News – Page 559
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
RZD Logistics, Far East Land Bridge and TransContainer have increase the number of transit freight trains through the Naushki border crossing between Mongolia and Russia from one to two per week. The 57-wagon container trains carry fast moving consumer goods from China to Europe. Citing a projected 37% increase ...
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NewsEurotunnel’s third-generation freight shuttles enter service
EUROPE: The first of three additional freight shuttle rakes for carrying lorries was inaugurated by Groupe Eurotunnel Chairman & CEO Jacques Gounon and President of the Hauts-de-France Region Xavier Bertrand at the end of April. The three trainsets will provide 20% more capacity and enable Eurotunnel to offer up ...
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NewsTwilight Express Mizukaze to launch next month
JAPAN: West Japan Railway is to launch the Twilight Express Mizukaze (fresh breeze) luxury cruise train in June, adopting a similar concept to JR East’s Train Suite Shiki-Shima. With five one night or two-night itineraries, the luxury 10-car train will give up to 30 passengers the opportunity to travel to ...
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NewsExpedia to acquire majority stake in SilverRail
SILVERRAIL: A definitive agreement for online travel group Expedia to acquire a majority stake in rail ticket retailing and distribution platform developer SilverRail Technologies was announced on May 12. The transaction is expected to close in mid-2017, subject to conditions including regulatory approval. Terms were not disclosed. ‘Rail is ready ...
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NewsFS bids to supply wagons to Uruguay
URUGUAY: Supply of rolling stock is one of three priority areas identified for developing co-operation between state railway AFE and FS Group of Italy. Announcing on May 12 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with AFE in Montevideo, FS reported that its Mercitalia freight business had submitted a ...
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NewsIONX and Ermewa agree telematics partnership
EUROPE: Amsted Rail used the Transport Logistic tradeshow in München on May 9-12 to mark the extension of its telematics activities in Europe. Amsted’s IONX subsidiary has finalised a preliminary co-operation agreement with wagon leasing business Ermewa for the supply of telematics technology. The agreement covers IONX telematics equipment, proprietary ...
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NewsLegios Clever demonstrator wagon includes nanotechnology
CZECH REPUBLIC: A range of advanced subsystems and materials selected to highlight possible technology options are included in the Legios Clever demonstrator wagon which Legois exhibited at the Transport Logistic trade fair in München on May 9-11. Legios worked with researchers at the University of Liberec to develop nanotechnology-based ...
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NewsCrowd-funded open access operator Locomore files for insolvency
GERMANY: Open access operator Locomore announced on the evening of May 11 that that it had filed for insolvency at the district court in Charlottenburg. Locomore launched a partly crowd-funded daily return service between Berlin and Stuttgart in December 2016 using refurbished coaches and with a focus on sustainability. ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Indian Railways’ Chittaranjan Locomotive Works produced 292 three-phase electric locomotives in the 2016-17 financial year, up from 280 in 2015-16 of which 215 were three-phase types and 250 in 2014-15. The Railway Board has set a target of 325 locomotives for 2017-18. ST Kinetics has entered the rail sector ...
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NewsSiemens Mobility hit by competition and industry overcapacity
SIEMENS: Plans for a restructuring of various activities in Germany were announced by Siemens on May 11, as part of strategy to become a ‘digital industry company’ and reduce costs. The measures included centralisation of IT and training activities, and the loss of around 1 700 jobs over several years ...
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NewsDB launches integrated consultancy service in 'important' UK market
UK: Deutsche Bahn launched an integrated engineering and consultancy service for the UK rail industry at the Railtex 2017 trade fair. The combined portfolio brings together the rolling stock expertise of DB Systemtechnik and DB's established UK technical consultancy ESG Rail with the infrastructure and operating knowledge of DB Engineering ...
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NewsSales down but profit up at Škoda Transportation
CZECH REPUBLIC: Rolling stock manufacturer Škoda Transportation has announced record earnings of KC1∙6bn on a turnover of KC15∙7bn in 2016. Sales were down by KC2∙5bn, but net profit rose almost threefold from 2015. Exports accounted for 50∙4 % of total production and the company employed 5 327 people. Trams were ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
Borrowing an idea from the highway maintenance industry, Keltbray Rail Plant is installing directional LED lights on 14 Colmar road-rail vehicles to clearly identify the 10 m safety exclusion zone around them. ‘As we often work at night, signage is not always visible, and so we have adopted lighting to ...
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NewsIsrael Railways orders more Twindexx Vario coaches
ISRAEL: Bombardier Transportation announced on May 10 that it had signed a €56m contract to supply a further 33 Twindexx Vario double-deck push-pull coaches to Israel Railways by February 2019. The order has been placed within the terms of an October 2010 framework agreement, and will take ISR’s fleet of ...
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NewsStadler seeks 'most powerful' loco family as Eurodual trials begin
EUROPE: Stadler Valencia outlined plans for the development of its Eurodual family of electro-diesel locomotives at the Transport Logistic trade fair in München on May 10. German freight operator HVLE is to be the launch customer for the Eurodual, having confirmed an order for 10 six-axle locomotives in March. Stadler ...
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NewsNew partners for port freight operator
FRANCE: A joint venture of Millet SA and RegioRail has been selected by the port authorities of La Rochelle and Nantes Saint-Nazaire to become the new traction partner in their rail operating company OFP Atlantique. Millet and RegioRail are to form OuestRail which will take a 24∙9% stake in OFP ...
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Metro Report InternationalATO goes live on Paris RER Line A
FRANCE: The first trainset fitted with automatic train operation equipment started running on part of Paris RER Line A on April 27. The MI09 electric multiple-unit has been running under automatic operation between Nanterre-Préfecture, Val-de-Fontenay and Fontenay-sous-Bois. In January 2015 RATP, STIF and the Ile-de-France region selected Alstom to ...
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NewsTraxx locomotive family expanded with multi-system and DC options
EUROPE: Bombardier Transportation announced two additions to its Traxx locomotive family at the Transport Logistcs trade fair in München on May 9. The Traxx MS3 is designed for 15 kV 16·7 Hz, 25 kV 50 Hz AC and 1·5 and 3 kV DC power supplies, the four most common electrification ...
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NewsTrainline to sell Westbahn tickets
AUSTRIA: Independent ticket retailer Trainline now sells tickets for travel with Wien – Linz – Salzburg open access operator Westbahn. Announcing its first Austrian partnership on May 10, Trainline said it was the first independent retailer to integrate Westbahn tickets into its booking system, which means for the first time ...
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NewsBernadette Kelly
Bernadette Kelly has been appointed Permanent Secretary at the UK’s Department for Transport. Formerly Director General, Rail Group, at DfT, she succeeds Philip Rutnam who is now Permanent Secretary at the Home Office.