News – Page 393
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NewsOil traffic to benefit from Kırıkkale electrification
TURKEY: Infrastructure manager TCDD announced on March 12 that it had awarded the contract for electrification of 231 km of single track on the Nenek - Şefaatli route to a consortium of domestic companies Ultra Teknoloji and Emeray Insaat Enerji. The contract is valued at TL69·9m. TCDD received two bids. ...
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NewsAlstom commissions second Egyptian interlocking
EGYPT: Alstom has supplied, tested and commissioned a Smartlock 400 computer-based interlocking at Maghagha. This is the second location on the 240 km route running south up the Nile from Beni Suef to Asyut to have its electro-mechanical interlocking replaced by Smartlock 400 under a contract awarded ...
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NewsItalian line reopens
ITALY: Passenger services on the Ruvo – Corato section of Ferrotramviaria’s 70 km Bari – Barletta line restarted on March 4, having been suspended while the line was upgraded following a head-on collision on July 12 2016 in which 23 people were killed and 54 injured. The work has included ...
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NewsFour tram lines planned for Bologna
ITALY: Bologna Mayor Virginio Merola announced on March 7 that the city plans to build a four-line tram network. A request for central government funding has been made and a response is expected later in the year. The first line, designated as the Red Line, would serve ...
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NewsTalgo predicts growth after lull in the production cycle
TALGO: Spanish rolling stock manufacturer Talgo expects to see ‘significant’ revenue growth in 2019, with a mix of ‘low risk and high quality’ projects. The company said its ‘solid and stable’ order backlog had reached €3·16bn in February after winning a €550m contract to supply Deutsche Bahn with 23 ...
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NewsRail Baltica passenger and freight service plan unveiled
EUROPE: Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail has unveiled details of the proposed operational plan for the future 1 435 mm gauge line running 870 km from the Polish border to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The operational plan for 2026–56 has been developed by ETC Gauff Mobility, COWI and Institut ...
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NewsBuses to replace long-distance Amtrak trains under Trump budget proposal
USA: The initial budget proposal for the 2020 financial year issued by President Donald Trump on March 11 would see federal funding for Amtrak long-distance trains eliminated. While the full details of the budget are due to be released on March 18, the initial synopsis from the White House argues ...
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NewsDurmazlar unveils its first tram for Istanbul
TURKEY: Durmazlar unveiled the first tram that it is supplying for the future route T5 in Istanbul on March 11. According to the manufacturer, the styling is intended to evoke waves. The Bursa-based manufacturer signed a contract in January 2018 for the supply of 30 trams. These would run ...
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NewsMarmaray suburban rail corridor across Istanbul opened
TURKEY: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan officially opened the 77 km Marmaray suburban rail corridor across Istanbul on March 12, 15 years after construction began. The President rode an inaugural train from the opening ceremony at Kartal on the Asian side of the route east as far ...
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NewsVR selects Stadler to supply diesel locomotives
FINLAND: Stadler has been selected for a contract to supply 60 diesel shunting locomotives, national railway VR Group announced on March 11. The contract, which is expected to be finalised during April, would be worth approximately €200m, with deliveries scheduled for 2022-25. There would be an option for a further ...
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NewsNature influences Nantes tram concept
FRANCE: Consultancy RCP Design Global has unveiled its proposed design for the next generation of trams to be deployed in Nantes, where a fleet renewal programme is envisaged. Nantes has a three-route tram network covering 44 km which opened in 1985; its current fleet comprises 46 TFS1 vehicles dating from ...
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NewsSiemens unveils Dual-Mode Vectron
GERMANY: The first of two prototype Vectron Dual-Mode locomotives was formally unveiled at the Siemens Mobility plant in München-Allach on March 11. Announced at InnoTrans 2018 last September, the 160 km/h Bo-Bo electro-diesel locomotive is intended to fill a gap in the Vectron range, and is intended primarily for freight ...
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NewsColombo light rail loan agreement signed
SRI LANKA: The government signed a loan agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency on March 11 for a planned light rail project in Colombo. The 40-year ¥30·04bn loan has a 12-year grace period, and specifies the use of Japanese technology, including rolling stock and electromechanical equipment. The 15·7 ...
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NewsEKE buys predictive maintenance software company Humaware
EUROPE: Finnish train automation and onboard data system supplier EKE-Electronics has bought Humaware, a UK firm specialising in predictive condition monitoring analytics. Humaware’s software was originally developed for use with helicopters, and is now used by rail customers including Network Rail and London Underground. EKE-Electronics plans to combine Humaware’s ...
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NewsRevenue up but one-time events hit VTG earnings
VTG: Wagon leasing and rail and tank-container logistics company VTG has announced unaudited group revenue of €1·07bn for 2018, with the 5·7% year-on-year growth attributed to increased demand which saw capacity utilisation reaching 93·5% at the end of the year, the highest for 10 years. The acquisition of Nacco also ...
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Rail Business UKRail Alliance and BCRRE join forces to foster innovation
UK: Trade association Rail Alliance and Birmingham Centre for Railway Research & Education announced the formal integration of the two organisations on March 11. The merger is intended to foster a closer partnership between the supply industry and academia to support a more focused approach to railway ...
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NewsEtihad Rail awards Stage Two construction contract
UAE: National railway project promoter Etihad Rail announced on March 11 that it had awarded the first construction contract for Stage Two of the network to a joint venture of China State Construction Engineering Corp and South Korea’s SK Engineering & Construction. The 1·5bn dirham Package A includes design and ...
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NewsFirst metro line in Nagpur inaugurated
INDIA: Nagpur celebrated the opening of its first metro line with two days of free travel following the inauguration of the first phase of the north-south route on March 8. The 11·8 km route runs between Sitabuldi in the north and Khapri in the south via the ...
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NewsStrasbourg becomes launch customer for Aptis
FRANCE: Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeois has become the launch customer for Alstom’s Aptis electric bus, the manufacturer announced on March 8. The 12 buses that CTS has ordered will be the first battery electric buses in the operator’s fleet. They will be 12 m long, 2 550 mm wide ...
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NewsRail-specific insurance to mitigate cybersecurity risk
GERMANY: A novel insurance policy intended to mitigate the cybersecurity risks facing railway operators has been launched in Germany. Deutsche Verkehrs Assekuranz Vermittlungs is a bespoke insurance broker owned by national railway Deutsche Bahn (65%) and insurers DEVK and Marsh. Through DVA, policyholders will be eligible for discounts from specialist ...