News – Page 306
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NewsGolmud – Korla railway forges new link through western China
CHINA: Revenue services are expected to start running at the end of June on the Qinghai section of the 1 214 km Golmud – Korla railway, following the completion of construction work at the end of April.
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NewsSystem7 and Strukton Rail launch ‘intelligent’ Universal Tamper 4·0
TAMPING: Strukton Rail has worked with manufacturer System7 to develop Universal Tamper 4·0, which the contractor describes as an intelligent tamping machine that can learn to work by itself. Strukton used its experience of infrastructure maintenance to contribute various ideas that have ...
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Metro Report InternationalSpain implements transport safety measures as lockdown eases
tn_es-barcelona-metro-generic_04.jpg SPAIN: The use of face masks covering the nose and mouth became obligatory for passengers on all modes of public transport from May 4, including taxis, ferries and flights. Workers involved in providing these services are also obliged to wear masks, and must have access to ...
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NewsCovid-19 crisis is hitting the rail industry hard, consultancy finds
EUROPE: The coronavirus pandemic is likely to have a wide-ranging impact on train operators, vehicle owners and the rolling stock supply industry, according to a study undertaken by German management consultancy SCI Verkehr. Entitled ‘Impact of the Covid-19 Crisis on the railway sector in Europe’, the study ...
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NewsHŽPP places firm order for EMUs
Source: Toma Bacic CROATIA: National passenger operator HŽPP has signed a €62·4m firm contract for Končar KEV to supply six suburban and six regional 160 km/h low-floor electric multiple-units. The order signed on April 29 is being financed with loans from Eurofima (€57·2m) and the International Bank ...
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NewsHangzhou – Haining suburban railway trainsets delivered
CHINA: CRRC has begun delivering 17 four-car electric multiple-units ordered for the Hangzhou – Haining suburban railway, which is scheduled to open in July 2021. The Type B trainsets have aluminium bodies and a maximum speed of 120 km/h. The 48·2 km line ...
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NewsStation passenger flows modified to reduce infection risk
SPAIN: As Covid-19 lockdown measures are eased and passenger numbers increase, pedestrian flows at Madrid Chamartín station have been modified to provide one-way routes to segregate entering and leaving passengers. This aims to reduce the risk of spreading infections between people heading in opposite directions. Particular attention ...
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NewsHelsinki commuter train operating contract won by ‘competitive, cost-effective and innovative’ bid
FINLAND: Helsinki regional transport authority HSL has named national incumbent VR as the winner of a contract to operate the capital’s commuter rail services for 10 years from June 27 2021, with an option for a further three years. The announcement on May 5 follows the first ...
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NewsCampbell to head ARTC as Fullerton steps down
AUSTRALIA: Mark Campbell has been appointed as Managing Director & CEO of Australian Rail Track Corp with effect from May 1, succeeding John Fullerton, who is stepping down after more than 40 years in the rail industry and nine years leading the interstate infrastructure manager.
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Rail Business UKLNER FutureLabs innovation programme launched
UK: The LNER FutureLabs programme has been launched to provide an opportunity for technology start-ups to test their ideas in the railway environment. The programme has three ‘challenges’: More Journeys, More Often: digital services that encourage more people to travel by train; Personalised Customer Experience: simplifying, ...
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NewsCAF Rail UK awarded DMU maintenance contract
UK: Translink has awarded CAF Rail UK a contract to continue to maintain NI Railways’ fleet of 23 Class 3000 diesel multiple-units which entered service from 2004. The new contract runs for 15 years from April, and is worth more than €60m. The work will be performed ...
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NewsCoronavirus leads to new ways of working at KiwiRail
NEW ZEALAND: ‘As an essential service, we’ve had to learn a whole new way of working’, said KiwiRail Group Chief Executive Greg Miller, announcing details of changes made by the national railway to reflect the impact of Covid-19. ‘We have provided additional PPE to our teams in ...
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NewsMaersk launches China – Turkey freight service
INTERNATIONAL: Maersk has launched its first rail service from Xi’an in China to Izmit in Turkey. Departing every Tuesday, it runs via Korgas, the Caspian Sea ports of Aktau and Baku, and the Baku – Tbilisi – Kars railway with a transit time of 18 days. ...
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NewsRail gets disinfectant material to Poland
EUROPE: Captrain and TankMatch Rail Hamburg are transporting 1 000 tonnes of ethanol in 18 wagons from the Port of Rotterdam to Pleszew in Poland on May 4-5. The ethanol is urgently needed for the production of disinfectants, with Poland facing a shortage because of the high ...
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NewsVoith and PCS Holding to acquire Traktionssysteme Austria majority stake
AUSTRIA: An agreement has been signed for Voith and PCS Holding to acquire a combined 59% stake in Traktionssysteme Austria. TSA manufactures electric motors, generators and transmissions for rail and road vehicles, employing 380 people in Austria and a further 390 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, China, the USA and ...
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Rail Business UKDfT preparing for future passenger franchise options
UK: Having temporarily suspended its franchise agreements with passenger train operators, the Department for Transport is currently considering its options for what may follow the Emergency Measures Agreements announced on March 23.
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NewsDSB orders the 1 000th Vectron locomotive
DENMARK: Siemens Mobility announced the sale of its 1 000th Vectron locomotive on May 4, with Danish national passenger operator DSB confirming an order for a further eight AC electric locos. DSB has now ordered a total of 42 Vectrons, procuring an initial 26 in 2018 followed ...
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NewsRail Coach Factory Kapurthala restarts work
INDIA: Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala restarted production after 28 days of lockdown on April 23. A total 3 744 employees living in the RCF township have been permitted to return to work, and issued with a safety kit of masks, sanitiser bottle and soap. Workers are being ...
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NewsDB Regio retains Franken-Südthüringen operating contract
Source: Juergen Moeller GERMANY: DB Regio will continue to operate local services in the Franken-Südthüringen region around Bamberg, Lichtenfels and Coburg, organising authority Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft confirmed on April 29. Following a European tendering process, the state-owned operator has been awarded a 12-year contract running from December 2023 ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
The port of Melbourne has chosen to proceed with its A$125m Port Rail Transformation Project, a package of operational and infrastructure enhancements intended to improve rail access to the port and reduce lorry movements. Swiss intermodal operators Schweizerzug and RTSB have combined to launch a transit freight ...