News – Page 642
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NewsAkiem signs framework agreement for 52 Traxx locos
EUROPE: The signing of a framework agreement for 52 Traxx locomotives was announced by leasing company Akiem and Bombardier Transportation on June 22. Subject to financial close, Akiem will place a firm order for an initial 26 locomotives with a list price of €95m to be delivered from 2017. ...
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NewsBaton Rouge votes to fund tram project
USA: In a vote on June 22, East Baton Rouge Metro Council approved funding for the TramLinkBR project. The forecast project cost of $150m is expected to be met partly through federal funding. The proposed north-south route would run 4·8 km from North Street to North Stadium Drive, serving ...
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NewsIndependent freight operator launches in Serbia
SERBIA: Kombinovani Prevoz has become the first independent railway operator to launch freight services since the Serbian railway market was liberalised in January. The first KP train ran from Kragujevac to Lapovo Ranžirna and back during the morning of June 12. Beograd-based KP was founded 20 years ago and ...
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NewsERTMS business case confirmed
EUROPE: A clear business case for the installation of ETCS throughout the nine European core network corridors was confirmed on June 22, during a briefing at the TEN-T Days conference in Rotterdam hosted by the Netherlands Presidency of the EU. A study by EY and INECO looked at the costs ...
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NewsTunnelling starts on Guadalajara Line 3
MEXICO: As leader of the consortium undertaking civil works, Sacyr Construcción has announced the start of tunnelling on the underground portion of the first section of Line 3 of the light rail network in Guadalajara. A TBM named La Tapatía, the colloquial term for a female inhabitant of Guadalajara, is ...
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NewsTrain windows for better mobile reception
GLAZING: Siemens has developed a frequency-selective coating for train windows which is to improve onboard mobile reception by enabling better transmission of radio waves of certain frequencies. The windows will be installed in the fleet of 82 Desiro HC double-deck electric multiple-units that are to enter service in late 2018 ...
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NewsRail projects to benefit from €6·7bn Connecting Europe Facility grants
EUROPE: Railway enhancement projects in eastern Europe are among the main beneficiaries of €6·7bn of European Union funding support, which is set to be approved by the European Commission by the end of July.The Connecting Europe Facility grants are largely focused on supporting the development of key transport corridors on ...
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NewsMidland Metro Wolverhampton extension approved
UK: Powers to extend the Midland Metro light rail line in Wolverhampton were granted on June 21 by Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin. The Transport & Works Act Order will come into force after a statutory six-week standstill period, allowing preparatory work to begin. The £18m project ...
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NewsCamcorder to test Thameslink ETCS
UK: Network Rail is to make use of an ERTMSCamCorder to undertake integrated onsite testing of the ETCS Level 2 equipment being installed as part of the Thameslink Programme. The unit is being supplied by ERTMS Solutions under a contract announced on June 14. Forming a key element in the ...
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NewsTest train from China to the Ruhr
INTERNATIONAL: A trial train carrying containers from the port city of Lianyungang in northeast China arrived at the Container Terminal Herne in the Ruhr region of Germany on June 21. The 11 300 km journey via Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Poland took 17 days. The train was the result of ...
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NewsPanasonic acquires Alan Dick Communications
UK: Panasonic Europe has acquired transport telecoms integrator Alan Dick Communications, including the IPS, AIB, and Rail Order brands. ADComms will form a stand-alone business within the Panasonic Business division. Panasonic said the deal announced on June 20 would provide it with an opportunity to expand into the ‘rapidly ...
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NewsSanying Line turnkey contract awarded
TAIWAN: The New Taipei City Government Department of Rapid Transit Systems has signed a turnkey contract for the Sanying Line in New Taipei City. The ARH consortium is led by Ansaldo STS and includes RSEA Engineering Corp and Hitachi. Ansaldo STS’s €219·8m share of the contract includes the supply ...
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NewsExtend wheel life with Danobat technologies on show at InnoTrans 2016
DANOBAT: Depot equipment for preventive and corrective maintenance of high speed trainsets, locomotives, commuter trains, trams and metro cars will be displayed by Danobat on Stand 601 in Hall 22. Innovations will include a wheel profile measuring system which is combined with wheelset optimisation software and a new range of ...
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NewsSydney metro funding finalised
AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales government announced on June 20 that it is to provide A$12bn towards the driverless Sydney metro project over the next four years. The funds are being allocated under the state budget published on June 21. NSW is to provide A$6·2bn for the City & ...
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NewsKazakhstan orders train ferry
KAZAKHSTAN: National railway KTZ has awarded Croatian shipbuilder Uljanik a contract to supply a train ferry in 2017, with an option for a second which would be delivered in 2018. A new rail-served Caspian Sea port is under construction at Kuryk south of Aktau with opening planned for December. The ...
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NewsReading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad acquires Locust Valley Line
USA: Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad acquired the 9 km Locust Valley Line in Pennsylvania from Locust Valley Coal Co with effect from June 8. RBMN has operated the line from Laurel Jct to Mahanoy City since it was returned to service in 2006, and said ownership means it ...
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NewsMaryland Purple Line receives TIFIA loan
USA: Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced on June 15 that the Purple Line light rail project in the northern suburbs of Washington DC is to receive an $874·6m Transportation Infrastructure Finance & Innovation Act loan. Financial close has now been achieved on the PPP contract for the ...
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NewsCAF selected for Napoli metro contract
ITALY: CAF announced on June 20 that it had been selected for a six-year framework contract to supply 10 six-car trainsets to operate on Line 1 of the Napoli metro, with an option for 10 more. The purchase is financed by public funds amounting to €98m. CAF’s previous contracts ...
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NewsComparisons are difficult, EU rail price and quality study finds
EUROPE: The European Commission’s Directorate General for Mobility & Transport has published a ‘Study on the Prices & Quality of Rail Passenger Services’ which was commissioned from consultancy Steer Davies Gleave. The study looked at how fares and quality standards are set in the 26 EU member states which ...
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NewsRebuilt tram presented in Lviv
UKRAINE: Lviv tram operator Lvivelectrotrans has unveiled its first rebuilt Tatra KT4 tram. The operator says that a second vehicle is 70% complete, and expects to introduce at least four rebuilt trams into service this year. The KT4s were originally built in 1984 and are being modernised at a ...