News – Page 426
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NewsContract to modernise Turkey – Bulgaria main line awarded
TURKEY: Working with the Directorate-General for Foreign Relations & European Union Affairs, the transport ministry has awarded a contract to modernise a 200 km section of the main line which links Istanbul with the Bulgarian border to a consortium of domestic construction and contracting groups Gulermak Agir Sanayii ve Taah ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
The Rail Delivery Group has announced that the 26-30 Railcard will be available to all 26 to 30 year olds by end of the year. It will be sold for £30 through a smartphone app, and will offer one-third off fares, subject to time restrictions and minimum fares. Network Rail ...
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Rail Business UKRegulator approves £35bn Network Rail spending plan
UK: On October 31 the Office of Rail & Road published its final determination approving infrastructure manager Network Rail’s £34·7bn spending plan for the next five-year funding cycle. This is a key part of the Periodic Review 2018 process, through which ORR sets out what Network Rail is ...
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Metro Report InternationalExpanded PATH station opens at Harrison
USA: An expanded metro station opened at Harrison, New Jersey, on October 30, serving the Newark branch of the PATH metro network which links Lower Manhattan with destinations across the Hudson River. Harrison station serves a growing development zone just across the Passaic River from Newark city centre; this includes ...
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NewsSutton Link tram or bus rapid transit consultation opens
UK: Transport for London has began public consultation on the Sutton Link proposal for a tram or ‘zero emission’ bus rapid transport route linking the borough of Merton with Sutton town centre in south London. This is intended to make journeys by public transport quicker and more attractive, reduce the ...
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NewsNurminen Logistics sells Russian wagon fleet
RUSSIA: Finnish freight company Nurminen Logistics plc announced on October 30 that it had sold its Russian wagon fleet of around 350 vehicles to TransLes. Part of the Rustranscom Group of freight companies, TransLes is one of the largest wagon operators in Russian forestry sector with a fleet of ...
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NewsMatterhorn Gotthard Bahn locos to be modernised
SWITZERLAND: Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn has awarded Swiss Federal Railways a SFr35·4m contract to modernise nine HGe4/4-II electric locomotives and three BDt driving trailers. The work is to be undertaken at SBB’s Bellinzona works by the end of 2022. The 1·9 MW metre gauge Bo-Bo locomotives equipped for rack operation were ...
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NewsRegioPanter EMUs for Plzeň on test
CZECH REPUBLIC: The first of nine two-car Class 650 RegioPanter electric multiple-units which national operator ČD has ordered from Škoda Transportation for use on the Pňovany – Plzeň – Horažďovice line is undergoing trials at the Velim test circuit, ahead of entry into service with the December timetable change. The ...
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NewsKiwiRail electric haulage reprieved
NEW ZEALAND: The government has agreed to fund the refurbishment of 15 locomotives to enable electric haulage of freight trains on the North Island Main Trunk line to continue. The Brush Class EF electric locomotives dating from 1986-88 have become increasingly unreliable, and in December 2016 KiwiRail announced its intention ...
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Rail Business UKRail in the October 2018 UK budget
UK: Northern Powerhouse Rail, East West Rail and the Docklands Light Railway are among the beneficiaries of funding allocations in the budget presented to parliament by Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond on October 29. The budget allocates a further £37m for development of the Northern Powerhouse Rail concept for ...
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NewsLevel crossing upgrading contract awarded
SWEDEN: Trafikverket has selected Portuguese company Efacec and its local partner IndustriSpar to develop, gain approval for and then supply a new generation of automatic level crossing protection systems, including control equipment, interfaces, barriers and road signs. The contract is worth €5m/year for an initial five years, and is renewable ...
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Rail Business UKVivarail Class 230 DMU entry into service delayed
UK: The three two-car D-Train diesel multiple-units which Vivarail is producing for London Northwestern Railway will not enter service in December as had been planned, the supplier announced on October 30. The Class 230 DMUs are being produced using the bodyshells and bogies from former London Underground D78 metro trains. ...
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NewsGoldschmidt Thermit Group acquires inspection technology specialist PLR
GERMANY: Welding and maintenance specialist Goldschmidt Thermit Group has acquired Prüftechnik Linke & Rühe, a Magdeburg-based company which provides eddy current and ultrasonic inspection technology for the rail, automotive and aerospace markets. ‘PLR brings extensive know-how in the field of non-destructive testing of rail infrastructure to the Goldschmidt Thermit Group’, ...
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Rail Business UK
Signalling changes reduce delays where road traffic uses rail alignment
UK: Network Rail has made 'innovative' changes to the signalling system to reduce delays to road traffic at Stromeferry, where a section of the Inverness – Kyle of Lochalsh line has been paved to enable it to be used by road traffic while Highland Council carries out works on a ...
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NewsPKP Cargo purchases Dragon 2 locomotives
POLAND: PKP Cargo signed a 45·3m złoty contract for the purchase of three Dragon 2 E6ACTa six-axle electric locomotives from manufacturer Newag on October 25. The locomotives have already been produced and are awaiting regulatory approval for entry into service, which is expected by the end of this year. ...
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Metro Report InternationalGovernment confirms £350m loan for Crossrail
UK: The Department for Transport is to provide £350m of short-term repayable financing to the Mayor of London for the year 2018/19 to cover additional work required for the Crossrail project, Rail Minister Jo Johnson announced on October 26. The funding is intended as an interim measure as discussions ...
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NewsHitachi to buy Elliott stake in Ansaldo STS
ANSALDO STS: Hitachi announced on October 29 that it had reached an agreement to acquire the 32% stake in Ansaldo STS held by investment group Elliott. Hitachi is to pay €12·70 per share, giving the deal a value of €807·6m. The transaction is not subject to conditions, and is expected ...
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NewsKomsomolsk-na-Amure tram network formally closed
RUSSIA: Komsomolsk-na-Amure Mayor Andrei Klimov issued an order on October 26 to close the municipal tram operator. Services on the 11 km three-route network had been suspended since September 30, officially because of the poor condition of the branch serving the depot. This followed the closure in May 2018 ...
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NewsSaudi Railway Co and Greenbrier announce joint venture
SAUDI ARABIA: The Greenbrier Companies and Saudi Railway Co have signed an agreement to establish a joint venture to invest in the Saudi rail freight market and potentially the wider Gulf Co-operation Council region. The agreement is subject to the completion of final due diligence by the parties and ...
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NewsSt Petersburg to receive Volgabus electric buses
RUSSIA: Bakulin Motors Group subsidiary Volgabus is to supply 10 electric buses to St Petersburg operator Passazhiravtotrans for use on Route 128. The fully low-floor 12 m long Cityrhytm 12ELF buses are due to arrive by the end of the year. They will have capacity for 90 passengers, including ...