North America – Page 74
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NewsHydrogen-powered double-deck train design concepts wanted
CANADA: Greater Toronto transport agency Metrolinx has issued a request for proposals seeking design concepts showing how hydrogen fuel cells could be integrated into double-deck electric multiple-units.Metrolinx plans to commission a number of rolling stock manufacturers to prepare designs and demonstrate the impact that incorporating hydrogen fuel cells into ...
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Metro Report InternationalFTA launches clearing house to support joint vehicle procurement
USA: The Federal Transit Administration has launched a Joint Procurement Clearinghouse where transport agencies can share information about their rail vehicle, bus and ferry requirements. A requirement of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, the clearing house is intended to help agencies find partners who are interested in pooling resources ...
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NewsAmtrak begins Amfleet I refurbishment programme
USA: Amtrak has announced the start of work to refurbish its Amfleet I hauled coaches, which are widely used on its Northeast Corridor and Midwest inter-city services. The $16m refurbishment and overhaul programme covers more than 450 vehicles, with completion planned for mid-2018. A phased approach is ...
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NewsTikhvin begins delivering bogie castings to North America
NORTH AMERICA: United Wagon Co’s Tikhvin plant in Russia has begun shipping Barber S-2-HD bogie side frames and bolsters for the North American market, after obtaining Association of American Railroads approval for their use on wagons for unrestricted interchange in Canada, Mexico and the USA. UWC plans to supply ...
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NewsVirginia main line upgrading moves forward
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration announced on September 8 the completion of a Tier II Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a capacity and speed enhancement programme on the 197 km corridor running south from Washington DC to Richmond, Virginia.The railway is owned by Class I freight railroad CSX, but it ...
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NewsGenesee & Wyoming forms Mexican train ferry joint venture
NORTH AMERICA: Genesee & Wyoming announced on September 5 that it had formed a 50:50 joint venture with SEACOR Holdings to own CG Railway, the operator of a train ferry service between Mobile, Alabama, and Coatzacoalcos in Mexico. Terms of the joint venture were not disclosed. Recently acquired by SEACOR ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Systra announced on August 31 that it had completed the acquisition of International Bridge Technologies. This will enable the consultancy to establish ‘a global bridge centre of excellence’ that will offer specialist design expertise. This is Systra’s first acquisition in a specific engineering discipline, marking a significant strategic move, the ...
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Metro Report InternationalMontréal metro depot funding allocated
CANADA: The Government of Québec has announced that it will contribute C$330m towards the construction of a new depot on the Montréal metro network. Operator STM will provide the balance of the C$440m cost. The underground depot with space to stable 10 trainsets will be built the Côte-Vertu terminus ...
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NewsCanadian government demands Manitoba railway repairs
CANADA: The federal government is seeking to restore rail services along the Hudson Bay Railway, which connects Churchill in northern Manitoba with the Canadian National network at Flin Flon Junction, near The Pas.Following what HBR owner OmniTRAX described in June as ‘catastrophic’ flood damage, trains have been unable to run ...
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NewsHazardous materials training academy for short lines
USA: The Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has awarded the Short Line Safety Institute a $500 000 grant to create a Hazardous Materials Training Academy in Washington DC. ‘Small railroads will greatly benefit from the expertise and resources the Hazardous Materials Training Academy will provide’, said SLSI Executive Director ...
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News4Transit awarded C$300m Toronto RER contract
CANADA: The 4Transit joint venture of Hatch, Parsons, and WSP Canada has been awarded a C$300m contract to provide technical advisory services for two major work packages within transport agency Metrolinx’s Regional Express Rail programme to upgrade the rail network in the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area. ‘This massive transformation ...
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Metro Report InternationalMaryland Purple Line breaks ground
USA: A groundbreaking ceremony for the Purple Line in Maryland took place on August 28. The 25·7 km light rail line with 21 stops is being built between Bethesda and New Carrollton in the northern suburbs of Washington DC. The ceremony also included the signing of a $900m Full ...
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Metro Report InternationalSonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit commuter line opens
USA: Celebrations on August 25 marked the opening of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit commuter line in the North Bay area of California. T-shirts and free travel were offered on the first day, followed by half-price travel until the introduction of normal fares on September 5. SMART runs for 69 ...
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NewsSMART commuter rail line opens
USA: Celebrations on August 25 marked the opening of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District commuter line in the North Bay area of California. T-shirts and free travel were offered on the first day, followed by half-price travel until the introduction of normal fares on September 5. SMART runs for ...
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Metro Report InternationalNew York’s summer of hell
Welcome to ‘the summer of hell’. As if the well-documented problems at New York’s Penn Station were not enough for the city’s commuters to contend with, Subway passengers are approaching the end of their collective tether as delays and disruption continue to mount on North America’s largest metro network.
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NewsKnoxville Locomotive Works obtains Tier 4 certification
USA: Knoxville Locomotive Works has obtained EPA Tier 4 emission certification for its SE Series of four-axle and six-axle diesel locomotives. KLW produces remanufactured locomotives based on EMD and GE components and new MTU engines. The Tier 4 certification includes shunting locomotives rated at 2 000, 2 200 and 2 ...
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NewsTexas-Mexico rail border facility upgraded
NORTH AMERICA: Kansas City Southern, US Customs & Border Protection and Mexican customs agency SAT inaugurated a joint rail freight processing facility at the Laredo border crossing in Texas on August 17. The facility enables Mexican export processing to be undertaken at the US railhead, with equipment ...
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NewsRailways prepare for total solar eclipse
USA: Amtrak is to run a special train on August 21 to enable people to reach one of the best locations for viewing the first total solar eclipse to be visible from the continental USA since 1979, and the first to be visible coast-to-coast since 1918. The Eclipse ...
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NewsHigh speed rail promoter Texas Central selects planning and construction contractors
USA: Privately-financed high speed line project promoter Texas Central has appointed Fluor Enterprises and The Lane Construction Corp to refine the construction planning, scheduling and cost estimates for the project, and to support procurement. It is envisaged that the two contractors would also design and build the project following financial ...
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NewsPenn Station co-ordination review
USA: Amtrak announced on August 9 that it had commissioned an independent review of the way in which the three railroads serving New York’s Penn Station work together. The objective is to improve the ‘design, functionality, communications and co-ordination’ of the passenger facilities. While Amtrak is the station owner, commuter ...