News – Page 257
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In depthTrack Technology: Modular elements could offer cheaper and more flexible slab trackform
Field trials are expected to start near Marseille in the coming months of a lower-cost modular slab trackform developed by Systra and construction group Stradal as a potential replacement for conventional ballasted track. Technical consultant Jean-Claude Zabée explains the concept to Nick Kingsley.
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NewsRail sector responds to bill to require minimum service levels during strikes
UK: The rail sector has responded to the government’s introduction to Parliament on January 10 of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, which would require the provision of minimum levels of public services in various sectors during industrial disputes. A bill covering the transport sector had ...
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NewsMarcopolo Rail to supply DMUs to rebuilt Chilean narrow-gauge line
CHILE: National operator EFE Trenes de Chile has signed a contract for Marcopolo Rail to supply three two-car Prosper VLT diesel multiple-units for the recently modernised metre-gauge Talca – Constitución line. Brazilian bus manufacturer Marcopolo announced at the NT Expo trade fair in São Paulo in ...
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NewsFleet renewal and ridership doubling planned in Lithuanian passenger rail contract
LITHUANIA: Procurement of electric trains and service enhancements which aim to more than double ridership are included in a long-term operating agreement signed by the Ministry of Transport & Communications and the national railway’s passenger division LTG Link. The public service obligation operating agreement running for ...
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NewsFrench companies take on China in Thailand’s rail market
THAILAND: The Rail Technology Research & Development Agency has signed a memorandum of understanding with four French companies which are aiming to strengthen their links with Thai partners in what Systra said is ’a context of increasing competition in the region, particularly with Chinese technologies’. Thailand’s ...
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NewsEurasian freight hub under construction in Toshkent
UZBEKISTAN: Construction of a multimodal terminal to handle Eurasian freight traffic near Toshkent has been formally launched by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The facility 10 km from the capital in the Yangiyo’l district is to be developed ...
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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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NewsCaltrain wi-fi contract awarded
USA: ‘Silicon Valley’s train needs wi-fi’, said Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard when the San Francisco to San Jose commuter operator awarded Nomad Digital a contract to provide digital connectivity for the 19 double-deck electric multiple-units being supplied by Stadler. Caltrain received four proposals for the ...
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News‘The future is ours’, Rail Ambassadors tell Dutch minister
NETHERLANDS: A delegation of young rail ambassadors has presented a report to Environment & Water Management Secretary Vivianne Heijnen outlining their experience of being part of the EU’s European Year of Youth.
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NewsContract agreed to build standard gauge railway to Lake Tanganyika
TANZANIA: A contract has been signed for the construction of a 1 435 mm gauge line running west from Tabora to the port of Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika. The US$2·21bn contract was signed by Tanzania Railway Corp and a joint venture of China Civil Engineering Construction ...
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Metro Report InternationalBaku metro Purple Line extension opens
AZERBAIJAN: President Ilham Aliyev inaugurated a 2·4 km one-station extension of the Baku metro’s Purple Line from Avtovağzal to a station and depot at Xocəsən on December 23. The latest extension takes the Purple Line to 5·8 km. The ...
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Rail Business UKGB Railfreight to lease Akiem locomotives
UK: GB Railfreight has announced a 10-year deal with leasing company Akiem which will see 11 EMD Class 77 and 66 diesel locomotives transferred from Continental Europe to the UK between January 2023 and May 2024. The locos will be modified for use on the British ...
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Metro Report InternationalQuito metro inaugurated for preview visits
ECUADOR: Quito metro Line 1 has been formally inaugurated ahead of the start of services, with official ceremonies including a blessing by the archbishop. ‘The history of Quito will be told as before and after the arrival of the metro’, said Mayor Santiago Guarderas Izquierdo, with ...
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NewsXingguo – Quanzhou line completed
CHINA: The 464 km railway serving the coastal town of Quanzhou in Fujian province was completed on December 28. The mixed-traffic route linking Quanzhou with Xingguo, south of Ji’an on the Beijing – Hong Kong corridor, has been designed for operation at up to 160 km/h. ...
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Metro Report InternationalKeolis financing linked to sustainability targets
KEOLIS: Public transport operating group Keolis has issued its inaugural sustainability-linked Schuldschein, a private placement with a margin adjustment mechanism linked to environmental, diversity and safety performance. KPIs include the proportion of employees in subsidiaries covered by environmental management system certification; reducing greenhouse gas emissions; increasing ...
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Metro Report InternationalAutomated Line M8 inaugurated in Istanbul
TURKEY: The 14·3 km automated metro Line M8 linking Bostancı with Dudullu on the Anatolian side of Istanbul opened on January 6. The line has 13 stations and passes through four districts with a total of 1·7 million inhabitants. Civil works started in 2016 but were suspended ...
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NewsEgyptian Talgo trainset enters service
EGYPT: The first of the Talgo trainsets ordered by Egyptian National Railways for use on the routes from Cairo north to Alexandria and south to Aswan entered service on December 24. Talgo said the new stock would increase capacity and service quality on the routes, while ...
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Metro Report InternationalNanjing inaugurates fully-automated Line 7 as Line 1 extended
CHINA: The first phase of Nanjing metro Line 7 opened for revenue service on December 28, along with a northern extension of Line 1. Running from Xianxinlu in the northeast to Mufuxilu in the city centre, the initial 12·6 km stage of Line 7 serves 10 ...
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Rail Business UKManchester International depot modernised to house EMUs
UK: Spencer Group has completed a £1·8m refurbishment of Manchester International depot to enable it to be used to service and stable Northern’s Class 323 electric multiple-units. The depot was built in the early 1990s as part of the abortive plan to operate Eurostar services from ...