News – Page 423
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NewsSolaris delivers trolleybus to Vilnius
LITHUANIA: The first of 41 Trollino trolleybuses that Solaris Bus & Coach is supplying to Vilnius arrived in the city on November 8. Last year Solaris Bus & Coach emerged as sole bidder for the contract to supply the 12 m long low-floor trolleybuses. Deliveries are due to be ...
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Rail Business UKTransPennine Express Nova 3 fleet delayed
UK: TransPennine Express’s fleet of CAF Nova 3 push-pull coaches is now expected to enter service ‘slightly later than planned’ in spring 2019, the operator confirmed on November 12. TPE said CAF had recently made it aware of a ‘technical issue with a key on-board system’ on the Mark 5A ...
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Metro Report InternationalAdditional Azur trains ordered for Montréal
CANADA: Montréal metro operator STM has ordered a further 17 nine-car trainsets from a consortium of Bombardier Transportation and Alstom, the suppliers announced on November 12. Bombardier’s share of the €300m contract is €188m and Alstom’s share is €112m. The order is a follow-on from a contract for 52 ...
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NewsWien – München through service announced
EUROPE: Plans to launch a through Wien – München passenger service in April 2019 have been announced by Austrian open access operator Westbahn, Transdev’s Bayern regional operator Meridian and Bayern railway authority BEG. The exact start date is still to be confirmed, but Westbahn said there would be three through ...
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NewsICF unveils Sri Lanka Railways diesel-electric multiple units
SRI LANKA: The first of six 13-car diesel-electric multiple-units which Indian Railways’ Integral Coach factory is building for Sri Lanka Railways was unveiled at the manufacturer’s plant in Chennai on November 12 . The order was placed with ICF and RITES under an India-Sri Lanka economic co-operation agreement. It covers ...
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NewsSmartRail 4.0 pilot within three years
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways expects to launch trials of a next-generation signalling system within three years. Reporting details of progress with the ‘ambitious’ SmartRail 4.0 programme at the Alpine Rail Optimisation conference in Wien on November 8, SBB’s head of Co-operation & Research for the project Bernhard Rytz said the ...
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Metro Report InternationalEl Paso Streetcar inaugurated
USA: The El Paso Streetcar opened to passengers on November 9 with a weekend of free travel. The 7·7 km route is arranged in a single-track figure of eight serving 27 stops. The Uptown Loop service runs around both loops in one direction, whereas the Downtown Loop service only ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Rail Cargo Group’s network of rail services is now being marketed under the TransNET brand, with individual services being branded TransFER. Freightliner operated its first train into the Cricklewood South Freight siding in north London on November 5. Built by J Murphy, the connection for bulk spoil trains is part ...
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NewsWoodchip traffic switched from road to rail
SWEDEN: Forest owners association Mellanskog has awarded Green Cargo a contract to transport containerised woodchips which previously moved by road. The trains between Forsbacka and Folkesta are formed of 22 wagons each loaded with three containers holding 45 m3 of woodchips and weighing 14·5 tonnes. ‘It is gratifying to ...
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NewsNigeria plans railway northwards to Niger
NIGERIA: Alongside the many projects to develop new 1 435 mm gauge railways to augment and gradually replace Nigeria’s 1 067 mm gauge network, the government has unveiled plans for a line running north into the neighbouring Niger Republic. The 248 km standard gauge route from Kano to Maradi would ...
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NewsHigh capacity fertiliser wagons ordered
RUSSIA: Fertiliser producer MCC EuroChem has awarded United Wagon Co a contract to supply 700 Type 19-9835-01 hopper cars by mid-2019. The wagons have a 25 tonne axleload and a lightweight design to offer a capacity of 101 m3 and 76·7 tonnes, 6 tonnes more than older designs. The body ...
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NewsLondon Underground train contract to be signed shortly
UK: A contract for Siemens to supply a new fleet of trains for London Underground’s Piccadilly Line is expected to be formally signed shortly, Transport for London has confirmed. Metro Report International understands that the formal signing will not be for at least two weeks. Siemens was name preferred bidder ...
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NewsLeo Express to restart Praha – Kraków service
EUROPE: Czech open access passenger operator Leo Express is to restart its Praha – Kraków service on November 30. The service had been launched in July 20 but was suspended and replaced by coach services from October 9 because engineering works on the Polish section of the route were causing ...
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NewsAkiem orders 33 locomotives
EUROPE: Leasing company Akiem has placed two firm orders for Bombardier Transportation to supply a total of 33 Traxx electric locomotives. The orders include more MS2 multi-system and AC3 locomotives, as well as Akiem’s first DC3 locomotives. The orders have been placed within an existing framework contract, and at list ...
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NewsBrescia tram funding proposal presented
ITALY: Transport authority Brescia Mobilità and state railway FS Group submitted a PPP project finance proposal to Brescia municipality for a two-line tram network on October 31. The total cost is estimated to be €400m, most of it from private sources. Brescia Municipality is expected to evaluate the proposal ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
PCM Rail.One has begun construction of a concrete turnout bearer plant on a DB Netz site at Schwandorf in Bayern. Production is scheduled to begin in autumn of 2019, with annual capacity of 180 000 linear metres of end-anchored prestressed concrete bearers. ‘We will deliver concrete sleepers to construction sites ...
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NewsBulgaria referred to court over safety directive compliance
BULGARIA: The European Commission announced on November 8 that it had decided to refer Bulgaria to the Court of Justice of the EU for failure to fully transpose and implement Directive 2004/49/EC on railway safety. The directive requires member states to establish an accident investigation body which is independent in ...
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NewsInvestors back short line company
USA: Sam Zell’s Equity Group Investments has led a group of co-investors including International Rail Partners in a commitment of more than $200m to short line investor RailUSA. Terms have not been disclosed. IRP is led by Gary Marino, who was formerly the founder, President & CEO of short line ...
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Metro Report InternationalManila metro Line 3 upgrade financing agreed
PHILIPPINES: The government signed a loan agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency on November 8 for the metro Line 3 rehabilitation project. The 40-year, ¥38·1bn loan will fund the overhaul of infrastructure and rolling stock on Line 3 with the aim of returning it to its design capacity, as ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
Air Marshal Sir Richard Frank Garwood has been appointed as the first non-executive Chairman of the Tri-Branch Management Board, formed to optimise coordination between the Department for Transport‘s air, marine and rail accident investigation branches. He was Director General of the Military Aviation Authority in 2013-15 and Director General of ...