News – Page 692
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NewsHangzhou extends metro Line 1
CHINA: A 5·7 km extension of Hangzhou metro’s Line 1 opened on November 24, exactly three years since the inauguration of the city’s first metro line. The new section runs from the former eastern terminus of Wenze Road to Xiasha District with two intermediate stations. It underwent a period ...
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NewsKuala Lumpur about to receive Innovia trainset
MALAYSIA: The first of 14 driverless Innovia metro trainsets ordered as part of the project to extend Kuala Lumpur’s Kelana Jaya Line is due to arrive at Port Klang in the first week of December. Prasarana placed the order with a consortium of Bombardier and Hartasuma. The first set ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news in brief
Export-Import Bank of China agreed on November 19 to provide a 500bn yuan line of credit and to provide policy and international experience to support China Railway Corp with planned expansion in the global rail infrastructure project market. Nomad Digital announced on November 23 that it had completed a £4m ...
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NewsEdmonton selects Valley Line contractor
CANADA: The city of Edmonton has selected the TransEd Partners consortium to design, build, operate, maintain and finance the first stage of the Valley Line light rail project. The consortium comprises Fengate Capital Management, Bechtel, Ellis-Don, Bombardier, Transdev, Arup and IBI Group. TransEd Partners beat two other bidders. The ...
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NewsAlstom buys stake in South African rolling stock business
SOUTH AFRICA: Alstom announced on November 26 that it had signed an agreement to buy a 51% stake in rolling stock refurbishment company Commuter Transport & Locomotive Engineering from Commuter Transport Engineering and Industrial Development Corp, which will remain as minority shareholders. An employee benefit scheme will also be created. ...
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NewsRio tram starts test running
BRAZIL: Test running with passengers started on the central section of the VLT Carioca tram route in Rio de Janeiro on November 21. Mayor Eduardo Paes was among those on the inaugural tram. The first phase from Santos Dumont Airport to Rodoviária Novo Rio is due to open in ...
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NewsBoard quits as cabinet approves FS privatisation
ITALY: The entire Administrative Board of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane has resigned, the national railway announced on November 26. A meeting to elect a new board is to be held as soon as possible. The move follows a decision by the Council of Ministers on November 23 to approve initial ...
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NewsRZD International signs Iranian electrification contract
IRAN: Russian Railways subsidiary RZD International signed a contract to electrify the 495 km route from Garmsar on the Tehran – Mashhad line to Incheh Borun on the border with Turkmenistan during a visit by Russian’s President Putin to Tehran on November 23. The 36-month contract is worth an estimated ...
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NewsHendy revises Network Rail project timescales as costs rise
UK: The cost of Network Rail’s infrastructure enhancement programme for 2014-19 has increased from £12·8bn to £15·3bn, according to a review by new Chairman Sir Peter Hendy which was published on November 25. He insisted that all of the planned works would still be completed, although some schemes will be ...
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NewsEversholt awards ETCS First in Class contract
UK: Leasing company Eversholt Rail has awarded Alstom’s signalling business SSL a contract for the trial installation of ETCS equipment on a Class 365 electric multiple-unit operated by Govia Thameslink Railway. The contract includes an option for the conversion of the remaining Class 365 EMUs ahead of full ETCS Level ...
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NewsČD loses Škoda Transportation locomotive battle
CZECH REPUBLIC: An arbitration court issued its ruling on a protracted dispute between national railway ČD and Škoda Transportation over the late delivery of 20 Type 109E Class 380 multi-voltage electric locomotives on November 16. The court ruled in favour of Škoda Transportation, rejecting ČD’s claim for compensation and saying ...
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NewsDublin orders nine-section trams
IRELAND: Transport Infrastructure Ireland placed a €36·5m order for seven Alstom Citadis trams on November 25. To be built at Alstom’s La Rochelle factory, the trams are to be delivered in time for the opening of the Luas Cross City extension of the Green Line at the end of ...
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NewsThree Rail Baltica funding agreements signed
EUROPE: Three grant agreements for the Rail Baltica project with a total value of €734m were signed by the EU's Innovation & Networks Executive Agency in Tallinn on November 24. The grants have been awarded under the 2014 call for Connecting Europe Facility funding, and cover planning and construction works ...
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NewsNorthern Line extension breaks ground
UK: Mayor of London Boris Johnson officially launched construction of an extension of London Underground’s Northern Line on November 23. The 3·3 km extension from Kennington to Nine Elms and Battersea is due to be completed in 2020. Boring of twin tunnels is due to begin in early 2017 ...
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NewsGold Coast tram option exercised
AUSTRALIA: Bombardier Transportation is to supply four additional Flexity trams to the Gold Coast under a A$25m contract announced on November 25. The order forms an option that was part of the original contract signed in 2011 between the Queensland government and the GoldlinQ consortium of KDR Gold Coast, ...
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NewsBeijing metro traction equipment contract awarded
CHINA: Alstom and its local joint venture Shanghai Alstom Transport Electrical Equipment Co have won a €27m contract to supply traction equipment for 160 metro cars for Phase 3 of Beijing metro Line 6. The rolling stock is being supplied by CRRC’s Changchun division and is expected to enter ...
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NewsStrong interest in Kuala Lumpur - Singapore high speed line
ASIA: The land transport authorities of Malaysia and Singapore received 98 responses to their request for information for the Kuala Lumpur – Singapore High Speed Rail project, SPAD and LTA jointly announced on November 25. The proposed 330 km line would offer a 90 min journey time. The RFI was ...
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NewsTransnet tests diesel and electric locos
SOUTH AFRICA: Transnet Freight Rail has taken delivery of the first of 233 Class 44 diesel locomotives ordered from General Electric in March 2014. The order was one of four placed at the time for a total of 1 064 locomotives. Four Class 44 locomotives, each rated at 3 120 ...
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NewsNAO identifies emerging risks to franchising
UK: There are ‘emerging risks’ to achieving value for money, the National Audit Office warns in its report on the Department for Transport’s management of the passenger rail franchising programme which was published on November 24. These include uncertainty around infrastructure projects, a reduction in market interest and ‘stretched’ resources ...
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NewsRENFE seeks 30 high speed trains
SPAIN: National operator RENFE has invited expressions of interest in a contract to supply up to 30 high speed trainsets, setting a budget of €2⋅64bn including maintenance over 40 years. It is hoped to award the contract before June 2016, enabling the new fleet to enter service ‘as soon as ...