All Railway Gazette International articles in November 2018 – Page 3
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NewsGerman rail projects added to implementation list
GERMANY: Following detailed studies, 29 rail projects included in the 2030 federal transport infrastructure plan have been added to the priority list for implementation, Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer announced on November 6. The decision follows examination of the cost-effectiveness of 44 potential projects, some of which could be added ...
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NewsBattery trolleybuses ordered for Russian cities
RUSSIA: Three cities have recently ordered battery trolleybuses. Vostokavtotrans beat Trolza Market Trading House to win a 111·9m rouble contract to supply 10 vehicles to Almetyevsk transport operator Almetyevskoe Transportnoe Upravlenie. The model to be supplied is the Gorozhanin, based on a bodyshell from KamAZ Group subsidiary NefAZ ...
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NewsMercitalia launches high speed freight service
ITALY: FS Group freight subsidiary Mercitalia is to launch its first high speed freight service on November 7. FS says the Mercitalia Fast service is designed to meet the needs of express courier companies, logistics operators, producers and distributors. Operated by a converted ETR500 trainset, the Mercitalia Fast overnight service ...
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NewsAssociations welcome Green Deal declaration
EUROPE: Rail sector associations CER, EIM, ERFA, UIP, UIRR and UNIFE have welcomed a political initiative to encourage the evolution of environmentally-friendly transport, following an informal meeting of Transport and Environment ministers in Graz, organised by the current Austrian Presidency of the EU Council. During the meeting on October 29-30, ...
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NewsCalais – Torino rail motorway service launched
EUROPE: A 'rail motorway' service carrying unaccompanied lorry trailers between Calais and Torino was inaugurated with a ceremony at the Channel port on November 6. This is the fourth route to be launched by SNCF’s rail motorway subsidiary VIIA. There are initially three round trips per week on the new ...
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NewsTransdev announces EMU order as Hannover S-Bahn operating contract confirmed
GERMANY: Transdev announced an order for 64 Stadler Flirt electric multiple-units on November 7, after its NordWestBahn subsidiary was confirmed as the winner of the contract to operate Hannover S-Bahn services from December 2021 until June 2034. There had been four bids for the operating contract tendered by the Hannover ...
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NewsKončar selected for Liepaja tram contract
LATVIA: Liepaja tram operator Liepājas Tramvajs has selected Končar to supply six meter-gauge trams. Končar’s €8·8m bid was lower than that of Modertrans. Railvec UAB had also bid with an offer of trams made by Belkommunmash, but was disqualified. The contract is expected to be signed after a ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
Air Marshal Sir Richard Frank Garwood has been appointed as the first non-executive Chairman of the Tri-Branch Management Board, formed to optimise coordination between the Department for Transport‘s air, marine and rail accident investigation branches. He was Director General of the Military Aviation Authority in 2013-15 and Director General of ...
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Metro Report InternationalManila metro Line 3 upgrade financing agreed
PHILIPPINES: The government signed a loan agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency on November 8 for the metro Line 3 rehabilitation project. The 40-year, ¥38·1bn loan will fund the overhaul of infrastructure and rolling stock on Line 3 with the aim of returning it to its design capacity, as ...
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NewsInvestors back short line company
USA: Sam Zell’s Equity Group Investments has led a group of co-investors including International Rail Partners in a commitment of more than $200m to short line investor RailUSA. Terms have not been disclosed. IRP is led by Gary Marino, who was formerly the founder, President & CEO of short line ...
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NewsBulgaria referred to court over safety directive compliance
BULGARIA: The European Commission announced on November 8 that it had decided to refer Bulgaria to the Court of Justice of the EU for failure to fully transpose and implement Directive 2004/49/EC on railway safety. The directive requires member states to establish an accident investigation body which is independent in ...
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Rail Business UKPassenger flow modelling ideas sought
UK: Network Rail and the Transport Systems Catapult have invited proposals for live demonstrators of technologies which could improve understanding of passenger flow. The areas of focus are system-wide modelling to understand flows at stations and on trains as one complete system, and using new and existing data sources ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
PCM Rail.One has begun construction of a concrete turnout bearer plant on a DB Netz site at Schwandorf in Bayern. Production is scheduled to begin in autumn of 2019, with annual capacity of 180 000 linear metres of end-anchored prestressed concrete bearers. ‘We will deliver concrete sleepers to construction sites ...
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NewsBrescia tram funding proposal presented
ITALY: Transport authority Brescia Mobilità and state railway FS Group submitted a PPP project finance proposal to Brescia municipality for a two-line tram network on October 31. The total cost is estimated to be €400m, most of it from private sources. Brescia Municipality is expected to evaluate the proposal ...
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NewsAkiem orders 33 locomotives
EUROPE: Leasing company Akiem has placed two firm orders for Bombardier Transportation to supply a total of 33 Traxx electric locomotives. The orders include more MS2 multi-system and AC3 locomotives, as well as Akiem’s first DC3 locomotives. The orders have been placed within an existing framework contract, and at list ...
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NewsLeo Express to restart Praha – Kraków service
EUROPE: Czech open access passenger operator Leo Express is to restart its Praha – Kraków service on November 30. The service had been launched in July 20 but was suspended and replaced by coach services from October 9 because engineering works on the Polish section of the route were causing ...
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NewsLondon Underground train contract to be signed shortly
UK: A contract for Siemens to supply a new fleet of trains for London Underground’s Piccadilly Line is expected to be formally signed shortly, Transport for London has confirmed. Metro Report International understands that the formal signing will not be for at least two weeks. Siemens was name preferred bidder ...
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NewsHigh capacity fertiliser wagons ordered
RUSSIA: Fertiliser producer MCC EuroChem has awarded United Wagon Co a contract to supply 700 Type 19-9835-01 hopper cars by mid-2019. The wagons have a 25 tonne axleload and a lightweight design to offer a capacity of 101 m3 and 76·7 tonnes, 6 tonnes more than older designs. The body ...
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NewsNigeria plans railway northwards to Niger
NIGERIA: Alongside the many projects to develop new 1 435 mm gauge railways to augment and gradually replace Nigeria’s 1 067 mm gauge network, the government has unveiled plans for a line running north into the neighbouring Niger Republic. The 248 km standard gauge route from Kano to Maradi would ...
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NewsWoodchip traffic switched from road to rail
SWEDEN: Forest owners association Mellanskog has awarded Green Cargo a contract to transport containerised woodchips which previously moved by road. The trains between Forsbacka and Folkesta are formed of 22 wagons each loaded with three containers holding 45 m3 of woodchips and weighing 14·5 tonnes. ‘It is gratifying to ...