News – Page 354
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NewsNorthland line renovation funded
NEW ZEALAND: The government has approved the first NZ$94·8m tranche of an expected NZ$300m from the Provincial Growth Fund to fund renovation and upgrading works on KiwiRail’s 181 km North Auckland Line between Swanson and Whangarei. Speaking in Helensville on September 5, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane ...
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NewsBanedanmark awards lidar scanning contract
DENMARK: Infrastructure manager Banedanmark has awarded Fugro a four-year framework agreement for lidar scanning of its 3 100 track-km network. Fugro said its ‘unique’ RILA train-borne survey technology would be used to simultaneously acquire lidar data and imagery of the track and surrounding environment to create an ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
freight Rail Cargo Logistics has taken delivery of 11 Greenbrier Europe Zagns 53 m3 capacity chlorine wagons which it is leasing from Ermewa. COSCO Shipping has chosen CN as its exclusive rail provider from the Ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Montréal, and Halifax to all ...
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NewsProduction of high-capacity container wagons begins
RUSSIA: RM Rail has begun mass production of Type 13-1284 high-capacity container flat wagons, following work to modernise its Ruzkhimmash factory in Saransk. The wagons have a 23·5 tonne axleload and capacity of 69·8 tonnes, with the automatically welded structure offering a design life of 32 years. ...
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NewsIcomera wins GO Transit wi-fi contract
CANADA: Transport authority Metrolinx has selected Icomera to roll-out wi-fi and an entertainment system across the GO Transit fleet of 943 rail vehicles and 532 buses in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas. Installation is scheduled to begin later this year, with the first wi-fi expected to ...
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NewsRTRI tests fuel cell multiple unit
JAPAN: Railway Technical Research Institute has started test running with a prototype multiple-unit which can work as a conventional or battery EMU or using a fuel cell powerpack. Converted from an older 1·5 kV DC EMU, the test train comprises a 34 tonne motor car and 29 ...
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Metro Report InternationalWuppertal Schwebebahn adopts ETCS Level 3 train control
GERMANY: ETCS Level 3 train control has been successfully commissioned on the Schwebebahn suspension monorail in Wuppertal, which reopened in August following a nine-month closure for infrastructure renewals. Under Level 3, track occupancy is determined solely by the vehicles communicating their positions to the central computer via ...
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Rail Business UKShow Us the Rail Enhancements, says Railway Industry Association
Show Us the Rail Enhancements, says Railway Industry Association UK: The Railway Industry Association has launched a ‘Show Us the Rail Enhancements’ campaign, calling on the government to publish its list of planned large projects such as electrification and the provision of additional tracks. RIA represents more ...
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Rail Business UKRiding Sunbeams deploys solar array
UK: Riding Sunbeams Ltd has installed a 30 kWp solar test unit with around 100 panels near Aldershot which is directly supplying electricity to power signalling and lighting on Network Rail’s Wessex Route. This will enable data to be gathered to assess how much larger solar arrays ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Vossloh Group and Anyang Railway Equipment Co have formed a 51:49 joint venture to produce rail fastening components in China. The VR Maintenance subsidiary of Finland’s national operator has been rebranded as VR FleetCare, as part of a strategy to develop it ...
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Metro Report InternationalRER Line A control centralised
FRANCE: Operational control of Paris RER Line A has been concentrated at a single location with effect from September 2, although ownership of the route remains split between SNCF and RATP. Under a project launched earlier this year, the SNCF Réseau and SNCF Mobilités staff responsible for ...
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NewsGaspésie railway rehabilitation funding
CANADA: The Canadian government’s Disaster Mitigation & Adaptation Fund is to provide C$45·8m for the rehabilitation of a section of the provincially-owned railway to Gaspésie in Quebéc. The section has been out of use since 2015 because of the poor condition of the infrastructure and ...
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NewsETCS over Tetra certified
KAZAKHSTAN: National railway KTZ has certified the use of Bombardier Transportation ETCS over a Teltronic Tetra voice and data communications network on the 300 km route from Zhetigen to Altynkol on the Chinese border. Teltronic said this provided ‘irrefutable proof’ of the viability of ETCS over Tetra, ...
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Rail Business UK
Rail Delivery Group CEO to stay on
UK: Paul Plummer is to stay on as Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group rather than go ahead with plans to retire which he had announced in May. On September 3 RDG said that despite attracting a ‘strong’ field of candidates to succeed Plummer, it ...
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NewsSwiss Combi buys stake in SBB Cargo
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Combi AG, a joint venture formed of four road transport and logistics companies in the private sector, has bought a 35% stake in SBB Cargo AG for an undisclosed sum.
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NewsVictoria expands VLocity fleet
AUSTRALIA: The Victoria state government has ordered a further batch of VLocity diesel multiple-units from Bombardier Transportation, in order to meet growing demand on regional routes radiating from Melbourne. Due to enter service in 2021, the six three-car units will follow on from the nine sets ordered ...
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NewsSBB Cargo plans in the cloud
SWITZERLAND: SBB Cargo has begun using a cloud-hosted version of IVU Traffic Technologies’ IVU.rail software to plan the deployment of around 320 locomotives and 2 200 employees each day. The supplier said its IVU.cloud package offered the operator scalability, with a secure connection enabling up to 150 people work ...
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Metro Report InternationalPhoenix voters reject plan to block light rail funding
USA: Residents of the city of Phoenix have voted overwhelmingly to reject a local legislative measure that would have halted funding for expansion of the city’s Valley Metro light rail network. Mayor Kate Gallego confirmed on August 28 that voters had rejected the Proposition 105 and 106 ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst Circle Line junctions converted to CBTC operation
UK: A second section of London Underground’s Circle Line was converted to automatic train operation over the weekend of August 31-September 1, with the commissioning of CBTC signalling under the Four Lines Modernisation programme. Covering the so-called Signal Migration Areas 1 and 2, the work ...
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Rail Business UKHS2 benefits ‘substantially undervalued’ amid rising costs
UK: The Chairman of High Speed 2 Ltd Allan Cook believes that ‘the benefits of the current scheme are substantially undervalued’, according to a ‘stocktake report’ presented to the House of Commons by Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps on September 3. Updating Parliament on progress ...