All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 337
-
-
-
NewsPoint machine built for winter on the steppe
KAZAKHSTAN: In co-operation with national railway KTZ, the KazElektroPrivod equally-owned joint venture of Alstom and SOP Trade has completed a six-month test of a P80 point machine on a turnout designed by Prommashkomplekt and installed at Shiderty station. The locally-manufactured P80 has a design life of 20 years and is ...
-
NewsPrima H4 pre-series locos on test with SBB
SWITZERLAND: A pre-series batch of five Prima H4 shunting locomotives has now been delivered to SBB for a year of in-service trials. Designated Aem940 by SBB, the locomotives will be used mainly at marshalling yards and for engineering possessions. In line with SBB’s fleet rationalisation efforts, the four-axle loco is ...
-
NewsIkea furnishing for BDZ sleeping cars
BULGARIA: As part of its onboard advertising programme, national operator BDZ has worked with furniture and household goods company Ikea to fit sleeping cars with ‘colourful accessories giving the compartments home comforts and an additional summer mood’. The cars with Ikea furnishings are now operating on services from the capital ...
-
NewsIowa Northern Railway orders integrated PTC package
USA: Iowa Northern Railway has awarded Wabtec a contract to provide integrated I-ETMS Positive Train Control, LDRS-V digital video recording and data transfer and analytics capabilities across its entire locomotive fleet by late 2020. The order announced on July 10 is the first such contract won by Wabtec since its ...
-
NewsBulgaria launches fleet renewal plan ahead of market liberalisation
test1 BULGARIA: National operator BDZ needs to focus on service quality, sustainability and long-term performance in order to ‘convince the public that it is developing in an upward trend’ and remain the state’s main passenger service provider when the market is liberalised in 2024, Minister of ...
-
NewsSBB halts court battle with BLS
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has asked the Federal Administrative Court to suspend its appeal lodged in July 2018 against the decision by the Federal Office of Transport to allocate two routes in the national long-distance passenger service concession to BLS. The Bern – Biel and Bern – Burgdorf – Olten ...
-
NewsEagle Railcar Services buys wagon workshops
USA: Eagle Railcar Services has agreed to acquire five wagon workshops along with around 400 employees from Rescar. This will take Eagle Railcar Services’ network to 10 sites employing almost 1 200 full-time staff, and according to the company will make it the largest full-service provider of wagon repair and ...
-
News‘Drone train’ completes first trial
FRANCE: National operator SNCF has successfully tested a remotely-controlled train over a distance of 4 km in the Paris suburbs. Representing a key stage in SNCF’s programme to develop automated operations, the ‘drone train’ ran from Villeneuve-Saint-Georges to Juvisy and was driven from a control centre established at Vigneux-sur-Seine. Describing ...
-
NewsEliwana mine and railway project launched
AUSTRALIA: Fortescue Metals Group held a ceremony on July 5 to officially launch construction of its Eliwana mine and railway in Western Australia. The US$1·275bn project includes the construction of 143 km of railway to connect the Western Hub mining area to the Solomon Hub on the existing 620 km ...
-
NewsWheel boots approved
WHEEL PROTECTION: Protective boots designed to protect wheel treads and flanges while bogies and wheelsets are in transport or storage have been officially endorsed by UIC and included in its latest shipping guidelines. Developed by Swiss manufacturer Rex Articoli Tecnici, the moulded boots are intended as a reusable alternative to ...
-
NewsMobility+ brings the last mile to InnoTrans 2020
INNOTRANS: A new addition to the Public Transport section of the InnoTrans 2020 trade fair in Berlin will be Mobility+, an area of the exhibition focusing on the increasingly important ‘last mile’ of passengers’ journeys. Mobility+ will provide exhibitors with the opportunity to highlight shared mobility including electric scooters, ...
-
NewsERA issues its first vehicle authorisation
EUROPE: The EU Agency for Railways has issued its first vehicle authorisation, three weeks after becoming the European authorising entity for rail traffic on June 16. ERA said the authorisation covering conformity-to-type of 30 wagons for operation in multiple countries was an ‘historic step to break down barriers in Europe’. ...
-
NewsOberösterreich railway investment programme agreed
AUSTRIA: The Land of Oberösterreich and Austrian Federal Railways have agreed an €725m programme of route modernisation, station upgrading and electrification works for 2019-30. This agreement includes the retention of all branch lines, and the roll-out of new singalling and safety systems. ÖBB is to retain ownership of all lines ...
-
NewsWestermo acquires Neratec
SWITZERLAND: Beijer Group company Westermo has acquired 100% of Neratec Solutions, which supplies wireless communication products for on-train and trackside applications. Bubikon-based Neratec has 25 employees and recorded sales of SFr6·5m in 2018. ‘The acquisition of Neratec will strengthen Westermo’s offering to the rail industry to include a strong wireless ...
-
NewsCPTM plans tourist service to Santos
BRAZIL: São Paulo suburban operator CPTM ran two test trains in late June on the São Paulo – Santos route as part of assessments ahead of the possible launch of a passenger service. The test trains ran on June 18 and 27, and form part of CPTM’s preparations ...
-
NewsPassenger services revived on freight line
GERMANY: Passenger services were reintroduced on the 28 km Bad Bentheim – Neuenhaus route in Niedersachsen on July 6, following a €21m project to upgrade Bentheimer Eisenbahn’s previously freight-only line. Discounted preview fares were offered on the first day, with the full revenue service beginning on July 7. The line’s ...
-
NewsSouth Coast Rail groundbreaking ceremony
USA: A groundbreaking ceremony at East Freetown in Massachusetts on July 2 officially marked the start of work on Phase 1 of the South Coast Rail commuter project. The $1·047bn project will extend Boston’s Middleborough Line commuter rail services to Taunton, New Bedford and Fall River, the only major cities ...
-
NewsFirst track laid on Crimean railway bridge
EUROPE: Tracklaying is underway on the railway which Russia is building to link the mainland to the eastern end of the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014. A bridge across the Kerch Strait has been proposed for many years. Following the annexation, the Russian government awarded Stroygazmontazh ...