News – Page 697
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NewsLow-emission locos enter service in Chicago
USA: Government officials joined Norfolk Southern at 47th Street intermodal yard in Chicago on November 5 to inaugurate a fleet of remanufactured low-emission diesel shunting locomotives. Intended to offer cut particulate emissions by 76% and reduce NOx pollutants, the GP33ECO locomotives are remanufactured from EMD GP50 locomotives repowered with ...
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Newsc2c offers contactless payment wristbands
UK: Essex to London commuter operator c2c has offered free contactless payment wristbands to selected passengers. The bPay by Barclaycard wristbands contain a contactless chip which can be used to pay for travel within London and at certain other c2c stations, in the same way as a contactless bank card ...
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NewsEU invites proposals for next round of Connecting Europe Facility funding
EUROPE: The European Commission has issued its second call for proposals under the 2014-20 Connecting Europe Facility, with €7·6bn available to co-fund projects which will improve EU transport infrastructure. Rail-specific focuses in the latest call include funding for projects on the nine designated Trans-European corridors, for interoperability and for ERTMS. ...
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NewsMilano welcomes new M2 metro train
ITALY: The first of 10 Leonardo trainsets for metro Line M2 in Milano entered service on November 4. Transport operator ATM ordered 30 six-car trainsets from AnsaldoBreda in 2012. The €220m cost is coming from ATM’s funds, including a loan from the European Investment Bank. The order was a ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news in brief
Swedish infrastructure control technology supplier Cactus is to move to larger premises and take on more staff, after winning a €10m subcontract from Alstom which is to supply and maintain a €66m Iconis traffic management system covering the entire Trafikverket rail network. On November 4 local company Cablex and railway ...
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NewsEurostar sale ‘represented value for money’ says NAO
UK: On November 6 the National Audit Office published a report into the £757·1m sale of the UK's interest in cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar International, concluding that the government achieved its objective of maximising proceeds and that the sale represented value for money for taxpayers. However, Meg Hillier ...
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NewsFirst Traxx AC Last Mile locos for Scandinavia ordered
EUROPE: On November 5 Bombardier Transportation announced the signing of a contract to supply leasing company Railpool with 18 more Traxx electric locomotives with a list value of €75m, including the first Traxx AC Last Mile locomotives for use in Scandinavia. The order includes five Traxx MS multi-system locomotives for ...
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NewsBombardier opens Indian railway control systems office
INDIA: Bombardier Transportation has opened a Rail Control Solutions engineering and product development office in Gurgaon, near Delhi. The site will have a particular focus on product development, testing, networking and cybersecurity. The company had already opened a dedicated rail control project delivery centre in Gurgaon in 2014. ‘We ...
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NewsChinese company awarded Montenegro rail upgrading contract
MONTENEGRO: Infrastructure manager ZICG has awarded China Civil Engineering Construction Corp a 15-month contract to undertake track and infrastructure renewals on the 9·9 km Kolašin – Kos section of the route from the Serbian border to the port of Bar, along with 2·4 km of track renewals at Kos station. ...
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NewsC$9·1bn Eglinton Crosstown light rail contract signed
CANADA: Infrastructure Ontario, transport authority Metrolinx and preferred bidder Crosslinx Transit Solutions signed the C$9·1bn fixed-price construction and maintenance contract for Toronto’s Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit project on November 3. Opening is scheduled for 2021. Crosslinx was named preferred bidder on June 9. The consortium comprises ACS Infrastructure Canada, ...
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NewsState Secretary replaced after damning Fyra report
NETHERLANDS: Sharon Dijksma was appointed as State Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure & Environment with effect from November 3. Reporting to Infrastructure Minister Melanie Schulz Verhagen-Maas Geesteranus, she replaces Wilma Mansveld, who resigned last week following the publication of a critical report into the Fyra high speed train debacle. ...
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NewsVossloh Rail Vehicles sold to Stadler
EUROPE: German track components and rolling stock manufacturer Vossloh AG announced on November 4 that its Executive Board had signed a contract for the sale of its Rail Vehicles business unit in Spain to Stadler Rail AG of Switzerland. Subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities, the deal is ...
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NewsWarszawa metro extension contractors selected
POLAND: Metro Warszawskie has selected contractors to build two extensions of metro Line 2 in the capital. Gülermak is to undertake work on a 3·5 km western extension with three stations for 1·15bn złoty. A 3·1 km eastern extension, also with three stations, is to be built by Astaldi ...
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NewsLocomore plans crowd-funded open access service
GERMANY: Plans to use crowd funding to launch a Berlin – Stuttgart open access passenger service in September 2016 have been announced by Locomore. The company says it needs a minimum of €450 000 to cover start-up costs including leasing locomotives and coaches and recruiting staff, and it has ...
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NewsWeekly Shenyang – Hamburg train launched
INTERNATIONAL: As part of the United Transport & Logistics Co joint venture of the national railways of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, RZD Logistics subsidiary Far East Land Bridge launched a weekly block train service from Shenyang to Hamburg on October 30. FELB has operated an eastbound service since 2008, ...
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NewsUnited Wagon Co awarded first tank wagon contract
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co’s TikhvinChemMash tank wagon business has won its first order, covering the supply of 105 methanol tanks to chemical company Metafrax. Production is to begin by the end of the year, with entry into service planned for 2016. Announcing the contract on November 3, UWC said the ...
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NewsŁódź opens tram extension
POLAND: A extended and modernised Route 10 of the Łódź tram network was inaugurated on October 31. The first tram on the new route ran at 04.44; it was a Bombardier CityRunner, as the Pesa Swing trams ordered for the main east-west axis will only be delivered in December. ...
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NewsHungarian company builds tram for Africa
ETHIOPIA: A prototype tram for the African market has been delivered to Addis Ababa by Hungarian company Dunai Repülőgépgyár. DR intends to carry out series production in Ethiopia using Hungarian components, and is in talks with Ethiopian state-owned Metals & Engineering Corp about constructing a test track. It is ...
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NewsGoogle backs Indian station wi-fi roll-out
INDIA: As part of a strategy to widen access to the internet, Google has announced a project to provide high speed public wi-fi at 400 Indian Railways stations. Google is to work with telecoms company RailTel, which provides internet services via its lineside fibre network. Google aims to provide ...
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NewsHitachi completes Ansaldo deal
INTERNATIONAL: Finmeccanica and Hitachi announced on November 2 the 'closing of transactions' covering the acquisition by Hitachi of AnsaldoBreda and Finmeccanica’s 40% stake in Ansaldo STS. Having acquired the largest shareholding in the signalling business, Hitachi will now launch a mandatory tender offer for all the remaining shares, in accordance ...