News – Page 193
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Metro Report International
Study to assess moving freight on trams and buses
GERMANY: The Federal Ministry of Transport & Digital Infrastructure has awarded a €2·7m grant for the CargoSurfer project, which aims to explore use of spare capacity on buses and trams to carry freight such as parcels and fresh produce. The initiative will use artificial intelligence to ...
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News
Operail sees intermodal traffic shift to rail
ESTONIA: National freight operator Operail reports that it shifted a record volume of container traffic from road to rail in 2021 despite facing some challenging market conditions. Operail services replaced 16 000 lorry journeys with rail transport, and the company grew its intermodal freight traffic by ...
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News
Custom-designed chemical tank wagon certified
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co has obtained federal certification for a custom-designed liquid chemical and hydrocarbon tank wagon, with the first batch being produced for the RN-Trans logistics subsidiary of oil company Rosneft. ‘In response to a request from our customer, we have custom designed a new ...
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News
Second-generation ‘Pandaroo’ locomotives delivered
AUSTRALIA: China’s CRRC Ziyang has shipped a batch of second-generation SDA1 diesel locomotives ordered by SCT Logistics. SCT ordered an initial six first-generation SDA1 ‘Pandaroo’ locomotives in September 2010 for delivery in 2011, and a further four in March 2011. It ordered 12 of the second-generation ...
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News
Cattle train contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: Following a competitive tender, the government of Queensland has awarded Watco East West the North West contract to operate trains transporting herds of cattle from regional hubs to processing facilities on the east coast. This follows from the Central West contract awarded to Watco last ...
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Rail Business UK
ORR seeks more competition for train driver psychometric assessments
UK: The Office of Rail & Road is consulting on proposals to open up the provision of train driver psychometric assessments to greater competition. The Rail Assessment Centre Forum was established to ensure that the psychometric assessment process for the recruitment and monitoring of train drivers ...
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News
CN appoints next CEO as board changes agreed
CANADA: Canadian National has appointed Tracy Robinson as its next President & Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Jean-Jacques Ruest, who is to retire from the CN Board on February 28, but will continue in an advisory role until March 31 to ensure a seamless transition. Robinson joins ...
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News
Russian line double tracked
RUSSIA: Russian Railways inaugurated a second track on the 62·6 km line between Tikhoretsk and Kozyrki in Krasnodar Krai on January 25, doubling the final section of the 700 km corridor from the Volga region to the ports of the Azov-Black Sea basin. The second track ...
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News
Pro Trilhos projects could add ‘more than 50%’ to Brazilian network
BRAZIL: As many as 76 proposals for privately-funded railways have now been submitted to the Ministry of Infrastructure under the Pro Trilhos programme launched in September 2021. National Secretary for Land Transport at the Ministry of Infrastructure Marcello Costa said the national rail network would expand ...
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News
Railpool orders Traxx locomotives
EUROPE: Leasing company Railpool has awarded Alstom a contract to supply 15 Traxx 3 locomotives for use in Norway, Sweden and Italy, with an option for five more. The electric locomotives with last mile diesel engines are to be delivered from Alstom’s plants at Kassel in ...
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News
Pakistan Railways launches Karachi container service
PAKISTAN: Pakistan Railways has inaugurated a service transporting containers from Hutchison Ports’ South Asia Pakistan Terminal in Karachi to inland destinations including Lahore. Speaking at the launch ceremony on January 24, Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati said the port is expected to handle 3·1 million containers/year, ...
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News
Politics and geography impede Central Asian rail freight corridors
INTERNATIONAL: The development of a southern rail corridor between China and Europe via Central Asia, Iran and Turkey as an alternative to the established routes through Russia is facing substantial difficulties, a breakout session of the European Silk Road Summit heard. Andreas Schwilling, Senior Advisor at ...
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News
Battery train passenger trials begin
GERMANY: Alstom’s prototype battery-electric Talent 3 multiple-unit has entered trial passenger service with DB Regio. On January 24 the battery-powered train was launched on the Stuttgart – Horb line in Baden-Württemberg, where it will operate on weekdays. From February 5 it will also operate on the ...
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News
Space engineers rethink rail freight with autonomous battery-electric vehicles
Prototype autonomous battery-powered container wagons are being developed by engineers at California start up Parallel Systems. Co-founder, CEO and former SpaceX engineer Matt Soule explains how the company aims to bring new thinking to rail freight.
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Metro Report International
Hamburg to study second S-Bahn tunnel
GERMANY: After years of discussions, Deutsche Bahn, the federal government and the Hamburg municipality signed an agreement on January 21 to conduct a €1·5m feasibility study into building a second cross-city S-Bahn tunnel linking Hamburg Hbf, Dammtor and Altona. The stations are currently linked by the ...
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News
CAF to supply more EMUs to Auckland
NEW ZEALAND: CAF has been awarded a firm order to supply a further 23 electric multiple-units to Auckland. The contract announced on January 25 is worth in excess of €130m including maintenance until the end of 2025. There is an option for up to five more ...
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Rail Business UK
Government told HS2 Eastern Leg alternatives 'struggle to meet' strategic objectives
UK: A report prepared by Mott MacDonald outlining strategic alternatives to the Eastern Leg of Phase 2b of High Speed 2, suggests that none of the options considered were likely to deliver the same strategic benefits as the proposed high speed line, although they would reduce the capital expenditure.
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News
Ice-free shipping route could open opportunities for rail
INTERNATIONAL: Year-round ice-free access to north Russian ports and investments in the trans-Siberian rail corridor offer opportunities for the further development of rail freight, Yulia Kosolapova, Managing Director of RZD Logistics in Europe, told the European Silk Road Summit. She said the volume of inter-continental rail ...