News – Page 397
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NewsRedlands Passenger Rail construction contract awarded
USA: Construction work for the 14·5 km Redlands Passenger Rail Project in southern California is on course to start later this year, following the selection of Flatiron Construction Corp as preferred bidder for the $154m main works contract. The $312m Redlands project is being promoted by San ...
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NewsUN convention to speed up cross-border rail travel
INTERNATIONAL: The text of an international agreement which has been developed to streamline cross-border passenger rail travel was adopted by the Inland Transport Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe at its meeting in Genève on February 22. The Convention on the Facilitation of Border Crossing Procedures for ...
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NewsRail Baltica linked logistics terminals approved
LITHUANIA: The government has designated planned freight terminals in Vilnius and Kaunas as projects of national importance, and appointed national railway LG to implement them. ‘The public logistic centres in Vilnius and Kaunas are projects of strategic importance’, said Minister of Transport & Communications Rokas Masiulis on February 20. ‘We ...
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NewsCER sets out policy priorities for 2019-24
EUROPE: A policy agenda for 2019-24 was unanimously adopted by the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies at its general assembly in Brussels on February 20. This includes five commitments for CER members: continuing the digital transformation of processes and services; stressing customer orientation; offering carbon-free rail operations in ...
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NewsMore trains ordered for Poznań regional network
POLAND: Wielkopolskie voivodship signed a contract with Pesa for the supply of five five-car Elf2 electric multiple-units on February 14. Pesa beat bids from Newag and Stadler, and will work with its subsidiary ZNTK Mińsk Mazowiecki to supply the EMUs between June and December 2020. The EU is providing ...
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NewsClass 2000 enters service on Tokyo’s Marunouchi Line
JAPAN: The first of 53 six-car Class 2000 trainsets entered revenue service on the Marunouchi Line of the Tokyo metro on February 23. Nippon Sharyo is supplying the 600 V DC trainsets from its Toyokawa factory. They are equipped with permanent magnet synchronous motors supplied by Toshiba. Deliveries are ...
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Rail Business UKAlexa skill enables passengers to book travel assistance
UK: Virgin Trains has launched a ‘skill’ for Amazon Alexa virtual assistants which enables passengers with disabilities to book assistance for their journey using simple voice commands. The JourneyCare service usually requires users to fill in an online form or call a helpline after booking, which involves repeating information which ...
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Metro Report InternationalBucurești airport rail link tendering underway
ROMANIA: Infrastructure manager CFR has called tenders for the design and construction of a 2·95 km rail connection to Terminal 1 at Henri Coandă International Airport, which would allow the operation of a direct rail service from the airport to București Nord station. The alignment would include a 1·5 km ...
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NewsWabtec and GE Transportation complete merger
USA: The merger of Wabtec Corp and GE Transportation was completed on February 25, with Wabtec President & CEO Raymond T Betler describing the transaction as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring together nearly four centuries of collective experience to create a technologically advanced leader with a highly ...
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NewsBergamo airport rail link in €14·6bn plan for Lombardia
ITALY: A €14·6bn plan for investment in rail infrastructure in Lombardia during 2019-25 was presented to President of the region Attilio Fontana by FS Group CEO & Managing Director Gianfranco Battisti and RFI Chief Executive Maurizio Gentile on February 20. The cost is to be met by infrastructure manager RFI ...
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NewsSBB joins openETCS Foundation
EUROPE: Swiss Federal Railways has become the 18th member of the openETCS Foundation, which provides a platform to exchange experience and jointly initiate train control and automation projects using open source software and open innovation concepts. Other members include railway operators such as DB, NS and SNCF, plus the UK’s ...
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Metro Report InternationalThird rail route to Tokyo Haneda Airport finalised
JAPAN: East Japan Railway expects to start work in May on its Haneda Airport Access Line, which would provide a third rail link to Tokyo’s largest airport. This is currently served by the Tokyo Monorail from Hamamatsucho and the independent Keikyu Airport Line. Announcing the project on February 15, ...
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Rail Business UKDigital technology aims to improve rail accessibility
ACCESSIBILITY: The TOC Ability consortium has published a report into the use of digital technology to improve the accessibility of the UK rail network by enabling disabled passengers to share their journey requirements with train operators while protecting their privacy. The consortium comprises Atkins, Arriva, Enable iD, Goss Consultancy, Loughborough ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Following testing, on February 20 Hupac Intermodal launched a five times per week service carrying semitrailers from Antwerpen to Barcelona Morrot in partnership with SNCF and RENFE. On February 19 Israel Railways began hauling ammonia by rail between the port of Haifa and the Tzefa freight terminal near Dimona. The ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market - February 2019
Bangladesh: BR signed a contract for Progress Rail to supply 40 diesel locos on January 14. The US$135m order is being financed by an ADB loan, and the 1 676 mm gauge locos are to be supplied from Muncie in the USA within 36 months. Belarus: Stadler ...
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market - February 2019
Argentina: The Ministry of Transport has awarded a consortium of Alstom (58%) and POSE (42%) a €90m contract to modernise signalling on sections of the Roca commuter network in Buenos Aires. Australia: The NSW state government has awarded Lendlease a A$476m contract to build Victoria Cross station as part ...
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NewsThird rail route to Tokyo Haneda Airport finalised
JAPAN: East Japan Railway expects to start work in May on its Haneda Airport Access Line, which would provide a third rail link to Tokyo’s largest airport. This is currently served by the Tokyo Monorail from Hamamatsucho and the independent Keikyu Airport Line. Announcing the project on February 15, ...
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NewsMetra orders rebuilt freight locomotives
USA: A $70·9m contract for Progress Rail to supply 15 rebuilt EMD SD70MAC freight locomotives to haul its commuter trains was approved by the board of Chicago operator Metra on February 20. There are options for up to 27 more if funding is made available. The remanufactured locomotives will be ...
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NewsBangladesh Railway orders metre-gauge locomotives
BANGLADESH: Hyundai Rotem has been awarded a contract to supply a further 20 diesel–electric locomotives to Bangladesh Railway. The US$80m order signed on February 20 is being supported by the Export-Import Bank of Korea. The 100 km/h metre-gauge mixed-traffic locomotives with air-conditioned cabs are to be produced at Changwon in ...
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NewsPACA launches TER tendering process
FRANCE: President of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Renaud Muselier has announced the start of tendering for the operation of local rail services from the end of 2022. Speaking in Marseille on February 19, alongside Vice-President for Transport & Intermobility Philippe Tabarot, Muselier said the quality of service being provided to around 100 ...