News – Page 590
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NewsElaine Chao
Elaine Chao has been selected as US Secretary of Transportation by President-elect Donald Trump.
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NewsChangsha – Zhuzhou – Xiangtan Intercity Railway opens
CHINA: The Changsha – Zhuzhou – Xiangtan Intercity Railway in Hunan Province opened for passenger services on December 26. There are 21 stations on the 95·5 km Y-shared route from Changsha to the two termini. Services are operated using eight-car CRH6F electric trainsets from CRRC Qingdao Sifang. The alignment ...
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NewsTenders called for first tram-train project in Hungary
HUNGARY: Tenders have been called for a tram-train route to be developed between Szeged and Hódmezővásárhely in the south of the country. The cost of infrastructure is estimated at HF13·25bn and rolling stock at HF10bn, and the project will be fully financed by the EU. The route will incorporate ...
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NewsToshiba targets European hybrid locomotive market
GERMANY: Japan’s Toshiba and DB Cargo have agreed to undertake a feasibility study for the joint development and subsequent purchase of an initial 100 battery-diesel hybrid locomotives for shunting and short-distance freight operations. Test vehicles are expected to be available by the end of 2019. The value of the deal ...
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Metro Report InternationalMelbourne seeks to develop a connected transport living lab
AUSTRALIA: The University of Melbourne’s School of Engineering signed memoranda of understanding on January 6 with public and private-sector partners to develop a ‘connected transport living lab’. A 1·2 km2 area on the edge of Melbourne’s central business district will be fitted with sensors to collect data from motor ...
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NewsPassenger locomotives for Nigeria unveiled
NIGERIA: The first two diesel locomotives built to haul passenger trains on the Abuja – Kaduna line have been rolled out at the CRRC Dalian factory in China. The 1 435 mm gauge Type CDD3B1 locomotives have a maximum speed of 150 km/h, and are designed to cope with local ...
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NewsFirst Uithoflijn tram delivered to Utrecht
NETHERLANDS: The first tram for the Uithoflijn in Utrecht has been delivered from CAF’s factory in Spain to the Nieuwegein sneltram depot. Haulage company Van der Vlist used a 40 m bespoke trailer to transport the 32 m long tram through Spain, France, Germany and the Netherlands. A specially ...
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NewsChinese locomotives for Serbia rolled out
SERBIA: Two electric locomotives which the state electricity generator ordered last year have been rolled out at CRRC Zhuzhou’s plant in China. The contract was awarded following an international tender and was the first rolling stock order won by CRRC in Serbia. The 7 MW locomotives have a maximum speed ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
After returning to Earth at the Siziwang landing ground in Inner Mongolia following 33 days in orbit, the Shenzhou 11 re-entry capsule from China’s sixth manned space mission was transported to Beijing on a China Railway Corp flat wagon with special brackets. G3 Global Holdings has appointed Peter Kiewit Infrastructure ...
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NewsAstra wagons delivered to DB Cargo UK
UK: DB Cargo UK has begun taking delivery of 85 open wagons being supplied by leasing company VTG Rail UK which ordered then from Romanian manufacturer Astra Rail Industries. The Type JNA four-axle wagons will be used to carry construction materials. According to VTG the vehicles have a ‘unique and ...
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NewsGermany – China parcels train to run this year
INTERNATIONAL: A pilot eastbound postal service between Duisburg in Germany and Chongqing in China is to be operated in early 2017, after a westbound demonstrator which ran last year showed that rail could be a viable option for the parcels sector. As well as being cheaper than air and faster ...
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NewsIzmir trams start test running
TURKEY: Trams started test running on a 4·3 km section of the Karşıyaka Line in Izmir on December 28, with Mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu on the initial ride. Tests are taking place between Ataşehir and Bostanlı. The whole 8·8 km line is 95% complete, with opening expected in March. Kocaoğlu ...
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NewsAmtrak streamlines management structure
USA: Federal passenger company Amtrak announced on January 5 that it would be rationalising its senior management structure as part of efforts to ‘position itself for an even more competitive future’.President & CEO Wick Moorman has reduced by half the senior management team to create six reporting lines. These are: ...
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NewsComprehensive mobility cuts the mustard
FRANCE: A new operations contract for the Divia public transport network in Greater Dijon came into effect on January 1, with an expanded scope. In addition to managing the bus and tram networks, Keolis will be responsible for cycle hire and car parking. Keolis says that this ‘comprehensive mobility approach’ ...
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NewsDiyarbakır tram project approved
TURKEY: Prime minister Binali Yıldırım has approved the construction of a tram line in Diyarbakır. The city in eastern Turkey has 930 000 inhabitants, with more than 1·5 million in the metropolitan area, but no tram lines. The planned route would link Dağkapı on the edge of the historic ...
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NewsMatterhorn Gotthard Bahn renews shunting locomotive fleet
SWITZERLAND: Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn has awarded Stadler a SFr23m contract to supply seven locomotives of three types for shunting and hauling infrastructure trains. This will enable the metre-gauge operator to retire its older diesel locomotives, standardise its non-passenger fleet and reduce noise and emissions. The contract signed on December 23 ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
In an interview with Schweiz am Sonntag published on January 1, Stadler Rail owner and CEO Peter Spuhler said he was considering a return to Swiss politics and how to go about securing the long-term future of the company. This could include the sale of a stake in the business ...
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NewsAnkara metro Line M4 opens
TURKEY: Line M4 of the Ankara metro network entered passenger service at 14.00 on January 5. The 9·2 km route from Gazino to Atatürk Kültür Merkezi has nine stations. Construction began in 2004 and test running started in August 2016. A further 1·4 km section running south ...
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NewsRevised ERTMS Deployment Plan adopted
EUROPE: A new timetable for the roll-out of the European Rail Traffic Management System has been put in place by the European Commission, with the adoption on January 5 of an implementing regulation. The revised ERTMS European Deployment Plan has been drawn up over the past two years by ERTMS ...
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NewsDSB seeks smoother border checks to halt slump in Øresund traffic
EUROPE: Identity checks for rail passengers travelling across the Øresund fixed link between Denmark and Sweden are to be simplified with effect from January 30, Danish national operator DSB has announced. In response to the European migrant crisis, with effect from January 4 2016 the Swedish government brought in a ...