All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 640
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NewsFirst Hitachi IEP trainset sets off for the UK
UK: The first pre-series Class 800 trainset ordered under the Intercity Express Programme left Hitachi’s Kasado plant in Japan on January 7 for delivery to the UK. It is scheduled to be shipped from the port of Kobe on January 22 and arrive in the UK in March. The five-car ...
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NewsWagon leasing company acquisition completed
EUROPE: Wagon leasing and logistics group VTG AG completed the acquisition of Swiss leasing company Ahaus Alstätter Eisenbahn Holding AG on January 6, following approval from the competition authorities in Germany, Austria, Poland and Russia. ‘I am delighted that we have been able to take this step just three months ...
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NewsGroundbreaking launches California high speed line construction
USA: California High-Speed Rail Authority held a groundbreaking ceremony at noon on January 6 to officially ‘commemorate the start of sustained construction’ of the state’s high speed line. During the event, Governor Jerry Brown and other dignitaries signed a ceremonial section of rail at the site of the future Fresno ...
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NewsŁódź signs tram contract with Pesa
POLAND: MPK Łódź signed a contract with Pesa on December 30 for the supply of 22 Swing trams. The transport authority says that this is one of the largest tram tenders in the city’s history. Pesa was selected over Solaris, which was the only other bidder. The five-section unidirectional ...
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NewsHyundai Rotem selected for Istanbul metro contract
TURKEY: Hyundai Rotem has been selected to supply 17 four-car metro trainsets to operate Istanbul Line M2 under a €77·5m contract. The Korean company’s bid was selected by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality ahead of a lowed priced offer from CNR Changchun. The cars are to be built in Adana by ...
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NewsDoha metro Gold Line financing finalised
QATAR: A 3·65bn riyal syndicated financing package for the construction of the Doha metro Gold Line has been finalised, Barwa Bank announced last month. The bank said this was the ‘largest infrastructure syndication in Qatar to date.’ Last year project promoter Qatar Rail awarded the ALYSJ joint venture a €3·2bn ...
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NewsAtlanta Streetcar enters service
USA: Tram services in Atlanta started on December 30 following an opening ceremony for the Downtown Loop circulator at 11:00. Travel will be free for the first three months of service. The 4·2 km standard gauge street running line with 12 stops links the Martin Luther King Jr National ...
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NewsGuangzhou tram line opens
CHINA: The fifth modern tram line in China opened on December 31 in Guangzhou. The 7·7 km east-west Haizhu Line with 11 stops is first phase of a planned circular route in Haizhu district. The standard gauge line runs along the south bank of the Pearl River, connecting Canton ...
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NewsWest Island Line opens to passengers
CHINA: Hong Kong’s West Island Line extension was opened for revenue service on December 28, when passengers joined MTR Corp Acting Chief Executive Officer Lincoln Leong a for ribbon-cutting ceremony on the station platform at Kennedy Town station. To mark the start of services, a formal inauguration ceremony was ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news in brief
Systra has acquired Indian transport, building and environmental engineering consultancy SAI, which has 600 staff and turnover of €11m. The deal will ‘enrich Systra’s expertise in the field of railway design’, according to Systra board member Bruno Schmitt, and ‘give Systra the critical mass necessary to become a major player ...
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NewsBuenos Aires metro to be driverless
ARGENTINA: Preliminary engineering work has started on Buenos Aires metro Line F, with construction of the first phase expected to begin in 2017. The initial section would connect Constitución with Callao/Santa Fe, with a planned extension to Facultad de Derecho. Ridership is forecast at 500 000 passengers/day. Services would ...
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NewsRail industry news in brief - January 2015
Tajikistan’s Ministry of Finance and Ex-Im Bank of China have signed a credit agreement to complete the 40·7 km Vahdat – Yovon section of the Dushanbe – Qurghonteppa line by 2016. Indian Railways is planning to expand the use of RFID technology for wagon identification, following a successful pilot ...
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NewsPKP Cargo agrees to buy 80% stake in AWT
CZECH REPUBLIC: Polish state rail freight operator PKP Cargo announced on December 30 that it had agreed to buy a controlling stake in Advanced World Transport as part of its plans for expansion in central and eastern Europe. The Netherlands-registered company is the largest open-access rail freight operator in the ...
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NewsRedesigning wagons
SWEDEN: A year-long research project to enhance the design of a Kiruna Wagon mineral hopper concluded at the end of 2014. The project saw the wagon manufacturer collaborate with students from Luleå University of Technology as part of an effort to reduce the tare weight of the side-dumping wagons used ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - January 2015
Colombia’s National Infrastructure Agency has invited expressions of interest in a 44 km light rail line in Bogotá. This is envisaged to be built under a PPP contract by 2018. The Inter-American Development Bank is to provide US$750m and CAF US$150m for the construction of Lima metro ...
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NewsFeature articles in the January 2015 issue of Railway Gazette International
Comment Time to be ambitious again News Main Line Urban Rail Market Industry Innovations Pointers Analysis JR Kyushu flotation in prospect Danish IC4 DMU saga rumbles on Asian rivals eye Kuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed contracts Europe Creeping towards a messy compromise? ...
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NewsRailway Gazette International 2015 Digital Archive
Download individual issues of Railway Gazette International from 2015.
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NewsCNR and CSR agree merger terms
CHINA: In a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange on December 30, the two state-owned rolling stock manufacturers China CNR Corp and CSR Corp confirmed that they had agreed terms for a merger to create the world’s largest rail vehicle supplier, subject to final ratification by the State Council. The ...
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NewsChinese cities open 10 more metro lines
CHINA: No fewer than eight new metro lines or extensions were opened for revenue service in four cities on December 28, followed by two more on December 30, as the various administrations continue to expand their urban rail networks in a bid to alleviate growing traffic congestion. Four lines began ...
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NewsWorld rail market December 2014
Afghanistan: AfRA has extended from 300 km to 700 km the scope of a feasibility study for a northern west–east rail corridor which is being undertaken by Canarail and Appleton Consulting under a contract awarded in December 2013. Phase 1 now covers a route from Aqina (for Turkmenistan) to Mazar-i-Sharif ...