All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 662
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NewsBattery trams running in Nanjing
CHINA: The Hexi Line of the Nanjing tramway opened for passenger service during the Youth Olympic Games, following a period of test running that started on July 1. Two trams have entered service, with a further two delivered. There will eventually be eight trams operating services on the 8 ...
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NewsEast Japan Railway targets Californian high speed contracts
USA: JR East is to lead a Japanese consortium in bidding for railway systems contracts for the Los Angeles – San Francisco high speed line now being developed by the California High Speed Rail Authority. JR East announced in Tokyo that it expects to work in partnership with six other ...
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NewsStadler ships first Aeroexpress EMU
RUSSIA: The first of 25 double-deck electric multiple-units which Aeroexpress has ordered for its services to Moscow's Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports has begun its journey to Russia from Stadler Rail's Altenrhein factory in Switzerland. The €381m order for 16 four-car and nine six-car aluminium-bodied EMUs based on Stadler's Kiss ...
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NewsTunnelling starts on Sydney's North West Rail Link
AUSTRALIA: Tunnelling for Sydney’s North West Rail Link started on September 8 with a ceremony in Bella Vista. Elizabeth is the first of four hard rock tunnel boring machines delivered by NFM Technologies. The 120 m long, 6·99 m diameter TBM was assembled at Bella Vista over the past ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - September 2014
The European Investment Bank is providing a €128m loan towards the extension of Paris tram route T3. The 4·3 km extension from Porte de la Chapelle to Porte d’Asnières will have eight stops. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has authorised a study into converting the Orange ...
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NewsRail industry news in brief - September 2014
PKP Cargo has obtained certification to operate on the standard gauge line from the Polish border to the Šeštokai transhipment facility a short distance inside Lithuania. FS subsidiary Terminali Italia and Interporto Bologna have established a joint venture to provide all intermodal terminal operating and last-mile services ...
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NewsRail Industry Training & Recruitment in Brief
A professional skills programme has been launched by Alstom Transport and the Steelworkers Union of Taubaté as part of the staff recruitment process ahead of the opening of Alstom’s tram factory in the Brazilian city in December. US Class I railroads Norfolk Southern and BNSF are using the ...
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NewsLoram acquires majority stake in RVEL
UK: Loram Maintenance of Way announced its acqusition of a 51% stake in Derby-based rolling stock maintenance and engineering business Railway Vehicle Engineering Ltd on September 4. ‘Loram has invested in RVEL because it is a profitable business that complements Loram’s existing portfolio of products and services, and supports our ...
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NewsDB Schenker launches Hamburg – Zhengzhou train
INTERNATIONAL: DB Schenker and the Port Authority of Zhengzhou launched the first freight train from Hamburg to the Chinese city on September 1. This complements a weekly service from Zhengzhou to Hamburg which was launched in August 2013. ‘We are proud that from today, Hamburg is not only a destination ...
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NewsEQT acquires Hector Rail
SWEDEN: The EQT Infrastructure II private equity investment fund has agreed to take a majority stake in open access freight operator Hector Rail from the Høegh family, founders Mats Nyblom and Ole Kjörrefjord and other minority owners. The transaction announced on September 4 is expected to close ...
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NewsWSP Global to buy Parsons Brinckerhoff
PARSONS BRINCKERHOFF: Balfour Beatty announced an agreement to sell its New York-based global professional services division Parsons Brinckerhoff to WSP Global Inc on September 3. Shareholder approval is expected in Q4 2014. Subject to closing adjustments, the deal is worth US$1·35bn, less US$110m of cash to be retained within Parsons ...
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NewsTrain location and energy metering units ordered
AUSTRIA: Infrastructure manager ÖBB Infrastruktur and Symeo have signed an agreement to jointly manufacture more than 400 Railpower Box train location and energy consumption recording units. The main component of the TSI-compliant Railpower Box is a customised version of Symeo's Datros data handling technology. This monitors power consumption while tracking ...
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NewsSafety-critical SCADA on show at InnoTrans
COPA-DATA: Visitors to the COPA-DATA stand will be able to see a demonstration of Zenon SCADA software for controlling power supplies and substations, railway traffic systems and equipment installed in tunnels. ‘With Zenon and Straton, operators of infrastructure can set up an integrated control solution for smart traffic systems, create ...
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NewsDB Regio signs Dieselnetz Niedersachsen-Südost contract
GERMANY: Following a competitive tender, the Niedersachsen and Braunschweig transport authorities have awarded incumbent DB Regio a contract to operate Dieselnetz Niedersachsen-Südost passenger services for 15 years from December 2014. The contract signed on August 29 covers six routes: Braunschweig – Salzgitter – Lebenstedt (RB 44);Braunschweig – Wolfenbüttel – Schöppenstedt ...
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NewsPKP Cargo in talks to buy Czech open access operator
EUROPE: Polish freight operator PKP Cargo announced on September 2 that it had signed a preliminary agreement for the potential acquisition of Advanced World Transport, the Czech Republic’s largest open access rail freight operator. AWT has an 8% share of the Czech market and also operates in Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, ...
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NewsUlaanbaatar Railway modernisation strategy
MONGOLIA: An agreement outlining a strategic partnership for the development of Ulaanbaatar Railway was signed by the Minister of Roads & Transportation Amarjargal Gansukh and Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin on September 3. By March 1 2015, the ministry and RZD are to agree to terms of reference and ...
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NewsToronto welcomes new generation trams
CANADA: Toronto’s first Bombardier Flexity Outlook trams entered service on the 510 Spadina route on August 31. The 100% low-floor cars are part of the first new generation of streetcar in the city for 30 years. The air-conditioned five-section vehicles are 30·2 m long, 2 540 mm wide and ...
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NewsWabtec acquires signalling design company C2CE
AUSTRALIA: Wabtec Corp announced its acquisition of Perth-based C2CE on September 3. C2CE provides signalling design, project management and installation services, and is active in the industrial power distribution and communications sectors. It has 200 employees at offices in Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne and Hong Kong, with annual sales of about ...
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NewsSecond Mansky tunnel bore opens
RUSSIA: Contractors Stroy-Trest and SK Most handed a ceremonial key to Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin on August 26 to officially open a 2 465 m second bore built to increase capacity at Mansky tunnel on the Tayshet – Abakan line. Capacity in the Krasnoyasrk region has been restricted ...
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NewsSiemens wins South West Trains suburban EMU order
UK: South West Trains announced on September 3 that it had selected Siemens and leasing company Angel Trains for a £210m contract to supply 30 five-car electric multiple-units. The Desiro City EMUs would be ‘similar in style to the Class 700 units being produced for the Thameslink route’. Deliveries ...