News – Page 480
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NewsLocomotive maintenance business sold
GERMANY: Paribus Group has sold its Northrail Technical Service locomotive maintenance and repair business to Railpool Group, which is to operate it under the Railpool Lok-Service brand. Paribus Group partner Dr Volker Simmering said NTS had made a valuable contribution to maintaining locomotives owned by its Northrail leasing business, but ...
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NewsLondon to Duisburg and China freight service launched
UK: The inaugural scheduled freight service from DP World’s London Gateway terminal east of London to the Duisburg freight hub in Germany set off on April 10, with the load including containers bound for China. This follows demonstration China to London and London to China services which ran last year. ...
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NewsDB Regio to operate Trier service RB83
EUROPE: Following a European tender, Rheinland Pfalz transport authority SPNV-Nord has selected DB Regio to operate the German section of a new hourly Wittlich – Trier – Luxembourg service RB83 which is scheduled to be launched in December 2019. The contract covers the operation of 470 000 train-km/year within Germany. ...
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NewsFirstGroup rejects Apollo takeover proposal
FIRSTGROUP: The board of UK-based rail and bus operator FirstGroup plc confirmed on April 11 that it had received a ‘preliminary and highly conditional’ indicative cash takeover proposal from US private equity firm Apollo Management IX LP. In a statement, the FirstGroup board said it had ‘considered the proposal in ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
Direct Rail Services has called tenders for the supply of 10 mixed traffic diesel-electric locomotives and the provision of spare parts. DRS currently operates a fleet of more than 100 locomotives, and said it was ‘seeking solutions to create benefits and efficiencies’ under a strategy of ‘moving to a more ...
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NewsCSX agrees short line spin-offs
USA: CSX Transportation has reached agreement to sell almost 300 km of railway in Alabama and Georgia to Denver-based HGS Railway Holdings, following its announcement earlier this year that up to one-third of its total network was being reviewed for possible closure or sale. HGS has established two wholly-owned subsidiaries ...
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Metro Report InternationalSiemens to supply electric bus charging stations to Denmark
DENMARK: Siemens has signed a framework contract with public transport authority Movia to supply rapid charging stations for electric buses, the manufacturer announced on April 11. The charging infrastructure is being deployed as part of a programme agreed in 2017 between 45 municipalities with the aim of making bus ...
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NewsRail.One opens Aschaffenburg concrete sleeper plant
GERMANY: Rail.One officially began series production of concrete sleepers at a new plant in Aschaffenburg with an inauguration ceremony on April 11. The site will produce the B70 sleeper design which is widely-used in Germany, as well as other types of sleeper for German and European main line and urban ...
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NewsThe Canadian coaches to be refurbished
CANADA: VIA Rail has awarded Cad Railway Industries a C$46m contract to upgrade 25 coaches used on The Canadian service between Toronto and Vancouver. Announcing the contract on April 10, VIA Rail said the stainless steel coaches dating from the 1950s would be ‘completely refurbished and transformed to better meet ...
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NewsAlstom opens Canadian light rail vehicle factory
CANADA: Alstom opened an assembly plant for light rail vehicles in Brampton, Ontario on April 10. The factory will be used to produce 61 light rail vehicles that Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area transport authority Metrolinx ordered in May 2017. The C$528m contract includes an option for ...
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NewsMercitalia and UTLC sign China – Europe rail freight MoU
INTERNATIONAL: Italian national freight operator Mercitalia Rail and the United Transport & Logistics joint venture of the national railways of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop integrated container services between China and Europe. UTLC would provide logistics services between China and Europe on the ...
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NewsNewag to rebuild 60 locos
POLAND: PKP Cargo has awarded Newag a 477m złoty contract to modernise its ageing shunting fleet by rebuilding 60 Class SM48 locomotives as Type 15D/A locos, designated Class ST48. The work is to be undertaken between October 2018 and May 2021, and follows a previous contract covering 30 locomotives. Only ...
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NewsPhnom Penh airport shuttle train launched
CAMBODIA: A shuttle service from Phnom Penh’s main station to the international airport was inaugurated by Minister of Public Works & Transportation Sun Chanthol on April 10. Travel is free until the end of July. Services run every 30 min and take around 25 min to cover the 9·6 km ...
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NewsTMH to maintain San Martín fleet
ARGENTINA: The TMH-Argentina subsidiary of Russia’s Transmashholding has been awarded a contract to maintain the locomotives and coaches used on the 76 km San Martín commuter route between Retiro San Martín station in Buenos Aires and Pilar. Running for 24 months, the US$29·7m contract announced on April 9 covers 24 ...
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NewsAll aspects of Japanese rail technology in one place
JORSA: The Japan Overseas Railway System Association’s Japan Hall is now a regular feature of the InnoTrans trade fair, and this year it will bring together 13 member firms to occupy the whole of Hall 7.2a. ‘Our members include suppliers, operators and institutes, enabling us to present all aspects of ...
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NewsTRC returns as vertical separation ends
TANZANIA: A new Tanzania Railways Corp has been established to bring together railway infrastructure and operations, following a decade of vertical separation, Minister of Construction, Transport & Communications. Prof Makame Mbarawa explained at a ceremony in Dar es Salaam to launch the organisation. Under the terms of the Tanzania Railway ...
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NewsMongolian railway draft feasibility study completed
MONGOLIA: A draft feasibility study for the 549 km Erdenet to Ovoot Railway Project has been delivered to mine development company Aspire Mining Ltd by China Gezhouba Group International Ltd. Apire said its Northern Railways subsidiary which is promoting the multi-user railway project would now review, assess and provide feedback ...
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NewsApp to support move to in-cab signalling
UK: Software specialist 3Squared has worked with Virgin Trains East Coast to develop an app to help train drivers familiarise themselves with in-cab signalling systems. The European Rail Traffic Management System, Driver Machine Interface app is now available on a white label basis for use by other passenger or ...
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NewsRZD awards 327-loco supply and maintenance contracts
RUSSIA: Transmashholding has signed two contracts to supply main line locomotives to Russian Railways. For the first time TMH will take sole responsibility for whole-life maintenance of locos it has supplied to the national operator. Announcing the contracts on April 4, TMH said it expected the inclusion of long-term maintenance ...
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NewsEurostar’s first Amsterdam service an ‘exciting and momentous day’ for high speed rail
EUROPE: ‘It is an exciting and momentous day, not just for Eurostar but the story of high speed travel across Europe’, Eurostar Chief Executive Mike Cooper told Railway Gazette International on the cross-Channel operator’s first revenue service from London to Amsterdam on April 4. The service runs twice daily ...