News – Page 69
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In depthSafety: Spending grows as Indian Railways plans national signalling upgrade
Responding to the horrific three-train accident in Odisha on June 2, Indian Railways has announced a massive overhaul of its signalling assets, and begun qualifying potential suppliers for a national programme of modernisation and resignalling works. Raghu Dayal investigates.
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NewsAir + High-Speed Rail project launched
INTERNATIONAL: An Air + HSR research project has been launched to analyse and improve the co-ordination of air and rail transport in Europe, the USA and China. The project aims to develop practical approaches improve services, enhance infrastructure and implement regulatory changes in order to maximise ...
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NewsNS deploys digital inspection portals to spot wagon problems
USA: Norfolk Southern has begun deploying digital train inspection portals which use machine vision to identify faults on moving wagons. The portals have been developed under a joint project between the railroad’s Data Science/Artificial Intelligence and Mechanical teams and the Georgia Tech ...
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NewsAmtrak introduces revised fare structure
USA: National passenger operator Amtrak has introduced a simplified fare structure which President Roger Harris said would offer passengers ‘more affordable and flexible’ travel options. The operator has reduced the number of basic fare types from three to two, with the aim of providing a more ...
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In depthItaly: Accelerating ERTMS deployment offers great benefits
Italian infrastructure manager RFI has launched an accelerated programme to equip the entire national network with ETCS by 2036. National ETCS Project Manager Nazzareno Filippini explains the thinking behind the strategy.
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Metro Report InternationalFirst phase of Singapore Rail Test Centre completed
SINGAPORE: Land Transport Authority has completed the first phase of the Singapore Rail Test Centre, which it said is the first train testing facility in Southeast Asia and enables the ‘rigorous’ round-the-clock testing and commissioning of equipment for new and existing metro lines. The SRTC, previously ...
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Rail Business UKFreight operator trials brake monitoring technology
UK: GB Railfreight has completed a four-week test of technology developed in collaboration with Icomera, DG8 and SENSEi which uses battery-powered remote sensors to share status and out-of-tolerance alerts with drivers and control centres during rolling stock pre-checks. Drivers receive sensor data directly to an app ...
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NewsGotthard Base Tunnel repairs could take until September 2024
Photo: SBB SWITZERLAND: The 57 km Gotthard Base Tunnel may not fully reopen until September 2024, 13 months after a derailed freight train badly damaged the track in the western bore. In an update on November 2 Swiss Federal Railways said the damage to the world’s ...
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NewsICE 3neo interior offers ‘living room atmosphere and comfort at 300 km/h’
GERMANY: The first of Deutsche Bahn’s ICE 3neo high speed trainsets to be fitted with a redesigned interior has entered passenger service. Siemens Mobility is supplying DB Fernverkehr with a total of 90 ICE3neo trainsets. The first 16 which began entering service from December 2022 have ...
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NewsGauteng and Eastern Cape suburban services restored
SOUTH AFRICA: Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa has restarted services on the Pretoria – Kempton Park suburban rail line in Gauteng province, and reintroduced a limited service on the Gqeberha – Uitenhage line in Eastern Cape province. Local rail services across the country had been ...
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NewsDanish locomotive and wagon workshop opened
DENMARK: Freight operator DB Cargo Scandinavia has opened a locomotive and wagon maintenance workshop in Fredericia. The operator expects to create 40 jobs at the site, which will repair and maintain its fleet of 52 locomotives and hundreds of wagons. Tools include the use of augmented reality ...
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NewsPandrol launches Common Interface to futureproof non-ballasted track
INTERNATIONAL: Pandrol has launched a Common Interface System for ballastless track, so that the fastenings can be adapted quickly and affordably to meet changing performance requirements.
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NewsSJ to run Stockholm Pendeltågen as MTR withdraws
SWEDEN: Regional transport authority Storstockholms Lokaltrafik has reached agreement for state-owned passenger operator SJ AB to take over the operation of Stockholm’s Pendeltåg commuter services with effect from March 3 2024.
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NewsNamibian railway modernisation loan approved
NAMIBIA: The African Development Bank has approved a US$196·4m loan to support the second phase of Namibia’s Transport Infrastructure Improvement Project. The loan approved on October 31 will cover 51·8% of the total cost, leaving the Namibian government to provide the remaining 48·2%. The project aims ...
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NewsPesa selected to supply 62 EMUs to Romania
ROMANIA: Railway reform board ARF announced on October 30 that it had selected Pesa Bydgoszcz to supply 62 electric multiple-units for use on regional services. A contract worth between 3·2bn and 4·2bn lei is to be signed following the standstill period when losing bidder Alstom can ...
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In depthComment: UK turns its back on rail growth
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to abandon the remaining phases of the High Speed 2 programme reflects the UK government’s growing antipathy to rail investment and equivocation about climate targets, leaving Britain’s railway without a clear plan for future expansion.
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NewsPilbara heavy haul battery locomotive unveiled
AUSTRALIA: A FLXdrive battery-powered heavy haul locomotive for iron ore mining company Roy Hill has been unveiled at Wabtec’s factory at Erie in the USA. ‘This FLXdrive locomotive represents a major step in the journey to a low-to-zero-emission future’, said Wabtec President & CEO Rafael Santana ...
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NewsNijmegen – Roermond upgrading and electrification contract awarded
NETHERLANDS: Infrastructure manager ProRail has awarded Swietelsky Rail Benelux a contract to upgrade, partly double-track and electrify the 88 km Nijmegen – Roermond line. The Maaslijn is one of the longest and most intensively used diesel-operated single-track lines in the Netherlands, with the Arriva-operated services carrying ...