All Middle East articles
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NewsCRRC wins Egyptian EMU order
EGYPT: CRRC Qingdao Sifang has won an order to supply 22 six-car electric multiple-units to operate on a railway linking Cairo to 10th of Ramadan City. The 120 km/h EMUs will be designed with wind- and sand-resistant components to cope with conditions on the 68 km route with 11 ...
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News
Alstom wins Israel Railways ETCS contract
ISRAEL: National railway ISR has awarded Alstom a €45m contract to design, supply, install and commission ETCS Level 2 onboard equipment across its fleet. The contract announced on December 10 covers 192 vehicles, with an option for a further 34. Design work is scheduled to start in January 2019, with ...
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News
Etihad Rail Stage 2 funding agreement signed
UAE: Tendering for the civil works for Stage 2 of the planned national railway network is expected to be launched shortly, after the UAE’s Ministry of Finance and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Finance signed a financing agreement on November 27. The 264 km Stage 1 was completed in 2015, and ...
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News
Greenbrier announces 'solid results'
GREENBRIER: Wagon manufacturer The Greenbrier Companies has announced net earnings of $151·8m on revenue of $2·5bn for the year to August 31 2018, with adjusted net earnings of $133·9m and adjusted EBITDA of $318·2m, or 12·6% of revenue. A total of 20 900 wagon units were delivered, and orders received ...
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News
Saudi Railway Co and Greenbrier announce joint venture
SAUDI ARABIA: The Greenbrier Companies and Saudi Railway Co have signed an agreement to establish a joint venture to invest in the Saudi rail freight market and potentially the wider Gulf Co-operation Council region. The agreement is subject to the completion of final due diligence by the parties and ...
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News
Three strategic decisions at OTIF General Assembly
INTERNATIONAL: Three strategic decisions were taken at the 13th General Assembly of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail which was held at the end of September. These covered: the creation of a new appendix on the safe operation of trains, intended to open the way to the ...
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News
A1 fast line to Jerusalem opens
ISRAEL: Passenger services on the A1 fast line between Ben Gurion Airport and Jerusalem began with a low-key launch on September 25. Travel is initially being offered free of charge, but must be pre-booked. At present only one of the two tracks is in use and electrified at 25 kV ...
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News
Egyptian National Railways orders 1 300 coaches
EGYPT: A five-year contract worth more than €1bn covering the supply of 1 300 coaches was signed by Egyptian National Railways and the Transmashholding-Hungary Kft consortium on September 25. The agreement covers five types of coach: Third class with forced ventilation (500); Third class, with air-conditioning (500); Second class, with ...
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Rail Business UK
Rail market still growing, confirms UNIFE
INNOTRANS: Steady growth in the demand for railway products and services can be expected for the next six years, according to the 2018 World Rail Market Study compiled for UNIFE by Roland Berger and launched by UNIFE Chair Sabrina Soussan at InnoTrans on September 18. The seventh biennial study ...
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News
Haramain High Speed Rail fares announced
SAUDI ARABIA: Further confirmation that the Haramain high speed line is about to open for commercial services comes with the publication of ticket prices by local media. The Saudi Gazette reports that services will start on September 24. There are likely to be four return trips a day with more ...
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News
Israel Railways to build cybersecurity centre
ISRAEL: National operator Israel Railways has awarded government-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems a US$8·2m contract for the development of a Cyber Security Operation Centre. This is intended to provide ISR with improved monitoring and control capabilities, and better protection against attempts to penetrate and attack its electronic systems. ...
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News
Jacobs awarded Etihad Rail consultancy contract
UAE: Etihad Rail has appointed Jacobs Engineering Group to provide technical and programme consulting services to support the expansion of its network under stages 2 and 3 of its national railway plan, now scheduled for completion by 2024. Jacobs will provide engineering and design services, review and provide critical oversight ...
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News
Garmsar – Incheh Borun electrification gets underway
IRAN: RZD International officially launched work to electrify the Garmsar – Incheh Borun line with a ceremony on July 2. The 495 km route links the Tehran – Mashhad main line with the border with Turkmenistan. The electrification and upgrading project is scheduled to take 52 months and aims to ...
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News
Ha-Sharon Railway extension opens
ISRAEL: The Ha-Sharon Railway extension running west from the interim terminus at Hod Ha-Sharon/Sokolov station to the new Ra’anana South and Ra’anana West stations opened to passengers with the introduction of national operator ISR’s summer timetable on July 3. Guests including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transport Minister Israel Katz ...
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News
Wagons delivered from Poland to Saudi Arabia
SAUDI ARABIA: Abnormal load logistics specialist ALS has completed a 20-month project to deliver a total of 1 185 wagons of three types from The Greenbrier Companies’ Wagon Świdnica factory in Poland to Saudi Railway Co. The wagons are 14·35 m long, 3 200 mm wide and 4 500 mm ...
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News
Etihad Rail awards Stage 2/3 consultancy contract
UAE: Etihad Rail has selected Egis to provide project management consultancy services for the ongoing development of the country’s rail network and connections to neighbouring GCC states. Under the contract announced on May 23, Egis will assist Etihad Rail with the development of stages 2 and 3, which are now ...
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Rail Business UK
University alliance to promote high speed rail
INTERNATIONAL: The International Union of Railways has moved to strengthen its nascent network of academic institutions which are intended to work together to promote the development of high speed rail. UIC first announced plans for its alliance of universities at the World Congress on High Speed Rail in Tokyo in ...
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News
Competition is key as high speed rail keeps growing
Global ridership has surged by 40% in the three years since UIC last staged its World Congress on High Speed Rail. Yet operators and policymakers must work hard to keep the rail mode ahead as competition grows both in and for the market. Benjámin Zelki reports from the latest summit ...
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News
Haramain High Speed Rail may open in August
SAUDI ARABIA: August 31 has been suggested as the new target date for the start of commercial services on the Haramain high speed line between Makkah and Madinah. Opening had previously been expected in mid-March, but it became clear in February that delays to the completion of five of the ...
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News
China and Gulf states discuss OTIF accession to support international freight
INTERNATIONAL: China and the Gulf Co-Operation Council member states are discussing accession to the COTIF convention, which provides a legal framework for the operation of international rail traffic. China’s interest is related to the growth of east-west freight traffic to and from Europe. Its accession would be politically significant ...
