All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 527
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NewsHibiya Line to get longer trains
JAPAN: Tokyo Metro has started trial running with the first of 42 seven-car Series 13000 trainsets, which are expected to enter service on the capital’s Hibiya Line later this year. The 1 067 mm gauge aluminium-bodied trainsets are being built Kinki Sharyo in Osaka, and the first train was delivered ...
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NewsDB and Vlexx win Saarland passenger contracts
GERMANY: The Saarland and Rheinland-Pfalz south and north transport authorities have jointly awarded two contracts for the operation of regional passenger services for 15 years from December 2019. Incumbent DB Regio has won the SaarRB Lot 1 contract to operate 3·2 million train-km/year on the Schweich – Trier – Saarbrücken ...
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NewsTrenitalia buys c2c to enter UK rail market
UK: An agreement in principle for National Express Group to sell its c2c passenger franchisee to the Trenitalia subsidiary of Italian state railway group FS for £70m was announced on January 11. NEG’s c2c holds the Essex Thameside franchise to operate commuter-focused services into London Fenchurch Street, carrying around ...
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NewsDangerous goods transport regulations updated
INTERNATIONAL: An updated version of the Regulations Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail came into force on January 1, replacing the 2015 rules which may however continue to be applied until June 30 2017. RID applies to international rail transport between 44 countries in Europe, Asia and ...
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NewsRift Valley Railways for sale
AFRICA: Egypt-based energy and infrastructure group Qalaa has confirmed that ‘preliminary negotiations are ongoing’ with several prospective local and international buyers for its 73·76% stake in Kenya – Uganda railway concessionaire Rift Valley Railways. On January 5 Qalaa said no official offer had yet been made or any agreement reached. ...
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NewsDaugavpils selects Belkommunmash trams
LATVIA: Belkommunmash has submitted the best offer to supply trams for Daugavpils, city tram operator Daugavpils Satiksme announced on January 5. The Belarusian manufacturer is to supply eight single-section trams for a total cost of €2·1m. In 2014 Daugavpils Satiksme ordered eight single-section trams and four three-section trams ...
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NewsNS completes green energy transition
NETHERLANDS: National passenger operator NS is now operating all of its electric trains using wind-generated power, following a three-year transition in association with natural gas, electricity and heat supplier Eneco. According to a personal video message from CEO Roger van Boxtel, NS is the first railway in the world to ...
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NewsAlstom to maintain Ferromex locomotives
MEXICO: Ferromex has awarded Alstom a five-year contract to maintain 219 EMD and GE diesel freight locomotives The contract announced on January 9 includes condition-based and predictive maintenance which will include oil and vibration analysis and remote monitoring. This is expected to bring a reduction in operating costs. ...
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NewsElaine Chao
Elaine Chao has been selected as US Secretary of Transportation by President-elect Donald Trump.
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NewsChangsha – Zhuzhou – Xiangtan Intercity Railway opens
CHINA: The Changsha – Zhuzhou – Xiangtan Intercity Railway in Hunan Province opened for passenger services on December 26. There are 21 stations on the 95·5 km Y-shared route from Changsha to the two termini. Services are operated using eight-car CRH6F electric trainsets from CRRC Qingdao Sifang. The alignment ...
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NewsTenders called for first tram-train project in Hungary
HUNGARY: Tenders have been called for a tram-train route to be developed between Szeged and Hódmezővásárhely in the south of the country. The cost of infrastructure is estimated at HF13·25bn and rolling stock at HF10bn, and the project will be fully financed by the EU. The route will incorporate ...
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NewsToshiba targets European hybrid locomotive market
GERMANY: Japan’s Toshiba and DB Cargo have agreed to undertake a feasibility study for the joint development and subsequent purchase of an initial 100 battery-diesel hybrid locomotives for shunting and short-distance freight operations. Test vehicles are expected to be available by the end of 2019. The value of the deal ...
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NewsPassenger locomotives for Nigeria unveiled
NIGERIA: The first two diesel locomotives built to haul passenger trains on the Abuja – Kaduna line have been rolled out at the CRRC Dalian factory in China. The 1 435 mm gauge Type CDD3B1 locomotives have a maximum speed of 150 km/h, and are designed to cope with local ...
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NewsFirst Uithoflijn tram delivered to Utrecht
NETHERLANDS: The first tram for the Uithoflijn in Utrecht has been delivered from CAF’s factory in Spain to the Nieuwegein sneltram depot. Haulage company Van der Vlist used a 40 m bespoke trailer to transport the 32 m long tram through Spain, France, Germany and the Netherlands. A specially ...
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NewsChinese locomotives for Serbia rolled out
SERBIA: Two electric locomotives which the state electricity generator ordered last year have been rolled out at CRRC Zhuzhou’s plant in China. The contract was awarded following an international tender and was the first rolling stock order won by CRRC in Serbia. The 7 MW locomotives have a maximum speed ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
After returning to Earth at the Siziwang landing ground in Inner Mongolia following 33 days in orbit, the Shenzhou 11 re-entry capsule from China’s sixth manned space mission was transported to Beijing on a China Railway Corp flat wagon with special brackets. G3 Global Holdings has appointed Peter Kiewit Infrastructure ...
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NewsAstra wagons delivered to DB Cargo UK
UK: DB Cargo UK has begun taking delivery of 85 open wagons being supplied by leasing company VTG Rail UK which ordered then from Romanian manufacturer Astra Rail Industries. The Type JNA four-axle wagons will be used to carry construction materials. According to VTG the vehicles have a ‘unique and ...
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NewsGermany – China parcels train to run this year
INTERNATIONAL: A pilot eastbound postal service between Duisburg in Germany and Chongqing in China is to be operated in early 2017, after a westbound demonstrator which ran last year showed that rail could be a viable option for the parcels sector. As well as being cheaper than air and faster ...
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NewsIzmir trams start test running
TURKEY: Trams started test running on a 4·3 km section of the Karşıyaka Line in Izmir on December 28, with Mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu on the initial ride. Tests are taking place between Ataşehir and Bostanlı. The whole 8·8 km line is 95% complete, with opening expected in March. Kocaoğlu ...
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NewsAmtrak streamlines management structure
USA: Federal passenger company Amtrak announced on January 5 that it would be rationalising its senior management structure as part of efforts to ‘position itself for an even more competitive future’.President & CEO Wick Moorman has reduced by half the senior management team to create six reporting lines. These are: ...