All News articles – Page 109
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News
Wabtec wins Class 321 upgrade
UK: Wabtec Corp announced on July 10 that its UK subsidiary Wabtec Rail, based in Doncaster, had been awarded a £26·3m contract to refurbish 308 Class 321 EMU cars for HSBC Rail. Work on the National Express East Anglia fleet is due to take three years to complete, and will ...
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CAF signs Izmir commuter train order
TURKEY: On July 10 Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF signed a €123m contract to supply 22 three-car EMUs which will enter service on suburban routes in Izmir from early 2010. The order was placed by IZBAN, a joint venture of state railway TCDD and Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. The ...
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NewsScotland orders Desiro fleet
UK: An order for 38 Siemens Desiro EMUs was announced on July 11 by John Swinney, the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Sustainable Growth. Passenger franchisee First ScotRail led the procurement of the 16 four-car and 22 three-car units, and is expected to sign the contract later ...
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World infrastructure market July 2008
Australia: QR has begun a A$550m upgrade of its Goonyella coal network to increase the annual capa-city of the Jilalan yard from 92 million to 130 million tonnes by 2010. Bulgaria: Sofia Metro has appointed Systra to supervise the construction of Line 2 in partnership with local firms Infra Project ...
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NewsThe power wrench evolves
WRENCH: An updated version of Robel Bahnbaumaschinen's 30.82 RKS universal power wrench for track fastenings was launched on the track maintenance market last month. An evolution of the widely-used 30.82 machine, the detailed design has been improved with ergonomic changes and more components placed within a protective housing. The centre ...
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NewsThameslink shortlist announced
UK: On July 10 the Department for Transport named Alstom, Bombardier, Hitachi and Siemens as the shortlisted bidders for a contract worth an estimated £1·4bn to supply trains for Thameslink services. Bidders will be asked to produce 1 100 EMU cars for north-south commuter services through London, increasing the ...
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NewsParis - Le Havre goes regular interval
FRANCE: SNCF and the Haute-Normandie region have agreed a package of measures to improve passenger services on the Paris - Rouen - Le Havre main line. A regular-interval timetable is to be introduced to the route in December, increasing the number of services by 15%. SNCF has also committed to ...
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NewsPrima goes modular to tap new markets
LOCOMOTIVES: As well as Europe's changing freight market, Alstom has China, India and Russia in its sights as targets for the latest addition to its product range. Laurent Charlier reports from Belfort.
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NewsMadrid tunnel opens
SPAIN: Suburban services began using the 8·5 km Atocha - Chamartín tunnel under the centre of Madrid on July 9. Testing of the new route, which has cost €550m to build, had begun on May 23. The route has two intermediate stations, of which Nuevos Ministerios is due to open ...
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Rail rehabilitation complete
MOZAMBIQUE: Work to reconstruct the 80 km branch of the Sena line from Inhamitanga, 175 km north of the port of Beira, to Marromeu on the Zambezi River has been completed. The main traffic on the re-opened line will be sugar for export. Limestone is already being moved 100 km ...
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NewsIndustry News in Brief
Knorr-Bremse has selected Budapest as the site of a new factory which will produce braking and air supply systems for rolling stock and other applications from the end of 2009. Production at the company's existing plant in the city will also be moved to the new site. Faiveley is negotiating ...
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NewsFirst Gautrain EMU unveiled
SOUTH AFRICA: Premier of Gauteng province Mbhazima Shilowa visited Bombardier's Derby factory in the UK on July 8 to witness the unveiling of the first electric multiple-unit for the Gautrain commuter line. Dramatic sounds, lighting effects and dancing heralded the roll-out of the completed trainset. Jerome Govender, Chief Executive of ...
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World rolling stock market July 2008
Austria: Voestalpine company Logistik Service has ordered two Siemens Eurosprinter ES 64 U4 electric locomotives equipped for use in Austria and Germany. Bosnia: On June 12 Bhzjk signed a €5·3m contract with Croatian manufacturer Koncar for the production of a prototype low-floor 25 kV 50 Hz EMU for regional passenger ...
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NewsNorthern Ireland upgrade
UK: An £86m upgrade of the Belfast - Londonderry line was announced last month by Translink, the holding company which runs Northern Ireland Railways. Tenders will be called in early 2011 and the work is to be completed in 2013, cutting 30 min off the 2 h 15 min journey ...
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NewsGautrain from dream to reality
SOUTH AFRICA: The Gautrain rapid rail link between Johannesburg and Tshwane is taking shape, with the first section on course to enter revenue service before the two cities host the 2010 football World Cup.
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Left in the dark
ROMANIA: A financial problem over outstanding bills has seen power cut off at railway premises in the south of the country. Infrastructure manager CFR reportedly owes €160m to various electricity companies, including €44m to the local subsidiary of Czech supplier CEZ. CFR blames a shortfall in state funding, which meant ...
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NewsCarrying commuters in comfort
SOUTH AFRICA: Bombardier's proven Electrostar EMU family is being customised for South Africa, giving a powerful demonstration of modern high-quality rail services.
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Testing takes train into Laos
LAOS: State Railway of Thailand began running test trains over the recently-completed rail link into Laos on July 4. SRT plans to operate two test trains a day until July 15, with passengers carried free of charge but unable to alight in Laos until customs facilities are completed. The railway ...
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NewsA long haul on the Lunatic Express
KENYA: Barely 18 months after the Rift Valley Railways consortium finally took control of the 900 km Kenya-Uganda railway on November 1 2006, pressure is growing for the 25-year concession to be cancelled. RVR is clearly having a tough time, with the railway linking Mombasa with Nairobi and Kampala having ...
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Banks agree train lease venture
RAILPOOL: This month HSH Nordbank and KfW IPEX-Bank are to launch Railpool, a joint venture to lease rolling stock to private operators. München-based Railpool plans to place orders for locomotives and passenger and freight vehicles once the company is formally established. 'The aim is to create the first one-stop ...