News – Page 429
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NewsElectric buses to replace diesel in Sofia
BULGARIA: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development and Taiwan International Co-operation and Development Fund’s Green Energy Special Fund are to jointly provide tram and trolleybus operator Sofia Elektrotransport with a €7·35m loan to support the acquisition of electric buses under the first phase of a programme to modernise the ...
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NewsBonomi launches updated Omnia cantilever design
ITALY: Electrification specialist Gruppo Bonomi has updated its Omnia cantilever design with what it terms a ‘self-supporting’ variant suited to use in tunnels and other restricted access sites. The Omnia range of overhead line structures has been offered by the Italian supplier since 2008 and has been approved for use ...
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NewsElectro-diesel Vectron takes shape
GERMANY: Siemens Mobility has started the construction of two prototype Vectron Dual Mode electro-diesel locomotives, filling a gap in its current product range. The first is expected to be ready for display at the Transport Logistic fair in München next June. With authorisation for operation in Germany expected by the ...
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NewsLongest train heralds manganese export drive
SOUTH AFRICA: Rising demand for manganese from steel mills has prompted Transnet Freight Rail to launch a programme to drive up capacity for handling manganese ore on its 1 067 mm gauge network. Manganese traffic has grown from around 5 million tonnes a year in 2012 to 12·8 million ...
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NewsŞanlıurfa trolleybus route inaugurated
TURKEY: The first trolleybus route in Şanlıurfa was ceremonially inaugurated by Mayor Nihat Çiftçi on October 16, with regular passenger services planned for next month. This is the first phase of a planned four-route network totalling 78 km which is being developed under the Trambüs brand. The second stage is ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
The Vidi online travel platform now sells tickets for Kuala Lumpur’s Express Rail Link airport service. ERL CEO Noormah Mohd Noor said Vidi enables travellers to plan and choose activities on a single platform, and would ‘certainly broaden our sales distribution’. RATP Group has opened an office in Singapore that ...
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NewsTEX Rail trains tested for radar effects
USA: The first of the Flirt trainsets which Stadler is supplying for the 43 km TEX Rail commuter route linking central Fort Worth with Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has undergone dynamic testing at the airport. Testing between Dallas Fort Worth Junction and DFW Airport Terminal B station was undertaken with ...
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NewsTEX Rail train on test at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
USA: The first of the Flirt trainsets which Stadler is supplying for the 43 km TEX Rail commuter route linking central Fort Worth with Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has undergone dynamic testing at the airport. Testing between Dallas Fort Worth Junction and DFW Airport Terminal B station was undertaken with ...
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Metro Report InternationalRiyadh Metro airport extension contract awarded
SAUDI ARABIA: The FAST Consortium which is building Riyadh Metro Line 4 has been awarded a contract to build a two-station extension to serve King Khalid International Airport. This will include a 1·5 km viaduct and two elevated stations with direct access to airport terminals 1/2 and ...
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NewsIronhorse Resources acquires Arizona short line
USA: Ironhorse Resources has acquired the San Pedro & Southwestern Railroad from ARG Transportation Services, and renamed it as the San Pedro Valley Railroad. The transaction announced on October 17 was handled by specialist company RR Mergers & Acquisitions. The Class III short line serves regional businesses in Cochise County, ...
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Metro Report InternationalConstruction of Taoyuan’s Green Line officially begins
TAIWAN: Construction of Taoyuan Metro’s Green Line was officially launched with a groundbreaking ceremony for a 9·8 km elevated section of the route in the Bade district on October 15. Mayor Cheng Wen-Tsan said the line would be the first route to be developed by the city’s municipal government, after ...
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NewsBluetooth beacon competition to enhance stations
FRANCE: SNCF’s stations business Gares & Connexions has launched an innovation competition branded Open Beacon aimed at enhancing the accessibility of and service offering at major stations. The term ‘open beacon’ refers to Gares & Connexions’ plan to install Bluetooth geolocation tags in more than 300 stations across the country. ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
An 18-month £140m modernisation of Liverpool Lime Street station has been completed. Platforms across the station have been completely remodelled, two new platforms have been built, and extensive signalling enhancements completed. On October 12 the Department for Transport published guidance on rail safety rules, technical standards, authorisations, certificates and train ...
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Metro Report InternationalAutonomous electric shuttle takes to the road
CANADA: This month Keolis and the City of Candiac launched what they say is the first long-term demonstration of an autonomous electric shuttle on public roads in Canada. ‘We invite all public transit users and anyone who is curious or interested to come and try it now’, said Mayor ...
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NewsRack trains ordered for Tatra Electric Railway
SLOVAKIA: National operator ZSSK has awarded Stadler a contract to supply five 1·5 kV DC electric multiple-units and an electro-diesel locomotive for the 35 km metre-gauge Tatra Electric Railway network, which has a section of rack operation. Delivery is scheduled for 2022. Announcing the order on October 17, Stadler ...
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NewsShift2Rail announces 2018 grants
EUROPE: Shift2Rail is to provide up to €77·3m of co-funding for 19 research and innovation projects with a total value of €152·6m, the joint undertaking announced on October 17. The funding to be awarded under the 2018 Call for Proposals brings the cumulative spending on railway research to €490m, which ...
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NewsGo-Ahead wins Norway’s first rail tender
NORWAY: Go-Ahead Norge has been selected as the winner of the Lot 1 Sør passenger train operating contract, the first to be tendered by national railway authority Jernbanedirektoratet. The contract announced on October 17 will run for eight years from December 15 2019, with an optional two-year extension. It covers ...
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NewsAerospace innovation for rolling stock electrical systems
FRANCE: Alstom, IGE+XAO and Safran have agreed to establish a centre of excellence for onboard electrical systems in Toulouse. Located at aerospace equipment manufacturer Safran Electrical & Power’s site, the facility will be able to accommodate up to 100 engineers. IGE+XAO is providing design, simulation and manufacturing software under a ...
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NewsTranstech renamed Škoda Transtech
FINLAND: Škoda Transportation Group's Finnish rolling stock manufacturing business Transtech has been renamed Škoda Transtech. Established in 1985 as a subsidiary of the Rautaruukki steel group and latesr acquiring the Valmet plant in Tampere, Transtech was owned by Patentes Talgo from June 1999 until March 2007 when it was sold ...
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Metro Report InternationalMobile phone app to be used for passenger study
USA: A mobile phone app is to be used to provide data for a survey of transport usage in the Minneapolis–St Paul Twin Cities region which being undertaken by the Metropolitan Council in partnership with the Minnesota and Wisconsin departments of transportation Between October 2018 and October 2019, a total ...