News – Page 542
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NewsModertrans offers best bid in Wrocław tram tender
POLAND: Modertrans submitted the cheapest bid to supply 40 trams to Wrocław, transport authority MPK Wrocław announced on July 21. Modertrans’ offer of 176·2m złoty for the 27% low-floor Moderus Beta compares with a bid of 324·4 złoty from Pesa, which is offering its 100% low-floor Twist model. ...
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NewsFirst train on Turkish section of Kars – Tbilisi railway
TURKEY: A ceremonial first train ran on the Turkish section of the Baku – Tbilisi – Kars railway corridor on July 19, carrying Minister of Transport, Maritime & Communication Ahmet Arslan as well as Georgia’s Minister of Economy and the CEOs of the national railways of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. ...
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NewsBeacon Rail buys Voyager DEMU fleet
UK: Beacon Rail Leasing has expanded its UK rolling stock portfolio with the purchase of the Bombardier Class 220 and Class 221 Voyager diesel-electric multiple-unit fleets from subsidiaries of Lloyds Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland. The 352 vehicles are formed into 78 four and five-car sets, of which 58 ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Rio Tinto reports that the Autohaul project to automate its heavy haul iron ore trains in the Pilbara region of Western Australia is ‘continuing to progress well’ and ‘on schedule to be completed by the end of 2018’. Around 20% of train-km are now being operated in autonomous mode, the ...
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NewsDMUs delivered ahead of Nordjyske Jernbaner expansion
DENMARK: Nordjyske Jernbaner has taken delivery of 13 Alstom Coradia Lint diesel multiple-units which are expected to enter service this autumn to support an expansion of services. The locally-owned railway company operates the 18 km Hjørring – Hirtshals and 40 km Frederikshavn – Skagen lines in northern Jylland, and ...
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NewsMore high speed in the Mediterranean Corridor
SPAIN: Tendering is to start in 2019 for a high speed line between Valencia and Castelló, according to Development Minister Íñigo de la Serna. Expected to cost €1·2bn, the 62 km double-track alignment is to be designed for operation at up to 350 km/h. Under the Mediterranean Corridor programme, a ...
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NewsAbellio signs Bernburg – Magdeburg contract
GERMANY: A contract for the operation of Bernburg – Calbe (Saale) – Schönebeck – Magdeburg regional passenger service RB48 was signed on July 21 by Sachsen-Anhalt Transport Minister Thomas Webel and Chairman of Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland Dr Roman Müller. The contract has been awarded as an option on the ...
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NewsCzech beer and crystal to China by rail
INTERNATIONAL: The first eastbound container service from Praha to Yiwu in China’s Zhejiang province left the Metrans container terminal at Praha-Uhříněves at 11.35 on July 19, carrying 40 wagons loaded with 80 containers of export goods including beer, crystal glass and automotive parts with a total value of US$5m. The ...
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NewsHyundai Rotem wins two Seoul metro rolling stock orders
SOUTH KOREA: Seoul Metro has awarded Hyundai Rotem a 176bn won contract to supply 214 metro cars to replace the Line 2 fleet, the supplier announced on July 21. Deliveries of the 21 10-car trainsets and one four-car trainset are due to take place in 2019-20. The new fleet ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Russia’s United Wagon Co produced 4 600 wagons in Q2 2017, up 22% on the same period last year. The company now offers 45 types of wagon. Property, residential, construction and services group Kier has completed the acquisition of UK infrastructure services company McNicholas. ‘It is a highly complementary ...
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NewsEssen and Mülheim transport operators to merge
GERMANY: Essen and Mülheim transport authorities EVAG and MVG, along with their joint undertaking Via, are to become unified in Ruhrbahn GmbH. The new transport comapny will start operating from September 1 and will have its headquarters in Essen. ‘With around 2 500 staff and covering an area with ...
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NewsHigh Level Output Specification for Control Period 6 published
UK: On July 20 Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling published the High Level Output Specification setting out what the government wants the railway to achieve in Control Period 6, which runs from April 1 2019 to March 31 2024, as well as the initial Statement of Funds Available. ...
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NewsTramino XL enters service in Leipzig
GERMANY: The first Tramino XL tram entered service on Route 4 in Leipzig on July 13. Operator Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe will start seeking suggestions from the public for names for the new fleet in the autumn. In February 2015 LVB selected Solaris to supply five trams for €7·7m, with options ...
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NewsSheffield, Swansea and Windermere electrification cancelled
UK: The government confirmed on July 19 that it had cancelled the planned 25 kV 50 Hz electrification of the Midland Main Line between Kettering, Nottingham and Sheffield, the Cardiff – Swansea route and the Oxenholme – Windermere branch. ‘Rapid delivery of passenger benefits, minimising disruption and engineering work should ...
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NewsDubai Expo train mock-up revealed
UAE: Alstom has presented a full-size mock-up of a Metropolis metro car for the Route 2020 metro project to a delegation from Dubai Roads & Transport Authority during its visit to France. Alstom is supplying 50 five-car trainsets for the Route 2020 project under a contract awarded ...
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NewsInland Rail consultation starts
AUSTRALIA: Another milestone for the long-planned Inland Rail corridor was reached on July 19, when the New South Wales state government released the Environmental Impact Statement for the Parkes – Narromine upgrading project in New South Wales. Project promoter ARTC says public consultation on the EIS will run until August ...
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NewsCAF invests in Italian wheelset and wagon businesses
ITALY: Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF announced on July 19 that its CAF MiiRA wheelset, axles, gearbox and couplers business had acquired wheelset and wagon maintenance company Rifer, which has more than 60 employees and a turnover close to €10m. CAF Group said the acquisition would supports its growth and ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
The Department for Transport has extended Govia’s current London Midland franchise from October 15 to December 10 under the existing terms. DfT has an option for a further extension to February 4 which it can exercise by August 18. The Govia joint venture of Go-Ahead and Keolis and the West ...
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NewsAlpenglow Rail acquires its first short line
CANADA: Alpenglow Rail announced the acquisition of its first rail business on July 12. VIP Rail is based at Sarnia in Ontario’s Chemical Valley region, and provides shunting, transloading, warehousing, road haulage and wagon storage, cleaning and repair services. Denver-based Alpenglow Rail was founded by former OmniTRAX executives Rich Montgomery, ...
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NewsRegiobahn to operated expanded S28 route
GERMANY: Rhein-Ruhr transport authority VRR is to award incumbent Regiobahn a contract to operate the expanded S-Bahn service S28 for 15 years from December 2021. Regiobahn was founded in 1992 and is owned by a group of local authorities on the Kaarster See – Neuss – Düsseldorf – Erkrath Nord ...