Latest news – Page 1124
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NewsMadrid - Ourense high speed PPP contracts awarded
SPAIN: Two PPP contracts for the supply and installation of railway equipment on the Madrid - Ourense high speed line were approved by the board of infrastructure authority ADIF on March 30. Both contracts include maintenance over a period of 25 years. A consortium of Ferrovial Agromán, Tecsa, Vías y ...
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NewsNorth Shore Connector opens
USA: Regular services on Pittsburgh's 1·9 km North Shore Connector extension of the T light rail line began on March 25, following inauguration ceremonies two days before. The Connector runs through a twin-bore tunnel under the Allegheny River to link the city centre with the North Shore area, a developing ...
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News
Amanda Nair
Amanda Nair has been appointed Chairman of the Gautrain Management Agency for a three-year term, with Abel Mawela as Deputy Chairman. Also on the Board are Donovan Nadison, Mogopodi Mokoena, Doris Dondur, Motseaoa Alix-Mary Lugemwa and Professor Wellington Thwala.
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NewsRejuvenated Blackpool tramway reopens
UK: Transport Minister Norman Baker officially reopened the Blackpool tramway on April 3, following a four-year project to revitalise the only traditional tram line to have survived in the UK. The first journey carried 40 'golden ticket' competition winners, with regular passenger services scheduled to start the following day. ...
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NewsCalifornia revises high speed plans again
USA: The California High Speed Rail Authority released a third substantially-revised business plan on April 2, covering construction of an initial 480 route-km of dedicated high speed tracks between Merced and the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles. CHSRA's original vision of a 1 100 km network running from ...
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NewsSNCF orders 40 Euroduplex sets
FRANCE: SNCF has exercised an option for a further 40 third-generation Duplex high speed trainsets from Alstom Transport under a framework agreed in June 2007. SNCF is already taking delivery of 55 of the 320 km/h multi-system double-deck trainsets, branded Euroduplex by Alstom. The first entered traffic in December 2011 ...
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NewsUkrainian Railways to be restructured
UKRAINE: A restructuring of Ukrainian Railways is to be undertaken after President Viktor Yanukovych approved the plans during March. Subject to final approvals, the government aims to implement the changes by the end of the year. National railway UZ will become a joint stock company owned 100% by the state. ...
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NewsWien metro line U1 to be extended to Oberlaa
AUSTRIA: The Wien city authorities have selected the spa at Oberlaa rather than Rothneusiedl as the southern terminus of a planned extension to metro line U1, saying this would serve a larger population. The decision, announced on March 21, will enable main works on the €600m project to begin this ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - April 2012
MPK Lódz formally takes over responsibility for operating the city’s entire tram network from April 1, resuming control of the Podmiejskie and Miedzygminna interurban lines which were split off in 1993. The Brazilian state of Mato Grosso has launched a tender to design and build two light rail lines in ...
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NewsIndustry News in Brief
Having won an order worth R$28m from Bombardier, Brazilian plastics manufacturer MVC is investing R$2m in a new railway production line at its São José dos Pinhais plant. Deliveries of composite parts including front ends for passenger trains are due to start in June. The Kaztemirtrans subsidiary of Kazakh state ...
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NewsRAI commissions new turntable
IRAN: It is not often that we receive reports about the commissioning of new turntables, but on February 29 one was formally inaugurated at Mashhad by Mohammad Hadi Ziari, President & Director-General of national railway RAI. In the past, single-ended diesel locomotives had been turned at Mashhad using a triangle. ...
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NewsNew York MTA selects Bombardier to supply 300 metro cars
USA: The New York MTA board selected lowest bidder Bombardier for a contract to supply 300 metro cars on March 28. Bombardier's bid of $600m beat a rival offer from a consortium of Alstom and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. From late 2016 the R179 cars will replace R32 vehicles which entered ...
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NewsSJ to replace DSB in Göteborg
SWEDEN: An agreement has been reached for Swedish national passenger operator SJ to succeed DSB Väst as operator of Göteborg local and regional services from May 1, DSB announced on March 30. The Danish national operator's contract with local transport authority Västtrafik was intended to run to 2018. However DSB ...
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NewsItalo to launch on April 28
ITALY: Open access high speed trains will begun running between Napoli and Milano on April 28, operator NTV confirmed on March 30. The company says its investment of €1bn will offer passengers ‘the first choice of who they travel with’ over the country’s high speed network. NTV will initially start ...
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NewsChinese EMU enters service in Rio de Janeiro
BRAZIL: The first of 30 electric multiple-units which CNR Changchun is supplying for Rio de Janeiro suburban services was officially launched by Carlos José Cunha, President of operating concessionaire SuperVia, state Deputy Governor Luiz Fernando Pezão and Secretary of Transport Julio Lopes on March 20. 'The first journey on a ...
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NewsShatin to Central Link approved
CHINA: Hong Kong's Chief Executive-in-Council formally approved the 17 km Shatin to Central Link on March 27. The Legislative Council is expected to authorise funding for the estimated HK$64·9bn metro project before its summer recess, enabling construction to start in mid-2012. Although developed as one project, the SCL is to ...
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NewsADB signs US$250m Bangalore Metro loan
INDIA: Bangalore Metro Rail Corp Ltd and the Asian Development Bank signed a US$250m loan agreement for Phase II of the Namma Metro project on March 27. 'The loan represents a number of firsts for ADB in its partnership with India,' said ADB Country Director Hun Kim. 'This is ...
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NewsBeijing orders Line 14 metro trains
CHINA: Bombardier Transportation and its Chinese joint venture partner New United Group have been selected to supply the propulsion equipment for a fleet of 63 trains to operate Beijing Metro Line 14. Under construction since April 2010, Line 14 is being built in two phases, with Phase I expected to ...
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NewsArriva Danmark signs new Vestbanen contract
DENMARK: Arriva Danmark has signed a contract to operate passenger services on the Varde - Nørre Nebel branch in western Jylland for a further six years. The 38 km route is owned by the local authority through its railway company Vestbanen, and has been operated by Arriva under contract ...
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NewsUK franchise pre-qualified bidders announced
UK: The pre-qualified bidders for the Great Western, Thameslink and Essex Thameside passenger rail franchises were announced by the Department for Transport on March 29. Absent from the lists was Spanish national operator RENFE, which had reportedly been seeking to enter the UK market. Great Western First Great Western ...