Railway electrification news – Page 2
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NewsEU recovery funds underwrite two more Italian route modernisation schemes
ITALY: As part of an intensive investment programme underpinned by EU funding, infrastructure manager RFI has awarded two route enhancement contracts totalling €633m. Under a €374·2m contract announced on October 31, a consortium of Eteria Consorzio Stabile Scarl and Salcef is to double-track the 9 km ...
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NewsRevised California high speed rail track and electrification design RFQ issued
USA: California High-Speed Rail Authority has released a new request for qualifications for a contract to provide design services for the track and overhead electrification systems. The contract has an estimated value of up to $131·2m, plus options. It would cover high-level designs for track and ...
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NewsBari – Martina Franca line electrified
ITALY: Ferrovie del Sud Est has completed electrification of the 81 km line running from Bari through Casamassima and Putignano to Martina Franca. This will save 1 900 tonnes of CO2 a year, FS Group subsidiary FSE said when the electrification was inaugurated on October 16. ...
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NewsNijmegen – Roermond upgrading and electrification contract awarded
NETHERLANDS: Infrastructure manager ProRail has awarded Swietelsky Rail Benelux a contract to upgrade, partly double-track and electrify the 88 km Nijmegen – Roermond line. The Maaslijn is one of the longest and most intensively used diesel-operated single-track lines in the Netherlands, with the Arriva-operated services carrying ...
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Rail Business UKZero on-site emission overhead line renewals
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail has completed a four-night overhead line equipment renewal project at Royston which, for the first time in its Eastern Region, was undertaken with the worksite producing no carbon emissions. Hybrid engineering vehicles operated solely in battery mode, welfare facilities were powered ...
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In depthTraction: Intermittent wiring could form path to decarbonisation
Is there a feasible way to decarbonise North America’s railroads? Partial electrification matched with battery-powered traction may offer an answer.
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Metro Report InternationalEnergy bank to boost tramway power supply
NETHERLANDS: The use of an ‘energy bank’ to reinforce a tramway power supply without needing to build a substation is to be piloted in Rotterdam from December. The energy bank will be installed at the Posthumalaan turning loop, which is currently only used at times of ...
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Rail Business UKResearch expertise used to optimise Transpennine Route Upgrade designs
UK: The University of Huddersfield’s Institute of Railway Research is providing specialised pantograph-catenary interaction and vehicle dynamics expertise to optimise designs for the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme. The IRR has worked with Network Rail, J Murphy & Sons, Siemens, Systra and VolkerRail to produce a three-dimensional ...
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Rail Business UKEast Kilbride electrification funding confirmed
UK: The Scottish government has confirmed funding for the East Kilbride Enhancement Project, saying a rolling programme of electrification forms a key element of its transport decarbonisation plans. The announcement on September 6 confirms £96·3m of funding for project delivery. This is on top of £43·5m ...
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NewsBattery train to take Caltrain electric operation beyond the wires
USA: The California Transportation Commission has approved funding for Stadler to supply a battery-electric multiple-unit which will enable Caltrain to extend its future San Francisco – San Jose electric train service to Gilroy over track which is not currently scheduled for electrification. The funding allocated on ...
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NewsBattery-electric train fast charging facility ordered
IRELAND: Alstom has been awarded a contract to provide a fast-charging facility for the battery-electric multiple-units that it is to supply to Iarnród Éireann as part of the DART+ programme to enhance commuter services in the Greater Dublin area. The charging equipment is to be installed ...
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In depthEgypt: Safely expanding Cairo’s rail network
TÜV Nord acted as the independent safety assessment body for Egypt’s Capital Train electric suburban railway that opened last year to link Cairo with 10th Ramadan City and the New Administrative Capital. Lead Safety Auditor Karin Seibold explains the company’s role in ensuring the line’s safe operation to Benjámin Zelki.
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NewsTransport authority opts for battery rather than hydrogen trains
GERMANY: Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG has chosen to call tenders for battery-electric rather than hydrogen trains to replace diesel traction on non-electrified lines from 2029.
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NewsLTG Cargo to buy its first electric locomotives
LITHUANIA: National freight operator LTG Cargo has announced a €100m plan to purchase its first electric locomotives. They will be used to haul freight trains of up to 5 700 tonnes on the 376 km main line between Vilnius and the port of Klaipėda which is ...
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In depthIndia: Mission 100% nears completion
The energisation of more than 6 500 route-km in the 2022-23 financial year has brought the electrified proportion of Indian Railways’ broad gauge network to over 90%, with the remainder on course to be wired during 2023-24.
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In depthUzbekistan: UTY strengthens its role as a regional hub
Sitting astride the Eurasian landbridge corridors, Uzbekistan has been steadily modernising its ex-Soviet rail network to handle growing volumes of freight and faster passenger trains. Further expansion is now in prospect, as Vladimir Waldin explains.
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Metro Report InternationalSwiss electrification technology used on Tyne & Wear Metro renewals
UK: Furrer+Frey is to renew overhead electrification equipment on the Tyne & Wear Metro network using a customised version of a design it developed for railways in Switzerland. The five-year contract awarded by transport authority Nexus covers refurbishment of 100 track-km of electrification equipment dating from ...
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NewsNASA looks at alternatives to diesel trains
GERMANY: Sachsen-Anhalt transport authority NASA has commissioned a study of options for replacement of diesel traction on the Land’s regional passenger services. Transport Technologie-Consult Karlsruhe has been awarded a €140 600 contract to look at options including batteries, hydrogen and electrification, as well as potential interim ...
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In depthInterview: Creating a sustainable global player
Giuseppe Marino rejoined Hitachi Rail as Group CEO at the start of April. In his first interview with the railway trade press, he reflects on the company’s strategic challenges in the evolving rail market and outlines his priorities to Nick Kingsley.
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Rail Business UKRail Minister commits to trans-Pennine electrification ‘in full’ and HS2 to Manchester
UK: Suggestions that the Transpennine Route Upgrade may be scaled back in response to funding constraints were rejected by Transport Minister Huw Merriman when questioned by Rail Business UK.