Latest news – Page 1230
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NewsPilbara heavy haul extension opens
AUSTRALIA: The first 163-wagon iron ore train left the Mesa A/Warramboo mine in the Pilbara on February 19, using a 49 km extension of the Deepdale heavy haul line from Pannawonica to reach the port at Cape Lambert. The train was driven by Shane Edwards, a local Aboriginal man, as ...
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NewsNothing rotten in the state aid of Denmark
DENMARK: National railway DSB is not being over-compensated for services operated under public service contracts which the government awarded without tendering, the European Commission announced on February 24. The Commission launched an inquiry into DSB’s 2000-04 and 2005-14 contracts in response to complaints from Gråhundbus and Dansk ...
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NewsBarber bogies from Tikhvin
RUSSIA: Testing has begun of prototype 18-9855 Barber S-2-R wagon bogies produced at the Tikhvin Railway Car Building Plant, which is being developed by ICT Group to introduce international technologies to the Russian wagon market. The bogies are designed for 25 tonne axleloads, and follow the 18-9810 bogies designed for ...
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NewsFirst Régio2N double-deck train order signed
FRANCE: SNCF has signed the firm order for the first 80 Régio2N high-capacity double-deck electric multiple-units, Bombardier Transportation announced on February 24. The order was placed on behalf of the regions which are funding the units, and is the first within a framework agreement for up to 860 sets worth ...
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NewsShifting sand
IRAQ: US-based Progress Rail Services has shipped two Model 46-6 Kershaw sand removal machines to Iraq to assist Iraqi Republic Railways in clearing lines in the west of the country. Progress Rail will undertake tests on the two machines when they arrive at the port of Um Qasr, and ...
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NewsSiemens makes space for high speed trains
USA: Anticipating a new market for high speed passenger trains in North America, on February 18 Siemens Mobility announced it had purchased 8 ha of vacant land alongside its Sacramento light rail vehicle plant to enable expansion should it win contracts as a result of the federal government's $8bn inter-city ...
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NewsA very small agreement
RUSSIA: RZD has signed a partnership agreement with Rusnano, the Russian state nanotechnology corporation founded in 2007. The agreement creates a strategic partnership to introduce and commercialise nano-technology in the rail industry. RZD and Rusnano will jointly determine the most relevant applications of the technology, and which sub-divisions and ...
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NewsJoint venture to revive DMU manufacturing
USA: A joint venture company has been established to restart production of diesel multiple-units to the designs of the former Colorado Railcar, which ceased operations in 2008. Colorado Railcar's assets were acquired by Value Recovery Group to form US Railcar LLC, which will now restart production through the US ...
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NewsCaspian rail corridor funds agreed
TURKMENISTAN: Two funding agreements have been signed for construction of sections of the 686 km north-south railway which will link Kazakhstan and Iran via Turkmenistan, running inland parallel to the Caspian Sea. On February 18 the Asian Development Bank and the government of Turkmenistan signed a memorandum of understanding under ...
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NewsSiberia across your screen
RUSSIA: Google and Russian Railways have launched a ‘virtual’ Trans-Siberian journey from Moscow to Vladivostok. Anyone with a broadband internet connection will be able to make a 'journey' along the route starting from any city or station without leaving home. Video footage totalling around 150 h was shot through a ...
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NewsFirenze tram Line 1 open
ITALY: Line 1 of the Firenze tram network opened for passenger service on February 14. Starting at the Santa Maria Novella FS station in central Firenze, the 7·4 km line has 14 stops and ends at Villa Costanza in the district of Scandicci. It is expected to ...
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NewsMeasuring the Expo extension
USA: Amberg Technologies has introduced its GRP track measurement trolley in the USA, where contractor Balfour Beatty Rail Inc is using it during tracklaying on Phase 1 of the Expo light rail line in Los Angeles. The trolley can be used for a range of alignment tasks, including as-built ...
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NewsCrash investigations underway in Brussels
BELGIUM: Domestic and international train services into Brussels Midi remain severely disrupted as investigations continue into the cause of the fatal train crash at Buizingen during the morning rush hour on February 15. The worst railway accident in Belgium for more than 50 years killed 18 people, including one of ...
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NewsDurflex rights acquired
TRACK: Bayer MaterialScience has acquired global marketing and usage rights to the Durflex trackform technology from Hyperion Verwaltung GmbH. The technology was developed by Hyperion in co-operation with track design specialist Frenzel-Bau. It is based on the use of Bayer's Bayflex polyurethane foam, which is fed into the space between ...
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NewsAmsterdam orders 23 metro trains
NETHERLANDS: Alstom Transport is to supply Amsterdam with 23 metro trainsets under a €200m contract announced on February 19. There are options for further trainsets for the future North-South Line. The Metropolis trainsets will be produced at Alstom's Valenciennes and Katowice plants for delivery from early 2012 and entry into ...
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NewsRFF signs GSM-R concession
FRANCE: Réseau Ferré de France signed its first public-private partnership concession agreement on February 18, covering the installation and operation over 15 years of GSM-R communications systems, which are to be rolled out on 14 000 route-km of the core network by 2015. Winning bidder is the Synerail consortium, bringing ...
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NewsAmtrak plans fleet renewal programme
USA: As part of its annual budget submission to Congress, national passenger operator Amtrak published its long-term fleet renewal strategy on February 15, envisaging total expenditure of around US$23bn over the next 30 years. With the average vehicle age now exceeding 25 years, Amtrak President Joseph Boardman says ‘the need ...
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NewsHigh speed funding package agreed
MOROCCO: An allocation of 20bn dirhams for a high speed line between Tanger and Casablanca is included in the 2010-15 Contract Programme which ONCF Director General Mohammed Rabie Khlie signed with the government on February 1. During a ceremony presided over by King Mohammed VI, Lakhlie also signed an ...
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NewsWagonload alliance launched
EUROPE: Representatives from seven major rail freight operators signed an agreement in Zürich on February 18 to establish a new alliance for the operation of international wagonload traffic. The agreement was signed by the chief executives from CD Cargo, CFL Cargo, DB Schenker Rail, Green Cargo, Rail Cargo Austria, SBB ...
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NewsChinese firm's European bid unsuccessful
POLAND: Warszawa regional operator Koleje Mazowieckie announced that Bombardier Transportation had been selected to supply 11 electric locomotives on February 12, beating low bidder CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive. Bombardier's bid to supply Traxx locomotives for €41m undercut Siemens Mobility's offer of €44m. CSR Zhuzhou had been the lowest bidder at ...
