News – Page 566
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NewsGE Transportation acquires 50% stake in Kazakh loco manufacturer
KAZAKHSTAN: GE Transportation announced on April 12 that it had completed the purchase of a 50% stake in locomotive manufacturer Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty from national railway KTZ. Formed in 2009 as a 50:50 joint venture between KTZ and Russian rolling stock manufacturing group Transmashholding, LKZ produces GE Evolution Series ...
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NewsMÁV-Start and Stadler sign double-deck EMU framework contract
HUNGARY: A framework agreement for the supply of up to 40 Kiss double-deck electric multiple units including a firm order for an initial 10 was signed by national passenger operator MÁV-Start and Stadler on April 12. Stadler said these would be the first double-deck vehicles in Hungary when they enter ...
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Metro Report InternationalTunnelling begins on Northern Line extension in London
UK: Tunnelling has started on London Underground’s Northern Line extension. Tunnel boring machine Helen has started boring a 5·2 m diameter tunnel at a depth of 26 m, and sister machine Amy is due to start the other bore in about a month. The two TBMs supplied by NFM ...
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NewsUnipetrol orders Vectron locomotives
CZECH REPUBLIC: The Unipetrol Doprava transport subsidiary of petrochemical group Unipetrol has ordered three Siemens Vectron multi-system electric locomotives as part of its fleet renewal programme. The first is scheduled to be delivered in December 2017 and the other two in spring 2018. The 6·4 MW locomotives will be equipped ...
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NewsLondon Underground trains to be modified to improve accessibility
UK: London Underground has appointed SNC-Lavalin’s Rail & Transit team to undertake design work for the modification of rolling stock to improve accessibility for persons with reduced mobility and visual impairments. The contracts cover the train fleets used on the Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City lines, a total of ...
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NewsTurkish national wagon rolled out
TURKEY: Rolling stock manufacturer Tüdemsaş has unveiled its own design of articulated container wagon, developed since 2013 in partnership with national railway TCDD. The 29·5 m long twin-section Type Sggmrs wagon has a tare weight of 25·5 tonnes, which permits a payload of 109·5 tonnes, 4 tonnes more than existing ...
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NewsRENFE plans for profitable freight
SPAIN: The freight business of national operator RENFE is aiming to move into profit within three years under its 2017-19 management plan. This is in order to ensure a sustainable future after several years of losses which have resulted in a major deficit. Development of international traffic will be a ...
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NewsKarşıyaka tram line opens in Izmir
TURKEY: Izmir mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu attended the inauguration of the Karşıyaka tram line on April 11. Travel on the line is free until June. The 8·8 km route with 14 stops runs along the northern coast of the Gulf of Izmir, linking Alaybey and Mavişehir stations on the city’s ...
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NewsWeedfree orders weed killing train
EUROPE: Weedfree On Track is investing £2m in a second weed killing train, backed by a £300 000 debt funding package from Enterprise Ventures SME Loans and £200 000 from Finance Yorkshire's Business Loans fund. The vehicles are to be supplied by Hungarian company Gaal-Gaal, which supplied Weedfree's existing ...
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NewsRENFE poised to join Virgin’s HS2 franchise bid
UK: Spanish national operator RENFE is understood to be the front runner to join the Virgin Rail Group joint venture of Stagecoach and Virgin Holdings to bid for the government’s upcoming West Coast Partnership franchise.Currently Virgin (51%) and Stagecoach (49%) operate inter-city services under the Virgin Trains brand on the ...
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NewsSBB wants better co-operation with road transport
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways and national road transport association Astag have joined forces to demand a more effective freight transport policy at national level and better co-operation between road and rail. At a press conference on April 7 in Basel at which both organisations pledged support for the planned Gateway ...
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NewsRegions sound out SNCF competitors
FRANCE: The body which represents the regions of France says that there is a ‘strong appetite’ amongst potential bidders for contracts to operate TER passenger services currently provided by SNCF, which are expected to be opened up to competition around 2024. In order to enable its members to prepare for ...
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NewsElectrification fabrication facility to support just-in-time delivery
UK: VolkerRail and Unipart Rail have opened a third overhead electrification equipment preassembly facility, to support phase three of Network Rail's 25 kV 50 Hz North West Electrification Programme. VolkerRail said precision prefabrication at the site in Crewe would ensure the just-in-time delivery of electrification equipment, with a high degree ...
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NewsWrocław tests city-funded rail service
POLAND: A pilot service financed by the city of Wrocław, rather than the Dolnośląskie voivodship, was launched by regional operator Koleje Dolnośląskie on April 10 with a week of free travel. The new service runs entirely within the city boundaries, linking Wojnów in the east with Nadodrze, taking 18 ...
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NewsSJ rolls out national automated alcohol testing
SWEDEN: SJ has begun the national roll-out of Hök Instrument's Sesame Connect system for the automated daily alcohol testing of safety-critical employees. ‘With just 33 unmanned units covering the entire country, all SJ’s train drivers confirm they are sober every time they come to work’, said Mark Hawthorne, Vice-President Sales ...
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NewsJP Morgan buys Beacon Rail
BEACON RAIL: An agreement has been signed for JP Morgan Asset Management to acquire the Beacon Rail rolling stock leasing business from Pamplona Capital Management for around €1bn. Completion of the deal is expected shortly. Beacon Rail Leasing is based in Luxembourg, with offices in Boston and London. Pamplona had ...
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NewsHS2 seeks station design and development partners
UK: High speed line project promoter HS2 Ltd has begun the process to appoint ‘world-class’ architects and developers to produce detailed plans for four ‘ambitious and iconic’ stations for the first phase of the future network. The organisation is also undertaking a separate procurement to select a master development partner ...
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NewsSBB launches Gotthard Panorama Express
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways staged a preview trip for its seasonal Gotthard Panorama Express on April 8. Combining a 2 h 45 min cruise on a steamship on the Vierwaldstättersee with a rail journey over the famous Gotthard pass, the service is intended to stimulate tourist travel over the historic ...
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Metro Report InternationalMadrid refurbishes metro stations
SPAIN: The Madrid regional government has announced a €60∙6m programme to refurbish 23 stations on the city’s metro network by 2021. The stations located on eight different lines are used by a total of 280 million passengers a year. According to Cristina Cifuentes, President of the Madrid regional government, the ...
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NewsLondon joins the Silk Road as UK – China rail freight service sets off
UK: The first rail freight service from the UK to China departed from the rail terminal at DP World’s London Gateway port in Essex on April 10, carrying containers containing exports including soft drinks, vitamins, pharmaceuticals, baby products and whisky. ‘London Gateway has joined the Silk Road’, said DP ...