Latest news – Page 1114
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News€870m upgrade to increase RER capacity and reliability
FRANCE: Meeting on June 6, the board of Ile-de-France transport authority STIF approved a package of measures to increase capacity and improve reliability on RER Line A, which it says is 'the busiest line in Europe'. A total of €630m is to be spent on infrastructure, including bringing forward ...
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NewsTrenord orders Alstom commuter EMUs
ITALY: Lombardia regional passenger operator Trenord announced a €67m order for 10 five-car Alstom Coradia Meridian electric multiple-units on June 11. The order is an option on a contract for 14 EMUs which Alstom supplied for Malpensa airport services, but the latest batch will have an interior configured for commuter ...
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NewsTram ticket lottery
KAZAKHSTAN: In an attempt to reduce the problem of discarded tickets around tram stops, and attract more riders, Pavlodar Tramways has launched a 'lucky ticket' lottery. Passengers are being encouraged to keep their tickets in order to check the numbers against a list of winning tickets to be published ...
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NewsChicago's South Red Line to be rebuilt
USA: Chicago Transit Authority has announced details of what it says is the one of the biggest projects in its history, a $425m 'complete reconstruction' of the track and trackbed on the southern section of the L metro Red Line between Cermak-Chinatown and 95th/Dan Ryan. The project includes upgrading the ...
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NewsArgentina - Paraguay rail link restored
INTERNATIONAL: The completion of 29 km of new alignment enabling trains to once again run between the 1 435 mm gauge networks of Argentina and Paraguay was announced on June 7, providing access to a freight terminal in the Paraguayan city of Encarnación. Since April 1990 the two networks had ...
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NewsNetwork Rail opens The Quadrant:MK
UK: After five years of planning and construction, on June 11 Network Rail's new national centre known as The Quadrant:MK welcomed the first of more than 3 000 employees who are due to relocate to the site in Milton Keynes. Activities being moved to the national centre during the coming ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - June 2012
As sole bidder, incumbent Veolia Transport has been awarded a nine-year contract to operate the public transport network in the French city of Saint-Etienne from July 1. The contracting authority is to pay €287m a year, while Veolia has agreed to contribute €1m towards the acquisition of three new trams ...
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NewsResearching smarter transit
USA: Under a five-year programme, Cubic Transportation Systems and the University of California at San Diego are to launch a ‘collaborative partnership’ to study next-generation transport technology in cities, with a strong focus on contactless payments and passenger information systems. Cubic has underwritten the partnership with a $500000 grant to ...
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NewsUniversity launches rail course
AUSTRIA: St Pölten University of Applied Sciences has extended its range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. A Masters course on Railway Infrastructure Technology is offered over four semesters to provide ‘more detailed knowledge of railway building, track maintenance and installations’. However, the course treats the railway as a single entity ...
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NewsFerronorte opens to Itiquira
BRAZIL: The Ferronorte network grew by a further 120 km on June 2 when freight operator América Latina Logística officially opened the section between Alto Araguaia and Itiquira in the state of Mato Grosso. The 140 km Itiquira - Rondonópolis route is expected to open by the end of 2012. ...
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NewsHigh-calibre opening ceremony for InnoTrans 2012
INNOTRANS: More than 1000 leading representatives of the international rail industry are expected at the Palais am Funkturm for the official opening of InnoTrans 2012 on September 18, including Siim Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission, and Dr Peter Ramsauer, German Federal Minister of Transport. Kallas and Ramsauer ...
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NewsAlstom signs Schwebebahn ETCS signalling contract
GERMANY: Wuppertal transport agency WSW Mobil has awarded Alstom a €17m contract to provide Atlas 400 ETCS Level 2+ signalling for the modernisation of the Schwebebahn suspension monorail. Alstom will supply trackside and onboard equipment for the 13·3 km line, 20 stations, two depots, 31 new articulated trains being supplied ...
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NewsRoyal train opens Diabolo link to Brussels Airport
BELGIUM: The Diabolo connection to Brussels National airport was formally opened on June 7, when King Albert II drove the first train over the new line. Revenue services are due to start on June 10 after a public open day on June 9. Under construction for the past five years, ...
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News'Largest and most powerful' rack locomotive unveiled
BRAZIL: Swiss manufacturer Stadler Rail unveiled what it says is 'by far the largest and most powerful rack and pinion locomotive ever built' on June 6. MRS Logística placed a SFr60 order in 2010 for seven custom-designed 3 kV DC electric locomotives, which will be used to haul heavy iron ...
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NewsPresident launches construction of Wonju - Gangneung line
SOUTH KOREA: President Lee Myung-bak attended a ceremony on June 1 to launch construction of a 120·3 km direct line to link Wonju, southeast of Seoul, with the east coast city of Gangneung. Completion is planned for 2017, with the 3·9tr won cost to be met from public sources. The ...
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NewsCIT Rail orders 3500 wagons
USA: On June 4 leasing company CIT Rail announced it had placed orders with several manufacturers for 3 500 wagons to be delivered in 2012-13. The orders include oil and gas tank wagons to support increased exploration and drilling activity, and covered hoppers for the plastic resin industry. The orders ...
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NewsUGL announces freight locomotive orders worth A$190m
AUSTRALIA: Four 'significant' orders to supply and maintain a total of 38 freight locomotives were announced by UGL Ltd on May 31. The total value of the contracts is A$190m. Rio Tinto has ordered an unspecified number of GE Evolution locomotives, taking the total number of GE/UGL locomotives ordered for ...
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NewsJohn Holland awarded Sydney light rail extension contract
AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales government has selected John Holland to design and build the 5·6 km Inner West Light Rail extension in Sydney. The A$176m extension from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill will take over the infrastructure of an existing freight line. The contract announced by state Premier Barry O'Farrell ...
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NewsVossloh Kiepe acquires Transys Projects to expand into the UK market
UK: In a move intended to strengthen its position in the British rail market, Vossloh Kiepe announced on June 6 that it was acquiring the Birmingham-based rolling stock engineering consultancy Transys Projects Ltd. Established in 1989, Transys Projects specialises in rolling stock refurbishment and modernisation, including technical enhancement and the ...
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NewsNew York subway R179 car order signed
USA: Bombardier Transportation announced on June 4 that New York MTA had signed the $599m order for 300 metro cars for the New York subway. The MTA board had selected lowest bidder Bombardier as its preferred supplier on March 28. The R179 series cars are to be built at Bombardier's ...