All Railway Gazette International articles in Web Issue – Page 8
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NewsGranada joins the AVE network
SPAIN: The 122 km high speed line between Antequera and Granada was formally inaugurated on June 25 by acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who unveiled a plaque at Antequera Santa Ana station. He was accompanied by Minister of Development José Luis Ábalos, ADIF President Isabel Pardo de Vera and the ...
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NewsVirgin Trains breaks ground on Orlando extension
USA: Virgin Trains USA held a ‘Red Spike’ groundbreaking ceremony at Orlando International Airport on June 24 to launch construction work on its 275 km Phase 2 extension from West Palm Beach. Contracts were awarded in May for construction of Phase 2, which represents a private-sector investment of $4bn. The ...
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Metro Report InternationalLa Rochelle orders Aptis electric buses
FRANCE: Greater La Rochelle has ordered four Alstom Aptis electric buses for use on the Illico 4 bus rapid transit route from early 2020. The vehicles will be 12 m long with three doors, and La Rochelle has opted for them to be equipped for overnight slow charging in the ...
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NewsLeshan – Yibin high speed line opens
CHINA: The 141 km Leshan – Jianwei – Pingshan – Yibin section of the future Chengdu – Guiyang Passenger-Dedicated Line opened on June 15. The alignment is designed for 250 km/h operation, and 79% of the route is on bridges or in tunnel. The fastest services operated using CRH3A trainsets ...
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NewsEtihad Rail awards Abu Dhabi – Dubai construction contracts
UAE: Etihad Rail has awarded the next two civil engineering and track works contracts for the construction of Stage Two of the national railway network. With a total value of 4·4bn dirhams, the 216 km Package B and 94 km Package C routes will form the backbone of the UAE’s ...
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Metro Report InternationalTransmashholding reveals new metro car design
RUSSIA: Transmashholding presented a mock-up of its latest metro car design at the SmartTransport trade show that took place in St Petersburg on June 19-21. The ‘Metro 2020’ bodyshell features ‘innovative and super-technological’ aerodynamic characteristics as well as wider doors and an improved cab configuration. TMH subsidiary OEVRZ ...
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NewsDavenne takes over at UIC
INTERNATIONAL: The appointment of François Davenne as Director General of the International Union of Railways was formally confirmed at the UIC General Assembly in Budapest on June 25. Taking over with effect from July 1, he succeeds Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, who has served as UIC Director General since ...
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Metro Report InternationalCBTC supplier selected for Finch West light rail line
CANADA: Mosaic Transit Group has selected Thales to supply signalling for the Finch West light rail line being developed in Toronto. Thales is to supply its SelTrac CBTC technology. Last year Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area transport authority Metrolinx selected Mosaic Transit Group to build the 11 km light ...
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NewsSwitzerland approves SFr13bn infrastructure investment package
SWITZERLAND: The upper house of Parliament (Ständerat) voted unanimously on June 21 in favour of a further phase of rail infrastructure expansion to eliminate bottlenecks, allow more frequent services and make stations more accessible. Worth SFr12∙89bn, the investment package known as STEP 2035 (Strategische Entwicklungsprogramm Bahninfrastruktur) covers around 200 large ...
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Rail Business UKMidlands Hub plan to boost east-west connectivity
UK: The Midlands Connect consortium of local authorities and regional transport bodies has unveiled proposals for a £2bn package of targeted improvements to boost rail services in the East and West Midlands. The group is seeking £25m in government funding to develop the business case for its Midlands Rail ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
‘We have no intention to bid for new UK rail franchises on the current risk profile offered by the Department for Transport’, said Stagecoach Chief Executive Martin Griffiths on June 26 when presenting the group’s preliminary report for the year to April 27. Its current UK franchised rail operations are ...
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NewsQuébec – Toronto High Frequency Rail study awarded funding
CANADA: The government and Canada Infrastructure Bank announced a total of C$71·1m of funding on June 25 to support the further development of VIA Rail’s High Frequency Rail proposal to enhance inter-city services on the Québec – Montréal – Ottawa – Toronto corridor. The corridor carried 72% of VIA Rail’s ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst phase of Hangzhou metro Line 5 opens
CHINA: The first phase of Hangzhou metro Line 5 was inaugurated on June 24. The 17·8 km underground route in the northwest of the city links Liangmu Lu with Shanxian, serving 12 stations, including an interchange with Line 2 at Sanba. The rest of Line 5 is ...
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NewsEast Norway passenger operating contract plan announced
NORWAY: Railway agency Jernbanedirektoratet has announced its preferred option for tendering the operation of passenger services around Oslo and southeast Norway. This follows a study of eight options for grouping the routes which it undertook on behalf of the Ministry of Transport & Communications. The two operating contracts would be ...
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Metro Report InternationalSystra selected for Santiago Line 7
CHILE: Metro de Santiago has selected Systra to provide consultancy services for construction of driverless metro Line 7, including the design of railway systems, workshops and rolling stock, the company announced on June 25. Line 7 is one of three new routes and four extensions announced by President Sebastián Piñera ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
East Japan Railway will hold its fifth suppliers tour at the InterContinental Hotel in Frankfurt on September 18-19, providing an opportunity for European companies to meet JR East to discuss business opportunities. The bilateral meetings will focus on topics including, but not limited to, rolling stock, track and signalling. A ...
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NewsBayern awards two operating contracts
GERMANY: Bayern railway agency BEG awarded DB Regio two overlapping operating contracts on June 24. The first is an interim contract covering the operation of long-distance regional services on the 220 km route from München to Lindau via Memmingen for one year from December 2020, while the second covers the ...
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Metro Report InternationalShijiazhuang metro opens Line 1 extension
CHINA: The second phase of Shijiazhuang metro Line 1 opened to passengers at 06.30 on June 26. The 13·5 km extension runs northwards from the former eastern terminus at Xiaohedadao under the Hutuo River to serve the city’s northeast suburbs, adding eight stations. However, only the first 10·4 km ...
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NewsPKP Intercity signs EMU modernisation contract
POLAND: PKP Intercity has signed a 274·8m złoty contract with a consortium of Pesa and its subsidiary ZNTK Mińsk Mazowiecki for the modernisation of 14 ED74 electric multiple-units. The modernisation will include the fitting of air-conditioning, wi-fi, mobile phone signal repeaters, a power socket at every seat and two ...
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NewsSiemensstadt S-Bahn funding agreement
GERMANY: The long-disused S-Bahn branch to the Berlin suburb of Siemensstadt and Gartenfeld is set to be reactivated following the signing of an agreement between Deutsche Bahn's Board Member for Infrastructure Ronald Pofalla and the city's Mayor Michael Müller on July 28 to fund the necessary planning studies at an ...