News – Page 394
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Rail Business UKLNER Azuma Class 800 authorised for passenger service
UK: InterCity East Coast operator LNER has finally received approval for its Class 800 ‘Azuma’ trainsets to enter passenger service on the East Coast Main Line, subject to the completion of final testing. In a letter to manufacturer Hitachi Rail Europe, the Office of Road & Rail has authorised the ...
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NewsLviv trolleybus renewals financed
UKRAINE: The city of Lviv is acquire up to 50 new trolleybuses and associated maintenance equipment, upgrade two depots and renew electrification equipment using a €17·5m financing package which is being arranged by the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development. This comprises a 13-year EBRD loan of up to €15m ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
On March 8 FS Group’s freight business Mercitalia Rail took delivery of the first of 40 Class E494 Traxx DC3 electric locomotives which Bombardier Transportation is producing at its Vado Ligure site under a €400m contract awarded in December 2017. The 6·4 MW locos are to be delivered at a ...
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NewsMaintenance vehicles delivered
POLAND: Infrastructure manager PKP PLK has taken delivery of six maintenance vehicles which it purchased last year. A multi-purpose vehicle purchased for 4·5m złoty is equipped with tools including a welder, grinder and drill, as well as a power generator and a crane. The bidirectional 80 km/h vehicle has ...
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NewsRail cranes for Congo
CONGO: CRRC Qiqihar has supplied two railway cranes to Chemin de fer Congo-Océan, which will use them for both lifting heavy freight and accident recovery. The cranes were custom designed for the 1067 mm gauge railway, with a compact design to remain within the loading gauge, The ...
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NewsLucknow Metro corridor completed
INDIA: Completion of the 23 km Phase 1-A of the Lucknow Metro was marked on March 8, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi ceremonially flagged off an inaugural train using remote video-conferencing. Passenger services were scheduled to start the following day. ...
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Rail Business UKNorthern Class 331s to serve Leeds from May
UK: Regional franchisee Northern expects to put its first CAF-built Class 331 EMUs into passenger services between Leeds and Doncaster with the May 19 timetable change, having received regulatory authorisation from the Office of Road & Rail. The approval applies to the 31 three-car sets and the 12 four-car versions. ...
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NewsRegioJet orders Elf.eu multiple-units
CZECH REPUBLIC: RegioJet has awarded Pesa Bydgoszcz a contract to supply seven two-car Elf.eu electric multiple-units for use on subsidised passenger services which it is to operate under contract to the Ústí nad Labem regional authority. The order signed on March 7 is worth more than KC500m, with deliveries scheduled ...
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NewsFlytoget Oaris lands in Oslo
NORWAY: The first of eight Oaris EMUs being built by CAF for Oslo airport express operator Flytoget was officially unveiled on March 5. Ordered in April 2015, the four-car Class 78 units will join Flytoget’s existing fleet of 16 Adtranz-built Class 71 trainsets, providing a 50% increase in capacity to ...
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NewsCBTC and more EMUs in Mumbai suburban expansion
INDIA: A further programme of enhancements to increase capacity on the Mumbai suburban network was formally approved by the national government’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on March 7, and is expected to be completed in five years. Mumbai’s 385 route-km suburban network currently carries around 8 million passengers/day on ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
The first production staff to be recruited for CRRC Sifang America’s Chicago rolling stock factory have gone to China for training. The plant in the Hegewisch district of southeast Chicago is to produce at least 840 Series 7000 metro cars for Chicago Transit Authority, and CRRC has committed to hiring ...
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Rail Business UKGemini confirms Springburn works closure
UK: Gemini Rail has confirmed that it is to close its Springburn rolling stock maintenance works in Glasgow, citing ‘severely adverse market conditions affecting its core business’ and losses of £1m per month throughout 2018. The site has work in place until July, but closure is planned by March 2020 ...
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NewsHübner to open US gangway factory
USA: Having secured a major order to supply the gangways for new New York City Subway trains, Hübner has announced plans to build a elastomer product factory at Dunlap in Tennessee by 2020. This is to produce moulded parts, silicone seals and sensor-equipped rubber profiles for the US rail and ...
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Metro Report InternationalElastomer factory to serve US rail and bus markets
USA: Having secured a major order to supply the gangways for new New York City Subway trains, Hübner has announced plans to build a elastomer product factory at Dunlap in Tennessee by 2020. This is to produce moulded parts, silicone seals and sensor-equipped rubber profiles for the US rail and ...
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NewsBLS Cargo acquires Crossrail to strengthen north–south corridor
EUROPE: An agreement for BLS Cargo to acquire 100% of Belgian freight operator Crossrail from Rhenus for an undisclosed price was signed on March 5. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and would be backdated to January 1. Switzerland-based BLS Cargo said it would gain a stronger position on ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
The Railways (Interoperability) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 were laid before Parliament on February 26, and would come into effect in the event of a no-deal Brexit to maintain the regulatory status quo for obtaining authorisation to put rolling stock and infrastructure into service. DfT is consulting on a new ...
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NewsRENFE seeks ‘pro-active’ international expansion
SPAIN: RENFE will be adopting an ‘unprecedented and pro-active’ approach to international expansion as its domestic market faces more liberalisation under the EU’s Fourth Railway Package, the Spanish incumbent’s President Isaías Táboas Suárez told the Rail Live trade show in Bilbao on March 6. Suárez highlighted RENFE’s participation in ...
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NewsProtectionism dilutes the competitive dynamic
COMMENT: Are incumbent state operators expanding their low-cost high speed offer to try and keep new entrants out of a liberalised inter-city market, and how might this fit with European competition policy, asks Railway Gazette Managing Editor Nick Kingsley.
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NewsIÉ to install hybrid train protection
IRELAND: Following a competitive tendering process, Iarnród Éireann has selected the Turas joint venture of CPC Project Services, Deutsche Bahn and Egis as Delivery Partner to assist with the introduction of a new train protection system across its 1 600 mm gauge network over the next seven years. The new ...
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NewsAgra metro to serve Taj Mahal and fort
INDIA: The cabinet has approved the two-line Agra Metro project, which as well serving one of the largest cities in Uttar Pradesh will serve tourist destinations including the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. Completion is planned in five years at an estimated cost of Rs83·8bn. Line 1 ...