Traction & rolling stock news – Page 202
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NewsAvoid blockages
TOILET: TBM Rail has developed a gravity-fed toilet designed to minimise blockages. Managing Director Andrew Hawker says that while gravity-fed designs are ‘often the simplest and smallest-footprint option’, they ‘have become infamous for blockages and resulting servicing problems’. ‘A number of companies shared with us data on service levels, ...
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NewsJR East calls international tenders for DEMU fleet
JAPAN: East Japan Railway announced on May 19 that it is calling international tenders for a fleet of diesel-electric multiple-units to operate services on non-electrified lines, with between 150 and 200 trainsets to be ordered in the coming years. Bids are due by July 24 for an initial build of ...
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NewsMaintaining locos with augmented reality
EUROPE: The Services division of Siemens is trialling the use of augmented reality on tablet computers to support the maintenance of Vectron locomotives. Siemens staff the Transport Logistic exhibition in München demonstrated how augmented reality could assist staff working on a locomotive at a remote location. Technicians arriving by road ...
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NewsStadler to supply double-deck EMUs to Azerbaijan
AZERBAIJAN: An agreement for the supply of five Kiss double-deck electric multiple-units was signed by Stadler Rail CEO Peter Spuhler and Javid Gurbanov, Chairman of national railway ADY, at the TransCaspian 2015 trade fair in Baku on May 13. The 1 520 mm gauge 3·3 kV DC EMUs are to ...
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NewsFirst electro-diesel Flirts ordered
ITALY: The Valle d’Aosta region placed the first order for an electro-diesel version of Stadler Rail’s Flirt multiple-unit on May 12. Five Flirt3 units are to be delivered in 2018 for use on Aosta – Torino services. Each of the units will have three passenger cars, plus the diesel power ...
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NewsWestbahn to order more trains
AUSTRIA: Plans to order 10 additional Stadler Rail double-deck electric multiple-units were announced by Hans Peter Haselsteiner, the largest shareholder in open access operator Westbahn, on May 11. The €180m order would cover nine four-car Kiss EMUs and one six-car unit. Westbahn also confirmed that it will operate an hourly ...
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NewsD-Train crash test
UK: A former London Underground D78 car has been crashed into a 3 tonne tank of water as part of the testing programme being carried out in support of Vivarail’s plans to use the bodyshells of the redundant metro trains to create low-cost ‘D-Train’ diesel multiple-units for use on the ...
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NewsIPO values Talgo at €1·27bn
TALGO: Shares in Spanish rolling stock manufacturer Talgo SA began trading on the Madrid stock exchange on May 7, when CEO Carlos de Palacio rang the opening bell at 14.00. Talgo says that it has raised €570m though the initial public offering, placing 61 million shares which correspond to 45% ...
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NewsLighthouse railway research projects launched
EUROPE: The first three railway research and development projects to be funded from the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme were officially launched in Brussels on May 7. Selected by the European Commission following the first 'Mobility for Growth' call for proposals, the so-called lighthouse projects are intended to bridge the ...
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NewsSNCF orders 19 more Francilien EMUs
FRANCE: SNCF has exercised a €127m option for a further 19 Francilien electric multiple-units, Bombardier announced on May 6. The order is to be financed Ile-de-France transport authority STIF. The Francilien single-deck eight-car commuter EMUs have a capacity of 1 000 passengers, with wide gangways and doors to facilitate ...
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NewsECP brakes mandated as tank car standards are tightened
NORTH AMERICA: Electronically-controlled pneumatic braking will be required on unit trains carrying high-hazard flammable materials after January 2021, under a new rule announced in Washington DC on May 1 by US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt. Other measures to improve safety include enhanced construction standards ...
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NewsCryogenic LNG tank wagon unveiled
EUROPE: Wagon leasing company VTG and US-based cryogenic transport specialist Chart Industries unveiled what is claimed to be the first purpose-built tank wagon for liquefied natural gas on May 5. Having been developed over the past three years by the two companies and VTG’s Waggonbau Graaff business, the wagon unveiled ...
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NewsVictoria budget kicks off 10-year rolling stock spend
AUSTRALIA: The Victoria state government has allocated more than A$6bn for rail investment in its 2015-16 budget, announced by Treasurer Tim Pallas on May 5. The headline element is A$2bn for rolling stock investment as the first tranche of a 10-year programme to strengthen local public transport and revitalise the ...
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NewsAxle earthing units
EARTHING: Morgan Advanced Materials has launched a new design of axle earthing unit, which it says reduces movement between the brush box and shaft, improves brush-shaft contact and offers better system performance and lower maintenance costs. The company says the problems caused by electrical currents damaging axlebox roller bearings ...
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NewsHopperPopper helps unload wagons
FREIGHT: The HopperPopper from Pneumat Systems assists in the unloading of dried grains and meal products from wagons by combining compressed air blast technology with precise hydraulic controls. The wirelessly controlled HopperPopper allows operators to position a hydraulically- driven blast probe in the hopper compartment, blasting out bulk ...
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NewsHybrid drive demonstrates 15% fuel saving
ENGINE: A 15% reduction in fuel consumption compared to a conventional diesel multiple-unit was achieved by Deutsche Bahn’s VT642 test DMU when MTU undertook trials with a hybrid version of its PowerPack. MTU’s PowerPacks combine a DMU engine with electric, mechanical or hydraulic transmission, after-treatment, auxiliaries and cooling systems into ...
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NewsGrindrod locos delivered to Douala
CAMEROON: Railway concessionaire Camrail, owned by Bolloré Africa Logistics, has taken delivery of two CC 3300 locomotives at the port of Douala. Representing an investment of FrCFA3bn each, the locomotives were supplied by South African manufacturer Grindrod as part of an initial batch of eight diesel heavy freight locos which ...
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NewsSBB prepares for Gotthard base tunnel opening
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways is embarking on a major programme to modify long-distance rolling stock for operation through the Gotthard base tunnel, the company announced on April 30. In addition, it is launching an extensive staff training programme to prepare for the start of operations on December 11 2016. Announcing ...
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NewsTank wagon coating trial
USA: Industrial Solutions USA has completed a 12-month trial of Nanovere Technologies’s Nano-Clear Industrial coating on GATX tank wagons. NCI is designed to penetrate into the pores of the paint, enhancing the underlying colour and improving UV, abrasion, corrosion and chemical resistance to extend the interval between repainting. NCI ...
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NewsABB wins Swiss substation contracts
SWITZERLAND: ABB has received turnkey contracts worth US$30m from Swiss Federal Railways and private operator Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn to supply three traction substations by 2018. The manufacturer says that this will help the operators to increase capacity by strengthening and stabilising their power supplies. The SBB order covers 132/66/15/11 ...