News – Page 643
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NewsToronto opens Cherry tram extension
CANADA: Vintage trams were brought out for a ceremony on June 18 to inaugurate the first extension to Toronto’s tram network since 2000. Regular services on the 514 Cherry route started the following day. The route follows a newly-built 400 m alignment along Cherry Street running south from King ...
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NewsPesa Link DMU officially handed over to NEB
GERMANY: Pesa officially handed over its first diesel multiple-units for a German customer on June 16. The handover of Link DMUs to Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn at Berlin Friedrichstrasse coincided with a congress marking 25 years since Poland and Germany signed a bilateral co-operation treaty. After the official presentation, two coupled units ...
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NewsRail freight news in brief
The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development and the Silk Road Fund, which has been established to implement China’s Belt & Road initiative, signed a memorandum of understanding on June 15 for institutional co-operation and to inform each other of potential co-investment opportunities. 'Our regions have a funding gap of ...
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NewsCareer Tours at InnoTrans 2016
INNOTRANS: The global rail sector is expanding, meaning companies are constantly in search of talented young professionals. At InnoTrans 2016 students from around the world will be able to participate in Career Tours, taking them directly to the stands of selected exhibitors who wish to make direct contact with ...
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NewsSakhalin gauge conversion to be accelerated
RUSSIA: Russian Railways and the government of Sakhalin have agreed to accelerate the programme to convert the island’s rail network from 1 067 mm to 1 520 mm gauge. The decision to speed up the programme has been spurred by need to replace the life-expired D2 diesel multiple-units built ...
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NewsFinnowagon under development
FINLAND: National railway’s VR freight business VR Transpoint and Austrian company Innofreight have agreed to develop a wagon with a demountable body for use on Finland’s 1 524 mm gauge network. The €10m agreement covers the development of a prototype Finnowagon this year. Once type approval has been obtained ...
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NewsVancouver public transport investment announced
CANADA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Columbia Premier Christy Clark announced a total of C$768m in federal and provincial funding for public transport in the Vancouver area on June 16. Regional transport authority TransLink will provide a further C$125m. The funds form part of the federal government’s C$10bn ...
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NewsFirst C2 metro train enters service in München
GERMANY: The first Type C2 trainset entered passenger service between Kieferngarten and Garching-Forschungszentrum on Line U6 of the München U-Bahn on June 17. Transport operator MVG ordered 21 six-car sets from Siemens in 2010 for €185m. The first rolled out at Siemens’ factory in Wien in April 2013, but ...
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NewsMRCE goes back for more Vectrons
EUROPE: Mitsui Rail Capital Europe has ordered a further 10 Vectron locomotives, Siemens announced on June 17, which will take the leasing company's Vectron fleet to 66. The 6·4 MW multi-system electric locomotives with a maximum speed of 160 km/h will be fitted with ETCS as well as national ...
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NewsBeacon Rail completes Ascendos acquisition
EUROPE: Beacon Rail Leasing announced on June 17 that it had completed the acquisition of Ascendos Rail Leasing, having received clearance from the German competition authorities. The deal to buy Ascendos from Everest Babcock & Brown Opportunities Fund, BOSSAF Rail and the BBSFF EU Rail Lessor subsidiary of ...
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NewsSiemens opens world VAL headquarters in Toulouse
FRANCE: The new world headquarters for VAL driverless light metro systems established by Siemens in Toulouse was officially opened on June 17 by the city’s Mayor, Jean-Luc Moudenc. Occupying 10 000 m2 in the Basso Cambo district in the west of the city, the offices are home to around ...
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NewsMerMec to monitor Finnish infrastructure
FINLAND: Transport agency Liikennevirasto has awarded MerMec a 10-year contract to undertake the inspection and monitoring of its 5 960 km national rail network, with an optional five-year extension. MerMec is to supply and operate a self-contained Roger 800 test car developed specifically for the 1 524 mm gauge network; ...
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NewsDurmazlar’s Green City on test in Bursa
TURKEY: Bursa Mayor Recep Altepe attended the start of passenger tests of new light rail vehicles on the city’s Bursaray network on June 15. The high-floor Green City LRVs have been supplied by local manufacturer Durmazlar. In early 2015 Bursa Metropolitan Municipality placed an order for the LRVs along ...
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NewsPortable ERTMS test equipment
UK: Building on its experience supplying test equipment for the the Thameslink Programme, Comtest Wireless has announced that it is to extend its NetProbe range with portable unattended equipment for testing ETCS and GSM-R voice and data communications. The battery-powered equipment is to be available as carry-on trolleys and ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news in brief
Rail maintenance equipment and overhead crane manufacturer Whiting Corp has acquired LB Foster Rail Technologies' wagon maintenance equipment design and supply activities. 'This acquisition further strengthens Whiting's capabilities in servicing Class I, short line and passenger railroads', said Whiting Corp President Jeff Kahn. 'Through a single phone call the expanded ...
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NewsGetting to InnoTrans 2016
INNOTRANS: A range of services are available to help InnoTrans 2016 exhibitors and trade visitors with travel arrangements and accommodation, including special rates offered by Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa. Shuttle buses will connect the showgrounds with Berlin’s Tegel and Schönefeld airports, and there will be a free transfer service to ...
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NewsRZD signs Indonesian co-operation accord
INDONESIA: Meeting in Moscow on June 7, Russian Railways President Oleg Belozerov and the President of Indonesian Railways Ed Sukimoro signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen co-operation between the two railways. As well as the construction of the new lines, the framework agreement covers joint participation in infrastructure and ...
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NewsJack air skates developed for Hitachi plant
UK: Lloyds Somers and Hitachi have developed air skates which a single operator can use to accurately position high-capacity lifting jacks at Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe rolling stock factory. A ‘side shift’ facility enables the position of the elevated vehicle to be adjusted whilst each jack is loaded. Lloyds Somers says ...
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NewsStation retail sale agreed
ITALY: Meeting on June 15, the board of FS Group and the Eurostazioni consortium formally approved the sale of their respective stakes in the Grandi Stazioni Retail business to Antin Infrastructures, Icamap and Borletti Group. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of July. The retail business ...
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NewsMTR joins FirstGroup’s bid for South Western rail franchise
UK: Shortlisted bidder FirstGroup announced on June 16 that MTR Corp (UK) is to join it in a joint venture to bid for the next South Western rail franchise. The Department for Transport has appoved the agreement, which will see the UK subsidiary of Hong Kong-based transport group MTR take ...