Traction & rolling stock news
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In depthJapan: Delays and demographic dilemmas hinder Hokkaido Shinkansen ambition
Geological difficulties have delayed the completion of the Hokkaido Shinkansen extension to Sapporo beyond 2030, while JR Hokkaido is considering the deployment of 160 to 200 km/h EMUs on its 1 067 mm network, as well as bus replacements for loss-making rural routes. Mike Bent investigates.
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NewsSecond generation Citylink tram-train arrives in Chemnitz
GERMANY: The first of 19 second-generation Stadler Citylink tram-trains ordered by Mittelsachsen transport authority VMS for use around Chemnitz has been delivered for testing.
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NewsContract to fit out and operate Melbourne’s Suburban Loop awarded
AUSTRALIA: Project promoter Suburban Rail Loop Authority has awarded a A$6·7bn Linewide contract package to supply rolling stock, fit out and then operate the Suburban Rail Loop East in Melbourne.
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NewsSiemens Mobility signs Vietnamese high speed rail co-operation agreement
VIETNAM: Siemens Mobility has signed a framework agreement with a local partner to develop two planned high speed rail lines as turnkey projects.
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NewsEMUs and freight locos shipped as Malaysia’s East Coast link nears completion
MALAYSIA: CRRC Dalian has dispatched the first two of 11 electric multiple-units and two of 12 electric freight locomotives it is supplying for Malaysia’s 665 km East Coast Rail Link.
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NewsMoskva-2026 metro train enters service
RUSSIA: The first TMH Metrovagonmash Moskva-2026 trainset has entered passenger service on Line 2 of the capital’s metro network.
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NewsHyundai Rotem high speed trainset on its way to Uzbekistan
UZBEKISTAN: The first of six high speed trainsets that Hyundai Rotem is building for Uzbek national railway UTY has been shipped from the South Korean port of Masan.
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NewsInvestments not promises as Slovenian operator orders long-distance trains
SLOVENIA: SŽ Potniški Promet has signed contracts worth €97·7m for the renewal of its long-distance train fleet as part of a broader rolling stock renewal programme.
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NewsŠkoda to supply BEMUs to Latvia
LATVIA: National transport authority Autotransporta Direkcija has awarded Škoda Group a €89·4m contract to supply nine battery-electric multiple-units.
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Rail Business UK‘Five firsts’ celebrated at Tuxford as UK rail sector seeks role in hydrogen economy
UK: Network Rail and industry partners held an event at Tuxford in Nottinghamshire on December 3 marking the first use of rail to transport hydrogen on the main line network.
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NewsSwiss regulator seeks dialogue with ERA as court blocks wagon safety changes
SWITZERLAND: Amid an ongoing controversy over railway wagon safety rules, Swiss national railway safety authority BAV has extended its transitional working arrangements with the EU Agency for Railways.
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NewsSNCF Voyageurs orders CAF trainsets for Région Sud contract
FRANCE: SNCF Voyageurs has confirmed an order for 22 CAF Régiolis electric multiple-units for use on the Marseille – Aubagne – Toulon – Hyères and Marseille – Toulon – Les Arcs-Draguignan routes.
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NewsVerona locomotive maintenance centre to capitalise on expected modal shift to rail
ITALY: Siemens Mobility and Railpool are to invest €20m in the development of a ‘state-of-the-art’ locomotive servicing hub in Verona.
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Rail Business UKFreightliner orders 150 intermodal wagons to a new WH Davis design
UK: Independent wagon manufacturer WH Davis is to supply 150 intermodal wagons of a new design for Porterbrook to lease to Freightliner.
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NewsHydrogen transport container developed to support green steel ambitions
AUSTRIA: The H2Tainer designed for rail and road transport of hydrogen for use in the production of green steel has been developed by Innofreight, steelmaker Voestalpine Tubulars and HyCentA.
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NewsSound Transit's 1 Line reaches Federal Way as major fleet procurement to launch next year
USA: The Federal Way Link light rail extension in the Seattle-Tacoma area opened on December 6, and Sound Transit expects a major fleet procurement to start early next year.
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NewsSupreme Railways unveils EMU-320 high speed train
SOUTH KOREA: Supreme Railways has unveiled the first of 14 eight-car EMU-320 high speed trainsets being supplied by Hyundai Rotem.
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In depthFreight: Rolling laboratory supports innovation
Portugal’s Rail CoLab association is developing its Freight Laboratory Train to act as a platform for both monitoring systems and the testing of new concepts, as Andre Pires explains.
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NewsKiwiRail locos included in Traxtion’s South African rolling stock investment
SOUTH AFRICA: Leasing company Traxtion has announced a R3·4bn programme of investment in locomotives and rolling stock to expand capacity as the South African rail freight sector is reformed.
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NewsBozankaya delivers first tram to Napoli
ITALY: Turkish manufacturer Bozankaya has delivered the first of 20 five-section trams to Napoli operator ANM.