News – Page 332
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Rail Business UKBespoke traverser installed at York depot
UK: Specialist lifting equipment supplier Mechan has delivered a bespoke 130 tonne traverser to move vehicles between workshop roads at infrastructure manager Network Rail’s Holgate depot in York. The traverser was commissioned by Story Contracting to replace a 50-year old unit that was at the end of ...
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NewsGo-Ahead takes over Norway’s first tendered services
NORWAY: The first service to be taken over by the private sector as part of the government’s passenger rail tendering programme left Stavanger for Oslo at 06.47 on December 15. National rail authority Jernbanedirektoratet awarded UK-based international transport group Go-Ahead the Lot 1 Sør contract in ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Wagon leasing company Ermewa has restructured and refinanced its group debt through a combination of multicurrency secured bank debt and US private placement notes for a total value of circa €1·5bn. It was advised by Watson Farley & Williams, which said it was a ‘complex, high-value transaction, ...
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NewsHitachi Rail STS wins LGV Sud-Est interlocking contract
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau has selected Hitachi Rail STS to supply new interlockings for the modernisation of LGV Sud-Est between Paris and Lyon.
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Metro Report InternationalHydrogen buses enter service on BRT route in Pau
FRANCE: The Fébus bus rapid transit route in Pau was inaugurated on December 17, using a fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses. Services on the 14-stop route are operated by Keolis using a fleet of 18 m long buses supplied by Van Hool. Connecting the city’s railway ...
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NewsMinisters inaugurate Tel Aviv – Jerusalem through service
ISRAEL: To mark the start of regular electric through services between Tel Aviv Hahagana and Jerusalem Navon via the A1 fast line on December 21, Israel Railways operated its first passenger-carrying train on December 18.
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NewsBattery-electric multiple-unit financing agreed
GERMANY: Mittelsachsen transport authority ZVMS has reached an agreement for an order for 11 battery multiple-units to be financed by mandated lead arranger KfW IPEX-Bank with Nord/LB and Deutsche Kreditbank. The financing package is worth €49m and has a term of 22 years. The order is expected ...
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NewsEtihad Rail heads northeast as Package D awarded
UAE: National railway developer Etihad Rail has awarded the fourth major contract for its Stage Two expansion programme to a joint venture of China Railway Construction Corp and local partner National Projects & Construction. Valued at 4·6bn dinars, the Package D contract covers the ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail franchise to end in 2022
UK: The Scottish government will not take up an option for Abellio’s ScotRail franchise to run for the full term, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure & Connectivity Michael Matheson confirmed on December 18. The contract started on April 1 2015 with a minimum term of seven years, ...
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NewsUkraine announces private freight haulage pilot project
UKRAINE: The cabinet has approved plans for a pilot project which would allow private sector companies to haul freight trains on selected sections of the national network. On December 4 Minister of Infrastructure Vladislav Krikli said this could help address a shortage of locomotives at national railway ...
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NewsTrenitalia and Campania region sign operating agreement
ITALY: National operator Trenitalia has signed a 2019-33 service contract with the Campania region which includes plans to invest €680m to improve services. Trenitalia will provide €209m and the region €180m for the purchase and commissioning of 37 trainsets, which are to be delivered from 2020 under ...
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NewsElectrification of Tirol rail network completed
AUSTRIA: ÖBB-Infrastruktur has completed electrification of the 14·4 km section of the Ausserfernbahn between Reutte and Schönbichl on the German border. This completes the electrification of the standard gauge network in the Land of Tirol. The 15 kV 16·7 Hz electrification project included ...
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NewsReform of rail passengers’ rights under discussion
UK: The general approach to reform of Regulation 1371/2007 on rail passengers’ rights has been agreed by the Council of the European Union, which brings together ministers from member states. The Council and the European Parliament will now negotiate the final text, which would be applicable two ...
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NewsJR East tests Saphir Odoriko luxury EMUs
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has started driver training with the first of two Series E261 EMUs which are being supplied by Kawasaki Heavy Industries to operate the Super Odoriko service linking Tokyo to the scenic Izu peninsula, where the Fuji-Hakone National Park is famed for its hot springs.
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Rail Business UKWest Midlands Trains reveals first Class 196 DMU
UK: West Midlands Trains has revealed the first of its CAF Civity Class 196 diesel multiple-units, which is now on test at the Velim circuit in the Czech Republic. The 12 two-car and 14 four-car DMUs were ordered in October 2017 at cost of around €200m, with ...
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Metro Report InternationalTelent awarded Transport for London communication assets contract
UK: Transport for London has awarded Telent Technology Services Ltd a new contract with an expanded scope covering the management of its wide range of communication assets. This includes public address speakers, CCTV cameras inside and on buildings, customer help points, and information displays. The contract runs ...
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Metro Report InternationalŠkoda and Sinara establish vehicle joint venture
RUSSIA: Škoda Transportation and Sinara Group have signed an agreement to establish a 50:50 joint venture for the production of metro trains, trams and trolleybuses. The joint venture, branded Sinara-Škoda will be headquartered in St Petersburg. ‘Russia is a huge and promising market in which we want ...
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NewsPortugal’s only private operator sees concession extended
PORTUGAL: On December 12 the government announced its intention to extend until 2024 the public service contract held by private operator Fertagus, which runs suburban trains serving communities on both sides of the river Tagus in Lisboa. The Council of Ministers suggested that the four year, ...
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NewsSecond ERTMS pilot line commissioned
DENMARK: Commercial operation using ETCS Level 2 Baseline 3 has started on Banedanmark’s Roskilde – Køge line in Sjaelland, which forms the second Early Deployment Line for the national Signalling Programme. Alstom is installing ETCS on the eastern half of the national network under the Fjernbane Øst ...
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NewsGailtalbahn electrification goes live
AUSTRIA: Electric passenger services on the 31 km Gailtalbahn route between Arnoldstein and Hermagor in southern Kärnten began with the December 15 timetable change. Work to install the 15 kV 16·7 Hz overhead equipment began in June 2018, as part of a programme to electrify all lines ...