Technology news – Page 81
-
NewsHamburg S-Bahn automation agreement signed
GERMANY: The Digital S-Bahn Hamburg agreement to automate operations on a section of the city’s suburban rail network was signed by the mayor, Deutsche Bahn and Siemens on July 12. The partners have agreed to share the €60m cost of the pilot phase of the project, which aims to have ...
-
Metro Report InternationalDigital S-Bahn Hamburg automation agreement signed
GERMANY: The Digital S-Bahn Hamburg agreement to automate operations on a section of the city’s suburban rail network was signed by the mayor, Deutsche Bahn and Siemens on July 12. The partners have agreed to share the €60m cost of the pilot phase of the project, which aims to have ...
-
NewsHydrogen fuel cell trainset approved for passenger service
GERMANY: Alstom’s Coradia iLint hydrogen fuel cell multiple-unit was formally approved for passenger service on July 11. The two prototype units are expected to enter pilot service on the Elbe-Weser network with the first scheduled services planned for late summer. ‘Hydrogen is a true low-emission and efficient alternative to diesel’, ...
-
Rail Business UKInvestor sees 'interesting opportunity' in rail revenue technology
SEATFROG: Venture capital investor Octopus Ventures has led a £4·5m Series A funding round at Seatfrog, which has developed mobile auction technology enabling passengers to upgrade train and airline seats until the time of departure. Existing investors including Howzat Partners also participated. Octopus Ventures partner Luke Hakes will join the ...
-
Metro Report InternationalMax Bögl plans to enter urban maglev market
GERMANY: Construction company Max Bögl is planning to relaunch the maglev concept with a view to winning export contracts. Instead of a high speed application, the company envisages low or medium speed operation over distances up to about 30 km. Following the demise of Transrapid maglev technology in Germany ...
-
Metro Report InternationalHQ Equita acquires transport technology companies and expects market growth
INTERNATIONAL: German investment group HQ Equita has signed an agreement to acquire a majority stake in public transport communication, security and monitoring technology supplier r2p from Swedish investor Alder Fund I. Announcing the deal on July 9, HQ Equita said it would simultaneously acquire Australian passenger information system company Open ...
-
NewsFemale-fit workwear range expanded
CLOTHING: Ballyclare has ‘significantly’ expanded its range of protective and high visibility clothing designed for women, following consultation with users. ‘Our aim was to find out exactly what female wearers wanted from our workwear and expand the range we offer them accordingly’, said Sales & Marketing Director Roger Foster. ‘Our ...
-
NewsWagon weighing system for rapid installation
USA: Schenck Process has obtained US legal-for-trade status for its MultiTrain LegalWeight in-motion wagon weighing system. This uses instrumented concrete sleepers with high-precision load cells to measure the vertical force applied through the rail with an accuracy of 0·2%. It requires 50 m of straight and level track, works in ...
-
Metro Report InternationalContactless ticketing rolled out across Milano metro
ITALY: Milano transport operator ATM introduced account-based contactless bank card ticketing across the metro network on June 29. All 113 stations are now equipped with card readers at ticket gates that accept MasterCard and Visa contactless bank cards. Fares are valid for 90 min after touching in, so can ...
-
Rail Business UKInnovation Centre supports evolution from ‘find & fix’ to ‘predict & prevent’
UK: ‘It is about developing the means to operate a railway in a more effective and safer way’, said Mark Bullock, Balfour Beatty CEO for Rail & Utilities, when he welcomed guests from the rail industry and academia to the company’s Rail Innovation Centre on June 28. The 450 m2 ...
-
Metro Report InternationalNice opens second tram line
FRANCE: The initial section of the second tram line in Nice was inaugurated on June 30, with a ceremony at the Cadam administrative centre attended by the city’s Mayor Christian Estrosi, as Président of the local Métropole, and the Préfet of Alpes-Maritimes Georges-François Leclerc. Line T2 will eventually run ...
-
NewsBogie test rig in service
CHILE: Swiss engineering group Nencki has put into operation its first bogie test rig for use in South America. The rig has been commissioned by Alstom Limache, which maintains the suburban EMUs used by Valparaiso operator Metro Merval. Installed with the support of local service partner Sim Rail, the ...
-
Metro Report InternationalTicket machines with video links on test
GERMANY: Duisburg transport operator DVG is testing five Cubic Transportation Systems ticket machines which include video links to its customer service centre. Passengers can use the video links to talk to customer service staff who can assist with planning journeys and purchasing tickets. The video service is available between ...
-
Metro Report InternationalMetro standards committee formed
INDIA: The government has established a committee to develop standards for locally-manufactured components to be used in the country’s metro networks. Announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the opening of the Delhi Metro Green Line extension on June 25, the establishment of the new committee follows a government decision ...
-
Rail Business UKAccessibility technology projects awarded funding
UK: Seven technology projects which aim to assist passengers with disabilities have been awarded a total of £600 000 of government funding to support development. Accessibility Evaluation Survey for Stations is a tool to help people responsible for station accessibility to identify problems and prioritise improvements.Less Visible Impairments will ...
-
News3M expands anti-graffiti range
PROTECTION: 3M has launched two anti-graffiti wrap overlaminates which, as well as being easy to clean, can be used on curved surfaces such as vehicle noses, textured coach walls and window frames. The Anti-Graffiti Wrap Gloss Overlaminate 8588G and Matte Overlaminate 8590M can also be used on textured and brick ...
-
NewsSouth African road-rail bus launched
SOUTH AFRICA: Gauteng-based manufacturer RailPro is testing a road-rail vehicle intended for passenger transport on a railway line east of Pretoria. State-owned transport group Transnet is working with RailPro on the trials, which are being carried out on a 21 km route between Cullinan and Mamelodi via Rayton. Five ...
-
Metro Report InternationalItalian state railway launches multimodal app
ITALY: State railway FS Italiane launched a nationwide multimodal transport planning app on June 22. Nugo is available for Apple and Android devices. It enables users to plan a door-to-door journey throughout the country and buy one ticket to cover all the required modes. Initially 50 transport companies are ...
-
NewsNext generation interlocking development programme launched
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau has launched the Argos ‘innovation partnership’ project to design its next generation of computer-controlled interlockings. The project which formally began on June 20 has three objectives: a 15% decrease in the cost of procurement, maintenance and future modernisation; reducing the cost, number of ...
-
NewsUsing onboard telematics units to identify wheel flats
SWITZERLAND: A project to use wagons’ onboard telematics units to provide an early warning of wheel flats has been undertaken by leasing company Wascosa and Savvy Telematic Systems, with the support of the Federal Office for the Environment which is seeking to reduce train noise. Savvy has developed an algorithm ...