Latest news – Page 998
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NewsEurotunnel cuts freight charges
EUROPE: Channel Tunnel concessionaire Eurotunnel announced a reduction in track access charges of up to 50% on April 28, saying it hopes this will lead to a doubling of the number of freight trains through the tunnel to 5 000 per year in 2018. The announcement follows the European Commission ...
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NewsStadler awarded eBART train contract
USA: San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit District has awarded sole bidder Stadler Rail a $58m contract to supply eight diesel multiple-units for the East Contra Costa BART extension commuter rail project. Announcing the order on April 25, Stadler said the GTW 2/6 units would be manufactured at its Bussnang ...
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NewsAuckland launches electric suburban services
NEW ZEALAND: Auckland Transport’s first electric trains began revenue operation on April 28, when operating concessionaire Trandev Auckland switched its half-hourly Southern Line service between Britomart and Onehunga from DMUs to EMUs. The electrification was formally launched by Auckland Mayor Len Brown on April 27 with a ...
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NewsEconomical shunter unveiled
CANADA: TractivePower Corp has unveiled its TP56 three-axle industrial switcher, primarily intended to compete in the 'railcar mover' market, shunting wagons in industrial sidings. It makes use of readily available off-the-shelf industrial and railway components, and has been designed to be serviced in the field. The TP56 is powered by ...
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NewsADIF awards €410m high speed line signalling contract
SPAIN: ADIF’s high speed line business ADIF Alta Velocidad has awarded a consortium of Alstom, Bombardier and Indra Sistemas a €410m contract to supply and maintain signalling, train control and telecommunications systems including GSM-R for the Valladolid – León and Venta de Baños – Burgos high speed lines. The contract ...
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NewsFreightliner announces London Gateway services
UK: Freightliner Ltd announced on April 17 that is to launch daily services from London Gateway to six destinations in the UK. During May shipping lines Hamburg Süd and Hapag-Lloyd are due to transfer their UK calls to the new container port on the Thames, including services to the east ...
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NewsLos Angeles selects Regional Connector contractor
USA: Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority has selected the Regional Connector Constructors joint venture of Traylor Bros and Skanska, with lead designers Hatch Mott MacDonald and URS, as preferred bidder for a $927m design-build contract for the Regional Connector light rail extension. The 3 km underground route would extend ...
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NewsKaohsiung light rail tracklaying begins
TAIWAN: Tracklaying started on the Kaohsiung light rail project on April 24. Construction had begun in June 2013, and test running on the first section is scheduled to begin in September. Revenue services are expected to start in June 2015. The 22·1 km, 36-stop circular route is being built ...
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NewsADIF awards Pajares signalling contract
SPAIN: Infrastructure manager ADIF has awarded a consortium of Thales and Siemens Rail Automation a €54m contract to supply signalling and train control systems for the 50 km La Robla – Pola de Lena line under construction between León and Oriedo, which includes the 25 km Pajares base tunnel. The ...
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NewsRecord coach production at RCF Kapurthala
INDIA: Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala has announced that it achieved its highest ever production of 1 701 coaches of 23 types during the year to March 31 2014, ahead of the plant’s design capacity of 1 500 coaches/year. To ‘bring world class railway technology to the common man’, 121 LHB ...
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NewsCanada announces tank wagon safety changes
CANADA: On April 23 Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt announced the federal government’s response to the initial recommendations arising from Transportation Safety Board of Canada's ongoing investigation into the July 2013 Lac-Mégantic derailment. With immediate effect, Transport Canada will: ban DOT-111 tank cars which do not have continuous bottom ...
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NewsMP&ES announces natural gas locomotive
USA: Following two years of technology evaluation, Motive Power & Equipment Solutions has announced plans to launch the Greenville MP1500, a low-emissions genset locomotive which would be fuelled by a combination of natural gas and diesel. MP&ES is working with technology partner OptiFuel Systems to develop the 1 500 hp ...
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NewsCSR fleet enters service on San Martín route
ARGENTINA: President Cristina Fernández joined Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo at Sáenz Peña station on April 23 to mark the entry into service of the new fleet supplied by CSR of China for the San Martín commuter route in Buenos Aires. Fernández said that the new fleet ...
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NewsRegioJet plans to expand in Slovakia
SLOVAKIA: Czech open access passenger operator RegioJet has announced plans to enter the non-subsidised long-distance rail market in Slovakia, with an application for train paths for four daily return inter-city services on the Bratislava – Žilina – Košice route from the December 14 2014 timetable change. Services would connect with ...
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NewsWorld Bank approves Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor loan
INDIA: On April 22 the World Bank agreed in principle to provide a US$1·1bn loan for the US$1·65bn second phase of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor. The agreement to fund the construction of 393 km of double track line between Mughal Sarai and Bhaupur is expected to be signed in ...
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NewsALL agrees to merger
BRAZIL: On April 15 América Latina Logística SA announced that its board had accepted a proposal to combine its activities with those of Rumo Logística Operadora Multimodal SA, a subsidiary of energy and logistics group Cosan. The proposal made by Rumo on February 24 values ALL at R$6·96bn, equivalent to ...
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NewsDalian metro train unveiled
CHINA: CNR Dalian unveiled the first train for Dalian metro Line 2 on April 21. It is part of an order placed by MTR Corp in October 2012 for 20 cars for Line 1 and 18 for Line 2. The six-car Type B trainset is 120 m long, 2 ...
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NewsTehran extends metro Line 3
IRAN: A 12 km extension of Tehran metro Line 3 opened on April 22 between Azadegan in the southwest and Vali-e Asr in the city centre. It was built at a cost of €580m. Four intermediate stations are now open, with five more to open later. Interchange is provided ...
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NewsState Railway of Thailand plans southern track renewal programme
THAILAND: A 6bn baht programme of track renewals and earthworks enhancement is due to begin next month, according to State Railway of Thailand Governor Prapat Chongsanguan. The work is focused on the 1 200 km main line running south from Bangkok, with the aim of raising line speeds and improving ...
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NewsHokkaido Shinkansen trainsets ordered
JAPAN: JR Hokkaido confirmed on April 16 that it had ordered four 320 km/h trainsets from Hitachi and Kawasaki Heavy Industries to operate its share of services on the Hokkaido Shinkansen. Designated Series H5, the trains are based on the Series E5 sets which JR East operates on the Tohoku ...