All News articles – Page 42
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NewsTram-train on test at Crécy-la-Chapelle
FRANCE: A Siemens Avanto tram-train vehicle from the Bondy - Aulnay route T4 in Paris was tested by SNCF on the 10 km single-track Esbly - Crécy-la-Chapelle line east of the capital on June 2-4. The lack of a passing loop on the branch means it is not possible to ...
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NewsCutting track life-cycle costs
EUROPE: With the four-year Innotrack research project now approaching completion, the project partners now estimate that the life-cycle cost of track could be cut by 25% in the coming years. ‘That’s a lot of savings when you consider the extent of the rail network’, said UIC Director General Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, ...
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NewsPesa reveals details of low-floor EMU family
POLAND: Bydgoszcz-based manufacturer Pesa has revealed its ELF low-floor EMU design ahead of the planned exhibition of a prototype at the InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin in September. Speaking at the Expo Ferroviaria event in Torino on June 9, a spokesman confirmed that two contracts had already been ...
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NewsAnsaldoBreda and Bombardier combine to offer V300 Zefiro
ITALY: Following Alstom's announcement of an addition to its high speed train range on June 8, Bombardier Transportation's Country President Italy, Roberto Tazzioli, has revealed further details of his company's response to Ferrovie dello Stato's tender for 50 very high speed trainsets. To boost the local content of the planned ...
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NewsGenesee & Wyoming buys Alice Springs - Darwin operator
AUSTRALIA: US-based short line operator Genesee & Wyoming Inc is to acquire FreightLink, the concessionaire for the 2 240 km Tarcoola - Darwin railway which went into receivership in November 2008. GWI has managed FreightLink's rail services since they began in 2004, and expects to make significant savings by ...
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NewsCrisis at Pakistan Railways
PAKISTAN: With growing interest in the development of Trans-Asian rail links, one might think that Pakistan Railways has a promising future. But an SOS reaches us from railway headquarters in Lahore warning that PR is on the verge of collapse, following years of ‘seething indifference’ by governments of all parties. ...
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NewsAlstom extends high speed train family
ITALY: Alstom Transport revealed a further addition to its portfolio of high speed trains at the Expo Ferroviaria event in Torino on June 8. The design, which does not yet have a name, combines elements of all of the company’s existing products in the high speed sector, including the AGV ...
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NewsGautrain's World Cup kick-off
SOUTH AFRICA: The first phase of the Gautrain passenger railway opened between Sandton, Marlboro, Rhodesfield and OR Tambo International Airport on June 8, completion having been accelerated so it would be ready for the start of the FIFA World Cup on June 11. Inauguration and ribbon-cutting ceremonies for invited ...
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NewsContracts June 2010
France: Parkeon is to supply a €21m ticketing system encompassing smart card and NFC phone technology for Lille’s metro, tram and bus services. Accor Group’s Grand Est Restauration subsidiary has a two-year contract to provide catering on Alleo TGV services from July 1. Russia: Bombardier has ...
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NewsAmbitious plans will still need funding
SOUTH AFRICA: With public services on the first section of Gautrain between OR Tambo International Airport and Sandton due to start on June 8, there seems to be growing enthusiasm for railway investment. From commuter services to high speed trains and heavy haul freight, plenty of ambitious projects are under ...
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NewsStadler opens double-deck train factory
SWITZERLAND: President of the Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard attended the formal opening of Stadler Rail's centre of competence for double-deck electric multiple-units in Altenrhein on June 4, the day after the manufacturer's first Dosto RV EMU for S-Bahn services had been unveiled at Zürich's main station. Stadler has won four ...
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NewsIn seach of lumbar support
SEATS: Recognising that passengers travelling on high speed trains are likely to remain in their seats for between 2 h and 4 h, Compin's research and development unit has been looking at ways to improve comfort by developing seats with an adjustable lumbar support. Noting that the spine lumbar region ...
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NewsProducts & Technology in Brief
NS has launched the Reisplanner Xtra application for iPhones and BlackBerrys. As well as real-time travel information and details of station amenities, this offers pro-active SMS messages when trains are delayed, alerting waiting family or friends to late arrivals. Assisted by staff from QR Ltd and ARTC, researchers ...
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NewsNews in Brief
The Czech Export Bank has agreed to provide a €120m loan to Serbia for the modernisation of the section of Pan-European Corridor X between Nis and the Bulgarian border (RG 2.10 p46). Complete modernisation to be undertaken by a consortium of Czech and Serbian firms includes ...
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NewsRail modernisation plans signed at Kazakh investment summit
KAZAKHSTAN: Major supply contracts and rail-sector co-operation memoranda were among the agreements signed at a national investment summit held in Almaty on June 3-4. A €70m contract to design and supply signalling and telecoms for the 293 km Zhetigen - Korgas 'China Gateway' railway was signed by state railway KTZ ...
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NewsZürich double-decker unveiled
SWITZERLAND: The first of 29 Stadler Rail double-deck electric multiple-units for Zürich S-Bahn services was unveiled at Zürich Hauptbahnhof on June 3. Participating in the handover ceremony were SBB Chief Executive Andreas Meyer, Economics Director of Zürich Canton Ernst Stocker and Stadler Rail CEO Peter Spuhler. The 160 ...
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NewsRail privatisation included in Greek asset sale
GREECE: The government announced the part-privatisation of Hellenic Railways Organisation on June 2. Stakes in a range of state-owned road, port, airport, utility and land assets are to be sold under agreements with the European Commission and international financial institutions which aim to reduce debt and tackle the country's economic ...
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NewsDrone tampers set to work
USA: Harsco Rail has received orders totalling US$6m for its Drone Tamper, which uses two-way wireless ethernet technology to follow a conventional lead tamper as an unmanned, fully-automated chase vehicle that can tamp track roadbed without an operator onboard. A radar-controlled warning system mounted on the Drone alerts trackworkers when ...
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NewsAlstom-TMH signs €1bn EP20 locomotive contract
RUSSIA: RZD placed an order for 200 EP20 dual-system electric locomotives for inter-city passenger services at the 1520 Strategic Partnership event in Sochi on May 27. The 3 kV DC/25 kV AC single unit locomotives will be the first products to emerge as a result of the alliance between Transmash ...
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NewsGreater certainty in rail welds
WELDING: Corus Rail has develped a novel technique for repairing discrete defects on the rail surface. The semi-automated open arc welding method offers considerable benefits over conventional Manual Metal Arc repairs, the company says. Open arc welding uses flux-cored arc wire with a lower preheat temperature to manage the metallurgical ...