All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 311
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NewsMinisters inaugurate Tel Aviv – Jerusalem through service
ISRAEL: To mark the start of regular electric through services between Tel Aviv Hahagana and Jerusalem Navon via the A1 fast line on December 21, Israel Railways operated its first passenger-carrying train on December 18.
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NewsBattery-electric multiple-unit financing agreed
GERMANY: Mittelsachsen transport authority ZVMS has reached an agreement for an order for 11 battery multiple-units to be financed by mandated lead arranger KfW IPEX-Bank with Nord/LB and Deutsche Kreditbank. The financing package is worth €49m and has a term of 22 years. The order is expected ...
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NewsEtihad Rail heads northeast as Package D awarded
UAE: National railway developer Etihad Rail has awarded the fourth major contract for its Stage Two expansion programme to a joint venture of China Railway Construction Corp and local partner National Projects & Construction. Valued at 4·6bn dinars, the Package D contract covers the ...
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NewsUkraine announces private freight haulage pilot project
UKRAINE: The cabinet has approved plans for a pilot project which would allow private sector companies to haul freight trains on selected sections of the national network. On December 4 Minister of Infrastructure Vladislav Krikli said this could help address a shortage of locomotives at national railway ...
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NewsTrenitalia and Campania region sign operating agreement
ITALY: National operator Trenitalia has signed a 2019-33 service contract with the Campania region which includes plans to invest €680m to improve services. Trenitalia will provide €209m and the region €180m for the purchase and commissioning of 37 trainsets, which are to be delivered from 2020 under ...
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NewsElectrification of Tirol rail network completed
AUSTRIA: ÖBB-Infrastruktur has completed electrification of the 14·4 km section of the Ausserfernbahn between Reutte and Schönbichl on the German border. This completes the electrification of the standard gauge network in the Land of Tirol. The 15 kV 16·7 Hz electrification project included ...
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NewsReform of rail passengers’ rights under discussion
UK: The general approach to reform of Regulation 1371/2007 on rail passengers’ rights has been agreed by the Council of the European Union, which brings together ministers from member states. The Council and the European Parliament will now negotiate the final text, which would be applicable two ...
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NewsJR East tests Saphir Odoriko luxury EMUs
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has started driver training with the first of two Series E261 EMUs which are being supplied by Kawasaki Heavy Industries to operate the Super Odoriko service linking Tokyo to the scenic Izu peninsula, where the Fuji-Hakone National Park is famed for its hot springs.
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NewsPortugal’s only private operator sees concession extended
PORTUGAL: On December 12 the government announced its intention to extend until 2024 the public service contract held by private operator Fertagus, which runs suburban trains serving communities on both sides of the river Tagus in Lisboa. The Council of Ministers suggested that the four year, ...
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NewsSecond ERTMS pilot line commissioned
DENMARK: Commercial operation using ETCS Level 2 Baseline 3 has started on Banedanmark’s Roskilde – Køge line in Sjaelland, which forms the second Early Deployment Line for the national Signalling Programme. Alstom is installing ETCS on the eastern half of the national network under the Fjernbane Øst ...
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NewsGailtalbahn electrification goes live
AUSTRIA: Electric passenger services on the 31 km Gailtalbahn route between Arnoldstein and Hermagor in southern Kärnten began with the December 15 timetable change. Work to install the 15 kV 16·7 Hz overhead equipment began in June 2018, as part of a programme to electrify all lines ...
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NewsWabtec opens Indian engineering and technology centre
INDIA: The Wabtec India Engineering & Technology Centre was inaugurated on December 12. The company is investing US$5m in the facility, which will occupy five floors of a building on the ITC Green Campus in Bangalore. This will house engineering teams from across the company’s digital electronics ...
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NewsDesiro Mainline EMUs ordered for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
GERMANY: Alpha Trains has ordered seven Siemens Mobility Desiro Mainline electric multiple-units which it will lease to Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn. The EMUs are to be used on Ostseeküste-Ost regional services RE9 Rostock – Stralsund – Binz/Sassnitz and RE10 Rostock – Stralsund – Züssow, which are being operated ...
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NewsPesa and PKN Orlen to develop hydrogen fuel cell trains
POLAND: Rolling stock manufacturer Pesa and energy company PKN Orlen signed a letter of intent to develop hydrogen fuel cell trains on December 12. The agreement covers knowledge exchange and testing, with the aim of developing the technology for commercial use in the freight and passenger sectors. ...
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NewsLightweight bogie made from recycled carbon fibre
UK: A prototype passenger vehicle bogie made from recycled carbon fibre was unveiled at the Railway Industry Association’s Unlocking Innovation event at the University of Huddersfield on December 10. The bogie is being developed through a two-year programme being undertaken by a consortium of fibre recycling company ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
This month SBB Cargo began operating three trains from Feldschlösschen’s brewery at Rheinfelden to Thun, Rickenbach and Crissier. The Rickenbach route is only 40 km, the shortest distance over which Feldschlösschen has switched shipments from road to rail. A Sim Factor training simulator for Newag Dragon ...
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NewsERFA calls for state aid guidelines to be updated
EUROPE: The European Rail Freight Association has called on the new European Commission to modernise the State Aid Guidelines for Railway Undertakings to take into account developments in the 11 years since the current guidelines were created. The organisation which represents new entrants to the freight market ...
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NewsBombardier to refurbish Regina EMUs
SWEDEN: Leasing company AB Transitio has awarded Bombardier Transportation a SKr280m five-year contract for the heavy maintenance and refurbishment of 54 two-car and five three-car Regina regional electric multiple-units. Pre-series refurbishment of the first of the EMUs is expected to be completed by mid-2020, with the rest ...
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NewsRail associations welcome EU Green Deal proposals
EUROPE: Railway industry associations have welcomed the transport sector proposals in the EU Green Deal package outlined by new Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a plenary session of the European Parliament on December 11.
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NewsStation aims to reduce driving to car factory
GERMANY: A station has been opened with the aim of reducing the use of cars to access the Audi automotive factory in Ingolstadt. ‘The new station is a milestone for public transport in the region and a clear commitment to a sustainable ...