News – Page 527
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NewsSerbian freight operator Despotija certified
SERBIA: New entrant Despotija has obtained the necessary certifications to operate freight trains on the national railway network. Despotija’s parent company operates the Kovilovača quarry in Despotovac on the non-electrified single-track Markovac – Resavica line. It has two former Zeleznice Srbije class 461 electric locomotives which have been refurbished by ...
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NewsTrenitalia leadership reshaped
ITALY: Following the completion of a corporate restructuring programme and the consolidation of rail freight operations into Mercitalia, FS Group has appointed a new leadership team to run its national passenger business Trenitalia. With effect from the annual shareholder meeting on September 15, Tiziano Onesti has been named President, with ...
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NewsDresden – Praha new line planning to start
EUROPE: An agreement is to be signed ‘this year’ promising that German federal funding will be available to cover the planning costs of the northern part of the proposed Dresden – Praha high speed route, Federal Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in a September 22 letter to Stanislaw Tillich, Minister ...
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NewsDB Cargo UK tests ‘jumbo’ train
UK: DB Cargo UK operated a trial 660 m long ‘jumbo’ train of 34 wagons from ABP Port of Cardiff to Acton in London on September 20, carrying 2 300 tonnes of limestone from Cemex’s Wenvoe and Taff’s Well quarries. ‘Usually only 21 wagons are used but using 60% more ...
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NewsElectro-diesel multiple-unit to be developed for regional routes
POLAND: A letter of intent for the development, construction and testing of a prototype electro-diesel multiple-unit was signed on September 19 by regional train operator PolRegio, investment and leasing company Polski Tabor Szynowy and rolling stock manufacturer Fabryka Pojazdów Szynowych H Cegielski, which will co-operate on the project with the ...
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NewsTrainline launches international API to streamline B2B rail booking
TRAINLINE: The business-to-business arm of independent ticket retailer Trainline now offers an API bringing together information from ‘an unparalleled breadth of international rail carriers’ for use by large companies, travel management companies, online booking tools and travel agencies. Announcing the launch of the API on September 25, Trainline said its ...
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NewsCER appoints Fritzson as Chairman
EUROPE: CER named SJ CEO & President Crister Fritzson as its Chairman at its General Assembly in Gdańsk on September 25. Having served as Acting Chairman since February, Fritzson, who is also Chairman of the Association of Swedish Train Operators, will begin the two-year term immediately. He described the ...
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Metro Report InternationalSiemens awarded San Diego light rail contract
USA: The Mid-Coast Transit Constructors joint venture of Stacy & Witbeck, Herzog and Skanska has awarded Siemens a contract to supply power and automation systems for San Diego Metropolitan Transportation System’s 17 km Mid-Coast Corridor light rail extension. The contract announced on September 25 includes the provision of overhead electrification ...
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NewsAgreement reached for restructuring at Bombardier Transportation in Germany
GERMANY: Bombardier Transportation GmbH's management and general works council announced on September 25 that they had signed a general company agreement covering a planned restructuring. The agreement is valid until the end of 2020 and formalises principles which had been agreed by management and employee representatives at a supervisory board ...
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NewsSpain publishes international open access criteria
SPAIN: National competition authority CNMC has published the criteria that will be used to asses applications to operate international open access passenger services to and from Spain, which would also be permitted to carry domestic passengers in competition with state operator RENFE. Pending the transposition of the European Union’s Fourth ...
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NewsRefurbished Pendolino returns to service
CZECH REPUBLIC: The first of national operator ČD’s Pendolino trainsets to be refurbished returned to passenger service on September 25, two days after unveiled in Bohumín as part of the national Railway Day celebrations. It is currently being deployed on the Praha – Košice route. All seven of the Class ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
VTG and Dutch company Intermodal Telematics have launched a joint engineering programme to develop and install continuously operating load-unload sensors across the leasing company’s entire fleet of liquid, bulk and container wagons. On September 15 Union Pacific announced it was ‘redesigning its Marketing & Sales organisation to align with evolving ...
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NewsDuPont develops disposable coveralls for SNCF
FRANCE: To meet an SNCF requirement for protective workwear which combines high visibility with chemical protection, DuPont Protection Solutions has developed Tyvek 500 HV disposable coveralls. These provide a barrier to low concentration, aqueous inorganic chemical products, as well biological risks encountered by staff inspecting trains following a collision with ...
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NewsCuba and RZD agree railway modernisation
CUBA: An agreement for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the rail network was signed by national railway Unión Ferrocarriles de Cuba and Russian Railways subsidiary RZD International on September 21, during a meeting in Moscow of the Russian-Cuban Intergovernmental Commission for Economic, Commercial, Scientific & Technological Co-operation. The document ...
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NewsAlstom confirms talks for Siemens Mobility merger
INDUSTRY: Alstom formally confirmed on September 22 that it had been holding discussions regarding a possible ‘combination’ with Siemens’ Mobility Division. Alstom said that no final decision had been made, discussions are on-going and no agreement had been reached. The company would ‘inform the public of any material developments in ...
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NewsNext Antalya light rail line approved
TURKEY: The next phase of Antalya’s Antray light rail network has been approved by Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım. The 12 km route would run from Varsak Sakarya Bulvarı in the north of the city to Eğitim Araştırma Hastanesi in the south via the university. Interchange with the existing east-west ...
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NewsMedina Line construction begins
USA: Southwest Gulf Railroad Co has begun construction of the Medina Line, a 15 km common carrier railway running north from a junction with a line used by Union Pacific and BNSF at Dunlay, 45 km west of San Antonio in Texas. SGRR was incorporated in 2003 as a subsdiary ...
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Metro Report InternationalWork begins on Frankfurt light rail extension
GERMANY: A groundbreaking ceremony for an extension of Frankfurt’s light rail network took place on September 21. The 2·7 km western extension of Line U5 from the city centre to Europaviertel is estimated to cost €281·4m excluding VAT, with the Land of Hessen providing €31m. It is planned to ...
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NewsTrondheim orders Volvo electric buses
NORWAY: Volvo has received what it says is its largest ever order for fully electric buses. It will supply 25 of its 7900 Electric battery buses to Tide Buss in Trondheim. The buses are due to enter service on four routes in in August 2019. Volvo will maintain the ...
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NewsSingapore forms high speed rail infrastructure company
SINGAPORE: Land Transport Authority has formed SG HSR Pte Ltd as wholly-owned subsidiary to act as Infrastructure Company for its part of the Kuala Lumpur – Singapore High Speed Rail project. SG HSR will be responsible for building, owning, funding and maintaining the civil works in Singapore. This will include ...