Traction & rolling stock news – Page 193
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NewsRebuilt snow blower on the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn
SWITZERLAND: Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn is keeping its Oberalp Pass route open this winter using a snow clearing vehicle which has been completely rebuilt by Schmidt. The metre-gauge vehicle which was previously used on the Rhätische Bahn’s Bernina route is more than 50 years old. After being acquired by MGB it ...
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NewsGreat Western AT300 trainsets to be built in Italy
UK: Hitachi announced on December 22 that the AT300 trainsets ordered for Great Western Railway are to be manufactured at Hitachi Rail Italy’s plant at Pistoia in Italy. GWR and leasing company Eversholt Rail signed the £361m contract for the trainsets in July, before Hitachi’s acquisition of AnsaldoBreda was completed ...
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NewsSiemens selected to supply Moorgate suburban EMU fleet
UK: Passenger franchisee Govia Thameslink Railway announced on December 22 that it had selected Siemens as preferred bidder for a contract to supply 25 six-car electric multiple-units for use on Great Northern suburban services from Welwyn Garden City, Hertford, Stevenage and Letchworth into London's Moorgate station from 2018. The ...
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NewsRussian Railways to sell Transmashholding stake
RUSSIA: On December 16 the Russian Railways board approved plans to sell RZD’s 25% + 1 stake in The Breakers Investments BV, the Dutch-registered company which owns 100% of rolling stock manufacturing group Transmashholding. RZD’s stake would be sold for around 12·6bn roubles to existing shareholders Iskander Makhmudov, Andrei ...
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NewsSpeedInnov to develop future TGV
FRANCE: The ministries responsible for transport, research and industry announced on December 17 the creation of SpeedInnov, a joint venture that is to develop ‘the TGV of the future’. The new joint venture also includes Alstom and ADEME, a government agency providing funding for projects aiming to reduce environmental impact ...
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NewsChina orders more high speed sleeper trainsets
CHINA: A €152m contract to supply China Railway Corp with a further five 250 km/h CRH1E-250 sleeper trainsets was announced by the Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation joint venture on December 18. This is the second order for the 16-car sleeper train design, after a 2007 contract for 20 sets which ...
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NewsSNCB signs €3·3bn framework for 1362 M7 cars
BELGIUM: National operator SNCB signed a €1·3bn firm order for 445 Type M7 double-deck passenger vehicles with a consortium of Bombardier and Alstom on December 18. There are options for up to 917 more vehicles which would take the total value to €3·3bn. The M7 cars would be able to ...
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NewsNTV unveils ‘futuristic’ Pendolino styling
ITALY: Open access operator NTV has revealed the appearance of the eight 250 km/h Pendolino trainsets which it ordered from Alstom in October. Deliveries are scheduled for late 2017 and entry into service for early 2018. The design was created by Alstom's Design & Styling Centre, which was responsible ...
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NewsTrenord boosts fleet spend
ITALY: Regional passenger operator Trenord has announced that it is to invest an additional €170m on new rolling stock to enter service in 2017. Funding is being provided by the Lombardia region and FNM, which owns 50% of the Trenord joint venture with Trenitalia. Trenord is to acquire 18 trainsets, ...
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NewsBNDES funds VLI rolling stock
BRAZIL: Federal development bank BNDES has approved funding of R$587⋅8m for the acquisition of 16 diesel locomotives and 1 916 wagons by freight operator VLI Multimodal. BNDES is to provide R$392⋅9m directly, and Banco Safra R$195m. By acquiring new rolling stock in 2016, VLI is looking to increase freight capacity ...
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NewsHessische Landesbahn orders 30 EMUs
GERMANY: Alstom announced on December 15 that it had been awarded a €160m contract to supply 30 Coradia Continental electric multiple-units to Hessische Landesbahn. Alstom said these would be the first Coradia Continental units to meet the Locomotives & Passenger Rolling Stock Technical Specification for Interoperability. The order covers ...
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NewsNuclear Decommissioning Authority orders flask wagons
UK: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has awarded Nottinghamshire-based wagon builder WH Davis Ltd a contract to supply five new-generation nuclear flask carriers for use on the national rail network. The new vehicles are intended to replace the existing Type FNA flask carriers, and the NDA requires them be certified in ...
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NewsStadler selects Utah for rolling stock assembly plant
USA: Stadler Rail’s US subsidiary has selected North Salt Lake, Utah as the location of a temporary rolling stock assembly plant, the state Governor’s Office of Economic Development announced on December 10. It is also being considered for the site of a permanent factory which Stadler is to develop under ...
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NewsHopper wagon contract signed
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co has signed an agreement with fertiliser producer Uralkali to supply 400 hopper wagons from its Tikhvin factory. The Type 19-9870 cars will have an axleload of 25 tonnes and can carry up to 76·5 tonnes. A two-stage coating also improves protection from load damage. ...
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NewsGreater Anglia EMUs refurbished
UK: Abellio Greater Anglia has completed an upgrade of 24 four-car Class 317/6 electric multiple-units that operate between London and Cambridge, Cheshunt and Hertford East. The £1·3m project was carried out by the operator’s own fleet maintenance team at Clacton-on-Sea. The interior refresh includes new seat covers, vinyl flooring, ...
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NewsNewag wins its first Italian EMU order
ITALY: Newag announced on December 10 that it had signed a framework contract with regional operator Ferrovie del Sud-Est for the supply of five electric-multiple units with options for up to 10 more. The base order is worth €20·2m, with the total value rising to €60·5m if all options ...
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NewsTrenitalia exercises further Vivalto option
ITALY: Trenitalia has exercised an option to buy 136 Vivalto second-class push-pull coaches from Hitachi Rail Italy, the supplier announced on December 9. The contract is worth €190m and covers the supply of 112 intermediate double-deck coaches and 24 driving cars to be used on regional and commuter services. ...
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NewsSRO launches push-pull trains at 180 km/h
SAUDI ARABIA: President of Saudi Railways Organization Mohammed bin Khalid Al-Suwaiket attended a ceremony in Dammam on December 7 to mark the start of faster passenger services to Riyadh using four push-pull trainsets supplied by CAF of Spain. Designed for a maximum speed of 200 km/h, the trains will operate ...
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NewsICx becomes ICE 4
GERMANY: ‘The ICE 4 will launch a new era for inter-city travel’, said Deutsche Bahn CEO Dr Rüdiger Grube on December 4, at a ceremony at Berlin Südkreuz to unveil the first pre-series ICx trainset. He was joined by federal transport minister Alexander Dobrindt and Siemens Mobility CEO Dr Jochen ...
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NewsRhätische Bahn takes first delivery of Albula line trainset
SWITZERLAND: StadlerRail delivered the first new-generation trainset for Rhätische Bahn’s Albula line to Landquart depot on December 2. Testing of the 1 000 mm gauge trainsets ordered to operate express services between Chur and St Moritz, is due to begin between December 7 and 11, with certification by the ...