All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 352
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NewsDigital transport and the challenges of urbanisation
Digitalisation was the key topic of the SITCE conference in Singapore, held for the first time as part of the World Cities Summit.
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NewsFirst Line 3 metro train arrives in Sofia
BULGARIA: Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova and Sofia Metropoliten CEO Stoyan Bratoev have visited the first train for metro Line 3 following its delivery to Sofia. The train was transported by road from Newag’s Nowy Sącz factory in Poland. Each of the three cars was carried on a separate vehicle. ...
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NewsUkrainian Railways locomotives under construction in the USA
UKRAINE: GE Transportation has rolled out the first of 30 TE33A Evolution Series locomotives which it is building for Ukrainian Railways at its plant at Erie in the USA. The final 10% of assembly work as well as painting of the locomotives is to be undertaken in Ukraine under a ...
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NewsLondon Walking Action Plan published
UK: London Walking & Cycling Commissioner Will Norman published the city’s first Walking Action Plan on July 19. The plan is part of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s aim to increase the combined modal share of walking, cycling and public transport to 80% by 2041, from 63% now. The ...
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NewsRotterdam orders 55 electric buses
NETHERLANDS: Rotterdam public transport operator RET has awarded VDL Bus & Coach an contract to supply 55 Citea SLF-120 Electric buses. The 12 m long low-floor buses are due to enter service in Rotterdam, Schiedam and Vlaardingen in late 2019. The batteries will be charged through a roof-mounted pantograph. ...
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NewsIsrael Railways to build cybersecurity centre
ISRAEL: National operator Israel Railways has awarded government-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems a US$8·2m contract for the development of a Cyber Security Operation Centre. This is intended to provide ISR with improved monitoring and control capabilities, and better protection against attempts to penetrate and attack its electronic systems. ...
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NewsAbuja metro starts operation with diesel-hauled trains
NIGERIA: President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the initial section of the Abuja metro on July 12. China Civil Engineering & Construction Corp acted as main contractor, and construction started in 2007. The 27·3 km Yellow Line runs from Abuja station to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and the 18 km ...
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NewsTajikistan – Afghanistan railway construction could start this year
ASIA: Design work has been completed and Tajikistan could begin construction of a cross-border rail link to Afghanistan by end of 2018, the Afghanistan Railway Authority said on July 16. An ARA team led by Chief Executive Mohammad Yamma Shams recently travelled to Tajikistan to discuss the project, and technical ...
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NewsPadma Rail Link project launched
BANGLADESH: The project to build the 225 km Padma Rail Link formally got underway on July 3, following the signing on April 27 of US$2·67bn loan agreement between the government and China Eximbank. Bangladesh Railway and China Railway First Group Ltd had signed a US$3·14bn contract for civil works and ...
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NewsNice transport operator partners with Uber
FRANCE: Nice public transport operator Lignes d’Azur is partnering with on-demand taxi service Uber for a one-year pilot project. Services on tram Line 1 run until around 02.30 but the last buses linking some tram stops with residential areas leave around 20.00. To fill the last-mile gap, ...
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NewsAlstom shareholders approve Siemens Mobility merger
ALSTOM: All proposed resolutions related to the proposed merger of Alstom and Siemens Mobility were approved with majorities of more than 95% at Alstom’s special and combined shareholders’ meetings held in Paris on July 17. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2019, subject to ...
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NewsSBB challenges long-distance concession split
SWITZERLAND: Insisting that ‘legal clarification is necessary’, on July 16 Swiss Federal Railways lodged a formal challenge with the Federal Administrative Court against the decision to split the concession to operate long-distance passenger services. According to SBB, the decision by the Federal Office of Transport to award two inter-regional ...
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NewsSNCF Logistics buys Spanish freight operator
SPAIN: An agreement for SNCF Logistics to acquire Comsa’s stake in private operator Comsa Rail Transport was signed on July 9. The transaction is subject to Spanish regulatory approval. Founded five years ago, Comsa Rail Transport now has a turnover of €32m, nearly 200 employees and operated 19 200 trains ...
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NewsMorgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners aims to increase VTG stake
VTG: On July 16 the Warwick Holding subsidiary of funds advised by Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Inc announced a voluntary public tender offer of €53 per share in cash for all outstanding shares in wagon leasing and logistics company VTG AG. Warwick Holding acquired a 29% stake in Hamburg-based VTG in ...
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NewsNext phase of Firenze tram network inaugurated
ITALY: A tram extension was inaugurated in Firenze on July 16, adding 4·1 km to the city’s sole light rail route. The extension links the former eastern terminus of T1 at Alamanni-Stazione with Careggi-Ospedale to the north. The extension was known during construction as route T3, and ...
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NewsDB Netz introduces ‘green’ driver advisory functions
GERMANY: This month, infrastructure manager DB Netz has introduced ‘green wave’ train running functionality to support the use of connected driver advisory systems. Train operators seeking to improve their energy efficiency have been encouraged to sign up to the service at 0·315 euro cents per path-km. Available on all routes ...
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NewsHitachi signs new Leonardo train contract
ITALY: Hitachi Rail Italy has signed an €87m contract with Milano transport operator ATM for the supply of 12 Leonardo trains for metro Line 2, the supplier announced on July 16. The through-gangwayed trains will be manufactured at HRI’s Reggio Calabria and Napoli factories. Deliveries are due to start ...
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NewsDVV acquires Smart Rail World
INTERNATIONAL: Railway Gazette’s parent company DVV Media International has purchased events and digital media business Smart Rail World Ltd and its subsidiary Global Transport Forum Ltd. The London-based business manages a suite of international events in the rail and transport sector including Smart Rail, Smart Transit, Smart Metro, Safe Rail ...
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NewsEnvironmental approval paves way for Linha do Oeste upgrading
PORTUGAL: National environment agency APA has approved plans for the modernisation of part of the Linha do Oeste which links Lisboa with Louriçal and Figueira da Foz. Being undertaken as part of the government’s Ferrovia 2020 investment programme, the upgrading covers the 87 route-km between Meleças on the Lisboa suburban ...
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NewsBYD wins Oslo electric bus order
NORWAY: Bus operator Nobina has awarded BYD a contract to supply 42 electric buses to operate in Oslo. The 18 m articulated buses are due to arrive in the second quarter of 2019. They will join two BYD electric buses that are already operating in the city on a ...