All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 651
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Rail industry news in brief - November 2014
The presidents of Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan ceremonially launched construction of the standard gauge line from Malaba in Kenya to Kampala in Uganda on October 8. With CSR now delivering 30 six-car EMUs for the Mitre commuter network, Argentina’s Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo has ...
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Products & Technology in Brief
SNCF trialled Google Glass to verify the validity of passengers boarding iDTGV services at Lyon Part-Dieu on October 23. Platform staff received green or red indications on their glasses after scanning the barcode of each ticket. Savimex and Alstom have been testing a driver’s head-up display on trams ...
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Rhomberg Sersa buys Balfour Beatty infrastructure operations
EUROPE: As part of an ongoing restructuring programme, Balfour Beatty Rail announced on November 14 that it had agreed terms to sell three more of its rail infastructure activities in mainland Europe. Subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities, the track division of Balfour Beatty Rail GmbH Deutschland, (BB ...
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Manchester starts to build Second City Crossing
UK: Construction of Manchester Metrolink’s Second City Crossing officially began on November 11, with the start of work on the northernmost section between Victoria and Exchange Square. Forming part of a three-year programme of urban development works known as Grow, the second route through the city centre is intended ...
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EBRD to fund CFM modernisation
MOLDOVA: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is to provide €52·5m to support the reform and modernisation of state railway Calea Ferată din Moldova, under an agreement signed in Chișinău on November 14 by Prime Minister Iurie Leancă and EBRD’s Director for Transport, Sue Barrett. Faced with an ageing ...
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CZ Loko to remanufacture Latvian freight locos
LATVIA: National operator LDz has selected CZ Loko to remanufacture 14 Type 2M62U twin-section diesel locomotives used by its freight subsidiary LDz Cargo. LDz currently has a fleet of 30 Lugansk-built 2M62Us, dating from 1987, along with 40 of the older 2M62s and 33 single-section M62s. Two of the 2M62Us ...
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Self-propelled wagon prototype
CROATIA: A self-propelled wagon fitted with a 55 kW diesel generator and hydraulic transmission giving it the ability to move around worksites at up to 100 km/h under remote control has been developed by RZV Čakovec and partners. The prototype has two ballast hoppers which can be hydraulically tipped in ...
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Eurostar orders seven more e320s
EUROPE: Marking the 20th anniversary of the launch of passenger services through the Channel Tunnel with a celebration at London St Pancras on November 13, Eurostar announced that it had signed Heads of Agreement with Siemens for seven more e320 trainsets. On display in Platform 5 was one of ...
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Northern Line extension legal powers granted
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin has granted a Transport & Works Act Order for Transport for London to extend London Underground’s Northern Line to Battersea. TfL submitted a TWO application in April 2013, which was followed by a formal consultation and public inquiry. Construction of the ...
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First Hitachi Class 800 trainset unveiled
UK: The first of 122 trainsets for inter-city services on the East Coast and Great Western main lines was unveiled at Hitachi’s factory at Kasado in southwest Japan on November 13. The trains are being supplied by Hitachi under the Department for Transport’s Intercity Express Programme. Hitachi is building ...
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Second OmniTram in service
UKRAINE: The second OmniTram 100% low-floor tram developed by the Electrontrans joint venture of Ukrainian manufacturer Electron and Transtech F&E of Germany has entered service in Lviv. The first five-section car was delivered to Lviv in July 2013, and is now in operation on the city’s metre-gauge network which is ...
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Zhuhai tramway starts trial operation
CHINA: Trial operation on the Zhuhai tramway started on November 7, when invited VIPs took an initial ride. The launch coincided with the city holding the 10th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, which began on November 11. Trial running is initially taking place on the eastern section of ...
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Dubai tramway opens
UAE: The first tram line in Dubai was officially inaugurated on November 11 by the Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Regular passenger services began at 06.30 the following day. The first phase of the tramway is 10·6 km long with 11 stops. Starting near ...
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Slovakia funds free rail travel
SLOVAKIA: With effect from November 17, around 46% of the population will be eligible for free travel on subsidised train services, under a proposal endorsed by the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico on October 22. The provision is part of a €250m national economic stimulus package approved by the ...
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Lubrication business sold
GERMANY: As part of a strategy of divestments to concentrate on core activities, Balfour Beatty Rail GmbH has sold its track lubrication and turnout equipment business to LB Foster Co with effect from November 1. The FWO business unit is based in Bochum and has customers in Europe and ...
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Railway supply industry news in brief
MerMec has signed a co-operation agreement with FS Group’s engineering consultancy Italferr. The two companies aim to pool their technical skills to increase their presence in the international market and promote their products and services. Initially running for two years, the agreement envisages that the companies will develop joint ...
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Vidiwave wins Colas Rail on-track plant CCTV contract
UK: Following a nine-month development programme and 12 months of rigorous field trials, Vidiwave has been awarded a contract to supply specialised CCTV systems for Colas Rail’s entire UK track maintenance fleet. The mobile CCTV equipment manufacturer has been working with Colas Rail since 2011 to develop an inspection ...
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Siemens unveils ÖBB’s Desiro cityjet
AUSTRIA: The first of 101 three-car Desiro EMUs which Siemens is building for ÖBB was unveiled at the company’s Uerdingen plant on November 10, in a ceremony attended by Federal Minister of Infrastructure Alois Stöger, ÖBB Chief Executive Christan Kern and Siemens Mobility CEO Jochen Eickholt, along with the provincial ...
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Northern Mongolian Rail Corridor agreement signed
MONGOLIA: The Northern Railways rail infrastructure subsidiary of Aspire Mining has signed an engineering, procurement and construction framework agreement with China Railway 20 Bureau Group covering Phase 1 of the Northern Mongolian Rail Corridor. This follows parliament’s approval of the government’s national rail policy in October. Phase 1 of ...
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Advanced Train Management System trial contract signed
AUSTRALIA: Live testing of the Advanced Train Management System is set to begin shortly, following the signing of a contract between infrastructure manager Australian Rail Track Corp and Lockheed Martin Australia. The two-year trial is to be undertaken between Whyalla and Port Augusta in South Australia. ATMA uses GPS ...