Railway electrification news – Page 4
-
NewsEuregiobahn electrification funded
GERMANY: Funding has been confirmed for the 15 kV 16·7 Hz electrification of the 47 km Euregiobahn network of local passenger routes in the Aachen area. The federal government has agreed to cover 90% of the €43m cost, with the Land and infrastructure owner Euregio Verkehrsschienennetz ...
-
Rail Business UKChiltern Railways cancels call for battery train proposals
UK: Chiltern Railways has discontinued its call for proposals for the supply of a fleet of battery-electric multiple-units. In September 2022 the operator invited proposals for the supply of between 30 and 70 new, existing or converted BEMUs. However, the procurement process was not progressing, and ...
-
Rail Business UKInterview: Chiltern Railways is ‘focused on what we can control’
UK: As the rail sector braces itself for major institutional change, Chiltern Railways Managing Director Richard Allan is keen to deliver tangible improvements now. Key investment priorities include decarbonising its rolling stock fleet. Tony Miles posed the questions.
-
NewsCaltrain launches electric passenger service
USA: Californian commuter train operator Caltrain celebrated the start of 25 kV 60 Hz electrified services with an inaugural train carrying invited guests from San Francisco on August 10. Public services began the following day. More electric trains will be added ahead of the start of ...
-
Rail Business UKFive electrified railway lines at risk from climate change
UK: The 25 kV 50 Hz overhead equipment on five sections of railway needs ‘immediate assessment and renewal’ to address the threat to reliability posed by climate change, according to electrification engineering company Furrer+Frey. The latest update to the company’s Climate Resilience in Rail Electrification report ...
-
NewsBayern to award electric-hydrogen-battery tilting train operating contract
GERMANY: Bayern railway authority BEG has launched the process of selecting a company to operate Allgäu regional passenger services using a future fleet of emission-free tilting multiple units which would be able to use overhead electric, hydrogen and battery power. The services are currently operated by ...
-
Metro Report InternationalTyne & Wear Metro SCADA contract awarded
UK: Tyne & Wear Metro operator Nexus has selected Sella Controls to undertake a £8·8m two-year project to replace the Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition System which is used to manage the network’s high and low voltage power supplies, fire and intruder alarms, lighting, lifts, escalators ...
-
NewsCalifornia high speed line track and electrification design contract awarded
USA: The California High-Speed Rail Authority has appointed a joint venture of Systra and Typsa to design the track and overhead electrification for the initial section of the line. The contract has an initial value of up to $131·2m. It covers the production of high-level designs ...
-
NewsFreight train operator buys solar power
GERMANY: Hamburger Hafen & Logistik’s rail freight subsidiary Metrans has signed a power purchase agreement with Sunnic Lighthouse, which markets electricity from a solar plant developed by Enerpac at Bimöhlen in Schleswig-Holstein. The agreement covers around 10% of the Metrans Rail Deutschland’s annual requirement of more ...
-
Rail Business UKLatest version of traction power supply SCADA commissioned
UK: The latest version of Telent’s Traction Power Centralised Management System has been commissioned at Raynes Park in south London. Telent said this marked a milestone in delivering a national SCADA platform for Network Rail’s traction power supplies. It followed testing at the Manchester and Three ...
-
Rail Business UKBattery trains could save £3·5bn, says Siemens Mobility
UK: ‘Britain should never have to buy a diesel passenger train again’, said Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO of Siemens Mobility UK & Ireland, when the company set out a case for ordering battery-electric trainsets which would use electrification where available and battery power on non-electrified tracks. ...
-
Rail Business UKHitachi tests battery train as a potential rail decarbonisation pathway
UK: A Class 802 electro-diesel inter-city trainset which has been retrofitted with a battery in place of one of its three engines is being tested by Hitachi Rail, operator TransPennine Express and leasing company Angel Trains. The battery will provide top-up power for peak demand and ...
-
Rail Business UKLineside batteries could smooth railway electrical demand
UK: Network Rail is seeking a partner to design, develop, construct and operate ‘multi-MW scale’ lineside battery systems to support traction power supplies. A long-term services contract worth £150m to £200m is envisaged. The infrastructure manager purchases 3·7 TWh/year of electricity for traction power, and has ...
-
Rail Business UKPorterbrook to electrify Long Marston test track
UK: Porterbrook has announced plans to renew the 3·5 km test track at its Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre and install 25 kV 50 Hz electrification. Testing will be possible at speeds of up to 75 km/h, with the capability to support ETCS. ‘Substantial replacement of ...
-
NewsElectrification of two Dutch regional railways funded
NETHERLANDS: The government has confirmed co-funding for the electrification for two regional lines in the provinces of Overijssel and Gelderland.
-
In depthPortugal: South International Corridor nears completion
Trains have started running on the first section of the 80 km Évora – Elvas direct line, which is now expected to open in 2025, shortening the TEN-T corridor serving ports in southern Portugal and paving the way for a revival of international passenger services. André Pires reports.
-
NewsSecond Bratislava to Austria line to be electrified
SLOVAKIA: Infrastructure manager ŽSR has started work on the long-planned electrification of the short 2·4 km single-track link from Devínska Nová Ves to the Austrian border at Marchegg. The €10·9m EU co-funded project includes 25 kV 50 Hz electrification, new signalling and rehabilitation of tracks and ...
-
Metro Report InternationalOntario Line electrification contract awarded
CANADA: NGE Group’s TSO subsidiary is to design and supply 1·5 kV overhead electrification for Toronto’s Ontario Line metro project. The contract has been awarded by Hitachi Rail as part of the Connect 6ix consortium, which was awarded the Rolling Stock, Systems, Operations & Maintenance contract ...
-
NewsZillertalbahn hydrogen plan dropped in favour of battery traction
AUSTRIA: Plans to replace diesel traction on the narrow gauge Zillertalbahn with hydrogen have been dropped in favour of battery operation. Decarbonisation is planned as part of the railway’s medium-term investment programme for 2025-30, and could save an estimated 900 000 litres of diesel per year. ...
-
In depthDecarbonisation: Accelerating the electrification task
Network Rail is now deploying UK-based Gripple’s SwiftLine Rail Dropper, which the supplier believes will speed up key steps in the installation of overhead electrification equipment.