News – Page 116
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NewsNATO visit looks at Rail Baltica’s role in military mobility and regional security
LITHUANIA: The NATO Force Integration Unit has visited a Rail Baltica construction site to discuss how the civilian project will also significantly enhance the alliance’s ability to deploy reinforcements in the region.
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Metro Report InternationalSolar farms could power London Underground trains
UK: Transport for London has called tenders for the development of purpose-built solar photovoltaic farms to generate zero-carbon electricity for the London Underground network. ‘Private wire’ agreements would see the solar electricity produced near the network, bypassing the National Grid’s centralised sources and Distribution Network Operators. ...
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Metro Report InternationalGalway light rail line could be feasible, study finds
IRELAND: The National Transport Authority has published a study into the feasibility of developing a light rail line in Galway.
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In depthComment: Delivery is the priority
One of the key messages of InnoTrans 2024 was that railways need to focus on delivery to justify the scale of investment and maintain the political support the industry is looking for.
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NewsOperail privatisation agreement signed
ESTONIA: The purchase and sale agreement for the privatisation of national rail freight operator Operail was signed by the RailProject OÜ subsidiary of winning bidder Tiigi Keskus on October 31. The government took the decision to privatise the national rail freight transport and rolling stock maintenance ...
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Metro Report InternationalMonaco seeks cross-border underground metro proposals
MONACO: The Ministry of Public Works, Environment & Urban Development has invited proposals to develop a large park-and-ride site in France linked to the principality by a underground express metro. The design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance contract would cover a 3 500 space car park ...
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NewsHitachi Rail awarded Luxembourg ETCS contract
LUXEMBOURG: National railway CFL and Hitachi Rail have signed a framework agreement for the design and installation of ETCS Level 1 Full Supervision and simplified trackside signalling at Bettembourg and Dudelange stations. ‘This contract signing is a decisive step in our growth strategy’, said Markus Fritz, ...
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News‘If There Were No Shinkansen‘
BOOK REVIEW: With an introduction by Prof Roderick Smith of Imperial College, London, If There Were No Shinkansen is the work of former East Japan Railway Chairman Shuichiro Yamanouchi, who died in 2008. Subtitled High-speed rail experience from its birth to today in Japan, the book ...
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NewsEurostar confirms date for return of direct Amsterdam – London trains
EUROPE: Direct trains between Amsterdam Centraal and London will be reinstated from February 10 2025, with the opening of a higher capacity departure terminal for passengers on Eurostar’s cross-Channel service. Through services were suspended from June 15 because remodelling works meant there was no space for ...
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NewsNJ Transit unveils first Multilevel III double-deck EMU car
USA: The first of NJ Transit’s Multilevel III double-deck electric multiple-unit cars was unveiled by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy at the operator’s Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny on October 30.
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NewsCluj-Napoca cross-city rail project progresses
ROMANIA: Cluj-Napoca city council approved the results of a feasibility study into a 48·8 km suburban rail scheme linking Bonțida with Gârbău via the city’s main station. An application for EU funds is to be lodged before the end of the year, Mayor Emil Boc told ...
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NewsNorth Macedonia reverses rail market opening to save national operator
NORTH MACEDONIA: The government has cancelled the previous administration’s opening up of rail infrastructure access to private and foreign freight operators. Legal changes in December 2023 had opened access to the network. However, in September this year the current government reversed the liberalisation, with Minister of ...
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Metro Report InternationalMadrid trams to get mid-life overhaul
SPAIN: Madrid tram operator Metro Ligero Oeste has appointed manufacturer Alstom to undertake the mid-life general overhaul of the 27 Citadis vehicles which has been in operation since the opening of lines ML2 and ML3 in 2007. The contract announced on October 29 includes the inspection and ...
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Rail Business UKLong-term rolling stock strategy aims to end supply chain boom-and-bust
UK: A long-term rolling stock investment strategy will ‘end the boom-and-bust approach’ and ‘give the supply chain the certainty it needs to plan and invest’, according to Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh. Speaking at the launch of Rail Campus Derby on October 17, Haigh ...
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Metro Report InternationalKing Abdullah Financial District monorail contract signed
SAUDI ARABIA: Contracts have been awarded for the construction of a monorail within Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District mixed-use development. This is intended to reduce the need for private vehicles as part of the vision for a walkable ‘10 min city’. The 3·6 km elevated circular ...
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Rail Business UKClass 08 shunter rebuilt with battery power completes heavy duty testing
UK: The prototype 08e battery locomotive which Positive Traction has produced by rebuilding a 1950s Class 08 diesel shunter has successfully completed two weeks of trials with Mendip Rail at Heidelberg Materials’ Whatley Quarry in Somerset. The 08e is designed to offer a cost-effective and emission ...
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In depthInterview: ‘No limit’ on the potential of French high speed market
While its planned high speed services linking Bordeaux with Rennes and Nantes are still in gestation, French new entrant Le Train believes it can establish itself as the largest private operator in an increasingly crowded domestic market. CEO Alain Getraud and Deputy Chief Executive Catherine Pihan-Le Bars explain their vision to Nick Kingsley.
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Metro Report InternationalLisboa metro orders more trains
PORTUGAL: Metropolitano de Lisboa has awarded Stadler a €134m contract to supply 24 three-car metro trainsets, with an option for up to 12 more. The contract signed on October 30 is the second the operator has awarded to Stadler, after a 2021 order for 14 trainsets ...