deployed on the 1 000 mm gauge Belgrano Norte commuter route between Buenos Aires and Villa Rosa. According to Randazzo, 90% of the components for the ...
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NewsGenesee & Wyoming completes Freightliner acquisition
INTERNATIONAL: Genesee & Wyoming Inc announced on March 25 that it had completed the acquisition of 94% of Freightliner Group Ltd for £492m, plus the assumption of £19m of net debt and capitalised leases. Freightliner’s management team has retained a 6% interest which G&W expects to acquire by mid-2020. In ...
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NewsSRO signs freight line upgrade contract
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Railways Organization has awarded China Railway Construction Corp a 160m riyal contract to undertake the 91 km second phase of upgrading the Dammam – Riyadh freight line. The specifications for the 23 month project to increase capacity includes raising the maximum axleload to 32·5 tonnes. Last year ...
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NewsMeinerzhagen - Brügge reopening agreed
GERMANY: The WestfalenLippe transport authority has signed an agreement for DB Regio NRW to reinstate passenger services on the 15 km Meinerzhagen – Brügge line from the December 2017 timetable change. The agreement runs until 2033 and covers the operation of an additional 250 000 train-km/year. DB Regio plans ...
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NewsCentral California Traction locomotives completed
USA: Brookville Equipment Corp has built two BL12CG (Brookville Locomotive 1 200 hp CoGeneration General Purpose) twin-engine genset diesel locomotives for Central California Traction Co. CCT operates two lines in California: the 24 km Central Valley Branch between Stockton and Lodi, and the 90 km Stockton Public Belt Railroad ...
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NewsFirst Roy Hill locomotives arrive in the Pilbara
AUSTRALIA: The first of 21 GE Evolution Series locomotives ordered for the Roy Hill Iron Ore Project was named ‘Ginny’ by Roy Hill Holdings Chair Gina Rinehart in a ceremony at Port Hedland on March 23. GE and its local partner UGL Ltd have delivered 14 of the 21 locomotives ...
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NewsMTR Corp selects CEO
MTR Corp has announced the appointment of Lincoln Leong as CEO for a three-year term. Having joined the company as Finance Director in 2002, Leong moved up through the ranks and has been serving as Acting CEO since Jay Walder’s departure last July.
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NewsTrain leasing agency approved
GERMANY: In an effort to encourage competition for passenger operating contracts, on March 12 Baden-Württemberg’s parliament passed a law creating an agency which will procure rolling stock for lease to train operators. Land Transport Minister Winfried Hermann said that independent operators bidding to run local services are offered less favourable ...
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NewsLondon Underground modernisation budget and timescale revised
UK: Transport for London confirmed a revised budget and timescale for the ongoing programme to modernise London Underground’s District, Circle Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines on March 24. LU and sole bidder Thales are now in the final stages of negotiating a major contract to resignal the four ...
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NewsDallas unveils off-wire light rail vehicle
USA: The first off-wire capable light rail vehicle ordered by Dallas Area Rapid Transit was unveiled on March 23. These will be used on the Union Station – Oak Cliff extension, which is due to open to passengers on April 13. A $9·4m contract with Brookville Equipment Corp for ...
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NewsJakarta scraps monorail in favour of light rail
INDONESIA: Work could start in the fourth quarter of this year on the first phase of a light rail network in Jakarta, the President of state-owned construction firm PT Adhi Karya, Kiswodarmawan, told the company’s annual meeting on March 20. Last year the Ministry of State Enterprises selected Adhi ...
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NewsEx-Bielefeld tram modernised in Łódź
POLAND: A modernised ex-Bielefeld type M8C tram is ready to enter service in Łódź. City transport operator MPK Łódz bought 14 ex-Bielefeld Type M8C trams from Stropex in 2013. The modernisation of the first of these was finished in November after about six months of work at MPK Łódź’s ...
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NewsEuropean Commission launches investigation into proposed 520 km/h test track
SPAIN: The European Commission is to undertake an in-depth investigation into whether proposals for public funding of a planned high speed rail test centre near Málaga would be compatible with state aid rules. The Spanish government has proposed that the planned Centro de Ensayos de Alta Tecnología Ferroviaria would ...
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NewsMike Lowenger
The Railway Association of Canada has created a new position of Chief Safety Culture Officer, appointing its Vice-President of Operations & Regulatory Affairs, Mike Lowenger, to the role.
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NewsIndian high speed rail study bids called
INDIA: The Ministry of Railways has invited bids to undertake feasibility studies for the development of high speed lines in three corridors, at an estimated cost of Rs300m. Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu made clear when announcing the railway budget and five-year action plan in February that his priority was ...
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NewsSifer 2015 draws infrastructure firms
FRANCE: No less than 22% of the exhibitors participating in the ninth Sifer trade fair taking place in Lille on March 24-26 will be first-time entrants, according to organisers Mack Brooks Exhibitions. Around 400 companies are participating in the event, which is expected to attract up to 5000 visitors. This ...
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NewsMTR launches open access inter-city service
SWEDEN: Head-to-head competition came to the 455 km Stockholm – Göteborg corridor on March 21 when open access operator MTR Express launched commercial services. Initially operating around 50 trains per week, rising to 90 from August, MTR Express is offering an end-to-end journey time of 3 h 19 min with ...
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NewsFlytoget orders CAF Oaris trainsets
NORWAY: Oslo Gardermoen airport rail link operator Flytoget has awarded CAF a €120m contract to supply eight four-car Oaris trainsets, along with spare parts and technical support. The new electric multiple-units are scheduled to enter services from early 2018, supplementing Flytoget’s current fleet of 16 Adtranz EMUs on services between ...
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NewsCSR unveils hydrogen fuel cell tram
CHINA: A prototype tram powered by hydrogen fuel cells was unveiled at the CSR Sifang factory in Qingdao on March 19. According to CSR Qingdao Sifang Chief Engineer Liang Jianying, the tram is able to run for 100 km at speeds up to 70 km/h before the cells need to ...