News – Page 454
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NewsVictoria orders more Alstom EMUs
AUSTRALIA: Transport for Victoria has awarded Alstom a €60m contract to supply a further five X’Trapolis electric multiple-units to increase capacity on Melbourne’s 1 600 mm gauge suburban network. Each of the 145 m long six-car 1·5 kV DC EMUs will have a capacity of 1 238 passengers, with ‘enhanced’ ...
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NewsVictoria orders more Alstom EMUs
AUSTRALIA: Transport for Victoria has awarded Alstom a €60m contract to supply a further five X’Trapolis electric multiple-units to increase capacity on Melbourne’s 1 600 mm gauge suburban network. Each of the 145 m long six-car 1·5 kV DC EMUs will have a capacity of 1 238 passengers, with ‘enhanced’ ...
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NewsHajj metro prepared for annual seven-day operating season
SAUDI ARABIA: Work is underway to prepare the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro in Makkah for its seven-day annual operating season during the Hajj pilgrimage, which this year falls on August 19-24. The journey between the holy sites in Arafat and Mina can take up to 8 h by car ...
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NewsHigh-capacity container wagon certified
KAZAKHSTAN: Wagon manufacturer Ziksto has obtained certification enabling the start of series production of its Type 13-6922 high-capacity container wagon. The four-axle wagon has been developed to carry heavy containers including tank-containers carrying hazardous goods. ‘The increased carrying capacity will allow the train operator and the owner of the ...
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NewsEurasian freight co-operation agreement
INTERNATIONAL: An agreement for co-operation between logistics hubs to promote the development of Eurasian rail freight has been signed by rail freight association FERRMED, the International Union of Railways and the government of Zhengzhou. The agreement was signed during the Eurasian Connectivity & Industrial Co-operation Forum held in the Chinese ...
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NewsFans take to the rails as RZD reports World Cup success
RUSSIA: According to statistics released by Russian Railways, no fewer than 319 000 football fans were carried on the national railway’s special free passenger trains during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The ‘cluster’ approach adopted by Russia to group football venues in the west of the country favoured rail ...
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NewsRussian Railways orders 293 coaches
RUSSIA: An agreement for Transmashholding’s Tver Carriage Works to supply 293 coaches to Federal Passenger Co was signed on July 17. Deliveries are scheduled to start this month and run until October. The order covers 271 second class coaches and 22 cars with staff compartments and facilities for passengers with ...
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Rail Business UKFliteTrak expands onboard monitoring capabilities
MONITORING: FliteTrak has launched the next generation of its ViatorRail intelligent remote monitoring system, which is being used by a UK passenger operator to assess engine temperatures and performance and see train movements in real time. The latest upgrade adds the capability to monitor vibration, shock, voltage, current and pressure. ...
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NewsLegal challenge to Siemens’ London Underground train contract win
UK: A legal challenge to Transport for London’s selection of Siemens as preferred bidder to supply new trainsets for London Underground’s Piccadilly Line was confirmed by Bombardier Transportation and Hitachi on July 23. ‘Hitachi Rail and Bombardier Transportation confirm that they have issued claims in the High Court against London ...
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NewsPK TS presents Lionet tram
RUSSIA: PK Transportnye Systemy presented its newest tram model at its St Petersburg factory on July 20. The single-section 100% low-floor Lionet left the workshop driven by a traction battery along a short section of catenary-free track. Designated 71-911M, the Lionet is a development of the City Star model. ...
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NewsPK TS presents Lionet tram
RUSSIA: PK Transportnye Systemy presented its newest tram model at its St Petersburg factory on July 20. The single-section 100% low-floor Lionet left the workshop driven by a traction battery along a short section of catenary-free track. Designated 71-911M, the Lionet is a development of the City Star model. ...
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NewsÖBB chooses Siemens to build day and night fleets
AUSTRIA: National operator ÖBB has picked Siemens Mobility as the supplier of a fleet of inter-city rolling stock. Bids closed on June 29, and ÖBB said on July 20 that it had concluded its evaluation of the tenders, allowing the preferred bidder to be named. The deal is subject to ...
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NewsAmsterdam’s north–south metro line opens
NETHERLANDS: The long-awaited north–south metro Line 52 in Amsterdam was officially opened by Mayor Femke Halsema, Alderwoman of Traffic & Transport Sharon Dijksma and eight selected local residents on July 21. The line was then opened to pre-registered users. Regular revenue services began the following day, when there was am ...
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NewsHydrogen engine research grant
CANADA: The federal government’s Clean Rail Academic Grant Programme is providing C$25 000 for the University of Windsor’s Hydrogen Enabled Low-Emissions & Fuel Efficient Diesel Engine Combustion Technology for Clean Locomotives project, which aims to develop an experimental diesel engine capable of running on blends of hydrogen and diesel. The ...
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NewsLake Balaton line upgrading funding
HUNGARY: The EU has provided €193m from the Cohesion Fund to cover 85% of the cost of the recently-completed modernisation of the 123 km line around the south side of Lake Balaton between Székesfehérvár and Keszthely (RG 7.17 p40). Modernisation of the entire route from Budapest to Keszthely was undertaken ...
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NewsAlstom to supply 31 driverless trains to Mumbai
INDIA: Project promoter Mumbai Metro Rail Corp awarded the rolling stock contract for Line 3 to a consortium of Alstom Transport India and Alstom Transport on July 19. Alstom is to supply 31 eight-car driverless trainsets, all of which are to be assembled in India. The stainless steel-bodied trains ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
The European Commission has found that a loan of €166m granted by Slovakia to ZSSK Cargo does not involve state aid within the meaning of EU rules. The Commission concluded that the state had behaved as a market investor would have in similar circumstances, and thus provided no selective economic ...
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NewsSwing bridge to replace damaged Friesen Bridge
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn and the local authorities have published proposals for a long swing bridge to replace the Friesen Bridge across the River Ems, which was irreparably damaged when it was hit by a ship on December 3 2015. Trains have been unable to use the bascule bridge near the ...
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NewsVancouver rail upgrade funding
CANADA: The Government of Canada is to provide C$167m to support three projects to improve the capacity of railways serving the Port of Vancouver. Two projects are led by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority with investment from CN and CP. They include improving the ventilation of the Thornton Tunnel to ...
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NewsLEO Express launches Praha – Kraków service
EUROPE: Czech open access operator LEO Express ran its inaugural service from Praha to Kraków on July 20, saying it had become the first private operator to be certified to operate long-distance passenger services on the Polish network. ‘We are looking forward to our new customers from Poland and hope ...