News – Page 399
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NewsŠkoda replaces Talgo after Latvian EMU appeal
LATVIA: Škoda Vagonka has replaced Talgo as the preferred bidder for a contract to supply 32 electric multiple-units, Rodžers Jānis Grigulis, CEO of national passenger operator Pasažieru Vilciens, announced on February 15. The procurement process was launched in September 2015, and in 2017 CAF, Škoda Vagonka, Stadler and Talgo were ...
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NewsBusan to gain tram line
SOUTH KOREA: A street-running catenary-free light rail line is to be built in Busan, which the government has selected ahead of four other cities for the demonstration project. The Oryukdo Line would run on a north-south route in the city’s southeastern Yongho-dong district. The first section would cover 1·9 ...
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Rail Business UKCommission adopts 'no-deal' Brexit contingency measures for rail
EUROPE: The European Commission has adopted proposals designed to help avoid major disruption to cross-border rail services between the UK and the European Union in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit. The Commission is working with the European Parliament and Council to ensure the legislative measures can be in ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
TikhvinChemMash is to supply 66 Type 15-6880 methanol tank wagons and 35 Type 15-6926 ammonia wagons to Shchekinoazot by the end of Q1 2019, taking the chemical producer’s fleet of UWC vehicles to 396 wagons. Swiss Post and SBB Cargo have signed a four-year framework agreement for the continued transport ...
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NewsIBASE launches railway computer
COMPUTER: Industrial embedded computer manufacturer IBASE Technology has released the MPT-3000RP fanless embedded PC developed for railway applications. This EN50155-TX-certified and IP67-rated unit offers water and shock resistance for outdoor applications and meets Intelligent Internet of Vehicle requirements. The MPT-3000RP is powered by an Intel Atom E3845 processor with 4GB ...
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NewsFire-resistant ethernet cables launched
CABLES: Nexans has launched its Flamex Ethernet FR range of fire-resistant communication cables, which are designed to maintain their integrity during a fire so that train crew can continue using key communication and control systems. When exposed to fire, the cable insulation, transforms from a flexible plastic covering to a ...
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NewsManila cross-city rail link gets underway
PHILIPPINES: Ceremonies were held in Manila on February 15 to mark the start of work on the first phase of the North South Commuter Railway serving the capital’s northern suburbs. Broadly following the alignment of PNR’s moribund Main Line North, the 37·6 km line will run north from the ...
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NewsRussian Railways awards long-term coach contract
RUSSIA: An agreement for the supply of up to 3 730 coaches worth 237bn roubles by 2025 was signed by Russian Railways’ long-distance subsidiary Federal Passenger Co and Transmashholding on February 14. This includes a firm order for 2 644 coaches, with the rest as options. The order covers ...
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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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NewsDouala tram project poised to launch
CAMEROON: Construction work on a ‘pilot’ 18 km tram route in the rapidly expanding port city of Douala is expected to start during the first half of this year. This follows signature of an agreement announced on January 30 between the government and a consortium led by Iristone Consulting of ...
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NewsIrish implementation plan focuses six-year rail spend
Substantial investment in heavy and light rail is envisaged under the National Transport Authority’s Draft Integrated Implementation Plan for 2019-24. Tony Miles investigates
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NewsModi launches Vande Bharat Express and orders 130 more
INDIA: IR’s prototype Train 18 semi-high speed EMU was formally launched into revenue service by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a ceremony at New Delhi station on February 15. Now branded as Vande Bharat Express, the 16-car EMU was developed by the Integral Coach Factory to operate medium-distance inter-city routes ...
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Rail Business UKThameslink fleet stake to be sold
UK: A consortium of Dalmore Capital and Equitix Investment Management has signed agreements to acquire 3i Infrastructure’s one-third stake in Cross London Trains Holdco 2 Ltd. This was established by 3i, Innisfree and Siemens in 2011 to finance, own and maintain the fleet of 115 Desiro City Class 700 EMUs ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Lenord + Bauer and STMicroelectronics are working to develop a demonstrator neuronal network for assessing bearing vibration data onboard a vehicle, reducing the amount of data which needs to be transmitted to a central monitoring system. Powerlines Group has opened a Belgian business with offices in Oostende, and its ...
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NewsLaview EMUs are ready to roll
JAPAN: The first of seven Laview luxury EMUs which will operate Seibu Railway’s premier Limited Express services between Tokyo’s Ikebukuro station and Seibu-Chichibu from March 16 was formally presented at the operator’s Kotesashi depot on February 14. Intended as the railway’s flagship, the 1 067 mm gauge Series 001 trainsets ...
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NewsSNCF to reshape TER operations
FRANCE: Radical changes to the operations management and customer relations activities for SNCF’s regional passenger services were announced by General Manager, TER, Frank Lacroix on February 14. Providing an update on the CAP TER 2020 transformation strategy launched at the end of 2016, Lacroix said the first two years had ...
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NewsALFA-X nose is 22 m long
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has unveiled the second driving car for its experimental ALFA-X Shinkansen trainset, which features a 22 m long aerodynamic nose designed to mitigate the sonic boom effect of entering and passing through tunnels at very high speed. Built at Hitachi's Kasado plant, Car 10 has a ...
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NewsCAF to replace New South Wales regional train fleet
AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales government signed a contract for 117 multiple-unit cars to replace its entire regional train fleet on February 14. The Momentum Trains consortium of CAF, Pacific Partnership and DIF Infrastructure V has been awarded an availability-based PPP contract to design, build, finance and maintain the ...
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Metro Report InternationalTokyo metro’s Shibuya roof in place
JAPAN: The final section of the overall roof for Tokyo Metro’s new Ginza Line station at Shibuya was winched into place on the night of February 6-7, marking a major milestone in the ¥29bn station reconstruction project to improve interchange with JR East’s Yamanote Loop suburban services. Designed by ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
LGIM Real Assets has provided £200m in long-term debt financing on behalf its clients including Legal & General Retirement Institutional to support Equitix and SMBC in the purchase of 60 Stadler trainsets for use by the Wales & Borders operator on the Valley Lines. Translink has awarded British Steel an ...