News – Page 695
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NewsCross-border train ready to live longer and prosper
EUROPE: Translink NI Railways is undertaking a major refurbishment of the three locomotive-hauled trainsets used on the cross-border Enterprise service between Belfast and Dublin. The first completed eight-car set re-entered service on November 16, and all are expected to return to service by the end of the year. The Enterprise ...
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NewsGera seeks tram operator
GERMANY: The city of Gera has invited expressions of interest in a contract to operate tram and bus services, and intends to award an operating contract on October 1 2016. Four organisations are reported to be interested: Transdev, Rhenus Veniro, DB Bus and regional bus operator Regionalverkehr ...
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NewsTracklaying starts on Sulawesi railway
INDONESIA: The first track has been laid on the island of Sulawesi to mark the start of railway fit-out on the 145 km standard gauge route being built from provincial capital Makassar to the port of Pare Pare. The start of tracklaying at Lalabata in Barru regency on November ...
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NewsSEPTA awards light rail CBTC contract
USA: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has awarded Ansaldo STS a $53·2m design-build contract to install communications-based train control on light rail routes 101 and 102, also known as the Media-Sharon Hill Lines. The scope includes civil works and upgrading existing signalling on the 1 581 mm gauge routes totalling ...
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NewsTest train catastrophe on LGV Est
FRANCE: Opening of the 106 km second section of LGV Est-Européenne between Baudrecourt and Vendenheim for commercial services is likely to be delayed, following the high speed derailment of a TGV test train on November 14. SNCF Réseau President Jacques Rapoport told local media that it was ‘reasonable to expect’ ...
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NewsMilwaukee selects Brookville trams
USA: The City of Milwaukee agreed terms with rolling stock manufacturer Brookville Equipment Corp on November 13 for the supply of four Liberty Modern Streetcars to operate its starter line. The $18·6m contract includes options for up to 20 more vehicles. The three-section bidirectional trams will be 20·4 m ...
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NewsDetecting mobile phone use in the cab
USA: Mobile asset monitoring technology company Wi-Tronix has launched a Mobile Phone Detection System which enables railways to monitor train crew compliance with their individual policies on the use of mobile devices in cabs. The Mobile Phone Detection System can identify powered and transmitting devices which are receiving an inbound ...
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NewsAnime-themed Series 500 launched on Sanyo Shinkansen
JAPAN: West Japan Railway officially launched an anime-themed 500 Type EVA Shinkansen trainset into revenue service on November 7, marking the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Sanyo Shinkansen. One of the railway’s nine Series 500 trainsets has been wrapped in a stylised livery to commemorate the 20th anniversary ...
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NewsRail industry news in brief - November 2015
Czech open access operator LEO Express launched a LEO Express Easy feeder bus service between Mukacheve in Ukraine and Košice in Slovakia on October 16, connecting with its trains to Praha.On October 8 transport ministers from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia signed a letter of intent to establish an ...
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NewsSBB orders locomotives with ‘working and waiting’ cabs
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways’ Infrastructure business has awarded preferred bidder Alstom a €175m contract to supply 47 Prima H4 electro–diesel locomotives. The four-axle locomotives are scheduled to enter service in 2018, and will be used to haul infrastructure trains and for shunting in yards at Lausanne and Limmattal. Alstom ...
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NewsNomad Digital and ÖBB agree 10-year onboard connectivity partnership
AUSTRIA: Technology provider Nomad Digital has signed what it says is the world’s largest ‘multi-transport connectivity’ contract to date with Austrian Federal Railways, it announced on November 13. Under the terms of the 10-year framework agreement, Nomad Digital is to equip ‘the majority’ of ÖBB’s passenger trains with onboard wi-fi ...
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NewsGateway Development Corp to lead trans-Hudson tunnel project
USA: Officials from the states of New York and New Jersey announced on November 12 that a governance model has been agreed to take forward plans for an additional rail tunnel beneath the Hudson river between Newark and New York. A four-party entity known as the Gateway Development Corp would ...
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NewsThree shortlisted for Melbourne’s High Capacity Metro Trains contract
AUSTRALIA: Three consortia have been shortlisted for the High Capacity Metro Trains public-private partnership contract to supply and maintain 37 electric multiple-units for Melbourne suburban services, Victoria’s Minister for Public Transport & Employment Jacinta Allan announced on November 9. The shortlisted bidders are: Bombardier (Bombardier Transportation Australia, Macquarie Bank, ITOCHU ...
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NewsTRAN Committee approves technical pillar of Fourth Railway Package
EUROPE: Meeting on November 10, the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport & Tourism approved the trialogue agreement between Parliament, the Commission and Council covering the technical pillar of the Fourth Railway Package. The technical pillar incorporates three legislative measures intended to remove technical obstacles to cross-border operations and expedite ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news in brief
HSH Nordbank, ING DiBa, BAML, DVB, Deutsche Bank, Barclays and ABN AMRO are participating in a refinancing of leasing company Beacon Rail Finance (Europe), which is also pooling its rolling stock portfolios in the UK and continental Europe to simplify its management and finance structures. Tines Capital Group has ...
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NewsAddis Ababa opens second light rail line
ETHIOPIA: The second light rail line in Addis Ababa opened on November 9. The 17·4 km Green Line has 22 stops. It runs east from Ayat to Tor Hailoch, sharing tracks with the north-south Blue Line on a 2·7 km, five-stop stretch between Lideta and Meskel Square. The north-south ...
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NewsDelhi inaugurates Line 2 metro extension
INDIA: A 4·4 km northern extension of Delhi Metro’s Line 2 was inaugurated on November 10. The elevated alignment runs from Jahangirpuri to Samaypur Badli. The three stations are equipped with rooftop solar panels and rain water is collected for reuse. The extension forms part of the Phase ...
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NewsScope of Shaw Report into Network Rail’s future published
UK: HS1 Ltd Chief Executive Nicola Shaw published a document on November 12 setting out the scope of the report into the future structure and financing of infrastructure manager Network Rail which the government has commissioned her to produce. The Shaw Report will look forward around 10 years from ...
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NewsThree EU Rail Freight Corridors launched
EUROPE: The Scandinavian–Mediterranean, Baltic–Adriatic and North Sea–Baltic rail freight corridors were officially launched on November 10. They join six which have been operations since November 2013, completing the EU’s European Rail Network for Competitive Freight. Set up under Regulation 913/2010, the RFCs are a European Commission initiative intended ...
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NewsKyiv receives Elektron tram
UKRAINE: Elektrontrans delivered the first of seven 1 524 mm gauge Elektron trams to Kyiv on November 11. Operator Kyivpastrans placed a 183·75m hryvnia order in July for the trams, which are similar to metre-gauge cars delivered to Lviv last year. Designated as T5B64, the unidirectional 100% low-floor vehicle ...