All Railway Gazette International articles in March 2021 – Page 6
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Rail Business UKWH Davis awarded MegaBox wagon contract
UK: Beacon Rail Leasing has awarded WH Davis a contract to rebuild 46 HHA coal hopper wagons into MegaBox box wagons. Beacon Rail CEO Adam Cunliffe said the contract is ‘a significant development and represents the close co-operation and agility of both companies’. The MegaBox design ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment agrees ERMA extensions with three operators
UK: The Department for Transport has exercised its option to extend the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements with c2c, South Western Railway and TransPennine Express, as discussions continue over the ending of franchise agreements and a move to directly-awarded National Rail Contracts. FirstGroup, which operates the South ...
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Rail Business UKTrain used as Covid-19 testing centre
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway has set up three Covid-19 rapid testing centres for its staff, including one on a Class 313 electric multiple-unit which has been fitted with curtains and screens and positioned at Brighton station. GTR is offering twice-weekly rapid lateral ...
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NewsHydrogen-electric hybrid trains ordered
FRANCE: The first commercial passenger trains in France to be powered by hydrogen fuel cells are expected to enter service in 2024 on routes from Auxerre to Avallon and Corbigny in the Yonne département of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. This follows signing on March 5 of a ...
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NewsFuel cells ordered for Canadian Pacific hydrogen locomotive
CANADA: Ballard Power Systems is to supply the fuel cells for Canadian Pacific’s hydrogen locomotive programme, which aims to develop North America’s first hydrogen-powered main line freight locomotive by retrofitting fuel cells and a battery storage system to an existing diesel loco.
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Metro Report InternationalUrban transport industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector
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NewsDelivering coaches from Hungary to Egypt
EGYPT: DHL Global’s complex logistics subsidiary DHL Industrial Projects is managing the delivery of 676 coaches which are being built in Hungary for use by Egyptian National Railways. The 24·5 m long and 4·5 m high coaches weighing 43·5 tonnes are being ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail’s Inter7City HST fleet delivered
UK: ScotRail has taken delivery of the last of the Inter7City HST sets being refurbished by Wabtec in Doncaster to operate services linking Scotland’s major cities. The Inter7City fleet is intended to comprise nine four-car and 17 five-car sets, but all are currently operating as four-car ...
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NewsRENFE to take stake in Leo Express in support of internationalisation strategy
EUROPE: Spanish national operator RENFE has announced its intention to acquire a 50% stake in central European open access operator Leo Express. RENFE said it sees a strategic opportunity to develop international business activities as Spain’s domestic market opens to competition. The proposed acquisition announced on ...
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NewsAlstom and Stadler to renew RENFE commuter train fleets
SPAIN: National operator RENFE has confirmed Alstom and Stadler as the winners of two contracts to supply and maintain 1 668 mm gauge high capacity electric multiple-units to replace existing stock on the Madrid and Barcelona commuter networks. The new trains will have a 20% greater ...
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Metro Report InternationalMonterrey Metro Line 3 opened
MEXICO: The 7·5 km light metro Line 3 in Monterrey has opened, connecting the end of Line 2 at General I Zaragoza with Hospital Metropolitano. The line has an 800 m underground section between General I Zaragoza and Santa Lucía, with the rest being elevated. Constuction ...
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail to reduce third-party works fees
UK: Network Rail is to reduce the risk fees applied to third-party work from April 1, in a move which the Railway Industry Association said would open up the opportunity for more organisations to work near railway lines. In an effort to encourage outside investment, Network Rail ...
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Rail Business UKBrake van requirements removed from railway operating rules
UK: Updates to rail freight operating instructions have seen the final removal of the requirement to provide brake vans in some circumstances.
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NewsAlstom acquires Dutch maintenance services company Shunter
NETHERLANDS: Alstom has signed an agreement to acquire Rotterdam-based rolling stock maintenance company Shunter. Founded in 2003, Shunter offers locomotive and rolling stock and on-board signalling equipment maintenance, repair and modification services. It now has around 110 employees at three maintenance workshops and three servicing sites, ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail looks to extended Emergency Measures Agreement
UK: With its existing Emergency Measures Agreement due to expire at the end of March, ScotRail has confirmed that is currently in discussions with the Scottish Government about a third agreement. Support of around £108m has been provided under the current agreement which runs from January ...
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NewsHydrogen rejected as alternative to commuter railway electrification
CANADA: The use of hydrogen traction is not being included in the reference concept design for the enhancement of Toronto’s commuter rail network, after transport agency Metrolinx concluded that the technology would not achieve the desired objectives. Metrolinx is planning to spend C$75bn on metro, light ...
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NewsRiga airport rail link construction contract signed
LATVIA: Construction of a rail link from Imanta to Riga’s international airport as part of the Rail Baltica project is set to begin in May for completion in December 2025. This follows the signing this month of a €237m construction contract with the BSL Infra consortium ...
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NewsSwissrail to discuss Ceneri Base Tunnel project in next InnoTrans podcast
Source: AlpTransit Gotthard INNOTRANS: Michaela Stöckli, director of Swiss railway industry association Swissrail, will be the guest on the next edition of the InnoTrans Mobility podcast. She will be discussing the 15 km Ceneri Base Tunnel, which opened last year as part of the NEAT trans-Alpine ...
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Metro Report International5G tram to help visually-impaired passengers travel independently
UK: Technology to provide real-time information for visually impaired passengers is being tested on the West Midlands Metro, where a CAF tram and a number of stops have been fitted with 5G equipment in a project being undertaken with the West Midlands 5G group, transport infotainment ...
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NewsDB to launch Lufthansa SuperSprinters
GERMANY: Non-stop inter-city trains linking Köln with München and Berlin in less than 4 h are to be introduced from the December 2021 timetable change, as part of an expansion of air-rail links announced by DB Fernverkehr and Lufthansa on March 8.