News – Page 139
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NewsElectric train sale-and-leaseback deal finalised
GERMANY: Northrail has structured a sale-and-lease-back transaction for 29 Alstom Coradia Stream High-Capacity electric multiple-units which DB Regio ordered in April. The EMUs are to be used from December 2025 on Kinzigtal services on the Frankfurt – Wächtersbach – Fulda – Bebra route. The investment is ...
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NewsJoint vision for international rail capacity management
EUROPE: A common vision for capacity management, process harmonisation and IT support to create a ‘European, digital, flexible and secure’ system enabling train operators to book capacity in line with their business models and customer needs has been set out by three industry associations. Forum Train ...
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NewsWeight saving and connectivity are key
INNOTRANS: ‘We are seeing a greater focus on energy efficiency and digitalisation’, reported Ralf Klein, Managing Director of Harting Technology Group, talking to Railway Gazette International in Berlin. Outlining the company’s latest connector developments for the rail sector, he emphasised that ‘weight ...
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NewsPKP reborn as a holding company
POLAND: Polish State Railways has been formally restructured as a holding company under a programme to make the railway more competitive as the European rail market continues to open up. PKP Group is formed of 18 companies led by PKP SA, which is 100% owned by ...
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NewsEast-West Gate intermodal terminal opens at Hungary – Ukraine border
HUNGARY: The arrival of a train loaded with Ukrainian agricultural produce inaugurated the East-West Gate terminal at Fényeslitke, which developer East-West Intermodal Logistics says is Europe’s largest inland intermodal facility. The 85 ha facility is within a 140 ha development site around 15 km from the ...
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Rail Business UKSupporting military leavers in the rail industry
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway has signed the Armed Forces Covenant, aiming to help ex-military personnel move into the rail industry and ensure fair treatment in the workplace. GTR said veterans and reservists bring a variety of transferable skills to the civilian workplace. The company has ex-Forces ...
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NewsPajares Base Tunnel freight locomotive unveiled
SPAIN: Stadler and national freight operator RENFE Mercancías have unveiled the first four of 12 Class 256 Euro 6000 electric locomotives designed to be able to haul 1 800 tonne trains through the Pajares Base Tunnel.
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NewsIndian-made aluminium wagons enter service
INDIA: What the Ministry of Railways says is India’s first rake of aluminium bodied wagons has been put into service, with the aim of improving rail freight efficiency and supporting domestic industry. The 61 bottom-discharge wagons have been produced by Besco Ltd’s wagon division in partnership ...
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NewsEMU-320 high speed train unveiled
SOUTH KOREA: The first of two pre-series EMU-320 high speed trains being built for Korail by Hyundai Rotem has been unveiled at the manufacturer’s Changwon factory.
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NewsTransdev Rhein-Ruhr wins S7 operating contract
GERMANY: Transport authority VRR has awarded Transdev Rhein-Ruhr a contract to operate Wuppertal – Remscheid – Solingen passenger service S7 for five years from December 2023, with an option for a further three years. S7 services totalling 1·47 million train km-year run every 20 min and ...
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Rail Business UKRail reform legislation delay confirmed
UK: Delays to the legislation needed to enact reform of the rail sector including the creation of Great British Railways have been confirmed.
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NewsIarnród Éireann plans to award wagon supply framework contract
IRELAND: Iarnród Éireann has begun procurement for a multi-year framework contract covering the supply of up to 400 wagons of various types to meet its future needs. The national railway plans to place an initial order for approximately 200 wagons, including a sub-fleet of up to ...
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NewsEuropean Commission closes ČD pricing investigation
CZECH REPUBLIC: The European Commission has closed its investigation into alleged predatory conduct by national passenger operator ČD, after concluding that the evidence did not confirm its initial concerns. On November 10 2016, the European Commission opened an investigation to assess whether ČD had charged prices ...
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Rail Business UKWagon maintenance contract awarded
UK: Leasing company Touax has awarded Mandy Rail a long-term contract maintain wagons, including vehicles leased by GB Railfreight and DB Cargo. Mandy Rail was co-founded by joint managing directors Mark Hedley and Andy Hird in 2019. ‘Contracts such as this bring continued stability and allow ...
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In depthEastern Europe: War and supply chain turmoil put rail growth at risk
A deal which closed in January to create a joint venture with Slovenia’s state railway to run the SŽ-Tovorni Promet freight business is the latest in a series of expansionist moves by Czech private operator EP Logistics International. But future growth is under threat as the market outlook worsens, Executive Director Zbigniew Klepacki explains to Nick Kingsley.
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NewsStrategic military transport wagons delivered
NETHERLANDS: ‘The Ministry of Defence is taking another important step towards having its own robust strategic transport capacity with these low-loading wagons’, Brigadier General Laurens Jobse said when Greenbrier‘s Wagony Świdnica began delivering wagons for the transport of military vehicles and containers. The ministry’s original order ...
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Metro Report InternationalHitachi Rail’s Maryland rolling stock factory under construction
USA: Hitachi Rail has unveiled the final designs for the $70m factory being built in Maryland to serve the North American rolling stock market. The first contract to be fulfilled from the site in Hagerstown will be a March 2021 order to produce 256 Series 8000 ...
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In depthViewpoint: California’s high speed programme is back on track
After years of twists and turns, the most ambitious and controversial high speed rail project in America is moving purposefully towards fruition. Andy Kunz, President & CEO of the US High Speed Rail Association, and Ezra Silk, Co-Founder of the US High Speed Rail Coalition, explain how the programme has reached this point.