All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 281
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News
DB buys Westbahn’s Kiss EMUs
EUROPE: Deutsche Bahn has signed an agreement to acquire Austrian open access operator Westbahn’s fleet of 17 Stadler Kiss double-deck electric multiple-units. Announcing the deal on July 22, the German national railway said Westbahn’s four-car and six-car units had ‘achieved the highest levels of customer satisfaction’; some of the ...
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NewsVectrons ordered for Ceneri Base Tunnel services
SWITZERLAND: Landesbank Baden-Württemberg subsidiary SüdLeasing has awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to supply 20 Vectron multisystem electric locomotives which will be operated by SBB Cargo International under a long-term leasing plan with a flexible term. The order announced on July 22 includes a full-serve maintenance agreement with Siemens Mobility ...
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NewsHigher capacity double-deck coach on test
ISRAEL: National railway ISR has reconfigured three of its Bombardier Transportation double-deck coaches with a revised interior layout designed to provide a 20% increase in capacity per vehicle In order to accommodate more standing passengers, the seats and tables have been removed from the lower deck and replaced with the ...
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NewsGautrain seeks second-hand EMUs from the UK
SOUTH AFRICA: Gautrain Management Agency is planning to obtain second-hand rolling stock from the UK. This follows an abortive tender called in February 2016 for a fleet of 12 new four-car trainsets. Despite three bidders being shortlisted, none of the bids was compliant. After evaluating its options, GMA decided ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
The International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport has published a list of 13 policy measures it would like to see implemented in the 2019-24 EU legislative period. These include transforming the EU Agency for Railway into an EU Agency for Land Transport. ADIF has appointed a joint venture of ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market - July 2019
Belarus: TMH’s Tver works is to supply BC with 14 Type 61-4447.02 platskartny cars, eight Type 61-440.00 sleeping cars and eight Type 61-445.03 sleeping cars with staff compartments. The order is being financed through BelVEBlizing. Europe: Traktionssysteme Austria is supplying traction motors for the 30 three-car M7 metro ...
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market - July 2019
Australia: Laing O’Rourke, Jacobs and Metro Trains Melbourne have signed a A$89m contract to elevate the line at Toorak Road in Melbourne to eliminate a level crossing. e+ Architecture is to plan the refurbishment of Bendigo station in Victoria. Bangladesh: Pandrol is to provide ...
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NewsAuckland City Rail Link contract signed
NEW ZEALAND: The main contract for construction of the tunnels and stations on the Auckland City Rail Link was formally signed on July 19, at an event attended by Transport Minister Phil Twyford and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff.
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NewsShort Line Safety Institute launches leadership programme
USA: The Short Line Safety Institute has launched a leadership programme focused on developing new and experienced railway managers’ soft skills including communication, mentoring and coaching. It combines role play, self-assessment and group discussion of topics including delivering constructive feedback, managing to agreement, coaching, building high performing ...
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NewsNational control centre approved
IRELAND: The construction of a €135m National Train Control Centre to manage the entire Iarnród Éireann network was approved by the Irish government on July 17. The new centre is to be delivered by IÉ, with government funding provided through the National Transport Authority as part of Project Ireland ...
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NewsFuzhou Changle airport lines approved
CHINA: The National Development & Reform Commission has approved the construction of two railway lines to provide access to Fuzhou Changle International Airport in Fujian province. The Fuzhou – Changle airport line will be 58 km long, running from Fuzhou’s main station to Changle Airport via Nantaidao, Changle, and ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
Alstom booked €1·6bn of orders in Q1 to June 30, compared to €2·6bn in the same period last year. Sales increased 2% to €2·1bn, with a decrease in Systems balanced by a growth in Signalling and Rolling Stock. Sales were mainly fuelled by projects in the Middle East, rolling stock ...
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NewsConstruction of Uttar Pradesh line approved
INDIA: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the construction of an 81 km line between Sahjanwa and Dohrighat in Uttar Pradesh. The government said the railway would support socio-economic development in the economically underdeveloped area, which is densely populated but lacks roads. Conversion of the existing ...
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NewsPKP Cargo Vectron in cross-border service
EUROPE: One of PKP Cargo’s Vectron MS electric locomotives has completed a cross-border journey from Poland to Germany and back without stopping at the border, the operator announced on July 11. The loco hauled a demonstration service from Chojnów in Dolnośląskie voivodship to Horka in the German Land ...
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NewsICE4 deliveries to resume
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has resumed acceptance of ICE 4 trainsets with immediate effect, Siemens Mobility and Bombardier Transportation announced on July 17. The national operator had stopped accepting delivery of further ICE4 trainsets in April after Bombardier’s quality management procedures determined that some coach body welds had not been ...
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NewsElectrification goes live in northern Portugal
PORTUGAL: Prime Minister António Costa and Housing & Infrastructure Minister Pedro Nuno Santos attended ceremonies on July 16 to mark completion of two electrification schemes on routes north of Porto. Both projects are part of the government’s Ferrovia 2020 investment plan. A 14·2 km section of the Porto – ...
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NewsSurge arrester to save roof-top space
COMPONENTS: TE Connectivity has introduced the RSTI 68 surge arrester which is designed to be mounted directly on the transformer, saving space on a train roof. The company said roof space is at a particular premium on double-deck trains, and having cleaner rooftop profiles also improves aerodynamics, especially at ...
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NewsMalmbanan resignalling to support ETCS
SWEDEN: Trafikverket has started work on a three-year project to resignal the Malmbanan heavy haul line between Boden and Riksgränsen with digital interlockings and ETCS at an estimated cost of SKr3bn. According to the infrastructure manager, most of the existing interlockings on the iron ore corridor are more than ...
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NewsStudy considers how to assess ‘green’ investment in rail
EUROPE: The European Commission has published a study into criteria used to classify railway assets and activities as environmentally sustainable, and to provide insights into potential ‘greenwashing’. This is intended to facilitate the rail sector’s access to ‘green’ bonds, which the Commission believes could be used to finance a significant ...
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NewsStudy considers how to assess ‘green’ investment in rail
EUROPE: The European Commission has published a study into criteria used to classify railway assets and activities as environmentally sustainable, and to provide insights into potential ‘greenwashing’. This is intended to facilitate the rail sector’s access to ‘green’ bonds, which the Commission believes could be used to finance a ...