All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 381
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NewsUK railway news round-up
Italian open access operator NTV, Spanish national operator Renfe and Transdev of France have obtained pre-qualification questionnaire passports enabling them to express interest in franchise competitions without having to resubmit detailed technical information. Southeastern has announced an enhanced compensation package for passengers stranded on trains during severe disruption at Lewisham ...
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NewsPrivate operator begins services on St Petersburg fast tram route
RUSSIA: Passenger services on the initial phase of the fast tram route in St Petersburg began at 07.00 on March 7, making it the city’s first to be operated by a private operator. Travel is free until the end of the month. The 4·2 km section of the planned ...
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NewsIsrael Railways signs Siemens EMU contract
ISRAEL: A contract worth up to €900m for Siemens to supply to Israel Railways with up to 60 four-car and six-car Desiro HC double-deck electric multiple-units over 10 years was signed in Lod on March 7. This includes a firm order for the supply of an initial ...
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NewsFlixTrain to launch Köln – Hamburg service this month
GERMANY: FlixMobility is to launch a FlixTrain-branded open access service on the Köln – Hamburg route on March 24, taking over the rolling stock formerly used by Hamburg-Köln-Express which suspended operation last year. The Berlin – Stuttgart open access service, originally launched by Locomore and is now operated by LEO ...
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NewsAlstom acquires onboard connectivity company 21net
EUROPE: Alstom announced on March 6 that it had signed an agreement to purchase onboard connectivity and infotainment supplier 21net from the Innovacom fund and other investors. The transaction was expected to close within a month. Founded in 2001, 21net has its headquarters in the UK and subsidiaries in Belgium, ...
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NewsConnectors for onboard data networks
CONNECTORS: TE Connectivity has launched a range of M12 rail connectors offering data transmission rates of up to 10 Gb/sec, with full-metal shells shielding against electrical interference. Applications include data and sensor networks, train door control assemblies and HVAC systems. ‘Our compact new connectors can be assembled quickly in the ...
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NewsVIA Rail fleet replacement funded
CANADA: Funding for the procurement of 32 push-pull trainsets to replace the locomotive-hauled stock which VIA Rail operates on the Québec – Montréal – Toronto – Windsor corridor was confirmed in the 2018 federal budget presented by Minister of Finance Bill Morneau on February 27. The value was not released, ...
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NewsBern tram project funding approved
SWITZERLAND: Voters in Bern have approved the canton’s financial contribution towards the construction of a new tram line to Ostermundigen. The planned 4·2 km line with 12 stops would link Viktoriaplatz in the centre of Bern with Ostermundigen in the east. This would replace most of the existing bus ...
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NewsPleven orders more Škoda trolleybuses
BULGARIA: Škoda Electric announced on February 27 that it had been selected to supply 14 trolleybuses to Pleven. The vehicles will be equipped with batteries to enable off-wire operation, and will augment the 40 trolleybuses that Škoda had previously supplied to the city.
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NewsDoha Msheireb Downtown tramway to open this year
QATAR: A 2 km circular tramway is under construction in Doha’s Msheireb Downtown area with opening planned for September. The tramway will serve a ‘smart city’ which is being developed at cost of US$5·5bn by the Qatar Foundation’s Msheireb Properties business with the aim of reviving Doha’s ...
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NewsAmtrak awarded five-year MARC Penn Line contract
USA: Maryland Department of Transportation MTA has awarded Amtrak a five-year contract to continue to operate MARC Penn Line commuter services on a 124 km route between Washington, DC, and Perryville, Maryland. Amtrak said it had faced ‘strong competitors with excellent reputations’ during the tendering process, and had won the ...
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NewsMoscow Central Diameter rolling stock supplier selected
RUSSIA: Central Suburban Passenger Co selected sole bidder Tver Carriage Works for the contract to supply rolling stock to operate on Moscow Central Diameters on March 5. Central PPK was previously selected to operate service on the RER-style network being developed to link the existing radial rail routes into ...
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NewsMoscow Central Diameter rolling stock supplier selected
RUSSIA: Central Suburban Passenger Co selected sole bidder Tver Carriage Works for a contract to supply rolling stock to operate on Moscow Central Diameter routes on March 5. Central PPK was previously selected to operate services on the RER-style network which is being developed to link existing radial rail ...
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NewsNapier – Wairoa reopening to handle ‘Wall of Wood’
NEW ZEALAND: Timber trains are expected to resume running by the end of this year on part of KiwiRail’s mothballed Napier – Gisborne line in the east of North Island, the operator announced on February 26. The line has been out of use for the past six years, but KiwiRail ...
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NewsCN Chief Executive leaves
CANADA: The board of Canadian National Railway announced on March 5 that President & CEO Luc Jobin would be leaving the company with immediate effect. He had succeeded Claude Mongeau as President & CEO on July 1 2016, having previously been Chief Financial Officer. Jean-Jacques Ruest has been appointed Interim ...
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NewsÖBB presents first Vectron under 200-loco framework
AUSTRIA: The first of 30 Class 1293 Siemens Vectron locomotives ordered by Austrian Federal Railways was formally unveiled at Wien Praterstern station on March 5. In January 2017 ÖBB awarded Siemens a framework contract to supply its Rail Cargo Group freight business with up to 100 AC locomotives, 50 AC ...
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NewsLEO Express plans major expansion
EUROPE: Czech open access operator LEO Express has announced a significant expansion of its services this year, as part of its ambitions to become a major player in the Central European market. On April 1 a thrice-weekly service is scheduled to start between Praha and Kraków, a route which LEO ...
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NewsSydney to get second airport rail link
AUSTRALIA: The federal and New South Wales state governments have agreed to build a rail link to serve the planned Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek, which is expected to open in 2026. Launching the Western Sydney City Deal on March 4, Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull and NSW Premier Gladys ...
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NewsAtlantia buys Goldman Sachs stake in Channel Tunnel concessionaire
EUROPE: Italian infrastructure investor Atlantia announced on March 2 that it had agreed to acquire the 15·49% of the share capital and 26·66% of the voting rights in Channel Tunnel concessionaire Getlink held by Goldman Sachs Infrastructure Partners investment vehicle Aero 1 Global & International. Atlantia would pay €12·40 per ...
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NewsPesa finds outside investor
PESA: Rolling stock manufacturer Pesa confirmed on March 2 that it would enter into exclusive negotiations for the Polish development fund PFR to take a stake in the company. In recent months Pesa has been hit by cash flow problems arising from the early termination of ...