All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 686
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NewsThameslink EMU undergoes low-temperature tests
UK: The first of the Class 700 Desiro City electric multiple-unit cars being built by Siemens for use on the Thameslink route through London have been tested at the Rail Tec Arsenal climate chamber at Wien in Austria. The tests focused on the ability to withstand the effects of temperatures ...
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NewsAlstom says sale of Energy business would strengthen Transport
ALSTOM: The proposed sale of its Energy business to GE ‘would allow Alstom to develop its Transport business as a standalone company, with a strong balance sheet to capitalise on opportunities in the dynamic rail transport market’, Alstom Chairman & CEO Patrick Kron said on April 30. Alstom explained that ...
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NewsKunming opens more metro lines
CHINA: Kunming opened 21 km of metro extensions on April 30. Phase 2 of Line 1 extends the route north from Xiaodongcun to Kunming railway station, adding five stations. The first phase of Line 2 runs north from the main railway station to North Coach Station with 14 stations, although ...
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NewsSlovakian ERTMS contract awarded
SLOVAKIA: Infrastructure manager ŽSR has awarded contracts for the provision of ERTMS on the 250 km route from Bratislava to the Czech border via Žilina and Čadca by the end of 2015. General contractor AŽD Praha will provide ETCS Level 2 on the 37 km section from the Czech ...
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NewsFinancial close on PRASA train order
SOUTH AFRICA: Alstom announced financial close on the €4bn contract for the supply of 600 X'Ttrapolis Mega commuter electric multiple-units to Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa on April 29. Financial close on the deal follows the signing on October 14 2013 of the contract covering the delivery of 3 ...
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NewsChangsha metro opens
CHINA: The first metro line in Changsha opened on April 29, making the capital of Hunan province the 19th city in mainland China with a metro. The first phase of Line 2 is 22·3 km long with 19 stations. Starting at Wangchengpo in the west, it runs across the ...
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NewsWork begins on €80m brake test centre
GERMANY: Knorr-Bremse held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 28 to officially launch construction of an €80m brake system test and development centre at its headquarters in München. The centre will bring together the testing and development activities of the company’s Rail Vehicle Systems and Commercial Vehicle Systems groups. It has ...
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NewsPakistan Railways invites proposals for standard gauge line study
PAKISTAN: Proposals for a bankable feasibility study into building an electrified railway running 107 km from Islamabad to Murree and Muzaffarabad have been invited by Pakistan Railways. A pre-bid conference is to be held on May 7 and proposals are due to be submitted by May 31. PR envisages that ...
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NewsEurotunnel cuts freight charges
EUROPE: Channel Tunnel concessionaire Eurotunnel announced a reduction in track access charges of up to 50% on April 28, saying it hopes this will lead to a doubling of the number of freight trains through the tunnel to 5 000 per year in 2018. The announcement follows the European Commission ...
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NewsStadler awarded eBART train contract
USA: San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit District has awarded sole bidder Stadler Rail a $58m contract to supply eight diesel multiple-units for the East Contra Costa BART extension commuter rail project. Announcing the order on April 25, Stadler said the GTW 2/6 units would be manufactured at its Bussnang ...
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NewsAuckland launches electric suburban services
NEW ZEALAND: Auckland Transport’s first electric trains began revenue operation on April 28, when operating concessionaire Trandev Auckland switched its half-hourly Southern Line service between Britomart and Onehunga from DMUs to EMUs. The electrification was formally launched by Auckland Mayor Len Brown on April 27 with a ...
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NewsEconomical shunter unveiled
CANADA: TractivePower Corp has unveiled its TP56 three-axle industrial switcher, primarily intended to compete in the 'railcar mover' market, shunting wagons in industrial sidings. It makes use of readily available off-the-shelf industrial and railway components, and has been designed to be serviced in the field. The TP56 is powered by ...
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NewsADIF awards €410m high speed line signalling contract
SPAIN: ADIF’s high speed line business ADIF Alta Velocidad has awarded a consortium of Alstom, Bombardier and Indra Sistemas a €410m contract to supply and maintain signalling, train control and telecommunications systems including GSM-R for the Valladolid – León and Venta de Baños – Burgos high speed lines. The contract ...
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NewsFreightliner announces London Gateway services
UK: Freightliner Ltd announced on April 17 that is to launch daily services from London Gateway to six destinations in the UK. During May shipping lines Hamburg Süd and Hapag-Lloyd are due to transfer their UK calls to the new container port on the Thames, including services to the east ...
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NewsLos Angeles selects Regional Connector contractor
USA: Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority has selected the Regional Connector Constructors joint venture of Traylor Bros and Skanska, with lead designers Hatch Mott MacDonald and URS, as preferred bidder for a $927m design-build contract for the Regional Connector light rail extension. The 3 km underground route would extend ...
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NewsKaohsiung light rail tracklaying begins
TAIWAN: Tracklaying started on the Kaohsiung light rail project on April 24. Construction had begun in June 2013, and test running on the first section is scheduled to begin in September. Revenue services are expected to start in June 2015. The 22·1 km, 36-stop circular route is being built ...
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NewsADIF awards Pajares signalling contract
SPAIN: Infrastructure manager ADIF has awarded a consortium of Thales and Siemens Rail Automation a €54m contract to supply signalling and train control systems for the 50 km La Robla – Pola de Lena line under construction between León and Oriedo, which includes the 25 km Pajares base tunnel. The ...
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NewsRecord coach production at RCF Kapurthala
INDIA: Rail Coach Factory Kapurthala has announced that it achieved its highest ever production of 1 701 coaches of 23 types during the year to March 31 2014, ahead of the plant’s design capacity of 1 500 coaches/year. To ‘bring world class railway technology to the common man’, 121 LHB ...
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NewsCanada announces tank wagon safety changes
CANADA: On April 23 Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt announced the federal government’s response to the initial recommendations arising from Transportation Safety Board of Canada's ongoing investigation into the July 2013 Lac-Mégantic derailment. With immediate effect, Transport Canada will: ban DOT-111 tank cars which do not have continuous bottom ...
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NewsMP&ES announces natural gas locomotive
USA: Following two years of technology evaluation, Motive Power & Equipment Solutions has announced plans to launch the Greenville MP1500, a low-emissions genset locomotive which would be fuelled by a combination of natural gas and diesel. MP&ES is working with technology partner OptiFuel Systems to develop the 1 500 hp ...