News – Page 371
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NewsFS Group forms US subsidiary
USA: Italian state railway group FS has established FS Italian Railways USA Inc with the aim of developing its activities in the North American market. FS said the mass transit, high speed and freight markets ‘offer interesting growth possibilities, especially in the large metropolitan areas’, thanks to an increase in ...
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NewsODEG orders Stage V compliant DMUs
GERMANY: Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn has awarded Alstom a €45m contract to supply eight Coradia Lint diesel multiple-units for use on Netzes Elbe-Spree regional passenger services from December 2022. Announcing the order on June 20, Alstom said the 140 km/h DMUs would be its first with a powerpack complying with EU ...
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NewsElectro-diesel train financing approved
SPAIN: The European Investment Bank approved a €100m loan on June 13 to part-finance the planned €201m procurement of 26 electric and five electro-diesel trainsets for use by RENFE on suburban and rural services on the former FEVE metre-gauge network in northern Spain. EIB said the replacement of life-expired rolling ...
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Metro Report InternationalSydney and Parramatta projects in New South Wales budget
AUSTRALIA: Rail projects in Sydney and Parramatta are included in the 2019-20 New South Wales budget, which was presented on June 18. The City & Southwest metro extension from Chatswood to Bankstown via central Sydney, which is expected to open in 2024, is to receive A$1·2bn in ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
Contractor Walker Construction is to begin work shortly on a £5m, year-long project funded by the Department for Transport to improve facilities and ease passenger congestion at St Albans City station. It includes construction of a two-storey extension to the main station building for a 'premier brand' convenience store, widening ...
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NewsStadler receives first Flirt Akku battery train order
GERMANY: Schleswig-Holstein transport authority NAH.SH has selected Stadler to supply 55 Flirt Akku battery multiple-units to operate regional services and provide 30 years of maintenance. Announcing its selection as preferred bidder on June 19, Stadler said that it will reveal more details when the contract is signed, which is ...
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NewsRail, metro and tram spending in New South Wales budget
AUSTRALIA: Several rail projects have been allocated funding in the 2019-20 New South Wales budget, which was presented on June 18. The state government is providing A$812m as part of a A$1·8bn package over four years towards the New Intercity Fleet. The RailConnect consortium of Hyundai Rotem, Mitsubishi Electric ...
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NewsMolasses wagons delivered
RUSSIA: GATX Rail Vostok has taken delivery of 26 molasses wagons of a new design developed by United Wagon Co. UWC said the Type 15-6900-04 developed by its All-Union Research & Development Centre for Transportation Technology and manufactured at its TikhvinChemMash site was the only 1 520 mm gauge wagon ...
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NewsChina Railway Corp becomes China State Railway Group Co
CHINA: China Railway Corp was officially restructured as China State Railway Group Co on June 18, with China Railway and CR as its official English-language short name and abbreviation. China Railway is a solely state-owned enterprise with registered capital of 1·74tr yuan, established in accordance with company law. Its responsibilities ...
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NewsHybrid shunting locomotive agreement
RUSSIA: An agreement for the development of diesel-battery hybrid shunting locomotives has been signed by Russian Railways, Transmashholding and lithium-ion battery manufacturer Rusnano. RZD has expressed interesting buying 131 hybrid shunters over six years, subject to approval of the prototype. These would be used at major stations and in depots. ...
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Rail Business UKCardiff – London open access plan
UK: Grand Union Trains has applied to the Office of Rail & Road for a track access agreement which would enable it to launch a Cardiff Central – London Paddington open access passenger service from late 2020. The proposed hourly service would call at Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction and Bristol ...
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NewsFlixTrain seeks to enter French passenger market
FRANCE: FlixMobility GmbH has lodged an application with rail regulator Arafer to launch five inter-city routes from January 1 2021. The FlixTrain-branded services would cover four domestic routes as well as one international route. The proposed services are seven return trains per day between Paris Nord and Brussels Nord ...
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NewsBudapest – Beograd corridor upgrading contract signed
HUNGARY: A US$2·078bn contract to implement a major modernisation of the Hungarian section of the Budapest – Beograd route was signed on June 12. The scope includes doubling-tracking the 150 km route from Budapest Soroksár to the border at Kelebia, installing ETCS Level 2 and work to permit 160 ...
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NewsDB tests CCTV analytics at Berlin station
GERMANY: Technology designed to automatically detect anomalous behaviour which could lead to train services being disrupted is to be tested at Berlin-Südkreuz station from June 18. The project is being undertaken by Deutsche Bahn, the federal police and technology suppliers IBM Germany, a consortium of Hitachi, Conef and MIG, and ...
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NewsERA becomes cross-border authorisation body
EUROPE: The European Union Agency for Railways has taken on responsibility for vehicle authorisation, safety certification and ERTMS trackside system approval with effect from June 16, opening what it called ‘a new era of single and simplified authorisation and certification processes in Europe’. This forms part of the technical pillar ...
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Metro Report InternationalBombardier to open assembly plant in California
USA: Bombardier Transportation announced on June 14 that it is opening an assembly plant in Pittsburg, California. The first vehicles to be assembled at the new factory will be the Fleet of the Future metro cars that Bombardier is supplying for the BART network serving San Francisco. Intended to ...
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NewsSJ wins north Norway operating contract
NORWAY: The SJ Norge subsidiary of Sweden’s national passenger operator has been selected for the Lot 2 Nord operating contract, national railway agency Jernbanedirektoratet announced on June 17. The contract covers long-distance passenger services on the Dovrebanen and Nordlandsbanen routes from Oslo to Trondheim and Bodø, as well as the ...
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NewsNapier to Wairoa line reinstated
NEW ZEALAND: KiwiRail has completed rehabilitation of the 115 km Napier – Wairoa line, which was mothballed in December 2012 following severe storm damage. The project was supported with NZ$6·2m from the Provincial Growth Fund. ’Our next focus is to establish a log-hub in Wairoa so we are ready to ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
The Queensland government is to provide A$20m/year for four years to reduce Queensland Rail track access charges on the Mount Isa corridor, which operator Aurizon says have contributed to freight being sent by road. Mercitalia subsidiary TX Logistik has obtained a B licence enable it to operate in Denmark from ...
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NewsSão Paulo airport EMU unveiled
BRAZIL: CRRC Qingdao Sifang has unveiled the first of eight eight-car Class 2500 electric multiple-units that it is supplying for São Paulo suburban operator CPTM’s Line 13 to Guarulhos Airport under a contract awarded in September 2017. The 12·2 km Line 13 was inaugurated in June 2018, and is currently ...