News – Page 141
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NewsRENFE orders electric-battery trainsets
SPAIN: National operator RENFE has awarded CAF a €290m contract to supply 28 electric trainsets equipped with batteries to enable them to cover short distances on non-electrified routes or during a power supply failure. Equipped to operate under catenary energised at 1·5 kV or 3 kV ...
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NewsContainer wagon handling robot under development
GERMANY: An autonomous mobile robot with a gripper arm for the automated handling of folding pins on container wagons is being developed by Hamburger Hafen & Logistik and the Fraunhofer Centre for Maritime Logistics & Services. The pins are installed at various positions on container wagons ...
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NewsProgramme backs ‘green’ rolling stock
BRAZIL: The government has launched a programme to encourage investment in motive power and rolling stock that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Frota Ferroviária Verde project was announced in the Official Gazette of the Union on September 30 and the regulation came into force on ...
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In depthViewpoint: We cannot afford another failure
The European rail sector risks sleepwalking into an existential crisis if it cannot accelerate the funding and deployment of the Digital Automatic Coupler, argues Dr Jürgen Wilder of Knorr-Bremse.
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NewsCalifornia freight complex planned to get more containers on to trains
USA: BNSF has announced plans to develop a $1·5bn rail freight facility at Barstow in southern California with the aim of increasing the use of rail instead of road transport to move containers out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. BNSF told Railway ...
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Rail Business UK£80m Rawtenstall – Manchester rail link proposal submitted to government
UK: Rossendale Council has submitted proposals to the Department for Transport outlining a business case for development of a passenger service between Rawtenstall and Manchester which would run over the existing heritage East Lancashire Railway. The business case was compiled by consultancy Systra, and could require ...
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NewsPerth’s Airport Line rail link opens
AUSTRALIA: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has opened the 8·5 km Airport Line connecting Perth’s eastern suburbs with the central business district via the international airport.
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NewsHitachi introduces onboard transformer with integrated cooling
INNOTRANS: Hitachi Energy has developed an onboard traction transformer with integrated cooling, aimed at improving energy efficiency in rolling stock applications and reducing emissions. Launched at InnoTrans in Berlin, the latest iteration of the Resibloc Rail product family is a dry-type traction transformer, capable of handling power ...
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NewsCall for flexibility on train driver language requirements
EUROPE: The European Rail Freight Association has called on the European Commission to introduce greater flexibility in its language requirements for cross-border train drivers. In response to public consultation on the revision of the Train Drivers Directive, ERFA says it accepts the overall requirements for language ...
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NewsUnion Pacific to trial diesel-battery shunting locomotives
USA: Union Pacific and locomotive control technology supplier ZTR have agreed to co-operate on the production of diesel-battery hybrid locomotives, which can powered by a diesel engine or a battery back which would be charged using the engine or a lineside supply. Primarily intended for use ...
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast contract extended pending decisions on the longer term
UK: The current West Coast Partnership contractual arrangements for Avanti West Coast to operate inter-city passenger services on the West Coast Main Line and act as shadow operator for High Speed 2 have been extended until the end of March 2023. The AWC joint venture of ...
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NewsSpain extends free local rail offer until the end of 2023
SPAIN: The national government has announced that it is to extend its free travel pass offer covering local and regional trains from December 31 through to the end of 2023.
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In depthSmart Stations: Modular approach reshapes fit-out process
London’s Elizabeth Line and Brisbane’s Cross-River Rail Link are two major schemes where station design and fit-out is being influenced by trends towards modularity, repeatability and off-site production, as Julian Maynard of Maynard Design Group explains to Nick Kingsley.
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NewsUS coupler manufacturers claim unfair import pricing
USA: The US Freight Railcar Coupler Coalition of manufacturers has filed petitions with the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission seeking to counter what it says are market distortions caused by ‘significant volumes of unfairly priced imports’ of couplers from China and Mexico. The ...
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In depthViewpoint: Institutional fragmentation has undermined Rail Baltica
On paper Rail Baltica is a perfect match for the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility programme. But three issues need to be addressed, argues Kaspars Briškens, who recently stepped down as Head of Strategy & Development at the standard gauge railway project.
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News3TE28 diesel loco for eastern Russia unveiled
RUSSIA: Transmashholding’s Bryansk plant has unveiled its 3TE28 main line diesel locomotive, a three-section 18-axle design for hauling 7 100 tonne freight trains in eastern Russia. It uses TMH’s 8-9DGM diesel engine produced at the Kolomna works. The locomotive is to undergo 10 000 km of ...
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In depthComment: Energy efficiency at all costs
As an energy crisis looms for many of the world’s railways, our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley asks whether lessons can be learnt from the 1970s oil crisis, and urges the industry to redouble its efforts in maximising its energy efficiency.
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NewsScenic Tadami Line reopens after storm damage
JAPAN: After 11 years of closure following storm damage, the Tadami Line in central Honshu was reopened on October 1.