News – Page 383
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NewsVR orders double-deck dining cars
FINLAND: National railway VR Group has awarded Škoda Transtech a €24m contract to supply a further seven double-deck dining cars. They are to be to be produced at the Škoda Transportation subsidiary’s Kajaani factory for entry into service on the Helsinki – Turku and Helsinki – Tampere routes in 2021-22. ...
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NewsNSB Group rebrands as Vy
NORWAY: State-owned train operator NSB Group relaunched as Vy on April 24, bringing its rail, bus and electric car-sharing activities together under a single brand. ‘The name Norwegian State Railways no longer adequately expresses what we do’, explained Chairman Dag Mejdell. ‘The NSB Group operates rail and bus services ...
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NewsHigh-capacity container wagons ordered
RUSSIA: Eurosib SPb - Transport Systems has awarded United Wagon Co’s Tikhvin plant a contract to supply 400 Type 13-6903 container wagons by February 2020. They will have 25 tonne axleload bogies, capacity of 74·5 tonnes and a loading length of 80 ft, enabling them to carry high-capacity containers including ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
The House of Commons Transport Select Committee has launched the 'Trains fit for the future?' inquiry into the development of trains using alternative fuels such as hydrogen or batteries, and how vehicle design can be ‘future proofed’ to meet changing passenger needs. The deadline for written submissions is May 23. ...
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NewsLänderbahn confirmed as Ostsachsen II operator for 12 more years
GERMANY: Netinera subsidiary Länderbahn announced on April 1 that it will continue to run Ostsachsennetz II services under its Trilex brand for a further 12 years from December 14 2019. In April 2018 DB Regio subsidiary Start Ostsachsen was selected for the concession by a group of four transport ...
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NewsHauts-de-France starts regional tendering
FRANCE: Proposals to tender the operation of regional passenger services in Hauts-de-France from the end of 2022 were unveiled by the regional council on April 23. Following the lead set by Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur last month, the region is planning to open up local rail services to competition in line with ...
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Rail Business UKVirgin Trains proposes airline model for long-distance rail travel
UK: A complete rethink of the way long-distance rail services in Great Britain are operated forms a key part of Virgin Trains’ submission to the government’s Williams Rail Review of the rail industry. Despite the possibility that Virgin Trains will cease operating rail services in the UK within the next ...
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NewsRailComm wins Savannah yard automation contract
USA: The Georgia Ports Authority has selected RailComm to provide a yard management system to support the expansion of rail facilities at the Port of Savannah. This forms part of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project to equip the port to handle the larger container ships which have been able to ...
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Rail Business UKCo-operative proposes Wessex open access train service
UK: Ambitious plans to launch a network of open access regional passenger services in western England are being developed by independent not-for-profit co-operative society GO-OP Co-operative Ltd, which hopes to start operations in summer 2020. GO-OP is proposing to offer at least three direct trains each way per day between ...
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Rail Business UKYRP celebrates 10 years of success
Professional networking and educational group Young Rail Professionals has developed an important role in a fragmented UK rail sector. Nick Kingsley asks co-founder Paul Cooper and former Chair Sabrina Ihaddaden to reflect on the organisation’s achievements in its first decade.
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Rail Business UKSiemens Mobility submits plans for Goole rolling stock plant
UK: Siemens Mobility has submitted an outline planning application for a £200m rolling stock plant at Goole in East Yorkshire which would manufacture and commission vehicles for the UK market. This follows the signing last of November of a £1·5bn contract to supply 94 Inspiro London trainsets for London Underground’s ...
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Metro Report InternationalCrossrail Ltd culture criticised in London Assembly report
UK: Factors which contributed to the delay to the opening of the Crossrail line through London are set out in a report released by the London Assembly Transport Committee on April 23, along with recommendations intended to ensure that other large infrastructure schemes can be completed successfully. The project to ...
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NewsCambodia – Thailand rail link inaugurated by prime ministers
ASIA: The 1·3 km cross-border rail link connecting Poipot with Arayaprathet was officially inaugurated by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-o-Cha with a ceremony on April 22. Public services are expected to start soon. An agreement regulating the operation of international rail services was ...
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Rail Business UKVivarail D-Train enters passenger service
UK: West Midlands Trains put its first Class 230 ‘D-Train’ DMU into passenger service on April 23, working the Marston Vale route between Bletchley and Bedford, which forms part of its London Northwestern Railway business unit. The Abellio-led franchise operator ordered the three two-car units from Vivarail to provide extra ...
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NewsStadler awarded Ottawa DMU contract
CANADA: The City of Ottawa and TransitNEXT consortium leader SNC Lavalin have formally declared Stadler the winner of a contract to supply seven four-car Flirt diesel-electric multiple-units. The C$106m order confirmed on April 23 has been placed as part of the Trillium Line extension project. Forming part of the city’s ...
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NewsIronhorse buys Tennessee railways
USA: Short line group Ironhorse Resources has acquired the Sequatchie Valley Railroad and the Walking Horse & Eastern Railroad in Tennessee, which are to be renamed as the Sequatchie Valley Switching Co and the Walking Horse Railroad. The 18 km Sequatchie Valley Switching Co serves south central Tennessee from a ...
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NewsTipping wagons expand UWC range
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co is expanding its range with the development of two side tipping wagons for the transport and automated discharge of aggregates and ore. The wagons were designed by UWC’s All-Union Research & Development Centre for Transportation Technology and are currently undergoing certification, ahead of the planned start ...
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NewsYapı Merkezı enters signalling market
TURKEY: Infrastructure manager TCDD has begun testing signalling equipment developed by Yapı Merkezı Idis, the industrial controls and communications subsidiary of construction group Yapı Merkezı. The company has installed an interlocking, fixed block signals and level crossing control units compatible with future deployment of ERTMS. The equipment was commissioned on ...
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Metro Report InternationalCosts rise as Auckland City Rail Link contract awarded
NEW ZEALAND: Project promoter CRL Ltd has selected the Link Alliance as preferred bidder for the main works package to construct the City Rail Link loop line under central Auckland. Awarded both the C3 contract to build the twin-bore tunnels and three stations and a separate NZ$75m early works contract, ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
RheinCargo has ordered two new Vossloh DE18 diesel locomotives for delivery in October, joining its current fleet of six. It has also acquired three ex-DB Bombardier Traxx locomotives, which will be used from May on Köln – Hamburg intermodal services. RheinCargo now has 30 Traxx locos. BYD is to launch ...