All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 248
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NewsFinland negotiates next contract for loss-making passenger services
FINLAND: The Ministry of Transport & Communications and national operator VR have begun negotiations for the next contract to provide socially-desirable passenger services under a public service obligation contract. While most VR services are operated on a market basis, the ministry spends €30m/year purchasing the operation of ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Cargotec Corp subsidiary Navis has entered into an agreement to acquire Melbourne-based freight railway planning and scheduling optimisation software company Biarri Rail by the end of February. ‘Rail freight companies are investing in new digital initiatives in planning in order to increase efficiency and the return on ...
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NewsBrittany Ferries to launch Cherbourg – Spain rail motorway service
FRANCE: Brittany Ferries has announced plans to launch its first rail motorway service in 2021, a 980 km landbridge carrying unaccompanied lorry trailers between the Channel port of Cherbourg and Mouguerre close to the Spanish border near Bayonne. The rail service is intended to complement its ...
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NewsEffects of operating freight trains on high speed lines to be studied
SPAIN: ADIF has commissioned Sener Ingeniería y Sistemas to study the effects of passenger and freight trains passing on mixed-traffic sections of the 1 435 mm gauge high speed network. The 16-month project will include field tests to observe and analyse the aerodynamic forces exerted when 120 ...
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NewsAmtrak’s first Avelia Liberty heads to Pueblo for testing
USA: The first of Amtrak’s next generation of trainsets for Acela Express services on the Northeast Corridor has left Alstom’s Hornell plant in New York state for nine months of dynamic testing at the Transportation Technology Center near Pueblo, Colorado. Following testing, it ...
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NewsCroatian connecting line feasibility study
CROATIA: HŽ Infrastruktura has commissioned a feasibility study for the proposed 19 km Lepoglava connecting line which would run from Lepoglava on the Varaždin – Golubovec branch to Krapina or Sveti Križ Začretje on the Zabok – Đurmanec line. This would provide a more direct route between ...
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NewsNormandie’s inter-city EMUs enter service
FRANCE: The first of 40 Bombardier-built Omneo Premium electric multiple-units procured by SNCF on behalf of the Normandie region entered revenue service on the Paris – Caen – Cherbourg route on February 17.
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NewsDelhi – Meerut Regional Rapid Transit railway works in full swing
INDIA: The government of Uttar Pradesh has allocated Rs9bn for construction of the Delhi – Ghaziabad – Meerut regional express route in the state budget presented on February 18. This follows an allocation of Rs24·9bn in the national budget.
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NewsSmartRail Europe attracts global rail professionals
EVENTS: A cross-section of Europe’s most senior rail professionals will come together in Roma in May at SmartRail Europe, a bespoke conference organised by Railway Gazette Events and supported by Italian national infrastructure manager RFI and the European Union research body Shift2Rail. SmartRail Europe features a comprehensive ...
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NewsGateway Basel Nord secures next phase funding but faces another legal setback
SWITZERLAND: The Grand Council of Basel-Stadt voted on February 12 to approve funding for a loan worth SFr115∙53m to enable construction of a new basin forming part of the Gateway Basel Nord trimodal terminal to go ahead. Known as Dock 3, the 330 m long basin would ...
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NewsKintetsu prepares to launch luxury Hinotori EMUs
JAPAN: Kinki Nippon Railway has started driver training with the first of 11 Series 80000 EMUs that it has ordered from sister company Kinki Sharyo to operate limited express services between Nagoya and Osaka-Namba.
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NewsAlstom agrees to buy Bombardier Transportation
INTERNATIONAL: The signing of a memorandum of understanding for Alstom to acquire 100% of Bombardier Transportation from Bombardier Inc and Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec was announced by the companies on February 17. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2021, ...
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NewsIllegally-closed cross-border railway reopened
EUROPE: The reinstated 19 km railway between Mažeikiai in Lithuania and Rengė in Latvia was officially reopened February 15, when ministers and officials from both countries attended a ceremony to mark the departure of a train carrying oil to Latvia from Orlen’s Lithuanian refinery. ...
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NewsAkiem acquires Macquarie European Rail fleet
EUROPE: Leasing company Akiem Group has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Macquarie European Rail’s rolling stock leasing business, subject to regulatory approval. The transaction includes 137 locomotives used by 21 freight and passenger operators, including EMD Class 66, Bombardier Traxx, Alstom Prima and GE Transportation 311D ...
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NewsHitachi Rail STS awarded VR ETCS contract
FINLAND: Stadler has awarded Hitachi Rail STS a contract to provide onboard train control equipment for the 60 diesel-electric locomotives it is to supply to national railway VR . This will be compatible with ETCS Baseline 3.6 as well as the JKV national train protection system. ...
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NewsAlstom and Bombardier Transportation confirm acquisition discussions
INTERNATIONAL: Discussion are underway for the possible acquisition of Bombardier Transportation by Alstom SA, both companies have confirmed. The French company issued a statement on February 17 confirming that discussions were on-going but no final decision had been made. This was echoed by Bombardier Transportation, which told ...
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NewsADB funds Bangladesh enhancement plans
BANGLADESH: Planning for a major programme of railway upgrading and intermodal transport projects is set to move forward following the approval of a US$42m package of ‘project readiness financing’ by the Asian Development Bank on February 7.
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NewsCertifer enters the German-speaking market
EUROPE: Testing, inspection and certification body Certifer has entered the German, Austrian and Swiss market with the acquisition of railway inspection and certification company Angewandte Eisenbahnteknik. AEbt is based in Nürnberg, has a Swiss office in Olten and is the main shareholder of Austrian notified body ERC. ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Last year 363 842 tonnes of freight passed through the Astara rail terminal on the Azerbaijan–Iran border which opened in February 2018. This was up from 263 976 tonnes in 2018. Traffic comprised wood products (48%), cereals (17%), construction materials (18%) and other goods including fruit, vegetables ...
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NewsWabtec starts work on Bochum brake and coupler plant
Source: Panattoni GERMANY: Wabtec has held a groundbreaking ceremony to launch construction of a 20 000 m2 brake and coupler manufacturing and maintenance factory at Bochum. Source: Wabtec/Patrick Sordoillet The plant is being developed by Panattoni Europe, with completion planned for Q3 2020. ...