Traction & rolling stock news – Page 174
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NewsFinal Brazilian-built EMU for PRASA completed
SOUTH AFRICA: Alstom Brazil’s Lapa factory has completed the last of 20 X'Ttrapolis Mega electric multiple-units for Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa. PRASA placed a R51bn order for 600 of the six-car 1 067 mm gauge EMUs in 2013, with 20 to be supplied from Brazil and the remaining ...
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NewsFive rolling stock proposals for rail motorway to Spain
EUROPE: Five proposals have been received for wagons to carry lorries on a future rail motorway service between France and Spain, the Spanish Ministry of Development announced on July 9. By the deadline of June 30, proposals had been received from CAF, engineering consultancy Civenssy and Stadler Rail Valencia from ...
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NewsXRL trainset arrives in Hong Kong by rail
CHINA: The signalling and communications systems on the Hong Kong and Mainland sections of the Guangzhou – Shenzhen – Hong Kong Express Rail Link high speed line were connected on July 5, enabling the third of the nine trainsets for the future service to be delivered from CRRC Qingdao ...
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NewsJR East to build ALFA-X 360 km/h Shinkansen testbed
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has announced its intention build a further high speed test train, as part of a programme to develop its next generation of Shinkansen trains. JR East announced on July 4 that it expects to put the 10-car unit into operation in the spring of 2019. Dubbed ...
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NewsElectric-battery train on test
CHINA: An electric CRH inter-city trainset equipped with an onboard battery for use on non-electrified lines is on test in Inner Mongolia. Manufacturer CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles says the trainset can run at more than 200 km/h when using overhead power or at speeds up to 160 km/h using battery ...
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NewsNorthern’s Pacer replacement multiple-units under construction
UK: The first of the Civity UK multiple-units ordered for Arriva’s Northern franchise in northern England are now under construction at CAF’s factories at Irun and Zaragoza in Spain. The 25 two-car and 30 three-car Class 195 diesel multiple-units and 31 three-car and 12 four-car 25 kV 50 Hz Class ...
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NewsGreen Cargo orders Transmontana locomotives
SWEDEN: Green Cargo has ordered two Transmontana electric locomotives from Romanian company Softronic for delivery in mid-2018. The freight operator expects the new locomotives to be able to haul trains of up to 3 000 tonnes, twice the load of its Rc locomotives dating from the 1970s. Announcing the order ...
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NewsFirst Giruno runs through the Gotthard Base Tunnel
SWITZERLAND: A Stadler EC250 Giruno trainset ran through the Gotthard Base Tunnel for the first time during testing on July 2. The manufacturer said that the test run at a maximum speed of 100 km/h had been a 'complete success', demonstrating that the design meets the standards required to operate ...
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NewsVTG to buy CIT Group’s European wagon leasing business
EUROPE: CIT Group Inc of the USA has reached a definitive agreement to sell its European wagon leasing business to Hamburg-based VTG AG. CIT Rail Holdings (Europe) SAS owns Paris-based NACCO, which according to VTG is the fourth largest private wagon leasing company in Europe with a ‘well-balanced portfolio’ ...
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NewsRussian Railways orders updated platskartny coaches
RUSSIA: Russian Railways has decided to order a new batch of platskartny coaches, its most basic style of long-distance rolling stock. RZD had been concerned that the open-plan dormitory-style accommodation in the third class cars was no longer attractive to passengers, and had been considering only ordering sleeping cars with ...
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NewsPassenger assistance to be stepped up as NGR EMUs enter service
AUSTRALIA: Queensland Rail is to recruit additional station staff to assist mobility-impaired passengers using the six-car EMUs being supplied to Queensland Rail under the New Generation Rollingstock PPP concession. The first of 75 sets are now expected to enter service later this year, CEO Nick Easy confirmed on June 27. ...
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NewsUnited Wagon Co opens Estonian wagon servicing centre
ESTONIA: Russian rolling stock manufacturer United Wagon Co has opened service centre at Skinest Rail’s Valga depot to provide warranty and post-warranty support for modern wagons operating in the Baltic States. UWC says its service centre ‘is unique in the Baltic States’, having specially trained staff and holding the documentation ...
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NewsFuxing China standard high speed trainsets enter service
CHINA: Two designs of China Standard Electric Multiple-Unit officially entered service on the Beijing – Shanghai high speed line on June 26, following an extensive programme of test running. Services were launched when a CRRC Sifang CR400AF Blue Dolphin trainset departed from Beijing South station at 11.05 while a CRRC ...
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NewsVTG expands US and Russian wagon fleets
VTG: Leasing company VTG has strengthened its position in the US market and completed a ‘major strategic step’ in Russia through a series of wagon acquisitions. VTG Rail Inc has expanded its US fleet to around 5 200 vehicles with the acquisition of Redwood Rail’s 1 135 grain, cement, sand, ...
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NewsLoco manufacturer obtains first IRIS certification in Kazakhstan
KAZAKHSTAN: The Astana-based EKZ joint venture of Alstom (50%), national railway KTZ (25%) and Transmashholding (25%) has obtained International Railway Industry Standard certification. Bernard Peille, Managing Director of Alstom in South CIS, said EKZ was ‘proud’ to be the first railway vehicle manufacturer in the country to obtain IRIS certification, ...
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NewsUralchem modernises ammonia wagon fleet
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co’s TikhvinChemMash plant has supplied fertiliser producer Uralchem with a batch of ammonia tank wagons offering a capacity of 92·7 m3 and 60·2 tonnes, an increase of between 5% and 10% compared to older designs. Designed for loading ammonia at temperatures down to -33°C, the wagons incorporate ...
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News500th Vectron locomotive ordered
CZECH REPUBLIC: European Locomotive Leasing has awarded Siemens a contract to supply a further eight Vectron electric locomotives. The locomotives will be rated at 6·4 MW and have a maximum speed of 200 km/h. ELL is to lease them to České Dráhy for use hauling Praha – Berlin EuroCity passenger ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market June 2017
Azerbaijan: ŽOS Vrútky has undertaken heavy overhaul of eight ADY sleeping cars, which have been converted into 160 km/h air-conditioned economy/business class cars with 60 seats. Another seven are to follow by 2018. China: Shanghai Shentong Metro Group has awarded Shentong Bombardier (Shanghai) Rail Transit Vehicle Maintenance Co two ...
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NewsDSB finds buyer for AnsaldoBreda IC2 DMUs
DENMARK: National operator DSB reached an agreement to sell 15 of its 23 AnsaldoBreda IC2 diesel multiple-units on June 16. The two-car DMUs were withdrawn from service last year after a troubled history. DSB is selling the DMUs ‘as is’ with no warranty. The unnamed buyer has initially acquired three ...
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NewsAlstom to overhaul Akiem electric locomotives
FRANCE: Leasing company Akiem has awarded Alstom a €20m contract to undertake the mid-life overhaul of 23 BB36000 tri-voltage electric locomotives to ensure they can provide another 15 years of service. The project runs to 2024 and will include bogie refurbishment, obsolescence monitoring, component repairs and cab modernisation. The work ...