News – Page 245
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Metro Report InternationalPraha catches up with Leipzig as tramway extension opened
CZECH REPUBLIC. ‘The tram network has been extended to 146 km and we have caught up with Leipzig’, said Jan Šurovský, Technical Director of Praha transport operator DPP, when services began on the latest section of line to be built. The extension which opened on May ...
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NewsBattery freight locomotive conversion underway
AUSTRALIA: One of Aurizon’s Class 4000 diesel locomotives is being converted to a prototype EMD Joule battery powered heavy-haul freight loco which can be charged using renewable electricity and capture regenerated energy when braking or travelling downhill. The operator said the prototype will be ’a measured ...
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Rail Business UKManchester rail plans rethought as ‘ambition wasn’t able to be delivered’
UK: Network Rail has withdrawn a planning application for rail infrastructure works in Manchester, Rail Minister Huw Merriman confirmed during a visit to the city on May 25.
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NewsFret SNCF to be wound up as deal sought with European Commission
FRANCE: State support for France’s rail freight operators will rise to €200m a year from 2025 while €4bn will be invested in related projects in 2023-32. The French government meanwhile is proposing radical changes to the state-owned rail freight sector to avoid punitive action by the European Commission, writes Jérémie Anne.
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NewsJapanese railway to test biofuel
JAPAN: West Japan Railway is to test the use of biofuels to power diesel multiple-units on the Sanin Main Line between Shimonoseki and Nagatoshi.
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Metro Report InternationalMumbai Metro Line 3 operating contract awarded
INDIA: Mumbai Metro Rail Corp has awarded Delhi Metro Rail Corp a 10-year contract to operate and maintain the future underground automated Line 3. The capital’s metro operator was the lowest bidder in an international tendering process. It will be responsible for day-to-day operation of the ...
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NewsEuropean Sleeper begins operations with Berlin – Brussels night train
EUROPE: Night train start-up European Sleeper has begun passenger operations, providing an overnight rail connection between Brussels and Berlin for the first time since 2008. The inaugural service left Berlin Gesundbrunnen on May 25, engineering works having prevented the use of Hauptbahnhof. The train comprised 11 ...
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Metro Report InternationalVantaa votes to proceed with tram plan
FINLAND: Vantaa council has backed the development of a tramway in the city, which is part of the Helsinki capital area. The council voted 41:26 in favour of the project on May 22. The line would run for 19·3 km from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport to the Jumbo ...
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NewsCross-border local train service proposed in the Basque Country
EUROPE: Plans for frequent local passenger services between San Sebastián in Spain and Bayonne in France are being developed by local authorities on each side of the border.
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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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Metro Report InternationalContract signed for ‘ambitious and innovative’ Cluj-Napoca automated metro
ROMANIA: A €1·8bn turnkey contract has been signed for the construction of the first metro line in Cluj-Napoca. Completion of the 21 km fully automated Line 1 with 19 stations is planned for 2031. The line is to be built by a consortium of Turkish construction ...
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Metro Report InternationalGroundbreaking marks start of work on Hong Kong metro extension
CHINA: Hong Kong’s MTR Corp held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the official start of main works for a project to realign and extend the Tung Chung Line.
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Rail Business UKInterview: ‘You can’t innovate as a monopolist’
UK: Avanti West Coast and c2c parent Trenitalia is ready to make significant investment in Britain’s railways, mirroring its recent expansion in Spain. But this is contingent on the government relaxing its grip on the industry, the company’s UK Managing Director Ernesto Sicilia explains to Nick Kingsley and Sophie Burton.
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NewsMetre-gauge line to be modernised
SPAIN: Infrastructure manager ADIF has called tenders for a comprehensive upgrade of the 1 000 mm gauge Cercedilla – Los Cotos mountain railway, which is operated as Madrid suburban Line C9.
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Metro Report InternationalBuild Brazil’s missing metros to combat urban sprawl, study recommends
BRAZIL: A report from the National Confederation of Industry suggests that the country’s 15 principal cities need to invest heavily in rail-based public transport to improve productivity, competitiveness and the environment. The Confederação Nacional da Indústria document entitled Urban Mobility in Brazil: Institutional Framework & Proposals ...
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail reports cost savings from London Waterloo lubrication trial
UK: Network Rail reports significant cost and time savings following the trial installation of novel lubrication equipment on switch & crossing components on the approach to London Waterloo station. The turnouts experience very high levels of traffic, resulting in high rates of rolling contact fatigue and ...
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NewsTax exemptions help fund Brazilian rail projects
BRAZIL: The Federal Ministry of Transport has announced that a number of privately-funded rail projects will qualify for tax exemptions under the REIDI programme intended to encourage infrastructure investment. Details of the qualifying projects were published in the Official Gazette towards the end of April. Three ...
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NewsElectrification contract awarded
SLOVAKIA: Infrastructure manager ŽSR has awarded ELTRA a €216·1m contract to modernise and electrify the 33·5 km Bánovce nad Ondavou – Humenné line east of Košice. The single-track line will be electrified at 3 kV DC with provision for future conversion to 25 kV 50 Hz. ...
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Metro Report InternationalParis suburban services show real-time occupancy
FRANCE: Paris suburban operator SNCF Transilien and transport authority Ile-de-France Mobilités have launched a real-time train occupancy information system on routes H, J, K, L, N, P, R and E, which use Francilien and Regio 2N EMUs equipped with suitable data systems. Infrared sensors at every ...