All Railway Gazette International articles in March 2020 – Page 3
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Rail Business UKSoutheastern given direct award management contract
UK: The Department for Transport has announced a direct award contract for incumbent Govia to continue operating the South Eastern franchise, which covers commuter and regional passenger services between London, Kent and East Sussex. The contract announced on March 30 runs from April 1 2020 to ...
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Rail Business UKFirstGroup says new Great Western contract has ‘appropriate balance’ of risk and reward
UK: The Department for Transport has directly awarded incumbent FirstGroup a new three-year contract to continue to operate Great Western services from the expiry of the current direct award on April 1 2020 until March 31 2023, with a possible extension of up to one year at ...
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Metro Report InternationalParis metro simulators updated
FRANCE: Corys has completed the renovation of Paris operator RATP’s metro train driving simulators. RATP has a total of 23 compact simulators and one full-scope simulator. New PCs have been deployed, computer generated images switched to Matrix technology, and the functionality of the Octys system and scenario ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Dutch rail freight industry body RailGood has called on the government and infrastructure managers to ensure round-the-clock operation of at least one rail corridor to and from all seaports, multimodal hubs and industrial complexes during the coronavirus crisis. It also called for a temporary suspension of charges ...
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Rail Business UKHull Trains suspends services ‘to protect long-term future of business’
UK: Open access operator Hull Trains announced on March 29 that was temporarily suspending services with effect from midnight, in a move which it said aimed to ‘safeguard the future of the business’ in the ‘unprecedented circumstances’ of the coronavirus pandemic. Arrangements have been made for tickets ...
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NewsTurnout monitoring pilot project
FINLAND: A pilot project to use real-time data to provide warnings of potential turnout failure is being undertaken by the national railway’s VR FleetCare subsidiary and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, Väylävirasto. Equipment from internet of things specialist Vire Labs is being used to monitor 80 turnouts ...
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NewsInternational Transport Workers’ Federation calls for action to protect staff from Covid-19
Source: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases INTERNATIONAL: The International Transport Workers’ Federation of almost 700 trade unions representing nearly 20 million people in 150 countries has issued a list of five areas where it believes governments and employers must take action to protect employees during ...
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Metro Report InternationalMoscow Metro disinfects tunnels
RUSSIA: Moscow Metro has been using modified infrastructure inspection vehicles to spray all its tunnels with liquid disinfectant. The disinfecting programme aims to tackle the coronavirus. As well as all tunnels used by revenue services, the scope includes tunnels which are used for ...
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NewsÖresundståg ETCS contract awarded
EUROPE: Alstom has been awarded a €35m contract to supply and install Atlas ETCS onboard equipment for the X31 Contessa electric multiple-units used on Öresundståg services in eastern Denmark and southern Sweden. Alstom is to supply an integrated system enabling the EMUs to use legacy ATC-2 in ...
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NewsSanctioned European goods transit Russia to reach China by rail
INTERNATIONAL: EU goods which are subject to Russian sanctions can now be transported from Europe to China by rail using electronic seals during transit through Russia. A test shipment of frozen salmon travelled from the Netherlands to Duisburg, where it left for Xi’an ...
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NewsMKB orders Vectron Dual Mode locomotives
GERMANY: Mindener Kreisbahnen has ordered two Vectron Dual Mode electro-diesel locomotives from Siemens Mobility. These will be able to operate from the 15 kV 16·7 Hz overhead electrification or by using a 2 400 kW diesel engine on non-electrified routes. The locos are scheduled to be delivered ...
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NewsRENFE ticket offices go cashless
SPAIN: National operator RENFE stopped accepting cash payments for tickets at booking offices with effect from March 27, citing hygiene reasons. The measure will last as long as the duration of coronavirus lockdown, now prolonged at least until mid-April. Credit and debit cards are now the only ...
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Rail Business UKUK rolling stock manufacturers suspend production
UK: Bombardier Transportation, CAF and Hitachi Rail have temporarily put the production of rolling stock at their UK plants on hold as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. ‘In the current unprecedented circumstances, we want to protect our people from Covid-19, support the government’s efforts to delay ...
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NewsPolish operator tests titanium dioxide disinfectant
POLAND: Koleje Śląskie is testing the use of TitanSolid, a titanium dioxide based product used in hospitals and food production plants to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms. The substance integrates with the surface it is applied to, creating an active coating that uses photocatalysis to destroy bacteria, fungi and ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Stucki Roller Bearing has opened a plant in Lincoln, Nebraska, to meet growing demand for reconditioned bearings for locomotive, wagon and passenger transport applications. SRB’s second facility has nearly 40% more space than its primary location in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. ‘In addition to adding space to support our ...
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Metro Report InternationalRegion-wide Fairtiq app roll-out adds weekly capping
GERMANY: Check-in/check-out ticketing using the Fairtiq app is now available across trains, trams and buses in the Verkehrsverbund Mittelthüringen region covering Erfurt, Weimar, Jena, Gera and Gotha. This is the first time that Fairtiq has been rolled across an entire German fares area, and the deployment adds ...
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Rail Business UK3Squared moves to larger office
UK: Rail software company 3Squared has moved into a larger 9 000 m2 office within the same Fountain Precinct building in central Sheffield. The company currently has 52 staff, and the larger office renovated at a cost of £250 000 will enable it to almost double its ...
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Rail Business UKInfrarail rescheduled to take place alongside Railtex 2021
UK: The Infrarail 2020 railway infrastructure trade fair has been rescheduled because of the coronavirus outbreak. It will now be co-located with the Railtex 2021 exhibition of railway equipment and services, which is due to be held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on May 11-13 ...
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NewsSNCF deploys hospital TGV
FRANCE: SNCF has started transporting Covid-19 patients using a TGV Duplex trainset that has been has adapted as a mobile hospital unit. It is being used to evacuate recuperating patients from hot spot areas where the hospitals are saturated to regions which have spare capacity in their ...