News – Page 644
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NewsBayern minister backs Brenner Base Tunnel link
AUSTRIA: Visiting the construction face for the Brenner Base Tunnel near Innsbruck at the start of June, Transport Minister for the Land of Bayern Joachim Herrmann announced that he would commit to the improvement of approach routes through southern Germany. Herrmann was accompanied by a number of senior figures from ...
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NewsCzech Republic’s longest tunnel broken through
CZECH REPUBLIC: The breakthrough of the Czech Republic's longest railway tunnel was celebrated on June 11, when the 115 m long Herrenknecht Type S-799 tunnel boring machine Viktorie broke through the southern bore of the 4·15 km twin-bore tunnel under the Chlum and Homolka hills east of Plzeň after 16 ...
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NewsŠkoda wins Chemnitz tram contract
GERMANY: Chemnitzer Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft signed a €35m contract with Škoda Transportation on June 14 for the supply of 14 low-floor trams. This marks Škoda’s first tram order for Germany. Škoda is to supply the stainless steel bodied bidirectional ForCity Classic trams between mid-2018 and mid-2019. Each five-section tram with three ...
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NewsNagpur metro general consultant chosen
INDIA: Nagpur Metro Rail Corp has selected a consortium led by Systra and including Aecom, Egis Rail and Rites to act as general consultant for the first phase of the Nagpur metro. Two lines are being built at a cost of Rs86·8bn under a public-private partnership. The ...
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NewsEuregiobahn ring completed
GERMANY: The 6 km Eschweiler-St Jöris – Stolberg line east of Aachen was ceremonially reopened on June 10, followed on June 12 by a day of free travel to highlight the start of the new passenger service. The line had closed to passenger services in 1984 and reactivation required ...
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NewsArriva starts Železnice Desná electric services
CZECH REPUBLIC: Arriva Morava launched regular electric services on the 19 km Železnice Desná regional line between Šumperk and Kouty nad Desnou on June 13. This follows a 3 kV DC electrification project which was completed in November 2015 at a cost of KC377m, co-funded by the European Union. There ...
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NewsDieselnetz Nürnberg contract signed
GERMANY: Bayern railway authority BEG and preferred bidder DB Regio Franken formally signed the Dieselnetz Nürnberg operating contract on June 14. The 12-year contract awarded after an open tender runs from June 9 2019 until June 14 2031 and covers the operation of regional services totalling 3·3 million train-km/year: ...
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NewsTransport for London typeface updated with # and @
UK: Transport for London is to begin rolling out an updated version of its distinctive 100-year old typeface, which is designed to be ‘fit for purpose in environment where digital is as strong as print’ and includes the # and @ symbols for the first time. The original ...
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NewsBerazategui is latest Roca milestone
ARGENTINA: Electric services began carrying passengers between Quilmes and Berazategui on June 13, completing the latest phase of the programme to electrify the Roca commuter route between Buenos Aires and La Plata at 25 kV 50 Hz. Passengers from Berazategui can now reach Buenos Aires in 34 min. Completion of ...
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NewsŠkoda Transportation establishes US subsidiary
USA: Škoda Transportation has established a US subsidiary, the Czech manufacturer announced on June 13. Škoda Transportation USA LLC will be headed by Scott Ellis, who was previously at Kinkisharyo. ‘The establishment of a subsidiary in the USA is the logical result of our strategy towards Western markets’, said ...
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NewsCars delivered from Europe to China by rail
INTERNATIONAL: Luxury and high-end car dealer China Greenland Rundong Auto Group Ltd has taken delivery of its first batch of 82 cars delivered from Europe by rail. A train carrying the cars in containers had left Duisburg in Germany at 22.30 on May 20. A ceremony marked their arrival at ...
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NewsCharles Page
Charles Page has been appointed as President of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers for 2016-17. Business Development Director at Siemens Rail Automation Australia, he succeeds Andrew Simmons of Network Rail.
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News‘Frankenschock’ hits Stadler results
STADLER: The after-effects of the Swiss central bank’s January 2015 decision to remove the exchange rate cap with the euro have hit Stadler, owner and CEO Peter Spuhler said when reviewing the past year on June 13. The ‘Frankenschock’ had brought a ‘massive collapse’ in margins, which Stadler estimates has ...
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NewsDeutsche Bahn signs Chinese agreements
CHINA: Deutsche Bahn CEO Rüdiger Grube signed two memoranda of understanding to undertake projects in China on June 13, during a visit to China by Chancellor Angela Merkel. The first covers the provision of maintenance and repair support to rolling stock manufacturer CRRC. This continues co-operation to optimise high-speed ...
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NewsSNCF stations on Google maps
FRANCE: Station operating and development business SNCF Gares & Connexions has announced a partnership with Google that will see plans of 3 000 stations made available on the company’s Indoor Maps product. In addition, 160 stations will be available on Street View, enabling users to undertake a virtual tour. SNCF ...
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NewsAgreement to revive Mexico – USA Desert Line
NORTH AMERICA: An agreement to fund infrastructure rehabilitation and the revival of freight services on the 110 km Desert Line, in order to connect manufacturing facilities in northern Mexico with southeastern San Diego County in the USA, was announced by Pacific Imperial Railroad and Baja California Railroad on June 9. ...
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NewsHamburg metro refurbishment contract
GERMANY: FWM Fahrzeugwerke Miraustrasse has awarded Vossloh Kiepe a contract to undertake part of the refurbishment of 10 Hamburg U-Bahn DT3 trainsets. Vossloh Kiepe is responsible for the installation of new on-board converters and control unit, as well as overhauling the master controller. The modernisation, being undertaken at FWM’s ...
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NewsMore Moderus trams ordered for Wrocław
POLAND: City transport authority MPK Wrocław has placed an 11·5m złoty order with Modertrans for an additional three Moderus Beta partly low-floor trams, to be delivered in 2017. Last year MPK Wrocław placed a 23m złoty order with Modertrans for six unidirectional trams, with an option for another 16. ...
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NewsTram extension opens in Mannheim
GERMANY: A day of celebrations on June 11 marked the opening of two tram branches in northern Mannheim, with the official start of passenger services the following day. A groundbreaking ceremony for the Stadtbahn Mannheim Nord extension took place on December 3 2012. Serving an area with 32 000 ...
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NewsRail freight news in brief
ČD Cargo, Metrans Rail, AWT, LTE Czechia, RM Lines, IDS Cargo, Unipetrol Doprava, Rail Cargo Carrier and EP Cargo, which together carry 90% of all Czech rail freight, have formed lobbying group Žesnad to focus on improving competiveness with road transport. Aims include lowering the cost of traction energy and ...