News – Page 327
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Metro Report InternationalTai Wai – Kai Tak extension to open on February 14
CHINA: The first section of Hong Kong MTR’s long-awaited Shatin – Central Link project will open for revenue service on February 14, the operator announced on January 17. The extension from Tai Wai to Kai Tak forms part of the east-west link which will eventually connect the ...
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Metro Report International250 km/h ‘high speed metro’ in Guangzhou urban rail plan
CHINA: The Guangzhou municipal government has approved a 15-year plan to increase public transport’s market share to 80% through the development of a comprehensive urban rail network based on three metro, ‘express metro’ and ‘high speed metro’ networks. The journey time between the major cities within ...
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NewsFarandou reshapes SNCF leadership team
FRANCE: A new management structure for the ‘unified’ SNCF group was unveiled by President & CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou on January 16, following the first board meeting of the national railway group since the 2018 reforms came into effect on January 1.
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
RJ Corman Railroad Group has announced the closure of its RJ Corman Railpower Locomotives business in Erie, Pennsylvania, with effect from February 29. RJ Corman had acquired the assets of the Railpower genset locomotive business in 2009, but on January 8 this year it said ‘In ...
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NewsMalmö – Köln suggested as first route for a network of night trains
EUROPE: Swedish transport agency Trafikverket has suggested that Malmö – Köln could be the first route to be launched as part of a proposed network of overnight trains connecting Sweden with other European countries, and that a start data as early as 2022-23 could be possible. ...
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Rail Business UKGreater Anglia’s first Class 720 commuter EMU delivered for testing
UK: The first of the Class 720 Aventra electric multiple-units which Bombardier Transportation’s Derby factory is supplying for Greater Anglia’s London commuter services has been delivered to Ilford depot ahead of testing. Entry into passenger service is planned for spring this year, with the entire fleet expected ...
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Metro Report InternationalEBRD finances Izmir metro civil works
TURKEY: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is to provide Izmir Metropolitan Municipality with a loan to finance the €754·5m construction of civil works for the planned Üçyol – Buca driverless metro line serving the southeast of the city.
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NewsBeijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway Co IPO raises 30·7bn yuan
CHINA: Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway Co Ltd made its debut on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on January 16, following one of the biggest mainland Chinese IPOs of the past decade. The sale of 6·29 billion shares, about 12·8% of the total, at 4·88 yuan per share, raised ...
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NewsBarcelona – Valencia trains accelerated as Vandellòs cut-off opens
SPAIN: Commercial services began using a 46·5 km cut-off between Camp de Tarragona and Vandellòs on January 13, when ADIF completed a further section of upgrading on the Barcelona – Valencia Mediterranean Corridor.
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NewsCzech region orders its own EMU fleet
CZECH REPUBLIC: Jihomoravský has become the first regional authority to order its own rolling stock, placing a contract for Škoda Transportation to supply 37 RegioPanter low-floor 160 km/h electric multiple-units between spring 2021 and the end of 2022. Škoda Transportation was the only bidder to remain in ...
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NewsFunding for a classroom in a tank wagon and rail safety education
CANADA: The federal government has announced funding for projects to raise rail safety awareness including the safe transport of dangerous goods. The Chemistry Industry Association of Canada has been allocated C$219 750 over three years for its Transportation Community Awareness & Emergency Response initiative. This will fund ...
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NewsERTMS roll-out timetable extended
SWEDEN: The timetable for installation of ETCS Level 2 in southern Sweden has been extended by two years, Trafikverket announced on January 13.
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NewsTAZARA and Copperbelt University form skills development partnership
ZAMBIA: Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority and Copperbelt University have signed an agreement establishing a joint educational campus in Mpika which the international railway operator said would ‘create unheralded value and opportunities for both the university and the railway industry’. The campus at TAZARA’s existing training centre will offer ...
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Rail Business UKFirst freight train to East Midlands Gateway Terminal
UK: DB Cargo UK operated the first commercial rail freight service to the new East Midlands Gateway Terminal in Castle Donington on January 7. The Strategic Rail Freight Interchange has been developed SEGRO and is operated by Maritime Transport under 25-year lease signed last year DB Cargo ...
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Metro Report InternationalCubic and Moovit announce Mobility-as-a-Service co-operation
TECHNOLOGY: Fare collection technology company Cubic Transportation Systems and travel software developer Moovit have signed a strategic agreement for further collaboration in the Mobility-as-a-Service market, including integration of Moovit’s multimodal trip planning with Cubic’s mobile payment and ticketing capabilities. This will provide a platform offering service alerts, ...
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News‘The wow effect is coming’ as German government signs €86bn rail programme
GERMANY: The €86bn LuFV III railway operating and financing agreement running to 2030 was signed by Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer, Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz and Board Member for Infrastructure Ronald Pofalla on January 14, at a ceremony attended by Federal Minister of Finance Olaf Scholz.
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NewsHaramain signalling maintenance contract awarded
SAUDI ARABIA: Xrail Group has been awarded a seven-year contract to undertake corrective and preventive maintenance of the ETCS Level 2 signalling and technical buildings on the Haramain High Speed Rail line, acting as subcontractor to Siemens Mobility. Xrail will provide 24/7 support from six maintenance centres ...
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Rail Business UKGB Railfreight to lease Ecofret2 triple-platform container wagons
UK: GB Railfreight is to lease 32 Ecofret2 triple-platform container wagons from VTG Rail UK, which said it had made ‘significant investments’ in the latest version of the Ecofret design. The wagons are being built at WH Davis’s Shirebrook site, with the first 16 scheduled for delivery ...
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NewsCzech branch line reopened
CZECH REPUBLIC: The reopening of the 2·7 km Hrušovany u Brna – Židlochovice branch more than 40 years after scheduled passenger services ended in June 1979 was marked by the operation of a steam-hauled inaugural train on December 8, ahead of the start of regular services from ...
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Rail Business UKFirst of a Kind competition offers £9·4m to support rail innovation
UK: Innovate UK and the Department for Transport have launched the 2020 First of a Kind competition, which will provide £9·4m to support the development of innovative technologies in the rail sector. ‘For two centuries the UK has been at the cutting-edge of rail technology’, said Transport ...