News – Page 32
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Rail Business UKHigh Speed: Birmingham prepares to welcome truncated HS2
Viaducts, depot sites and tunnels are taking shape at the Birmingham end of the 225 km High Speed 2 route. But doubts over completion of what was Phase I of the curtailed scheme continue to swirl. Nick Kingsley reports from Washwood Heath.
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NewsSlovenia’s longest railway tunnel broken through
SLOVENIA: Celebrations on May 29 marked the breakthrough of what will be the longest railway tunnel in Slovenia. The 6 714 m Lokev tunnel is being built as part of the 2TDK project to provide a second track between Divaca and the port of Koper. Contractors ...
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NewsHitachi completes €1·7bn Thales GTS acquisition
INTERNATIONAL: Hitachi Rail has closed the deal to purchase Thales’ Ground Transportation Systems business.
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NewsLow floor coaches added to the GoldenPass Express
SWITZERLAND: Low-floor gauge-changing panoramic coaches have been added to enhance the accessibility of GoldenPass Express services between Montreux, Zweisimmen and Interlaken Ost.
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NewsLithuanian train operator to replace Russian safety system
LITHUANIA: National train operator LTG Group has awarded SRPA Impulse a contract to replace its Russian KLUB-U cab signalling equipment. ‘We are accelerating our plans and aiming to move away from the Russian KLUB-U locomotive safety system as soon as possible to ensure the use of ...
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Metro Report InternationalSingapore metro contracts signed
SINGAPORE: Metro and bus operator SBS Transit and Siemens Mobility have signed contracts for equipment maintenance and a memorandum of understanding for the use of software. A long-term service support contract running to 2047 covers the Siemens Mobility Trainguard Sirius communications-based train control on the Downtown ...
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Rail Business UKHS2 Phase 2b formally scrapped in favour of Liverpool – Manchester railway
UK: A vote in parliament on the evening of May 21 brought a formal end to work on the Crewe to Manchester leg of HS2.
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NewsVR completes acquisition of MTR Express
SWEDEN: Finnish national operator VR Group completed its acquisition of MTR Corp’s Stockholm – Göteborg open access passenger operator MTR Express on May 30. Integration of MTRX into VR’s long-distance operations will begin immediately, with the 130 employees now part of VR’s inter-city business unit. Services ...
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NewsSão Paulo – Campinas inter-city concession contract approved
BRAZIL: Governor of São Paulo Tarcísio de Freitas presided over a ceremony on May 29 in Campinas to authorise signature of the contract for the Trem Intercidades Eixo Norte (North Axis Intercity Train) project linking São Paulo with Campinas. Present at the event were São Paulo ...
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NewsDaejeon area express commuter rail proposal presented
SOUTH KOREA: Construction company DL E&C has put forward an initial proposal for the planned CTX express commuter rail network centred on Daejeon in Chungcheong province. As part of the government’s programme to create ‘30 min commute zones’, in January President Yoon Suk Yeol announced plans ...
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NewsRolling Stock Procurement Pipeline aims to reduce boom and bust
AUSTRALIA: The Office of National Rail Industry Coordination has published a National Rolling Stock Procurement Pipeline webpage, which aims to provide an overview of current projects to enable purchasing decisions to be timed to avoid ‘boom and bust’ cycles. It includes procurement location, estimated value, status, ...
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NewsRevolution Express tourist train to highlight Vietnamese history
VIETNAM: An agreement to launch a steam-hauled Revolution Express tourist train themed on Vietnamese history has been signed by Indochina Rail Tourist Service and Wafaifo Optimisers. The launch is planned for late 2024 or early 2025. Two restored steam locomotives will haul the retro-style coaches and custom-made ...
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Metro Report InternationalMTR Corp aims to inspire the changemakers of the future
CHINA: More than 1 000 pupils from 35 secondary schools have taken part in MTR Corp’s Train for Life’s Journeys 2.0 social innovation challenge programme.
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Rail Business UKLevenmouth rail link officially opened
UK: The reinstated Levenmouth railway was official inaugurated by Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney on May 29, ahead of the start of passenger services on June 2.
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News‘Audacious’ contract to revive Nancy – Contrexéville route
FRANCE: The Grand Est regional authority has awarded a contract to facilitate the rehabilitation and reopening of the 89 km route from Nancy to Contrexéville by December 2027.
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NewsAvril high speed trains enter service
SPAIN: The first 10 Talgo S106 Avril high speed trainsets entered passenger service with national operator RENFE on May 21. The Alta Velocidad, Rueda Independiente, Ligero (High Speed, Independent Wheels, Lightweight) is the latest evolution of the Talgo family. The 330 km/h Series 106 sets have ...
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NewsRussian and Chinese railways plan strategic co-operation
INTERNATIONAL: A strategic co-operation agreement was signed by Russian Railways Chairman Oleg Belozerov and his China Railway counterpart Liu Zhenfang when Russia’s President Putin visited China during May. The railways expressed mutual interest in the joint development of international transport corridors, in particular as part of ...
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NewsGeosistemas to design Salgueiro – Suape section of Transnordestina railway
BRAZIL: Geosistemas Engenharia e Defesa has been declared the winner of a tender to develop engineering design and construction proposals for the 544 km Salgueiro – Suape section of the Transnordestina project in Pernambuco state. When bids were opened on May 20 the Recife-based company’s offer ...
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Rail Business UKInterview: ‘Welsh rail services are improving rapidly’
UK: Transport for Wales Rail’s Chief Operating Officer Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde is optimistic about progress being made in transforming passenger services across the country, despite the financial and operational headwinds facing the Welsh transport sector.