News – Page 598
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NewsSydney EMU order to cope with growth
AUSTRALIA: A further build of double-deck EMUs for the Sydney Trains suburban network forms the centrepiece of an A$1·5bn capital investment programme announced by New South Wales Transport Minister Andrew Constance on December 1. Designed to provide ‘an urgent uplift in customer service’, the More Trains, More Services programme is ...
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NewsThree Gorges PDL inaugurated
CHINA: The 247 km Chongqing – Wanzhou Passenger-Dedicated Line serving the Three Gorges area and the Yangtze River Economic Belt was opened for revenue operation on November 28. Test running on the route had started on July 16. Operated by Chengdu Railway Bureau using a fleet of CRH2A trainsets running ...
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Metro Report InternationalFunding for Chicago Red Line studies
USA: The Chicago Transit Authority board has approved an amendment to its 2016-20 Capital Improvement Plan which adds $75m for preliminary engineering and a final environmental impact statement for the proposed Red Line Extension. This work is required before CTA can apply for more than $1bn in federal funding which ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
United Wagon Co has completed the sale of 100% of its Vostok1520 freight transport business to Industrial Investors Group’s First Heavy Haul, and is now to acquire a 19·9% stake in First Heavy Haul Co. Systra has raised €117m in debt with Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Société Générale, ...
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NewsVR Group names CEO
Rolf Jansson has succeeded Mikael Aro as President & CEO of Finnish national railway VR Group. Harri Lukkarinen has replaced Ville Saksi as Managing Director of VR Track, while Saksi has taken over as CEO of Länsimetro Oy, the company overseeeing the Helsinki metro extension to Espoo, following the dismissal ...
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NewsWabtec completes acquisition of majority stake in Faiveley Transport
INDUSTRY: 'The acquisition of Faiveley Transport is an excellent strategic fit, expanding our geographic presence, broadening our product and service capabilities, and strengthening our technology and innovation initiatives', said Wabtec Executive Chairman Albert J Neupaver on November 30, when the US-based group completed its purchase of the Faiveley family's 51% ...
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NewsTramwaje Śląskie unveils modernised ex-Frankfurt tram
POLAND: The first of 15 Type Pt trams which Tramwaje Śląskie acquired second-hand from Frankfurt-am-Main has been unveiled following an extensive modernisation. The tram has been fitted with new ends, along with a low-floor centre section built by Katowice company SAG to replace a high-floor module. The tram has been ...
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NewsYoung designers to the fore
CHINA: In a bid to encourage better design and attract young talent into the rail sector, Chinese rolling stock manufacturer CRRC Qingdao Sifang Corp sponsored an international design competition alongside the second International Workshop on Rail Vehicle Industrial Design which it hosted in the Chinese port city on November 16-18. ...
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NewsCRRC confirms plan to buy Škoda Transportation
INDUSTRY: China Railway Rolling Stock Corp confirmed on November 28 that its CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive subsidiary was contemplating the acquisition of Škoda Transportation. CRRC stressed that no binding agreement had been reached. CRRC is understood to be reviewing the finances of the Czech manufacturer, with the details of any ...
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NewsWide-bodied Tulpar-Talgo coaches certified
KAZAKHSTAN: Wide-bodied coaches developed by Tulpar-Talgo for operation in the 1 520 mm gauge region have been certified for use in the Eurasian Economic Union member states of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The certification document was formally handed over in Astana on November 29. The 3 200 mm ...
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Metro Report InternationalTampere tramway construction contract signed
FINLAND: An alliancing agreement for the construction of the Tampere tramway has been signed by the city council and a consortium of VR Track, Pöyry and YIT. Announcing the deal on November 29, the partners said the revised cost estimate for the implementation of the project was €238·8m. The national ...
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NewsWorld rail market November 2016
Austria: Newrest has been contracted to provide snacks, drinks and breakfast services on Nightjet trains. Croatia: HŽPP has introduced online ticket booking and new self-service and hand-held vending machines, working with Scheidt & Bachmann, King ICT and Četrta Pot. Europe: Following a one-year trial, the Nomad Tech joint venture is ...
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NewsAlstom update on Belfort rescue package
FRANCE: Timescales for the government-backed rescue package for Alstom's Belfort plant which had been announced on October 4 were given by Secretary of State for Industry Christophe Sirugue and Alstom Chairman & CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge on November 28. This followed the first meeting of a monitoring committee which was formed ...
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News‘Uneven progress’ with PTC roll-out
USA: Third quarter 2016 data on the implementation of Positive Train Control shows ‘uneven progress across the country and across railroads’, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Releasing data on November 28 which covers the three months to September 30, FRA said PTC was now active on 12% of freight ...
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NewsTraxx approved for the Gotthard Base Tunnel
SWITZERLAND: Traxx locomotives which have been upgraded with the latest EBI Cab 2000 automatic train protection software are now approved for operation in the Gotthard Base Tunnel, Bombardier Transportation announced on November 28. Authorisation has been obtained as a result of ‘close co-operation’ between federal transport agency BAV, infrastructure manager ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market November 2016
China: Bus, car and battery manufacturer BYD unveiled its first monorail at a 4·4 km test track in Shenzhen on October 13. The 80 km/h SkyRail aimed at smaller cities and tourist attractions offers a capacity of up to 30000 passengers/h per direction. The city of Shantou is the first ...
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NewsTalgo wins Spanish high speed train order
SPAIN: Talgo has been selected for a contract to supply 15 high speed trainsets to RENFE and maintain them for 30 years, Minister of Development Íñigo de la Serna announced on November 28. The first of the trainsets from Talgo’s Avril family are to be ready for service in 38 ...
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NewsStadler awarded metre-gauge EMU contract
SWITZERLAND: Wynental- und Suhrentalbahn has awarded Stadler a SFr50m contract to supply five three-car electric multiple-units and spare parts. Entry into service is planned for December 2019, and there is an option for 10 more EMUs. The air-conditioned EMUs will have a maximum speed of 80 km/h. They will be ...
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NewsAfghanistan and Turkmenistan open Lapis Lazuli railway
ASIA: A line running 85 km from Atamyrat in Turkmenistan to the Ymamnazar border crossing point and 3 km onwards to Afghanistan’s border facilities at Akina was officially opened by Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani who ceremonially tightened a golden bolt on November 28. The 1 ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
RheinCargo has taken delivery of the first three of 10 Traxx AC3 Class 187 electric locomotives ordered from Bombardier Transportation. The rest are scheduled to arrive from the manufacturer's Kassel plant by the end of the year. It is reported that services on Syria’s 65 km coastal line between the ...