News – Page 308
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NewsAkiem completes acquisition of Macquarie European Rail’s fleet
The Class 379 EMUs operated by Greater Anglia will move to Akiem under the deal. EUROPE: Following regulatory approval, Akiem Group completed the acquisition of Macquarie European Rail’s rolling stock leasing business on April 23. The transaction includes 137 locomotives used by 21 operators, including EMD Class ...
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NewsCompetition authority clears CRRC acquisition of Vossloh Locomotives
GERMANY: The proposed acquisition of Vossloh Locomotives GmbH by CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotives Co was cleared by the national competition authority on April 27.
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NewsPandemic scuppers Amtrak’s hopes of breaking even
USA: Amtrak has lost close to 95% its ridership since the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, just as the national passenger carrier was projecting that it would finally break even for the first time in almost 50 years. Ridership has all but disappeared because of the ...
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NewsS-Bahn Liechtenstein to proceed
LIECHTENSTEIN: A letter of intent to go ahead with the cross-border S-Bahn Liechtenstein scheme was signed by Liechtenstein’s Deputy Prime Minister Daniel Risch and Austria’s Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation & Technology Leonore Gewessler on April 21. S-Bahn Liechtenstein services would use the existing ...
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NewsLötschberg base tunnel reopened after water ingress mitigated
SWITZERLAND: The Lötschberg base tunnel was fully reopened at 17.00 on April 24, after being closed for almost six weeks because of significant water ingress in the eastern bore. The tunnel initially closed on February 6. One bore was reopened on February 7 and the second ...
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NewsRail freight offered with air cargo style pricing to highlight cost saving
INTERNATIONAL: Davies Turner has added a pricing mechanism based on air freight practice for its weekly Express China Rail rail, road and sea service from Xi’an to the UK. This is intended to demonstrate the potential cost savings to importers who have traditionally used aviation. The company ...
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NewsApril 2021 date for InnoTrans announced
INNOTRANS: The rescheduled InnoTrans railway and transport trade fair will now take place from April 27 to 30 2021, organiser Messe Berlin has confirmed.
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
The number of trains between Bro, 30 km from Stockholm, and Malmö which TX Logistik operates for retailer Coop has been doubled to 20 per week, to ensure the delivery of food to supermarkets in the south of the country. ‘Even for goods that were previously transported ...
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NewsHigh-capacity timber wagons ordered
RUSSIA: Leasing company Dessa has ordered a further batch of timber wagons from United Wagon Co. They are scheduled to be delivered by end of May, and will be leased to Sodex. The Type 13-6895 has a capacity of 72∙5 tonnes or 155 m3, which is up ...
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NewsQuieter on-train air-conditioning developed
RUSSIA: Transmashholding has worked with the the Andreyev Acoustics Institute to reduce the reduce the noise from on-train air-conditioning systems. Proprietary assemblies have been designed for installation in the air ducts to provide an unobstructed flow of air while blocking noise produced by the HVAC fans. Testing ...
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Rail Business UK‘Confident and contemporary’ Curzon Street HS2 station approved
Curzon Street station UK: Birmingham City Council granted planning permission for the Curzon Street High Speed 2 station on April 23. Invitations to tender for the construction contract are to be issued this summer. The council’s report said the design developed ...
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NewsCalifornia awards grants to drive modal shift
USA: The California State Transportation Agency has awarded $500m in capital grants for 17 ‘transformative’ rail and public transport projects under its Transit & Intercity Rail Capital Program. The grants announced on April 21 are intended to support design and construction works, and will be complemented by ...
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NewsDHL targets 10-day China – Europe transit time
INTERNATIONAL: DHL is looking at further reductions in transit times between China and Europe, following the success of a service between Xi’an in China and Hamburg and Neuss in Germany which was launched in November. ‘With our partners in this project, China Railway, UTLC ERA and Belintertrans, ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Hamburg based bank Berenberg has arranged a €70m institutional debt package to finance the purchase of eight Alstom Coradia Lint 54 diesel multiple-units and two Siemens Desiro electric multiple-units for use by ODEG in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg and Berlin. A group of investors represented by Allianz Global Investors ...
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Rail Business UKUK government planning increase in rail services from May 18
UK: Despite an explicit denial of any proposals to increase passenger rail services when First Secretary of State Dominic Raab was questioned at the government’s daily coronavirus press briefing on April 22, industry sources confirm that train operating companies have been asked to prepare to reinstate a ...
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NewsCarmichael civil works contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: Adani Mining has awarded Martinus Rail a A$220m contract for civil engineering work on the 1 067 mm gauge rail link to its controversial Carmichael coal mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin.
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NewsRolling stock leasing companies exposed to effects of prolonged lockdowns
Government support for train operators will protect the short-term cash generation of rolling stock leasing companies during coronavirus lockdown periods, but there could be pressure on their revenue base once the restrictions are lifted, warns Christian Kuendig, Senior Director, Non-Bank Financial Institutions, at Fitch Ratings.
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NewsOne bidder for Bulgarian loco contract
BULGARIA: A local subsidiary of Siemens Mobility has been confirmed as the only company to submit technical and financial bids for a contract to supply and maintain 10 electric locomotives for use on BDZ’s passenger services. The national railway intends to assess the technical proposal before opening ...
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NewsTesting resumes in Ceneri Base Tunnel
SWITZERLAND: Test running has restarted in the 15∙4 km Ceneri Base Tunnel at the southern end of the Gotthard corridor. Agreement for the tests to resume on April 20 was reached after tunnel contractor AlpTransit Gotthard AG concluded discussions with medical specialists at operator SBB and the ...
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Rail Business UKRailway embankment loading research contract
UK: Network Rail has awarded Mott MacDonald a contract to lead the overall technical direction of Stage 2 of the Embankment Traffic Loading applied research programme, which is investigating the response of embankment clay fill to increased traffic loads and the implications for trackbed impact assessment. ...