News – Page 430
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Metro Report InternationalContactless payment guidance published
USA: Cross-industry body the US Payments Forum has published guidance developed by its Transit Contactless Open Payments Working Committee which is designed to assist transport agencies with the implementation of EMV contactless open payments. Transit Contactless Open Payments: Technical Solution for Pay As You Go is the second use case ...
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NewsVirtual view of Birmingham tram extension
UK: Transport for West Midlands has published two computer-generated fly-through videos showing the West Midlands Metro tramway extension to Centenary Square in central Birmingham. The 840 m extension is currently under construction for opening towards the end of 2019. The video clips are taken from a computer simulation used ...
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NewsVIA Rail dining cars to be refurbished
CANADA: National passenger operator VIA Rail has awarded Rail GD a C$16·4m contract to refurbish four dining cars for use on the trans-continental The Canadian service. The stainless steel vehicles were originally built in the 1950s, and VIA Rail said the refurbishment would extend their useful life ‘by a few ...
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Rail Business UKCross Country direct award option left open
UK: The Department for Transport has published a prior information notice which would enable it to directly award a contract for the operation of Cross Country services for a maximum of 60 months from the end of Arriva’s current contract in October 2019. Arriva originally won the Cross Country franchise ...
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Metro Report InternationalBoston metro signalling contract awarded
USA: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has awarded Barletta Heavy Division a $217·7m design-build contract to modernise signalling systems to improve reliability and reduce headways on the Red and Orange metro lines in Boston. Completion is planned for mid-2022, as part of MBTA’s $2bn Red Line/Orange Line infrastructure improvement programme. Digital ...
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NewsThree strategic decisions at OTIF General Assembly
INTERNATIONAL: Three strategic decisions were taken at the 13th General Assembly of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail which was held at the end of September. These covered: the creation of a new appendix on the safe operation of trains, intended to open the way to the ...
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Rail Business UKStudy to look at adapting Bordeaux station to handle London trains
EUROPE: The four infrastructure managers responsible for the high speed lines between London and Bordeaux have agreed to study the feasibility of adapting Bordeaux Saint-Jean station to handle international passengers traveling to and from the UK. SNCF Réseau, Eurotunnel, Lisea and HS1 said the October 10 agreement was a key ...
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Rail Business UKWales & Borders to offer the ‘best passenger rail service in the UK’
UK: The KeolisAmey joint venture took over from Arriva Trains Wales as the operator of Wales & Borders services with the start of the new franchise on October 14. The 15-year Operations & Development Partner contract was awarded by the devolved Welsh Government’s Transport for Wales agency, and is ...
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NewsCourt instructs PRASA to apply safety rules
SOUTH AFRICA: Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa must comply with the safety requirements set by the Railway Safety Regulator under a ruling made by the North Gauteng High Court on October 11. An initial court ruling on October 5 had lifted the suspension of PRASA’s operating licence imposed on ...
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Rail Business UKBatteryFLEX Desiro EMU conversion proposed
UK: An engineering assessment has found that there is a ‘positive case’ for fitting Siemens Desiro Class 350/2 electric multiple-units with batteries to enable off-wire operation, Porterbrook Leasing said on October 15. The company is holding discussions with battery chemistry specialists with a view to producing a demonstrator unit. The ...
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NewsTokyo Metro Class 2000 unveiled
JAPAN: Tokyo Metro has unveiled the first of 53 six-car Class 2000 trainsets ordered from Nippon Sharyo for use on the Marunouchi Line. Deliveries from the manufacturer’s Toyokawa plant are scheduled for 2019-22 with entry into revenue service planned for February 2019. The new fleet will replace the Class 02 ...
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News‘Unpretentious, authentic and pragmatic’ Tampere tram styling revealed
FINLAND: The appearance of the trams which Škoda Transportation is to supply for the future Tampere tramway has been finalised. In 2017 the city council announced a €104m firm order for Škoda Transportation subsidiary Transtech to supply 19 ForCity Smart Artic trams, with options for up to ...
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail agrees Sussex traffic management strategy
UK: Network Rail has confirmed its intention to directly award Hitachi Rail Europe a £30m contract to supply a traffic management system for the Sussex area of its South East Route and the East London Line. NR has identified traffic management as a priority for investment under its Digital Railway ...
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Rail Business UKWorld rail freight news round-up
Marking 10 years of direct intermodal trains between China and Germany, Deutsche Bahn has established DB Cargo Eurasia as a dedicated business unit to develop Eurasian transit freight. DB and partners including Russian Railways launched a single train between Xiangtang and Hamburg in 2008; it now runs 3 600 per ...
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NewsWorld rail market - October 2018
Australia: Aurizon is to deploy Trimble’s R2M remote diagnostic and P2M planning and performance systems. The companies also plan to pilot enhanced infrastructure and rolling stock monitoring and analytics. Czech Republic: A Hegenscheidt underfloor wheel lathe has been installed by Strabag at ČD’s passenger rolling stock depot in Praha. ...
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market - October 2018
Australia: The NSW government has awarded Macquarie Group a A$378·6m contract to develop Martin Place station on the southern section of the future Sydney metro. Lendlease will act as design and construction subcontractor. The state will receive A$355m from Macquarie Group for the air rights. Bulgaria: CZ Loko has ...
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NewsAurizon agrees revised terms for intermodal sale
AUSTRALIA: Aurizon Holdings Ltd has reached a revised agreement to sell its Queensland intermodal freight business to the Linfox logistics group for A$7·3m, the freight railway operator reported to the Australian stock exchange on October 12 Aurizon had announced its intention in August 2017 to withdraw from the intermodal market, ...
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NewsNRC Group to buy VR Track
EUROPE: Finnish state-owned rail operator VR Group has agreed to sell its infrastructure maintenance subsidiary VR Track to the Norwegian NRC Group. The deal is expected to be finalised by January 2019, but is subject to approval by authorities in Finland and Sweden, where VR Track has a subsidiary, ...
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NewsPRASA on the brink as court defers safety shutdown
SOUTH AFRICA: The future of the 2 300 route-km network operated by Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa is in grave doubt amid a spiralling safety crisis that has seen the national rail regulator request suspension of the operator’s licence. The Rail Safety Regulator suspended PRASA’s right to operate on ...
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NewsHyundai Rotem wins further Bangladesh loco contract
BANGLADESH: Hyundai Rotem announced on October 11 that it had won a US$239m order to supply 70 diesel-electric locomotives for Bangladesh Railway. Production at Rotem’s Changwon plant in South Korea is due to begin in 2020, with deliveries due by 2023. The 19 m long, 2 200 hp locos ...