News – Page 328
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NewsDB becomes Star Alliance’s first Intermodal Partner
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn is to become the first Intermodal Partner of the Star Alliance on August 1, in a move which the train operator and group of airlines said sends a ‘strong signal for the environmentally-friendly evolution of the travel industry’. The Intermodal Partner model aims ...
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NewsFreight company Operail facing ‘complicated circumstances’
ESTONIA: National rail freight operator Operail says 2022 has brought ‘complicated circumstances’, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine impacting on its operations. The management board is taking steps to find replacements for sanctioned traffic and to direct its wagons on lease away from high-risk regions. ‘Despite ...
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In depthPassenger Rolling Stock: Building better trains in India
Indian Railways is developing a new generation of passenger coaches aimed at weaning travellers away from rapidly growing air and road services. Raghu Dayal investigates.
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NewsComfortable seats and good connectivity specified in inter-regional train order
SWEDEN: State-owned passenger operator SJ has awarded CAF a €300m contract to supply 25 five-car inter-regional electric multiple-units, with options for 35 more. The 200 km/h units from the Spanish manufacturer’s Civity Nordic family will be winterised to withstand snow and temperatures down to -40ºC. They ...
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Metro Report InternationalKunming metro Line 5 opens with tunnel wall advertising
CHINA: Kunming metro Line 5 opened on June 29, 10 years and one day after the first metro route in the city. Line 5 starts at World Horti-Expo Garden in the northeast and runs 26·5 km through the city centre to Baofeng in the south, with ...
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NewsCalifornia high speed starter section set for completion as state funding finalised
USA: The state of California appears finally to be on course to complete the Initial Operating Section of its high speed rail network between Bakersfield and Merced after the programme was allocated $4·2bn in the annual state budget on June 30.
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NewsSan Diego operations and maintenance taken in-house
USA: San Diego’s North County Transit District has completed the insourcing of operation and maintenance of its Coaster and Sprinter regional passenger services. This was previously undertaken by Alstom, as successor to Bombardier Transportation, and sees almost 100 staff transfer to the agency. ‘This transition will ...
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Metro Report InternationalCentral bank to roll out national contactless transport payment system
COSTA RICA: The SINPE-TP national electronic payment system for public transport is being rolled out on trains and buses by central bank BCCR, which estimates that contactless payments for public transport could reduce cash payments nationwide by 25%. Announcing a contract to provide BCCR with a ...
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Metro Report InternationalGenève tram order to support network expansion
SWITZERLAND: Genève public transport operator TPG has selected Stadler to supply trams to replace older vehicles and support planned expansion of the network Tenders were called in August last year, and the formal award of the contract announced on July 7 is subject a standstill period. ...
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NewsThrough running accord to boost chrome exports
AFRICA: Transnet Freight Rail has signed a cross-border through-running agreement with Mozambique’s CFM, aimed at boosting the export of South African chrome and ferrochrome through the port of Maputo.
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NewsCross-border links backed as €5·4bn in grants awarded at Connecting Europe Days
A total of €5·4bn in transport investment funding was announced at the Connecting Europe Days in Lyon on June 29. Toma Bačić reports from Lyon.
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Metro Report InternationalWork starts to renovate Paris T1 tramway
FRANCE: A major programme of renewal and renovation has begun on the T1 tramway which runs through the suburbs north of Paris.
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NewsMadrid tunnel unites Spain’s standard gauge high speed networks
SPAIN: A cross-city tunnel between Madrid Atocha and Chamartín with two 1 435 mm gauge tracks opened on July 1, integrating the standard gauge lines to the north and south of the capital. Through trains no longer need to use gauge-changers at Atocha and Chamartín, reducing ...
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In depthSouth Africa: PRASA revival hangs by a thread
Infrastructure theft and vandalism brought South Africa’s passenger railways to their knees during the pandemic lockdown of spring 2020. Restoration of PRASA’s Western Cape suburban services is now offering hope for the future, but in populous Gauteng the outlook seems bleak, with many routes rendered inoperable. Benjámin Zelki visited in early 2022.
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Metro Report InternationalGreen bonds raise funds for Virginia commuter rail improvements
USA: Commuter operator Virginia Railway Express closed a public bond sale on June 28 which will enable it to make a $119·2m contribution towards the state’s purchase of a CSX line in the Interstate 95 corridor as part of the $4bn Transforming Rail in Virginia programme. ...
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Metro Report InternationalBhopal and Indore metro trains ordered
INDIA: Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail Corp has awarded Alstom a contract to supply and maintain trainsets, communications-based train control and telecoms for the Bhopal and Indore metro projects. The €387m order announced on July 7 covers the supply of a total of 52 three-car Movia metro ...
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NewsDigital track monitoring on test in Finland
FINLAND: VR Group’s rolling stock maintenance company VR FleetCare is testing technology it has developed for the digital monitoring of the condition of track equipment including track circuits. A pilot project with national infrastructure manager Väylävirasto was launched last year and has recorded more than a ...
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NewsWestern Balkan railways need better integration and more maintenance, conference hears
EUROPE: Planned major projects, available financing mechanisms, and the need for international integration of railways including the expansion of the Trans-European Transport Network were discussed at the Connecting the Western Balkans to the EU rail market through investment and reform conference. The online event was ...
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Metro Report InternationalUrban transport industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector.