All Railway Gazette International articles in November 2015
All articles published this month.
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News
DB Schenker Rail orders Vectrons for Italy
ITALY: On November 30 Siemens announced a contract to supply DB Schenker Rail with eight Vectron DC electric locomotives for use in Italy from late 2016. The freight operator will lease the 5·2 MW locomotives from Unicredit Leasing. Jochen Eickholt, CEO of Siemens Mobility Division, said 23 locomotives ...
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HS2 to reach Crewe in 2027
UK: Construction of a further section of the planned High Speed 2 route to Manchester is to be brought forward, with the Crewe – Birmingham link now expected to open in 2027, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced on November 30. This is six years ahead of the original ...
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Beograd – Budapest upgrading agreements signed
EUROPE: Two agreements for the planned upgrade of the Beograd – Budapest route to provide a double-track mixed traffic line suitable for 200 km/h operation were signed at the Fourth Meeting of Heads of Government of China and Central & Eastern Europe Countries in Suzhou on November 24. This builds ...
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2·8tr yuan rail spend in Chinese five-year plan
CHINA: Proposals for a total investment of 2·8tr yuan (US$438bn) in new railway construction have been included in the country’s 13th Five Year Plan covering the 2016-20 period, the Economic Information Daily announced on November 27. More than 23 000 km of new line would be constructed, with priority going ...
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Changchun selected for Tel Aviv Red Line rolling stock contract
ISRAEL: Project promoter NTA has selected China’s Changchun Railway Vehicles as preferred bidder to supply rolling stock for the future Tel Aviv light metro Red Line. The contract would cover the supply and maintenance of 90 LRV cars with an option for 30 more. Further details are to be announced ...
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South Wales Metro consultation to begin
UK: Public consultation on the proposed Cardiff Capital Region Metro programme to develop an integrated network of rail, bus and light rail services is to begin in early 2016, Wales’ First Minister Carwyn Jones announced on November 30. Metro would involve incremental infrastructure improvements and potentially the development ...
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Rebuilt Arnhem Centraal station rewrites the rules
NETHERLANDS: A €37·5m ‘Transfer Terminal’ at Arnhem Centraal which architectural practice UNStudio claims ‘rewrites the rulebook’ on station design was officially opened by Sharon Dijksma, State Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure & Environment, on November 19. This marks the completion of 20-year project to redevelop the 1950s station area ...
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Mitsubishi Electric opens Indian traction equipment factory
INDIA: Mitsubishi Electric Corp subsidiary Mitsubishi Electric India has opened a US$8m factory at Bidadi near Bangalore which will manufacture and maintain traction inverters, motors and other electrical equipment for metro rolling stock. Mitsubishi Electric is aiming for annual revenue of US$170m in the Indian transport equipment sector by 2020. ...
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VIA Rail acquires Brockville Subdivision
CANADA: VIA Rail Canada has acquired the Brockville Subdivision from Canadian Pacific. This comprises 45 km of single track between Smiths Falls and Brockville on the Ottawa – Toronto route in Ontario. ‘This acquisition will strengthen our rail network dedicated to passenger trains in the Ottawa region, where VIA Rail ...
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Feature articles in the December 2015 issue of Metro Report International
Articles in the December 2015 issue of Metro Report International. Comment FGC's General Director Pere Calvet considers the role that suburban railways need to play and the challenges that lie ahead News Review Round-up of world metro, light rail and tram news City digest European trams delivered, Dublin Metro revived, ...
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Antwerpen Noorderlijn tram contracts signed
BELGIUM: Under the co-ordination of project promoter Beheersmaatschappij Antwerpen Mobiel, the City of Antwerp, the Flemish Roads & Traffic Agency and operator De Lijn signed PPP contracts for the construction of the Noorderlijn tram project in Antwerpen with the TramContractors consortium on November 19. The consortium comprises BAM-PGGM, which ...
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Indian Railways signs 12 000 wagon deal
INDIA: Indian Railways has signed agreements worth Rs25bn for the SAIL-RITES Bengal Wagon Industry joint venture to supply 1 200 stainless steel wagons and refurbish 300 existing wagons every year for the next 10 years. The two agreements will enable production to start shortly at a Rs1·2bn factory at ...
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Hangzhou extends metro Line 1
CHINA: A 5·7 km extension of Hangzhou metro’s Line 1 opened on November 24, exactly three years since the inauguration of the city’s first metro line. The new section runs from the former eastern terminus of Wenze Road to Xiasha District with two intermediate stations. It underwent a period ...
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Kuala Lumpur about to receive Innovia trainset
MALAYSIA: The first of 14 driverless Innovia metro trainsets ordered as part of the project to extend Kuala Lumpur’s Kelana Jaya Line is due to arrive at Port Klang in the first week of December. Prasarana placed the order with a consortium of Bombardier and Hartasuma. The first set ...
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Railway supply industry news in brief
Export-Import Bank of China agreed on November 19 to provide a 500bn yuan line of credit and to provide policy and international experience to support China Railway Corp with planned expansion in the global rail infrastructure project market. Nomad Digital announced on November 23 that it had completed a £4m ...
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Edmonton selects Valley Line contractor
CANADA: The city of Edmonton has selected the TransEd Partners consortium to design, build, operate, maintain and finance the first stage of the Valley Line light rail project. The consortium comprises Fengate Capital Management, Bechtel, Ellis-Don, Bombardier, Transdev, Arup and IBI Group. TransEd Partners beat two other bidders. The ...
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Alstom buys stake in South African rolling stock business
SOUTH AFRICA: Alstom announced on November 26 that it had signed an agreement to buy a 51% stake in rolling stock refurbishment company Commuter Transport & Locomotive Engineering from Commuter Transport Engineering and Industrial Development Corp, which will remain as minority shareholders. An employee benefit scheme will also be created. ...
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Rio tram starts test running
BRAZIL: Test running with passengers started on the central section of the VLT Carioca tram route in Rio de Janeiro on November 21. Mayor Eduardo Paes was among those on the inaugural tram. The first phase from Santos Dumont Airport to Rodoviária Novo Rio is due to open in ...
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Board quits as cabinet approves FS privatisation
ITALY: The entire Administrative Board of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane has resigned, the national railway announced on November 26. A meeting to elect a new board is to be held as soon as possible. The move follows a decision by the Council of Ministers on November 23 to approve initial ...
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RZD International signs Iranian electrification contract
IRAN: Russian Railways subsidiary RZD International signed a contract to electrify the 495 km route from Garmsar on the Tehran – Mashhad line to Incheh Borun on the border with Turkmenistan during a visit by Russian’s President Putin to Tehran on November 23. The 36-month contract is worth an estimated ...