All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 371
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NewsPraha – Harrachov direct service launched
CZECH REPUBLIC: A weekends-only direct service between Praha and the resort of Harrachov close to the Polish border in the Krkonoše mountains was introduced by national operator ČD on April 14. There are two trains each way on Saturdays and Sundays, offering a journey time of 3 h 15 min ...
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First Amber Train links the Baltic States
EUROPE: The first Amber Train branded intermodal freight service left the Šeštokai transhipment facility in Lithuania for Riga in Latvia and the Paldiski terminal in Estonia on April 19, carrying 43 containers which had originated in France. Operations in the Baltic States were managed by Lithuanian Railways, Latvia's LDz Cargo ...
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NewsSNCB inaugurates Kinkempois workshop
BELGIUM: Celebrations were held in Liège on April 19 to mark the opening of SNCB’s new rolling stock maintenance workshops at Kinkempois. Intended to maintain locomotives, EMUs and coaches, the facility has been developed on the site of a former freight depot, incorporating a wagon repair shop dating back to ...
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NewsToulouse metro project assistance contract awarded
FRANCE: A consortium of Systra and Arcadis has been awarded a systems project management assistance contract for the third line of the Toulouse automated metro. The planned 27 km line with 20 stations would link major centres of employment and offer interchanges with metro Lines A and B, two tram ...
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NewsEuskotren planning high speed commuter services
SPAIN: Basque regional operator Euskotren is planning to launch high speed commuter trains over the 1 435 mm gauge ‘Basque Y’ high speed network linking San Sebastián, Gasteiz-Vitoría and Bilbao. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Metro & Light Rail Congress in Bilbao on April 19, Euskotren Chief Executive ...
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NewsGWR to lease Class 769 Flex 'trimode' trainsets
UK: Great Western Railway has announced an agreement to lease 19 Class 769 Flex electro-diesel multiple-units from Porterbrook Leasing. The four-car Class 769 units are to be produced from refurbished Class 319 dual-system EMUs displaced from Thameslink services by the delivery of new Siemens Desiro Class 700 EMUs. They will ...
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NewsNova 1 trainset for TransPennine Express sets off from Japan
UK: The first of 19 five-car AT300 electric-diesel trainsets which Angel Trains has ordered from Hitachi Rail Europe for use by TransPennine Express has set sail from Japan, the manufacturer confirmed on April 20. The journey to the UK is expected to take two months. The unit will then undergo ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news round-up
The Malaysian Rail Industry Consortium has put forward proposals for the development of an rail-sector industrial park and export hub in Rawang. 'The cluster-based park will involve infrastructure sharing as well as co-operation between companies as it would be a good way to develop the industry further, creating a platform ...
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NewsThales wins Egyptian contract
EGYPT: Egyptian National Railways has awarded Thales a contract to modernise signalling and safety equipment on the 48 km Cairo – Benha section of the main line from Cairo to Alexandria. This builds on ongoing work on the Benha – Alexandria section of the corridor, and will enable the traffic ...
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NewsLuton DART airport peoplemover construction begins
UK: A groundbreaking ceremony on April 17 offically launched construction of the £225m Luton DART peoplemover which will link Luton Airport Parkway station with the airport terminal. Civil works for the 2·1 km line are being undertaken by a joint venture of VolkerFitzpatrick and Kier. The double-shuttle, fully-automated cable-driven ...
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NewsTrenitalia’s first Rock rolls
Hitachi Rail Italy has rolled-out the first Rock double-deck regional electric multiple-unit for Trenitalia. Toma Bačić reports from Pistoia
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NewsKeltbray eyes Canada as UK electrification ‘looks less certain’
CANADA: Construction company Aecon and British engineering and construction firm Keltbray Group have signed a memorandum of understanding with a view to developing a joint venture to bid for rail electrification contracts in Canada. This is Keltbray’s first venture into the international market, having entered the UK electrification sector in ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
GB Railfreight has awarded Alstom a 12-year contract worth £15m to maintain 12 Class 92 locomotives used on Caledonian Sleeper services. The work will be undertaken at Alstom's Wembley depot, securing employment for a production team of five people plus a number of support roles. 'Our new contract with GBRf ...
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NewsMasabi and Chalo target Indian transport ticketing market
INDIA: A partnership to offer mobile fare collection and journey planning technology in the Indian market was announced by Masabi and Chalo on April 18. Indian journey planning and ticketing company Chalo (previously called Zophop) is to integrate UK-based mobile ticketing and software-as-a-service supplier Masabi’s Justride Mobile Ticketing SDK into ...
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NewsSENER to design Porto light rail extension
PORTUGAL: Engineering consultancy SENER has been appointed to undertake detailed design for the planned Metro do Porto light rail Line G. The 2·8 km route would run underground from Boavista/Casa da Música to Praça da Liberdade, with a total of four stations. SENER said the station at Praça da Liberdade ...
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NewsStadler signs Slovenian multiple-unit contract
SLOVENIA: Stadler formally signed its first contract in Slovenia on April 17, a €170m deal to supply 26 multiple-units to national railway Slovenske Železnice. Stadler had been the sole bidder for the contract, which covers 11 Flirt multi-system electric multiple-units, five Flirt diesel-electric multiple-units and 10 Kiss double-deck EMUs. Deliveries ...
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NewsHydrogen locomotive on the Liliputbahn
AUSTRIA: To support its development of a hydrogen fuel cell for use on locomotives, Railway Competence Certification is undertaking a proof-of-concept demonstration on the 381 mm gauge Liliputbahn miniature railway in Wien’s Prater park. Hydrogenics has supplied the fuel cell, which is connected to the battery of a TEMO ...
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NewsHaramain High Speed Rail market study commissioned
SAUDI ARABIA: Haramain High Speed Rail project concessionaire Al-Shoula Consortium has appointed Royal HaskoningDHV to carry out a detailed market study for the line. This is intended to help Saudi Railways Organization predict passenger numbers and needs, and support the development of targeted operations strategies to offer the most ...
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NewsUzbekistan backs Afghan rail proposal
AFGHANISTAN: Uzbekistan has pledged to provide US$500m to part-fund the construction of a 657 km railway from Mazar-i-Sharif to Herat, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Finance said following an international conference on Afghanistan held in Toshkent on March 26-27. The proposed line would be an extension of the existing 75 km route ...
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NewsKeolis restructures to meet ‘strategic challenges’
KEOLIS: French transport group Keolis announced a ‘significant’ changes to its corporate structure and board on April 17, including the creation of a New Mobilities business unit. ‘Keolis needs to be able to improve its overall operational, environmental and financial performance, in order to offer its public transport authorities the ...