All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 74
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Battery freight locomotive conversion underway
AUSTRALIA: One of Aurizon’s Class 4000 diesel locomotives is being converted to a prototype EMD Joule battery powered heavy-haul freight loco which can be charged using renewable electricity and capture regenerated energy when braking or travelling downhill. The operator said the prototype will be ’a measured ...
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Japanese railway to test biofuel
JAPAN: West Japan Railway is to test the use of biofuels to power diesel multiple-units on the Sanin Main Line between Shimonoseki and Nagatoshi.
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European Sleeper begins operations with Berlin – Brussels night train
EUROPE: Night train start-up European Sleeper has begun passenger operations, providing an overnight rail connection between Brussels and Berlin for the first time since 2008. The inaugural service left Berlin Gesundbrunnen on May 25, engineering works having prevented the use of Hauptbahnhof. The train comprised 11 ...
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Cross-border local train service proposed in the Basque Country
EUROPE: Plans for frequent local passenger services between San Sebastián in Spain and Bayonne in France are being developed by local authorities on each side of the border.
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Metre-gauge line to be modernised
SPAIN: Infrastructure manager ADIF has called tenders for a comprehensive upgrade of the 1 000 mm gauge Cercedilla – Los Cotos mountain railway, which is operated as Madrid suburban Line C9.
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Tax exemptions help fund Brazilian rail projects
BRAZIL: The Federal Ministry of Transport has announced that a number of privately-funded rail projects will qualify for tax exemptions under the REIDI programme intended to encourage infrastructure investment. Details of the qualifying projects were published in the Official Gazette towards the end of April. Three ...
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Electrification contract awarded
SLOVAKIA: Infrastructure manager ŽSR has awarded ELTRA a €216·1m contract to modernise and electrify the 33·5 km Bánovce nad Ondavou – Humenné line east of Košice. The single-track line will be electrified at 3 kV DC with provision for future conversion to 25 kV 50 Hz. ...
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Rumo-Inpasa partnership keeps ethanol flowing
BRAZIL: Rumo Logística has signed a 10-year agreement with ethanol producer Inpasa Group to operate a ‘rail pipeline’ from Rondonópolis in Mato Grosso state to serve markets in the São Paulo area. Inpasa has invested around R$100m in the project, acquiring a dedicated fleet of 50 ...
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West Africa rail action plan agreed
AFRICA: Transport ministers from Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin and Togo have agreed an action plan for the development of an international rail network. The proposed network connecting the cities of Abidjan, Ouagadougou, Niamey, Cotonou and Lomé would have a total length of 3 034 ...
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Airport link maintenance contract extended
POLAND: Pomorska Kolej Metropolitalna has awarded Alstom a further two-year contract to maintain signalling and train control systems on its 19·5 km route serving Gdańsk airport. The contract running from May 1 covers repair and periodic inspections of equipment manufactured by Alstom, including balises, axle counters ...
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Leo Express targets significant market share by 2030
CZECH REPUBLIC: Open access and public service contract operator Leo Express says it is aiming to gain a ‘significant’ share of the Czech passenger market by 2030, and to launch further services in neighbouring countries. In 2022 its train and coach services in the Czech Republic, ...
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Contract let to build first section of Salerno – Reggio Calabria high speed line
ITALY: Infrastructure manager RFI has awarded a €2bn design and build contract for a consortium of Webuild (60%) Ghella (20%) and Impresa Pizzarotti (20%) to build the Battipaglia – Romagnano section of the Salerno – Reggio Calabria high speed line. The project is to be financed ...
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RENFE to provide third party access to travel data
SPAIN: National operator RENFE has agreed to provide third party ticket retailers with access to real-time ticketing and train running information which is currently only available through its own platforms. On May 19 RENFE met with the UNAV travel agency association which has 120 full members. ...
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SBB consults on second Zürich – Winterthur route
Source: SBB SWITZERLAND: During June Swiss Federal Railways is to undertake public consultation on plans to build a new double-track line including a 9 km tunnel which, along with the existing route, would provide a total of four tracks between Zürich and Winterthur. The new alignment ...
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Export credit agency to support sustainable transport projects
CANADA: Alstom and Export Development Canada have signed a C$3·5bn three-year sustainable global corporate partnership covering export financing support and insurance in the transport sector. The export credit agency will focus its support on digital systems, services and projects based on low-emission freight and passenger transport ...
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Pomorskie voivodship orders bi-mode multiple-units
POLAND: Pomorskie voivodship has awarded Newag a 128m złoty contract to supply four Impuls 2 electro-diesel multiple-units. The contract was signed on May 15, with deliveries scheduled for the second half of 2024. The order is being financed from national and EU sources. The units will ...
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More Palermo – Catania route modernisation contracts let
ITALY: Infrastructure manager RFI has awarded two design and build contracts for the realignment of the Palermo – Catania main line to allow higher speeds. Both of the projects are to be financed through the EU’s Recovery & Resilience Fund. A €1·2bn contract for Lot 4A ...
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CRRC DMUs enter service on Lobito – Benguela line
ANGOLA: Three diesel multiple-units supplied by CRRC Tangshan have entered revenue service on the Lobito – Benguela line. The trains are being used on the Ombaka Express service operated by Caminho de Ferro de Benguela; the Lobito to Benguela journey takes 30 min. An adult ticket ...