News – Page 385
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NewsDB Regio awarded Elektronetz Ost contract
GERMANY: The Land of Schleswig-Holstein has awarded sole bidder DB Regio the Elektronetz Ost passenger operating contract. Running from December 2022 to December 2035, the contract covers services RB86 Lübeck – Travemünde, RE8/80 Lübeck Hbf – Hamburg Hbf and RB85 Lübeck Hbf – Puttgarden, a total of 175 route-km. There ...
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NewsNordWestBahn retains Niedersachsen contract
GERMANY: Transdev-owned incumbent NordWestBahn has been confirmed as the winner of the next contract to operate Regio-S-Bahn Bremen/Niedersachsen passenger services, following an international tender called by the two Länder. The contract runs from December 2021 until December 2036. It covers routes: RS1: Bremen-Farge – Bremen Hbf – Verden/Aller; RS2: ...
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NewsEast Coast Rail Link back on
MALAYSIA: Construction of the East Coast Rail Link to open up the country’s eastern seaboard is set to resume next month, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad announced on April 15. Contracts had been awarded in 2017 for China Communications Construction Corp to develop the 530 km ECRL linking Port Klang on ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
This month Porsche is to begin using rail to transport sports cars by rail from Germany to Chongqing in China. The company said around 80 000 cars/year are currently shipped to Guangzhou, Shanghai or Tianjin by sea, which takes 50 days; it expects to send 11% by rail with a ...
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NewsLorry load limit to boost rail freight
AFRICA: Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority and Zambia Railways Ltd expect to haul 30 000 tonnes/month of fuel from Dar es Salaam to Lusaka as a result of Tanzania’s implementation on March 1 of the East African Community Vehicle Load Control Act, which reduces the maximum weight which can be transported by ...
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NewsHupac looks to automate route planning
SWITZERLAND: Intermodal freight operator Hupac is to automate its route planning and traffic management processes using sensor data and analytics provided by ETH Zürich spin-off company Nexiot. Hupac has previously equipped wagons with Nexiot sensors which provide information on their location, impact events, border crossings and mileage every 5 min. ...
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NewsStadler Rail lists on SIX Swiss Exchange
SWITZERLAND: Trading of Stadler Rail shares on the SIX Swiss Exchange began on April 12. The offer price for the initial public offering was set at SFr38 per share, in the upper half of the announced price range of SFr33 to SFr41. This values the base offer at SFr1·33bn and ...
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NewsBrisbane Cross River contractors selected
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland government’s Cross River Rail Delivery Authority has selected preferred bidders for the three main works packages to build and equip Brisbane’s A$5·4bn cross-city rail link. Enabling works are already underway for the 10·2 km line linking Bowen Hills with Dutton Park, and major construction ...
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NewsUN committee backs Luxembourg Protocol
AFRICA: A committee of experts from African finance, planning and economic development ministries has endorsed the adoption of the Luxembourg Rail Protocol to encourage private investment in railway assets across the continent. Meeting in Marrakech, under the auspices of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the committee ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Salcef Group’s concrete sleeper business Vianini Industria has been renamed Overail, and production facilities in Italy are being expanded to enable it to manufacture turnout bearers and tunnel segments. Eran Gartner has been appointed to the newly-created position of CEO of Pandrol and joined the executive committee of its parent ...
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NewsLinköping high speed line planning contract awarded
SWEDEN: National transport agency Trafikverket has awarded Atkins and Ramboll a five-year contract to plan the Linköping city section of the proposed Ostlänken high speed line between Stockholm and the city. This is the first of three proposed high speed routes, which would form a 440 km Y-shaped network linking ...
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Metro Report InternationalNew metro line and airport light rail included in Toronto expansion plan
CANADA: Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced provincial funding for four transport projects in Toronto on April 10. The province is to provide C$11·2bn of the total cost of C$28·5bn. The city’s fourth heavy metro line, the Ontario Line, would connect Exhibition GO Transit station with Ontario Science Centre on ...
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NewsLéman Express cross-border EMU unveiled
EUROPE: The first completed Alstom electric multiple-unit for the Léman Express cross-border regional passenger service between Genève in Switzerland and destinations in France was unveiled at the manufacturer's Reichshoffen factory on April 10. SNCF has ordered 17 EMUs from Alstom’s Coradia Polyvalent family, known as Régiolis by the operator. The ...
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NewsDual-fuel locomotive on test
LATVIA: The prototype conversion of a ČME3 diesel shunting locomotive to dual-fuel gas operation has attracted international interest, with representatives of French gas supplier GRDF and the city of Lille recently visiting Riga to see the loco in action. National railway LDz and Riga-based DiGAS launched the pilot project two ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
c2c has begun introducing the PICO4UK ticket issuing system, which by the end of the year will replace seven separate legacy retailing systems to integrate its ticket machines, ticket offices, website and app. PICO4UK has been developed for the UK market to replicate a system which parent company Trenitalia has ...
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NewsMetrans orders Vectron locomotives
EUROPE: Hamburger Hafen & Logistik subsidiary Metrans has awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to supply 10 Vectron MS locomotives for use on cross-border freight service in central and eastern Europe. The order announced on April 10 includes the 900th Vectron to be sold. Deliveries from Siemens Mobility’s ...
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Rail Business UKSouth Eastern franchise award delayed
UK: The start of the next South Eastern passenger franchise has been delayed ‘while we make a decision on the competition’, Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling confirmed to parliament on April 9. The Department for Transport is negotiating a short-term extension to its current agreement with Govia. This ...
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Rail Business UKStagecoach disqualified from three franchises in pension dispute
UK: Stagecoach Group has been disqualified from the Department for Transport’s three current passenger franchise competitions, the company announced on April 10. Incumbent Stagecoach had been shortlisted for the East Midlands franchise, which the DfT announced on April 10 had been won by Abellio, and for the West Coast Partnership ...
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Rail Business UKBimode and hydrogen trains as Abellio wins next East Midlands franchise
UK: The Department for Transport named Abellio as the winner of the next East Midlands passenger franchise on April 10. Formal award is subject to a regulatory standstill period. The contract is due to begin on August 18 2019 and run until at least August 21 2027, with DfT having ...
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NewsReal-time insight into port’s rail traffic
NETHERLANDS: Port of Rotterdam Authority has launched the OnTrack application, which provides real-time insight into rail flows within the port and its terminals. The aim is to inform operators’ planning processes and help shippers anticipate any deviations from the schedules. At present, most terminals use their own planning system ...