Latest news – Page 1242
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NewsNetwork Rail makes the case for wires
UK: 'The case for the Midland Main Line is extremely strong said Network Rail Chief Executive Iain Coucher as the infrastructure manager published the final version of its electrification strategy on October 28. 'Subject to affordability, the core strategy covers 25 kV 50 Hz electrification of the Midland Main ...
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NewsWien Hauptbahnhof construction contract awarded
AUSTRIA: ÖBB Infrastruktur has awarded the €220m contract to build Wien’s new Hauptbahnhof to a consortium led by Strabag. The first stage will be ready by 2013 and the overall project in 2015. The redevelopment will incorporate around 100 shops and restaurants and 600 car parking spaces. Later phases will ...
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NewsTickets go on sale as Sapsan aims to beat the planes
RUSSIA: Russian Railways announced on November 20 it had begun selling tickets for Sapsan services between Moscow and St Petersburg which will start on December 18. There will initially be three trains each way, with simultaneous departures from each city at 06.45, 13.00 and 19.00 and a best journey ...
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NewsDB Regio wins Swedish contract
SWEDEN: Östgötland transport authority ÖstgötaTrafiken has selected DB Regio Sverige to operate local services for 10 years from December 12 2010, with an option for a four-year extension. Five new Coradia Lirex X61 EMUs are due to enter service with the 2010 timetable change, permitting the operation of a ...
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NewsNews in Brief
Following a review of 46 lightly-used routes Hungary's Transport Minister Péter Hónig has announced the withdrawal of passenger services from 33 lines totalling 1000 km from the December timetable change. The move is expect to save HF7bn. The lines will be retained for freight. ADIF and RFF have formed ...
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NewsRail freight fuel efficiency up 22% since 1990
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration released a study on November 19 showing a 22% improvement in rail freight fuel efficiency between 1990 and 2006. The Comparative Evaluation of Rail & Truck Fuel Efficiency on Competitive Corridors study by ICF International says reasons for increased efficiency include the acquisition of ...
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NewsSiemens to supply Caracas Cabeltren electronics
VENEZUELA: Siemens Industry Solutions has won an order to supply Doppelmayr Cable Car with drive, power and control equipment for the 2·3 km Cabletren Bolivariano cable-hauled shuttle being built to link two Caracas metro stations. Due to open at the end of 2011, the automated peoplemover will link Petare ...
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NewsBombardier preferred for double-deck EMU deal
FRANCE: SNCF confirmed on November 18 that it had selected Bombardier Transportation as preferred bidder for the supply of up to 860 high-capacity double-deck electric multiple-units for regional services. Negotiations are underway with a view to the contract being signed in February 2010. Designated Porteurs a Haute Densité, the ...
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NewsGE and CSR announce engine joint venture
CHINA: A joint venture to build and maintain Evolution Series locomotive engines was announced by GE Transportation and CSR Qishuyan Locomotive on November 17, the day after the US firm announced a deal to supply its Chinese partner with parts for a further 300 HXN5 China Mainline Locomotives. The ...
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NewsFirst Class 380 car on test
UK: Siemens Mobility's Krefeld-Uerdingen plant in Germany has begun testing the first vehicle from the fleet of 22 three-car and 16 four-car Desiro electric multiple-units being built for ScotRail. Developed from the Desiro UK family, Class 380 has lightweight aluminium bodyshells with a bolt-on steel structure at the front ...
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NewsFinnish Flirt enters service
FINLAND: The first of 32 Stadler Flirt electric multiple-units ordered for commuter services in Helsinki and southern Finland went into regular traffic on November 18. The previous week two units had been formally handed over to national railway VR after a year-long test phase. The second is currently being ...
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NewsGulf Railway could start next year
MIDDLE EAST: The Gulf Co-operation Council remains optimistic that a 1940 route-km regional network could be operational by 2017. Despite concerns that the ambitious railway network linking the six states in the Gulf Co-operation Council could be delayed by the global economic downturn, officials are insistent that ...
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NewsCasablanca chooses Citadis trams
MOROCCO: Casablanca tramway development company Casa Transports has selected Alstom Citadis trams for the 29 km Y-shaped network which is due to open in December 2012. The agreement announced on November 17 is worth €120m and covers the supply of 74 trams and 15 years of maintenance. Options for ...
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NewsMinneapolis commuter rail and LRT extension open
USA: Northstar commuter rail services between Big Lake and Target Field in downtown Minneapolis were launched on November 14, with celebrations at the six stations. Free rides were offered, with most of the tickets distributed by lottery. Revenue operations on the 64 km route began on November 16, with ...
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NewsAl Sufouh tram styling suits Dubai scene
UAE: Design is a key element of many projects in Dubai, not least the Al Sufouh tramway for which a mock-up car has been unveiled. The diamond-shaped front ends of the 11 Alstom Citadis 402 trams for Phase I will be dark in colour, providing a contrast to the ...
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NewsCrowds flock to ride extended Gold Line
USA: An estimated 75 000 people got free rides on November 15 during the opening celebration for a 9·7 km extension of the Gold Line from Union Station to East Los Angeles. The public launch followed a formal opening ceremony for the East Side extension on the previous day. No ...
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NewsPuy-de-Dôme rack railway trains ordered
FRANCE: Stadler Rail has announced a SFr25m order to supply four articulated electric multiple-units for the 5·3 km rack railway which SNC-Lavalin is building on the Puy-de-Dôme in the Massif Central. The vehicles will be based on units which the Swiss train builder has supplied for FGC’s ...
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NewsInvestigations continue at the critical interface
INTERNATIONAL: ‘We cannot ignore the management of the interface’, insisted Semih Kalay of TTCI. Addressing delegates at the Contact Mechanics 2009 conference in Firenze, he pointed out that a better understanding of the complex forces at play in the contact patch between wheel and rail translated directly into maintenance and ...