All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 377
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NewsBaden-Württemberg backs ETCS in Stuttgart
GERMANY: The Land of Baden-Württemberg agreed in principle on November 27 to support proposals for the roll-out of the European Train Control System and digital interlockings in the Stuttgart region by 2030. The Baden-Württemberg cabinet has authorised the Land transport ministry to enter into financing negotiations with the federal government, ...
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NewsFreight association calls for English to be the second railway language
EUROPE: The conditions which are needed to make rail freight’s quality, reliability and cost of more attractive to customers were the main themes of the annual strategy day held by the European Rail Freight Association in Brussels on November 21. Bringing together organisations which want to promote ‘attractive, fair and ...
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NewsSalzburg expands trolleybus fleet
AUSTRIA: The city of Salzburg announced on November 26 that Swiss manufacturer Hess had been formally awarded a €15·3m contract to supply 15 articulated trolleybuses. Of the 15 vehicles, 11 will be equipped with batteries to permit off-wire operation. These will be charged while the vehicles are operating from ...
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NewsNew York MTA to acquire Grand Central Terminal
USA: New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has agreed to purchase Grand Central Terminal and sections of the Hudson and Harlem commuter rail lines, correcting what it terms a ‘historical quirk’ of New York infrastructure ownership. The acquisitions, valued at $35m, were approved at an MTA finance committee meeting in mid-November. ...
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NewsEtihad Rail Stage 2 funding agreement signed
UAE: Tendering for the civil works for Stage 2 of the planned national railway network is expected to be launched shortly, after the UAE’s Ministry of Finance and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Finance signed a financing agreement on November 27. The 264 km Stage 1 was completed in 2015, and ...
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NewsGlacier Express reveals Excellence Class coaches
SWITZERLAND: Two coaches which have been upgraded to provide a premium ‘Excellence Class’ on the tourist-focused Glacier Express service have been unveiled by operating partners Rhätische Bahn and Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn. The interiors were designed by Nose Design Experience, and refitting of the coaches provided by RhB and MGB was ...
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NewsAlbania southern rail link proposed
EUROPE: Proposals to develop a 130 km rail link between southern Albania and northern Greece have been unveiled as part of the EU-funded Interreg IPA Cross-Border Co-operation Programme ‘Greece-Albania 2014-2020’. Under the CB Railway project launched in the Greek town of Kastoria on November 19, funding is ...
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NewsFerrocarril Central PPP contract winner confirmed
URUGUAY: The national court of auditors has given the go-ahead for the government to formally award the Ferrocarril Central public-private partnership contract to the Via Central consortium. The contract covers the design, financing, construction works and maintenance for 22 years of the 273 km main line running ...
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NewsDB orders wagons from Russian supplier UWC
GERMANY: Russian manufacturer United Wagon Co has won what it says is a ‘major breakthrough’ order to supply wagons to Deustche Bahn, beating rival bids submitted by ‘leading companies from Europe and the USA’. The order announced on November 27 covers 130 Sggrs80 articulated container flat wagons which will be ...
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NewsNürnberg orders Siemens U-Bahn trainsets
GERMANY: Nürnberg transport operator VAG has ordered a further six Type G1 four-car metro trainsets from Siemens Mobility. They are scheduled to enter service on Line U1 from 2021, replacing 12 two-car Type DT2 trainsets. The firm order announced on November 27 has been placed by exercising the first of ...
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NewsKeolis wins Nancy public transport operating contract
FRANCE: The greater Nancy metropolitan council has selected Keolis as the winner of a contract to operate its Star urban transport network for six years from January 1 2019. Keolis said the contract covering bus, electric shuttle, transport on demand, transport for passengers with reduced mobility and park-and-ride facilities across ...
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NewsBerlin buys trams to support energy switch and population growth
GERMANY: Berlin transport operator BVG has directly awarded Bombardier Transportation a contract to supply a further 21 Flexity Berlin trams. The new order has been placed as a follow-on to a 2006 framework agreement which covered the supply of up to 210 trams from the Flexity family customised to Berlin’s ...
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NewsPožarevac – Majdanpek line reopens
SERBIA: The 90 km Požarevac – Majdanpek line southeast of Beograd reopened for freight traffic after five years of suspension on November 21, and passenger operator Srbija Voz expects to revive passenger services on February 19 next year. Reopening follows a €92m rehabilitation project undertaken by Infrastruktura ...
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NewsParis tram route T3b extended
FRANCE: A 4·3 km westward extension of Paris tram Line T3b from Porte de la Chapelle to Porte d’Asnières opened on November 24. This adds 4·3 km and eight stops, taking Line T3b to 14·3 km. The extension is intended to serve urban development projects in northern and northwestern Paris, ...
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NewsChina to Pakistan by rail and road
ASIA: Kerry Logistics Network has launched a rail and road multimodal freight service between Lanzhou in China and Islamabad in Pakistan, operated by its member company Lanzhou Pacific Logistics Corp. A block train carrying mechanical equipment, car parts, commodities and snow melting agent left Lanzhou on October 23 and ...
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NewsCross-border tram route extended
GERMANY: The branch of the Strasbourg tram network which crosses the River Rhine from France to Kehl in Germany was extended by 1·1 km on November 23. The extension has two stops, at Hochschule/Läger and Rathaus. It is intended to improve access to the shopping area of Kehl and ...
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NewsStadler rolls out Guardia with BLS as it expands into signalling
SWITZERLAND: Field tests and approval work is now underway ahead of the introduction of Stadler’s first onboard train protection unit with BLS. Stadler describes the development of the Guardia ETCS onboard unit as a ‘key milestone’ in its history. The Swiss company has previously focused on producing vehicles, but two ...
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NewsSaudi Railway Co affiliates with UK safety and standards body
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Railway Co has become one of the first international affiliates of the UK’s Rail Safety & Standards Board. Vice-President, Operations, Khaled Al Harbi said being able to access RSSB’s tools and guidance would support Saudi Arabia’s goal of improving its rail transport resources. ‘Together ...
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NewsLondon Assembly’s Transport Committee publishes report on rail priorities
UK: The London Assembly’s Transport Committee published a report on November 26 setting out what it sees as the short-term priorities for heavy rail services in the capital. Broken Rails: A Rail Service Fit for Passengers makes six recommendations: 1. Effective small-scale interventions: The committee’s key recommendation is that infrastructure ...
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NewsMedway seeks Iberian freight growth
PORTUGAL: Private freight operator Medway is planning to invest €25m in a new intermodal terminal at Famalicão. The subsidiary of shipping line MSC Group hopes that construction can begin next year, once Famalicão municipality and infrastructure manager Infraestruturas de Portugal have given final sign-off. According to Medway President Carlos ...