News – Page 201
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NewsDB and ÖBB selected for Bayern operating contracts
GERMANY: Bayern railway agency BEG has selected DB Regio and a subsidiary of Austrian Federal Railways for two transitional contracts to operate restructured Expressverkehr Ostbayern passenger services. Following an international tender, BEG announced on December 1 that DB Regio has been selected for Lot 1, which ...
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NewsCoronavirus track access charge reduction approved
SWEDEN: The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a SKr1·37bn Swedish scheme to support the rail passenger and freight sectors during the coronavirus outbreak.
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NewsShareholders back CP-KCS merger
NORTH AMERICA: Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern shareholders have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the proposed merger between the two railways, allowing the transaction to move ahead.
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NewsHigh-strength steel wagons designed to improve efficiency
USA: A ‘stronger, lighter and more energy-efficient’ open wagon design which makes use of high strength steel to reduce empty weight by 6·8 tonnes has been announced by US Steel, The Greenbrier Companies and Norfolk Southern, which has ordered an initial batch of 800. The companies ...
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NewsBattery train supply and operation contract awards completed
GERMANY: All the contracts are now in place for the financing, supply, maintenance and operation of a large fleet of battery multiple-units for non-electrified routes in Schleswig-Holstein, with the award of the final operating contract following a tendering process which led to a legal challenge. Having ...
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Rail Business UKHitachi-led joint venture to supply 54 trains to operate HS2 services
UK: A consortium of Alstom and Hitachi Rail is to supply a fleet of 54 conventional-compatible trains for High Speed 2 services under a contract worth £1·97bn, the Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd announced on December 9. The trains will be ‘designed and built’ in ...
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NewsInland Rail trackwork contractor selected
AUSTRALIA: Australian Rail Track Corp has selected Martinus for the Rail Corridor Programme contract, which covers tracklaying and level crossing works on 574∙5 km of the Inland Rail corridor in New South Wales and southern Queensland. The agreement announced on December 7 covers the route between ...
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NewsFinland – Sweden rail link to be electrified
FINLAND: Funding has been agreed for the electrification of the 24 km line from the junction at Laurila near Kemi to Tornio and across the border to Haparanda in Sweden.
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In depthJapan: Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen nears completion
Due to open in autumn 2022, the 66 km Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen is isolated from the rest of Japan’s high speed network. Mike Bent investigates.
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NewsWork starts on Algarve electrification
PORTUGAL: Infraestruturas de Portugal has formally launched a €20∙4m electrification scheme covering the 56 km route between Faro and Vila Real de Santo António on the Algarve coast in the south of the country.
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NewsTurkish track order
TURKEY: Vossloh has announced an ‘economically significant’ order to supply infrastructure contractor Kalyon Group with 147 turnouts of various geometries, along with spare parts and additional track materials, for the Bandirma – Bursa – Yenişehir – Osmaneli High Standard Railway Project. Deliveries are scheduled to run ...
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NewsERTMS axle counter framework contract awarded
NETHERLANDS: ProRail has awarded Thales its ‘Generic Axle Counter System for ERTMS’ framework contract, which covers the supply of axle counting systems for use in ERTMS deployment projects over eight years plus the provision of 25 years of maintenance. With the infrastructure ...
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NewsThai locomotives rolled out in China
THAILAND: CRRC Qishuyan has rolled out the first of 50 diesel locomotives ordered by State Railway of Thailand to replace locos more than 40 years old. The 6·5bn baht contract signed on August 31 2020 required the first 20 locomotives to be ...
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Rail Business UKFirst Flirts delivered to Wales
UK: The first two of the 35 Flirt multiple-units which Stadler is supplying to Transport for Wales have been delivered to Cardiff Canton depot, ready for testing and commissioning ahead of entry into service next year. ‘The arrival of the first unit in Cardiff less than ...
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NewsTurkish steelmaker orders locomotives
TURKEY: Steelmaker Erdemir has placed an order for four CZ Loko EffiShunter 600 shunting locomotives to be delivered to its Eregli plant in Q1 2023, with an option for two more. Intended to replace obsolete Soviet and Chinese-designed locos at the plant, they will have 709 ...
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NewsEurostar biometric trial goes live
EUROPE: Eurostar has begun live trials of the SmartCheck biometric face authentication system, enabling passengers boarding at London St Pancras International to complete secure ticket verification and UK exit checks on their mobile devices before travel.
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NewsUAE Railways Programme aims to connect the emirates
UAE: A three-stage integrated railway development strategy building on the Etihad Rail network was announced by the government on December 5, during the Expo 2020 world fair. The 50bn dirham UAE Railways Programme aims to provide reliable transport connections between the emirates and support the economy, ...
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NewsBrenner Base Tunnel exploratory bore reaches the border
ITALY: Celebrations were held in the Brenner Base Tunnel on November 24 to mark tunnel boring machine ‘Serena’ reaching the Austrian border, after completing the 14·1 km exploratory drive on the Italian side of the project over the past 3½ years. Operated by Italian construction contractor ...