News – Page 446
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Rail Business UKLewisham disruption report recommends incident management improvements
UK: An ‘action plan’ to revise procedures when trains are stranded between stations for extended periods was announced by Southeastern and Network Rail on August 23, following the publication of an independent report into an incident on March 2 when nine trains became stranded during bad weather and passengers evacuated ...
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NewsPlasser looks to smarter maintenance of track machines
PLASSER & THEURER: The Austrian infrastructure maintenance machine specialist will look to the broader needs of infrastructure managers and contractors at InnoTrans 2018, with two machines on display in the outdoor area. The EM100VT recording car features an inertial track geometry measurement system combined with a novel optical fixed-point procedure ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
On August 23 German weekly business magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported that the EU regulatory review of the proposed Siemens-Alstom merger would not be completed in November as planned, but would run to January 2019. On August 16 Russian wagon leasing company Brunswick Rail and former Chairman & CEO Paul J Ostling ...
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Rail Business UKPublic sector can bid for Scottish franchises
UK: A public sector body would be able to bid for future Scottish passenger franchises should it wish to do so, Scottish government Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure & Connectivity Michael Matheson confirmed on August 23. Publicly-owned ferry and port operator David MacBrayne Ltd has confirmed its interest in exploring ...
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NewsHong Kong high speed line opening date confirmed
CHINA: Passenger services on the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou – Shenzhen – Hong Kong high speed line will begin on September 23, the Special Administrative Region government confirmed following the signing of two operating agreements on August 23. ‘High speed rail will open a new page in rail ...
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NewsSeven bids for 378-car Mumbai metro contract
INDIA: Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority announced on August 21 that it had received seven bids for the supply of rolling stock for metro lines 2A and 7: Hyundai RotemBombardierCRRCBEMLAlstomCAFA consortium of Titagarh Wagons and TitagarhFirema The winning bidder will supply 63 six-car sets equipped with air-conditioning, regenerative braking, ...
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NewsBombardier Transportation opens Mannheim laboratory
GERMANY: Bombardier Transportation officially opened a €1m signalling and train control development and testing laboratory in Mannheim on August 23. The 1 140 m2 facility has approximately 40 staff. ‘The laboratory for vehicle control and signalling technology that we are officially inaugurating here today in Mannheim offers all possibilities to ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
On August 20 GWR put into service the first of the 22 five-car and 14 nine-car Hitachi AT300 Class 802 electro-diesel trainsets ordered through Eversholt Rail in July 2015 and August 2016 for use on services from London to Devon and Cornwall. 'These new trains will, with an improved timetable, ...
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NewsSpeno highlights move into milling
SPENO: Swiss infrastructure specialist Speno is targeting milling techniques for future growth because of the increasing recognition in the industry that track maintenance should be preventative rather than reactive. Infrastructure managers are increasingly looking for a milling tool capable of cuts of typically 0·2 mm to 0·4 mm metal removal. ...
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News
InnoTrans 2018
InnoTrans 2018 - THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY 18–21 SEPTEMBER BERLIN International Trade Fair for Transport Technology Innovative Components Vehicles Systems The world is growing together – and InnoTrans is growing along with it. As an international showcase and communication platform for the international rail industry, the trade ...
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NewsPendolino to be tested in Greece
GREECE: One of the ERT485 Pendolino trainsets which Trenitalia uses in Italy is on its way to Greece for testing with a view to possible future deployment on the Athens – Thessaloniki route. Ongoing upgrading projects including the 54 km new alignment between Tithorea and Lianokladi have raised the maximum ...
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NewsDonetsk People’s Republic tram rolled out
UKRAINE: Head of the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic Aleksandr Zakharchenko attended the rollout of a tram built at the Donetsk Electrotechnical Plant on August 21. Assembly began in March. The frame and bogies of a Tatra tram were used, and 80% of components came from the DPR, with the ...
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Rail Business UKMarston Vale D-Train contract signed
UK: The contract for the supply of three two-car Class 230 D-Train diesel-multiple-units for the Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley has been formally signed, manufacturer Vivarail announced on August 22. Testing is expected to begin in the next few weeks, and entry into service is planned for December. ...
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Metro Report InternationalZhengzhou to test hydrogen fuel cell buses
CHINA: Zhengzhou Public Transportation Corp is to put 20 hydrogen fuel cell buses into commercial demonstration operation. The buses that Yutong is supplying are equipped with a kneeling function for easier boarding, as well as a ramp. The supplier says that the buses have a range of 500 ...
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News'Sterling' performance at Transnet
SOUTH AFRICA: Growth in multiple sectors of Transnet Freight Rail's business helped achieve 'sterling' financial results for Transnet in 2017-18. Figures in Transnet’s annual report published on August 20 showed that overall rail tonnage was 7·6% higher at 226·3 million, with export coal handled by TFR growing by 4·3% to ...
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NewsPandrol focuses on four core specialisms at InnoTrans 2018
PANDROL: Infrastructure component specialist Pandrol will be highlighting its four core specialisms at InnoTrans 2018: rail fastenings, aluminothermic welding, electrification, and equipment and control systems. The company will also be hosting ‘ask the expert’ sessions, where its technical specialists will be running short seminars on topical issues relating to ...
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NewsBattery electric multiple-unit study
GERMANY: Oberlebe transport authority VVO, Bombardier Transportation and Technischen Universität Berlin are to study the feasibility of using battery power instead of diesel multiple-units on four routes around Dresden. Städtebahn Sachsen services are currently operated using Siemens Desiro DMUs, but the transport authority envisages that the start of the next ...
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NewsBYD signs Messina electric midibus contract
ITALY: Messina municipality signed a contract to purchase 13 electric midibuses from BYD, the supplier announced on August 21. To be delivered in two batches this year, the 8·7 m long buses will have two doors and capacity for 53 passengers. The municipality will own the buses, which ...
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NewsGBW Railcar Services joint venture ends
USA: The Greenbrier Companies and Watco have agreed to end their GBW Railcar Services joint venture, which was established in July 2014 to bring together the two companies’ workshops to form a national wagon maintenance network. The assets and employees of 12 workshops will return to Greenbrier, with 14 workshops ...
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NewsDutch network ‘almost full’, ProRail warns
NETHERLANDS: The Dutch main line network is ‘almost full’, ProRail warned on August 20. The national infrastructure manager issued the stark assessment in its annual update on proposed path allocations for 2019. ProRail said it was ‘running up against the limits’ of its 7 300 track-km network, pointing out that ...