News – Page 282
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NewsMaking it easier for the chemical industry to shift to rail
BELGIUM: A prototype automated system for loading pallets onto railway wagons and a concept for a multimodal chemical logistics hub in the Port of Antwerpen were presented by freight operator Lineas and Belgian chemical industry association Essenscia on September 15. The initiatives have been developed under the ...
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NewsEthiopian avocados exported by train
ETHIOPIA: Avocados for export to Europe have been transported by rail for the first time, with a pilot refrigerated consignment of 24 tonnes of fruit travelling 750 km from Modjo Dry Port to Djibouti for onward delivery by sea. The shipment was undertaken ...
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NewsVictoria orders standard gauge VLocity DMUs
AUSTRALIA: The government of Victoria has exercised an option for Bombardier Transportation to supply a further 18 three-car VLocity diesel multiple-units from its Dandenong factory. The order announced on September 15 has been placed under an agreement initially signed in 2018. It covers 12 additional DMUs for ...
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Rail Business UKMobile train roof access platform
UK: Harmill Systems has developed a battery-powered mobile train roof access platform with a built-in crane. This is designed to provide safe access to the roof of rolling stock for the removal and replacement of equipment such as HVAC units. Acording to Harmill, the design offers a ...
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Rail Business UKScottish hydrogen train demonstrator procurement begins
UK: The University of St Andrews has begun the process of appointing an industrial partner to participate in the Zero Emission Train Project, which will see a redundant Class 314 electric multiple-unit equipped with hydrogen fuel cells as a technology demonstrator. The project is being led by ...
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Metro Report InternationalSeoul inaugurates Suin line connection
SOUTH KOREA: The Suin and Bundang lines in Seoul have been connected with the opening of an 18·8 km link between Hanyang University at Ansan and Suwon. Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young, Minister of Land, Infrastructure & Transport Kim Hyun-mi and Gyeonggi province Governor ...
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NewsKatie Farmer to head BNSF
BNSF has named Kathryn M Farmer as its next President & Chief Executive Officer with effect from January 1 2021.
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NewsEast Swanson rail terminal agreed
AUSTRALIA: Port of Melbourne has reached agreement with Patrick Terminals to develop a rail terminal at Swanson Dock East as part of plans to boost the proportion of the port’s throughput moving by rail.
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NewsGerman branch line reopening rejected
GERMANY: Reopening an out-of-use part of the former Gersprenztalbahn route east of Darmstadt is not economically viable, a feasibility study has concluded. Improvements to existing bus and Odenwaldbahn services have been deemed more cost effective. The study into reopening 3·1 km of the Gersprenztalbahn from Reinheim to ...
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NewsEnvironmental approval marks milestone in California’s truncated high speed programme
USA: The board of the California High-Speed Rail Authority on September 10 approved the Final Environmental Impact Statement for an 80 km section of the planned high speed railway between Merced and Fresno, known as the ‘Central Valley Wye’. The formal approval means that environmental clearance has ...
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NewsAutomated train operation tested in Moscow
RUSSIA: Automatic operation could be introduced on the 54 km Moscow Central Ring line next year, Russian Railways CEO Oleg Belozerov said following tests with an Lastochka electric multiple-unit. Trains would run under Grade of Automation 2, with a driver in the cab to monitor operations. Trials ...
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Rail Business UKFive firms selected for HS2 Innovation Accelerator initiative
UK: HS2 Ltd has opened the second round of applications to join its Innovation Accelerator programme, seeking small and medium-sized firms specialising in process efficiencies and the passenger experience at stations. Entrepreneurs and tech specialists are invited to apply by September 18. This follows the announcement of ...
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Rail Business UKSolar-powered scarecrow deployed to keep birds away from electrical equipment
UK: A solar-powered scarecrow that mimics the calls of a hawk is being used to humanely scare away birds which were damaging overhead line equipment and the pantographs of Avanti West Coast Pendolino trainsets at Alstom’s Longsight depot. ‘Birds at Alstom’s depot have become a real ...
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NewsAutomating level crossing inspections
USA: VisioStack has been awarded funding for two projects to develop automated level crossing inspection technology, as part of the Department of Transportation’s Small Business Innovation Research programme. The Aerial Crossing Inspection System project aims to use unmanned aerial vehicles and machine learning to perform level crossing ...
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NewsRailSpetsTrans orders 300 wagons
RUSSIA: RailSpetsTrans and State Transport Leasing Co have placed an order for United Wagon Co to supply 300 vans by the end of the first half of 2021. The Type 11-6874 covered van was developed by UWC’s All-Union Research & Development Centre for Transportation Technology and is ...
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In depthFreight: Unlocking access to Australia’s largest port
Despite surging growth in in recent years, the port of Melbourne remains heavily reliant on road haulage, causing major impacts in the nearby city centre. So the state government and port operator are redoubling efforts to shift more freight to rail after a number of false starts. John Kirk reports.
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NewsFreightCar America to move production to Mexico under ‘operational realignment’
NORTH AMERICA: FreightCar America has signed a letter of intent to acquire joint venture partner Fabricaciones y Servicios de México’s 50% stake in the new wagon manufacturing plant at Castaños in Mexico, and will consolidate all of its production there by January 2021. This will mean the ...
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Rail Business UK11 700 km of electrification plus battery and hydrogen trains in traction decarbonisation strategy
UK: Network Rail has published its interim Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy, setting out preliminary recommendations for meeting government ambitions to decarbonise the rail network. The Interim Business Case released on September 10 considers the three main ways of achieving this aim: electrification, batteries ...
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