News – Page 655
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NewsBLS Cargo takes delivery of Vectron locomotives
SWITZERLAND: BLS Cargo took delivery of the first two of 15 Siemens Vectron MS locomotives in Spiez on April 29. Designated Class Re475, they will be subject to ‘intensive’ testing over the coming weeks to obtain certification for use in Switzerland, Germany and Austria ahead of the formal handover to ...
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NewsSJ awarded Mälardalen operating contract
SWEDEN: The Mälardalstrafik joint venture of local authorities has awarded incumbent SJ a contract to operate subsidised passenger services for four years from December 2016. The contract announced on April 28 covers four routes west and southwest of the capital: Svealandsbanan: Örebro – Eskilstuna – Stockholm (– Uppsala);Nyköpingsbanan: Norrköping – ...
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NewsCroatian double-tracking contract signed
CROATIA: A contract for the modernisation and double-tracking of the 38·2 km Dugo Selo – Križevci section of the route from Zagreb to the border with Hungary was signed by HŽ Infrastruktura and a consortium of DIV, Dalekovod and Zagreb Montaža on April 29. The EU is to ...
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NewsDeutsche Bahn awards ICE wi-fi contract
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has awarded Icomera a contract to provide internet access on its fleet of around 260 ICE high speed trainsets by the end of the year, plus more than 100 new ICE 4 trainsets which are on order. Icomera is to supply its X-Series open application and connectivity ...
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NewsThe Fourth Railway Package explained
EUROPE: Tabled by the European Commission in January 2013, the Fourth Railway Package includes six legislative measures aimed at 'completing the Single European Railway Area to foster European competitiveness and growth’. This includes the opening up of domestic passenger services to on-rail competition in all member states, and the ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news in brief
Ticketing technology company Parkeon has appointed Kuwait-based IT firm Coaxial as its fare collection systems partner for the Gulf region. ‘Parkeon has already been involved in numerous public transport automatic fare collection projects in the region, but we see even greater opportunities opening up through the Coaxial partnership as Gulf ...
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NewsEuropean Parliament approves Fourth Railway Package technical pillar
EUROPE: The technical pillar of the Fourth Railway Package which is designed to simplify certification procedures across the EU was approved by a plenary session of the European Parliament on April 28. The technical pillar has been less controversial than the political pillar covering market opening, and the wording ...
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NewsAKN direct award contract
GERMANY: The Länder of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein have announced their intention to directly award incumbent AKN a contract to continue to operate three local passenger routes for a further 10 years from May 1 2017. The contract coverts three routes to the north of Hamburg: A1 Hamburg-Eidelstedt – Neumünster ...
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NewsPerth airport rail link contract signed
AUSTRALIA: Public Transport Authority of Western Australia announced on April 28 the finalisation of the A$1·176bn contract to build the Forrestfield-Airport Link in Perth. A joint venture of Salini Impregilo and NRW was selected as preferred bidder in February. It will build 8 km of twin bore tunnels and ...
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NewsRiga orders more Škoda trams
LATVIA: Rīgas Satiksme has signed a €62·6m contract with Škoda Transportation for the supply of 20 low-floor trams, the operator announced on April 27. Deliveries are to take place in 2017, and the trams are to be used on Route 4 of the 1 524 mm gauge network. Škoda ...
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NewsDisney comes to the Shanghai metro
CHINA: A metro station serving Shanghai’s new Disney Resort opened on April 26. The underground station becomes the eastern terminus of Line 11 and is connected to the theme park’s northern entrance. With a concourse of 40 000 m2, the station is about four times the size of a ...
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NewsMore rolling stock planned as ÖBB traffic grows
AUSTRIA: Announcing Austrian Federal Railway’s financial results for 2015 on April 22, Chief Executive Officer Christian Kern reported that this was the sixth consecutive year when financial performance had improved. Total revenue of €6 345m was slightly lower than 2014, with EBT of €192·8m, up from €171·7m the previous ...
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NewsGrowth slows at Stagecoach
UK: ‘The outlook for the UK rail industry is more challenging than it was at this time last year’, said Stagecoach Group plc on April 27, when it published a pre-close trading update for the year to April 30 2016. ‘Although growth trends continue to vary across the different parts ...
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NewsEdmonton Valley Line groundbreaking
CANADA: Mayor of Edmonton Don Iveson attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the city’s Valley Line light rail project on April 22. The 13·1 km first phase is due to open in late 2020 and will link 102 Street in central Edmonton with Mill Woods to the south. Stage 1 ...
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NewsNewcastle light rail shortlist
AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales government announced the shortlist for the fixed infrastructure contract for the Newcastle light rail project on April 27. The contract is expected to be awarded later this year. The shortlisted bidders are: CPB Contractors;Downer EDI Works;John Holland;Laing O’Rourke Australia Construction;McConnell Dowell Constructors. ‘The ...
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NewsLondon – Reading resignalling and power supply contracts awarded
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail has awarded Alstom a contract for the final stage of resignalling the London Paddington – Reading section of the Great Western Main Line. Amey has been awarded a separate contract to provide a ‘resilient’ power supply system for signalling equipment. The contracts announced on April ...
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NewsSecond München S-Bahn tunnel approved
GERMANY: The Federal Railway Authority has granted approval for the second S-Bahn tunnel in München to be built. The approval of the eastern section follows earlier approval of the remaining two sections. The project is expected to cost around €3bn and is not yet financed. Opening could take place ...
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NewsJakarta airport train order
INDONESIA: The PT Raillink joint venture of national railway PT Kereta Api and airport operator PT Angkas Pura II has awarded a consortium of local rolling stock manufacturer PT Inka and Bombardier Transportation a €66m contract to supply 10 six-car electric multiple-units for the future Jakarta airport rail link. The ...
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NewsIndustry leaders gather as European Rail Summit begins
EUROPE: Industry leaders and policymakers from across the European rail sector will gather in Brussels on April 27-28 for the second European Rail Summit, organised by the Railway Gazette Group and hosted by the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria to the European Union. With the provisional agreement of ...
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NewsMongolian iron ore line opened
MONGOLIA: Parliamentary Speaker Zandakhuu Enkhbold has officially opened a 33·4 km rail connection to the Tumurtei iron ore mine development, which is around 200 km north of Ulaanbaatar. The line will be used to transport ore to the Darkhan Metallurgical Plant, with traffic expected to grow from an initial 1 ...