News – Page 377
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News600 km/h maglev prototype unveiled
CHINA: Two prototype vehicles intended to support research into a 600 km/h maglev system were unveiled by CRRC Qingdao Sifang on May 23. The 53 m long locally-developed prototype comprises a driving car and an intermediate vehicle. It has been built as part of a five-year maglev development programme announced ...
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NewsRail Baltica design contract awarded
ESTONIA: Trinational project promoter RB Rail has selected IDOM as the winner of a contract to provide design and supervision services for the Tallinn – Rapla section of the Rail Baltica standard gauge line. The Spanish company’s bid of €11·4m was judged the most economically advantageous. The contract covers site ...
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail awards haulage and seasonal services contracts
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail has awarded contracts worth £800m for the haulage and operation of its engineering trains and the provision of seasonal rail treatment services in Control Period 6 which runs from 2019 to 2024. ‘These contracts demonstrate the commercially creative approach Network Rail’s supply chain now ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Saft has inaugurated an assembly line for MRX and MSX rail battery cells at its Zhuhai facility in China. This has a production capacity of 19 MAh/year. The supervisory board of Bombardier Transportation GmbH and Bombardier Transportation (Bahntechnologie) Holding Germany GmbH unanimously elected Prof Dr Rüdiger Grube as Chairman on ...
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NewsSJ selected for Öresundståg operating contract
EUROPE: Swedish national operator SJ has been selected for the next contract to operate Öresundståg passenger services from Göteborg, Kalmar and Karlskrona to Malmö in southern Sweden and København in Denmark. The contract announced on May 21 is to run for eight years from December 2020, with an option for ...
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NewsCAF to acquire EuroMaint in €80m deal
SWEDEN: CAF has reached an agreement to acquire 100% of rolling stock maintenance company EuroMaint Group from funds advised by private equity firm Orlando Nordics. The deal announced on May 23 is worth around €80m, subject to adjustments at the closing of the transaction which is expected by July 19. ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
Greater Anglia launched its 'Norwich in 90’ service between the Norfolk city and London on May 20. Services with 90 min timings depart southbound at 09.00 and 17.00 and northbound at 11.00 and 19.00 from Monday to Saturday. The first regular services to use the Halton Curve between Runcorn ...
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NewsČD Cargo equipping locos with ETCS
CZECH REPUBLIC: Following re-tendering, ČD Cargo has awarded AŽD Praha and ČD-Telematik a €29·9m contract to fit two classes of electric locomotives with Alstom and ČMŽO-Elektronika onboard ETCS equipment by late 2020. The project covers 47 Class 363 and 31 Class 163 locomotives, 18 of which are to be modified ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central DMU to be used for dual-fuel trial
UK: An Alstom Class 180 Adelante diesel-hydraulic multiple-unit is to be converted to run on a combination of diesel and liquefied natural gas in a dual-fuel technology demonstration project. One car of the DMU which Arriva-owned open access inter-city operator Grand Central leases from Angel Trains is to be equipped ...
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NewsMultiple failures led to Amtrak derailment
USA: Failure to provide effective mitigation or warning for a hazardous curve and inadequate driver training led to the fatal derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Washington state on December 18 2017, the National Transportation Safety Board announced on May 21. The inaugural run of Amtrak Cascades train 501 ...
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NewsMarmon buys Transco Railway Products
USA: Berkshire Hathaway company Marmon Holdings has acquired Transco Railway Products from Transco Inc for an undisclosed price. Chicago-based Transco Railway Products provides wagon repair, maintenance, certification and cleaning services at seven sites in the Great Lakes region, Iowa and Montana, and also supplies wagon components from a factory in ...
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Rail Business UKBritish Steel Ltd placed in liquidation
UK: The High Court ordered British Steel Ltd into compulsory liquidation on May 22, with the Official Receiver appointed as liquidator. The court has appointed Hunter Kelly, Sam Woodward and Alan Hudson of EY to act as Special Managers to assist the Official Receiver. The company supplies 95% of the ...
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NewsEMUs ordered to increase capacity on the MittelrheinBahn
GERMANY: Siemens Mobility is to supply Transdev subsidiary TransRegio with six Mireo electric multiple-units for use on the Mainz – Bingen southern section of MittelrheinBahn route RB26 which runs along the west bank of the River Rhein between Mainz, Bingen, Koblenz, Bonn and Köln. The operator currently has 17 Siemens ...
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Metro Report InternationalTwo São Paulo suburban lines to be tendered
BRAZIL: Tenders are to be called in September for contracts to operate lines 8 and 9 of São Paulo’s CPTM suburban network under a PPP structure. The two operating contracts are to be awarded by the end of the year, according to state minister for transport Alexandre Baldy. The two ...
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Rail Business UKDepot equipment demonstrations at Railtex
MECHAN: Sheffield-based lifting and handling system manufacturer Mechan offered visitors to its Railtex stand a chance to see some of its products in action. A full size demonstration jack was displayed, along with a working model of a wheel press from Mechan’s French sister company Sogema Engineering. ...
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News‘Intelligent’ bogie manufacturing workshop
CHINA: CRRC Zhuzhou has begun production at what it describes as ‘the world's first intelligent bogie manufacturing workshop’. The manufacturer said this provides ‘30·1% more production efficiency’ with 50% fewer staff and a 35% shorter R&D time compared to traditional manual operation. Automated guided vehicles retrieve and transport materials ...
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NewsRevenue and profits grow at Talgo
TALGO: Spanish rolling stock manufacturer Talgo announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2019 on May 14. Net revenues grew by 2·2% year-on-year, to €87·1m. Adjusted EBITDA was €15·9m and net profit €7·1m, a 70% increase compared with the first quarter of 2018. Lower depreciation and ...
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NewsCity Rail Link cost management consultant appointed
NEW ZEALAND: Turner & Townsend has been appointed to provide cost management advisory services for the NZ$4·4bn City Rail Link project in Auckland. Last month project promoter CRL Ltd named the Link Alliance of Vinci Construction Grands Projets, Downer, Soletanche Bachy International, WSP Opus, AECOM New ...
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NewsVirgin Trains USA awards Phase 2 construction contracts
USA: Virgin Trains USA announced the award of contracts for construction of the 270 km West Palm Beach – Orlando International Airport Phase 2 of its inter-city corridor on May 21, saying they represented a total private investment of $4bn. Passenger services on Virgin Trains USA’s existing Miami – West ...
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NewsSlow growth in private finance of rolling stock
EUROPE: Private sector funding accounted for 42% of all rolling stock orders placed in 2015-17, but only 23% by volume, according to a market study published on May 20. Undertaken for the Rail Working Group by Roland Berger, the study is the third to look at the evolution of the ...