All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 417
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NewsTendering to begin for Edinburgh tram extension
UK: Edinburgh city council approved the outline business case for extending the city’s tram line from York Place to Leith and Newhaven on September 21. Tendering will now begin to find a potential contractor, before a final decision is taken in late 2018 whether to proceed. The 4·6 km ...
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NewsSJ to order Snabbtåg high speed train fleet
SWEDEN: National passenger operator SJ is to call tenders for the supply of 30 high speed trains suitable for 250 km/h operation. The procurement has been under discussion for some time, and a final go-ahead for the project was given at the company’s board meeting on September 21. According to ...
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NewsGranada light rail line opens
SPAIN: Services on the light rail line in Granada opened to passengers at midday on September 21. The 15⋅9 km route runs from Albolote in the north to Armilla in the south. Thre are 26 stops, of which three are on a 3 km underground section in the city ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
Direct Rail Services has invited expressions of interest in a contract to design, supply, commission and potentially maintain 10 diesel-electric locomotives for operation on freight and passenger services from Q3 2019. The first of 56 Pendolino trainsets which are to be repainted at Alstom’s new Widnes facility under a £28m ...
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NewsRATP Dev retains Casablanca tram operating contract
MOROCCO: RATP Dev announced on September 18 that it had been awarded a 12-year contract to operate and maintain the Casablanca tram network. The value of the contract, which starts on December 13, was not disclosed. Through its local subsidiary Casa Tram, RATP Dev has been responsible for operating line ...
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NewsISR launches ’Akko – Karmi’el passenger services
ISRAEL: Regular passenger trains began running to the Galilean city of Karmi’el on September 20, with the start of revenue operation on ISR’s 23 km Akko – Karmi’el branch. The double-track branch diverges from the Haifa – Nahariya line between ’Akko and Kiryat Motzkin. Built by Israel Roads Ltd at ...
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NewsČD orders RegioPanter EMUs
CZECH REPUBLIC: National operator ČD has ordered nine Škoda Vagónka Class 650 RegioPanter 3 kV DC/25 kV AC electric multiple-units for delivery by December 2018. This will take ČD fleet of RegioPanter Class 440, 640 and 650 EMUs to 37. ČD intends to deploy the latest batch of EMUs ...
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NewsMinsk – Vilnius corridor electrified
EUROPE: Completion of 25 kV 50 Hz electrification of the route between Minsk and Vilnius was marked with a ceremony on September 16. Work to electrify the final 111 km had begun in September 2015. Work on the 84 km Belarusian section between Maladzyechna and the border near Kena was ...
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NewsAlstom delivers first locomotive bodyshell to India
INDIA: The first bodyshell for the fleet of 800 WAG12 twin-section electric locomotives which Alstom is to supply to Indian Railways was unloaded at Haldia in the Port of Kolkata on September 20, ready for delivery to the factory at Madhepura where the fleet will be assembled. In November 2015 ...
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NewsVirgin Trains launches Seatfrog first class upgrade auction app
UK: In what the inter-city operator claims is a ‘a world first for rail passengers’, Virgin Trains East Coast has worked with travel technology company Seatfrog to launch an iOS and Android app which enables passengers to upgrade standard class tickets to first class by placing bids in an auction ...
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NewsAluminium alloy components increase wagon capacity
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co has obtained certification for its Type 19-9549-02 grain hopper wagon, which uses a high-strength aluminium alloy roof to reduce weight by more than 1 tonne compared to equivalent steel designs while also offering corrosion resistance. This enables to the capacity of the 25 tonne axleload wagon ...
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NewsCoach order and new line agreement signed
BANGLADESH: A contract for Indonesian company PT Inka to supply Bangladesh Railways with 200 coaches was signed on September 14, and was followed two days later by the finalisation of a joint venture agreement for the construction of a new line. The 5·8bn taka coach contract is being financed by ...
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NewsIndustrial Division expands loco fleet
POLAND: Leasing company Industrial Division has signed two agreements to acquire a total of 36 locomotives, which will take its fleet to 170. Under the first deal ID is to take over 31 locomotives currently used by PHU Lokomotiv, including a Pesa Gama Marathon as well as various older electric ...
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NewsHydrogen-powered double-deck train design concepts wanted
CANADA: Greater Toronto transport agency Metrolinx has issued a request for proposals seeking design concepts showing how hydrogen fuel cells could be integrated into double-deck electric multiple-units.Metrolinx plans to commission a number of rolling stock manufacturers to prepare designs and demonstrate the impact that incorporating hydrogen fuel cells into ...
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NewsWorld rail freight news round-up
Extending a partnership first launched in 2015, Swiss telematics specialist Savvy, GPS specialist ScandFibre Logistics and wagon leasing group Transwaggon have announced plans to equip a further 6 000 wagons with Savvy's CargoTrac data transmission tags, adding to the 3 000 already fitted. The partners have also extended their collaboration ...
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NewsPetrochemical exporter plans modern wagon fleet
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co’s bulk freight transport subsidiary Unicon 1520 and petrochemical exporter Avestra Group have agreed to develop the use of modern tank wagons and tank containers to transport liquefied hydrocarbon gases, methanol and other chemicals. Unicon 1520 Executive Director Victor Ivanov said it planned to ‘mobilise a broad ...
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NewsWorld rail market - September 2017
Estonia: This month passenger operator Elron will begin its transition to a ticketing system developed by Ridango which includes terminals for stations and vending machines for use on trains, and also supports online distribution. Contactless bank card payment will be accepted from the first half of 2018. India: ...
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NewsSwiss long-distance concession bids go in
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways and regional operator BLS have submitted separate bids to the Federal Transport Office to run long-distance passenger services under the concession which is due to come into effect from December. The SBB bid includes joint operations with SOB to be managed under a long-term co-operation agreement. ...
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NewsSMRT to run Thomson-East Coast Line
SINGAPORE: Land Transport Authority has selected SMRT for the initial contract to operate and maintain the Thomson-East Coast Line, the authority confirmed on September 15. Running from Woodlands in the north to Sungai Bedok in the east, the 43 km L-shaped route serving 31 stations is expected to open in ...
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NewsAustrian court halts ÖBB coach tender
AUSTRIA: Plans to replace ÖBB’s rolling stock used on daytime inter-city services to Italy and to update its overnight fleet with new trains are in doubt after Austria’s Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht) ruled that the tender process should be stopped. The state-owned operator requires new stock to replace existing EuroCity ...