News – Page 239
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Rail Business UKNI Railways targets zero emissions by 2040
UK: Translink is to assess the options for procuring zero-emission trains in support of its recently published Climate Positive Strategy, which sets out an ‘ambitious’ target to achieve a 50% reduction in train, bus and building emissions by 2030, net zero emissions by 2040 and to ...
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NewsMaranhão Railway to serve deepwater port
BRAZIL: Plans are taking shape for the construction of a heavy haul railway and deepwater port in northeastern Brazil, in order to accommodate rising export traffic from the mining and agricultural sectors.
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NewsAkiem joins autonomous railpod project
FRANCE: Rolling stock leasing company Akiem has signed a letter of intent paving the way for a financial and industrial partnership to develop the Taxirail concept for an autonomous ‘railpod’ ultra light rail shuttle vehicle. The Taxirail concept has been developed in Bretagne by EXID Concept ...
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NewsPandemic brings ‘bleak’ first quarter for European railways
EUROPE: The coronavirus pandemic continues to have a heavy impact across the rail sector, according to the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies’ Covid Impact Tracker.
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In depthUK: HS2 progress overshadowed by coronavirus and controversy
While construction of HS2’s initial phase between London and the West Midlands is forging ahead despite local protests, completion of the 540 km ‘Y network’ as originally outlined in 2010 now appears much less certain. Nick Kingsley reports.
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NewsHydrogen trains for the Heidekrautbahn
GERMANY: Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer has authorised investment of €25m in a project to introduce hydrogen fuel cell trains in the Land of Brandenburg. Announcing the grant at Basdorf station on the Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn on May 3, Scheuer said this would be ‘a giant step ...
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Metro Report InternationalAcciona to eliminate Melbourne rail/tram crossing
AUSTRALIA: Victoria’s Major Transport Infrastructure Authority has selected an Acciona-led consortium to rebuild a section of Melbourne’s Frankston suburban line, eliminating two level crossings southeast of the city and the flat crossing between rail and tram routes at Glenhuntley.
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NewsPortugal’s Beira Baixa link reopens after 12 years
PORTUGAL: Trains returned to the 46 km section of the Beira Baixa line between Guarda and Covilhã on May 2 for the first time in 12 years, with a formal reopening ceremony taking place the following day.
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NewsConstruction of second track to Koper launched
SLOVENIA: Construction of the second line linking the port of Koper to the SŽ network at Divača was officially launched on May 5 by Minister of Infrastructure Jernej Vrtovec and representatives of state-owned project promoter 2TDK and the contractors. The ceremony followed the signing on the ...
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NewsPort drives Arica – La Paz railway reopening
CHILE: A test train was dispatched from the port of Arica on May 5, signalling the reactivation of the Chilean section of the Arica – La Paz railway for freight traffic after being mothballed for almost 16 years.
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In depthUK: HS2 enters the delivery stage
After years of parliamentary scrutiny, the initial phases of High Speed 2 are now firmly under construction, with the railway initially expected to link London with Crewe from 2033, as HS2 Ltd Chief Executive Mark Thurston explains.
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NewsFreight returns to narrow gauge line
AUSTRIA: Freight services are to be reintroduced on the Zillertalbahn narrow gauge line from Jenbach to Fügen-Hart im Zillertal on May 17, under an agreement between operator ZVB, the national railway’s freight business Rail Cargo Austria, the Land of Tirol and wood products company Binderholz. Around ...
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NewsWabtec awarded Delhi – Meerut RRTS train subsystems contract
INDIA: Wabtec Corp has been awarded a US$15m contract to provide braking systems, pantographs, roof disconnector switches and passenger information systems for the 40 electric multiple-units which Alstom is to build for the 82 km Delhi – Meerut Regional Rapid Transport System. Wabtec said its high-performance ...
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NewsTexas high speed rail developer signs $1·6bn electrical systems contract
USA: Dallas – Houston high speed rail project promoter Texas Central Railroad has signed a $1·6bn contract for Kiewit and its Mass Electric Construction subsidiary to install the core electrical systems for the proposed line. This would include the traction power, signalling and communications equipment for ...
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NewsETCS tests underway as next section of Galician high speed line nears opening
SPAIN: ETCS Level 2 validation testing began on April 26 on a recently completed 104 route-km section of high speed line through the mountains between Pedralba de la Pradería and Taboadela.
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Rail Business UKPorterbrook to develop dedicated freight strategy
UK: Rolling stock leasing and management company Porterbrook has appointed of Mark Wyborn as its new Head of Freight Commercial, with responsibility for developing its first dedicated freight strategy and building ‘strong commercial partnerships’ with existing freight operators, new market entrants and Network Rail. ‘His appointment ...
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NewsNokia and Cellnex awarded ProRail telecoms contracts
NETHERLANDS: Infrastructure manager ProRail has appointed Nokia to operate and maintain its GSM-R voice and data communications network, while Cellnex has been awarded a contract to install and operate telecoms masts. The 10-year agreement with Nokia which runs from September 2022 ‘represents a major step forward ...
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NewsRegulations agreed for Luxembourg Protocol rolling stock registry
INTERNATIONAL: Draft regulations have been approved outlining the operation of the international rolling stock registry that is being established under the Luxembourg Protocol to the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment. The regulations have been drawn up by a Preparatory Commission which includes ...
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Rail Business UKReal-time passenger counting using on-train CCTV
UK: South Western Railway is testing the use of CCTV cameras, AI technology from PoS Insights and onboard wi-fi from Icomera to produce continuous estimates of passenger numbers on its Siemens Desiro EMU cars. The operator has plans for the data to be made available in ...