Tag: RAI

Koleje Mazowieckie orders 12 more Stadler Flirt EMUs

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POLAND: Koleje Mazowieckie signed a 405m złoty contract with Stadler Polska for the supply of 12 five-car Flirt electric multiple-units on March 28. The contract includes maintenance, repair kits and staff training. Stadler will supply the 160 km/h EMUs from its Siedlce factory, with the first due to enter service in

Mirrlees Class 37 almost ready for main line action

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EUROPHOENIX No. 37901 Mirrlees Pioneer basks in the winter sun at UK Rail Leasing’s Leicester depot on February 12.  The Mirrlees-engined prototype has been restored to working order and is now awaiting the completion of some internal work before returning to the main line.  UKRL plans to use it as an interim depot shunter at

All Vivarail sets delivered for Marston Vale line

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VIVARAIL has delivered the third and final Class 230 set to West Midlands Trains for use on Bedford to Bletchley services.  Set No. 230003 has been at Bletchley depot for some weeks, and following tests on the Cotswold Line, between Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh in early-February, set 004 was delivered.  The final set –

Unusual pairing sparkles in sunshine and snow

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THE rare combination of a Thompson ‘B1’ 4-6-0 and a rebuilt ‘Merchant Navy’ was the highlight of February 2’s ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’.  No. 61306 Mayflower and No. 35018 British India Line worked north to Carlisle via the West Coast Main Line and returned later in the day via the Settle to Carlisle

Bahamas returns in style

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IT WAS a close-run thing, but ‘Jubilee’ 4-6-0 No. 45596 Bahamas made a triumphant return to the main line on February 9.  The immaculate Stanier ‘5XP’ passed a late trial to ensure its new and overhauled equipment was in full working order, and then worked through from Oxenhope on the Keighley &

Sotetsu – JR East link completed

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JAPAN: Ceremonies were held in western Yokohama on March 28 to mark the completion of a new link between Sotetsu’s Sagami Railway and JR East tracks, which will allow the operation of through services from the Sagami Main Line and Izumino Line to Shinjuku station in Tokyo. Under the project, formerly

CAF awarded Trenitalia high speed train maintenance contract

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ITALY: National operator Trenitalia has awarded CAF Italia a €120m six-year contract for the preventative and corrective maintenance of 59 ETR500 Frecciarossa high speed trainsets. There is an option to extend the contract for a further six years. The maintenance activities will mainly be carried out at Trenitalia’s workshops in Napoli,

Russian double-deck EMU planned

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RUSSIA: Ural Locomotives and Russian Railways have signed an agreement to develop plans for a double-deck electric multiple-unit designed for inter-regional services. A working group is to be established to produce a feasibility study and define the technical requirements, including the estimated costs of supply and maintenance under a lifecycle contract

Sensors to improve tank wagon safety

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CANADA: The government’s Sustainable Development Technology Canada foundation has provided Calgary-based TransRail Innovation Group with C$1·85m to support the testing and commercialisation of digital sensors designed to increase safety when transporting hazardous liquids by rail. The wagon-mounted XLOAD sensors automatically measure, monitor and track hazardous commodities as they are loaded, shipped

Genesee & Wyoming leases two short lines

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USA: Genesee & Wyoming Inc subsidiaries Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway Corp and Central Railroad Co of Indianapolis commenced operations on the Winamac Southern Railway and the Kokomo Railroad in Indiana under long-term lease agreements on March 22. Terms were not disclosed. The two lines totalling 90 km are being operated

Rebuilt DMUs to operate Praha service

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CZECH REPUBLIC: Last month Slovak rolling stock supplier ŽOS Zvolen delivered two Class 813/913.2 two-car diesel multiple-units which passenger operator KŽC Doprava ordered at a cost of €3m. They have been deployed since February 19 on Praha suburban line S34 from Praha-Masarykovo to Praha-Čakovice, replacing Class 810/010 railcars on the route

Genk rail port to boost Belgian freight

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BELGIUM: The H Essers Railport Genk freight terminal is to be developed at the Euro Terminal Genk site in Belgium which H Essers has acquired from Lineas. The terminal will be secured and equipped for the handling of chemical, pharmaceutical and high-value products. This is intended to help develop rail services

DB to dispose of Arriva

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EUROPE: The DB AG Supervisory Board confirmed on March 27 its intention to dispose of the company’s international operating subsidiary Arriva, Railway Gazette’s sister publication Rail Business has reported. DB’s management team has been tasked with developing options for the transaction, which could either take the shape of a sale to

Cape Town seeks suburban rail devolution

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SOUTH AFRICA: Plans to transfer the operation of commuter services from Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa to an organisation appointed by the city council were confirmed on March 26 when the city announced that four bids had been received for a tender to provide consultancy services. Through its Metrorail Western

Termination remains a possibility for ScotRail

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THERE are new calls north of the border for complete rail devolution, while one senior minister has complained that he has ‘one hand tied behind my back’. ScotRail announced a Remedial Plan on 22 March after receiving warnings over performance from Transport Scotland on 24 December and 8 February, and MSPs

Steam-hauled overnight tour from Melbourne in the pipeline

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AN AMBITIOUS four-day, 1,500km steam tour is planned for June, including sleeping cars and overnight steam-hauled travel.  The main tour loco will be North British-built Pacific R707 (1951/26997), constructed for Victorian Railways.  R707 in action on August 26, 2018. The loco was withdrawn in 1974, having only run 123,572 miles in its

Oil instead of coal for Puffing Billy Railway

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THE Puffing Billy Railway has converted one of its fleet of ‘NA’ class locos to burn oil instead of coal to reduce fire risk. The move will enable steam operation even in hot summer months.  Oil-fired 14A seen on its first day back in traffic on October 18, 2018 at Gembrook. VAL

Appeal to save North British 4-8-2 tank engine

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THE UK-based North British Loco (NBL) Preservation Group has announced an urgent appeal for funds to preserve North British-built, heavy duty 4-8-2T locomotive No. 25916.  The 1,067mm-gauge loco was one of 42 similar locos built for industrial use in South Africa between 1929 and 1955.  North British-built 4-8-2T No. 25916 in store at

EE diesels stand in for DMUs

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PORTUGUESE Railways (CP) recently ran the entire service at the eastern end of the Douro Valley line using loco-hauled trains for the first time in many years.  CP 1415 at Pocinho on January 8 with R4202 15.22 Pocinho-Régua, formed of two of the 1947-built Schindler coaches. JANET COTTRELL These operated between Marco

‘Chargers’ for Amtrak and VIA Rail

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BOTH major national passenger rail operators in North America placed orders for significant numbers of Siemens 4,400HP ‘Charger’ diesel-electric loco in December.  Canadian national passenger company VIA Rail ordered 32 ‘Chargers’ in early-December, along with 32 new push-pull trains which the locos will operate.  One of the first operators for the new

New lease of life for former TEE coaches in Cuba

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FRENCH and Cuban railways agreed in mid-2018 to co-operate in renovating workshops at Luyanó and Camagüey in Cuba, and to refurbish the former French Railways (SNCF) Trans-Europ-Express (TEE) ‘Inox-TEE’ stainless steel carriages, which SNCF sold to Cuba in the late-1990s.  Chinese-built type DF7G-C No. 52556 shunts carriages from the ‘Tren Especial’

Steam heat returns (briefly) to main line in Spain

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STEAM-heated mainline trains are now almost extinct across Europe but for a few days in late-January a charter train in Spain re-created the old atmosphere.  UK rail holiday operator PTG Tours celebrated the 20th anniversary of its first rail tour by running the train in Spain.  Steaming at dawn: ALSA No. 321 059

Diesel days on the Swindon & Cricklade Railway

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THE Swindon & Cricklade Railway ran diesel services on Sundays in February.  On the 10th, haulage was provided by ex-BR Departmental 0-6-0DE Ruston & Hornsby No. PWM651, making a special appearance in its 60th year.  It is seen at Taw Valley Halt carting a headboard commemorating well-known and active diesel enthusiast Andrew ‘Brillo’

ČD awarded long-distance operating contracts

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CZECH REPUBLIC: The Ministry of Transport has announced that, following a market consultation assessment, it would award all the remaining long-distance public service obligation operating contracts directly to state incumbent ČD. Other operators had not shown sufficient interest in the contracts, which cover six express and 13 fast services and run

Lithuania to reinstate rail link to Latvia

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LITHUANIA: Following a competitive tender, national railway Lietuvos Gelezinkeliai has awarded Skinest Rail subsidiary Vitras-S a contract worth €9·38m plus VAT to reinstate the line connecting Mažeikiai with Rengė in Latvia, which had been closed in controversial circumstances. The project includes the rebuilding or repair of 19 km of track, five

Elbe-Spree EMU order confirmed

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GERMANY: Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn has placed a €300m order for Siemens Mobility to supply 21 six-car and two four-car Desiro HC partly double-deck electric multiple-units. These are to be used on services which ODEG is to operate under Lots 1 and 4 of Elbe-Spree network operating contracts awarded by Berlin-Brandenburg transport

Salzburger Lokalbahn extension agreement signed

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AUSTRIA: The federal government and the Land and city of Salzburg signed a letter of intent on March 25 to extend and upgrade the Salzburger Lokalbahn railway. The agreement was signed by federal Transport Ministger Norbert Hofer, Salzburg Land Governor Wilfried Haslauer, Land Transport Minister Stefan Schnöll and Mayor Harald

Krasnodar suburban network proposed

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RUSSIA: A framework agreement for the development of a suburban rail network in Krasnodar was signed by Russian Railways Chief Executive Oleg Belozerov and regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev on March 12. The project has become feasible following the inauguration of a 69 km double-track freight bypass line in February, creating more

Saudi Railway Co ETCS certified

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SAUDI ARABIA: Testing company TÜV Rheinland has handed over the Independent Competent Person certificate for Saudi Railway Co’s ETCS Level 2 deployment on the North–South Railway, completing formal acceptance by the national Public Transport Authority. ‘This is a globally significant achievement in the railway industry since, according to UIC data, it

How Much Weight Could You Save?

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When specifying flooring for your rolling stock, no matter what the type of service, we know that the chosen […] The post How Much Weight Could You Save? appeared first on Railway News. https://railway-news.com/lightweight-flooring-for-rolling-stock-how-much-weight-could-you-save/

Five recommendations in Lewisham detrainment report

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UK: The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has published its report into an incident on March 2 2018 when nine Southeastern trains became stranded near Lewisham in London during bad weather and passengers evacuated themselves onto third-rail electrified tracks. The report published on March 25 is separate from an action plan which the

Medvedev backs Russian high speed line

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RUSSIA: Plans for the construction of a high speed line from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod were approved by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on March 13, having already been backed by Deputy Prime Minister Maxim Akimov who oversees transport. The project is estimated to cost 622bn roubles, of which 200bn roubles would

The Grand Paris Express: A Transport Project Serving the Residents of the Paris Region and the Capital’s Development

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The new Grand Paris metro lines, together the Grand Paris Express, have created an infrastructure project of unprecedented magnitude: […] The post The Grand Paris Express: A Transport Project Serving the Residents of the Paris Region and the Capital’s Development appeared first on Railway News. https://railway-news.com/grand-paris-express/

Storm-damaged Welsh line to be closed for months

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A BRANCH line in North Wales will remain closed for months, warned Network Rail, after Storm Gareth had swept across the region. The savage weather damaged track, lineside equipment, embankments, bridges, level crossings and stations between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog, and it is not yet known when trains will be

Poland-Belarus border crossing upgrades planned

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EUROPE: PKP Cargo’s Cargotor held an investor consultation event in late February to outline four options for modernisation of the Małaszewicze transhipment terminal near the border with Belarus. The meeting was attended by local authorities, terminal operators and railway companies. The modernisation of the transhipment terminal, co-financed from the EU’s

Vacancy: Rail Operative, Ribble Rail Ltd

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We are looking for a motivated person to join our talented operations team at Ribble Rail Ltd. This is a unique opportunity to work in a commercial operating role, in a preserved heritage setting, in the heart of Preston Docklands in Lancashire. A permanent vacancy has arisen in our

China plans Zhoushan Island rail link

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CHINA: Surveying and detailed design work has begun for the construction of a 77 km rail link between Ningbo and the Zhoushan Islands in eastern Zhejiang province. This would include China’s first section of undersea line designed for 250 km/h passenger services as well as freight trains. According to feasibility studies undertaken last

Punctuality rules to tighten next month

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TIMETABLES should be ‘fact, not fiction’, said a transport watchdog, after new rules measuring the punctuality of trains were announced by the Rail Delivery Group. From April actual train timings will be published to the minute at every calling point. The industry is already making internal use of this information in

Togo railway plan

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TOGO: Construction of a 760 km railway from the capital Lomé to Cinkassé on the border with Burkina Faso is included in a national development plan unveiled by the government of Togo. It is envisaged that the line could eventually run to Ouagadougou. State-owned Togo Invest Holding has been tasked with with

First, Hitachi move ahead with East Coast open access

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FIRSTGROUP’S plans to run budget-priced open access services on the East Coast Main Line have taken a major step forward with the order of five new trains from Hitachi. The rolling stock deal, worth £100 million, involves train leasing company Beacon Rail. The order is for five electric 5-car AT300 Hitachi sets,

ProRail and Arriva launch ATO trials

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NETHERLANDS: ProRail, Arriva and Stadler have started a week-long trial of automatic train operation on the Groningen – Zuidhorn line in the north of the country, with a modified GTW DMU successfully undertaking a first run on the evening of March 15. Operating in Grade of Automation 2, with a driver

ProRail and Arriva launch automation trials

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NETHERLANDS: ProRail, Arriva and Stadler have started a week-long trial of automatic train operation on the Groningen – Zuidhorn line in the north of the country, with a modified GTW DMU successfully undertaking a first run on the evening of March 15. Operating in Grade of Automation 2, with a driver

Bielefeld – Hannover high speed line proposed

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GERMANY: Commissioner for Rail and Parliamentary Secretary of State for Transport & Digital Infrastructure Enak Ferlemann has said that a new 300 km/h line needs to be built between Bielefeld and Hannover. Speaking to Deutsche Presse Agentur on March 18, Ferlemann said that the new line was required to cut the

Eurotunnel awards Shuttle refurbishment contract

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EUROPE: Channel Tunnel concessionaire Eurotunnel has appointed Bombardier Transportation to undertake the mid-life refurbishment of its nine passenger Shuttle trainsets, which carry cars, coaches and their occupants between the terminals in the UK and France. The contract announced on March 20 is worth €150m over seven years, with deliveries of the

Interoperability needed in South America, says UIC

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SOUTH AMERICA: The International Union of Railways and the Latin American Railway Association signed a memorandum of understanding in São Paulo on March 19 covering co-operation in staff training and education, railway engineering, passenger and freight transport, tourist trains and the exchange of data. ‘Railways in Latin America should be an

‘Hoover’ Royal Oak saved by Great Central Railway

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CLASS 50 No. 50017 Royal Oak has been acquired by the Great Central Railway (GCR) from Boden Rail, Eastcroft, Nottingham.  This followed a few days when the loco’s future was in doubt, with various means of disposal being considered, including dismantling for spares.  A sale fell through in late-January, and as funds and

FTA stalls federal support for Gateway Programme

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USA: The Federal Transit Administration on March 18 announced that it had ranked the Gateway Programme to increase rail capacity between New York and New Jersey with a ‘medium to low’ financing status, making it ineligible at present for federal Capital Investment Grants. The ranking applies both to the planned $30bn

‘Peak’ No. 46010 restoration completed

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CLASS 46 No. 46010 has been overhauled at GCR(N) Ruddington under contract by ‘Peak’ experts, the Pioneer Diesel Locomotive Group. Class 46 No. 46010 was rolled out on December 18 from the shed at GCR(N) Ruddington, where restoration has been undertaken. The final coats of gloss blue will be applied when the weather

ELR’s Type 2 back in action after lengthy overhaul

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CLASS 24 No. D5054 Phil Southern returned to traffic during the East Lancashire Railway’s (ELR) Sulzer Theme Day on February 16.  Newly restored Class 24 No. D5054 Phil Southern was relaunched into traffic at the East Lancashire Railway’s Sulzer Theme Day on February 16, and is seen at Ramsbottom. LIAM BARNES It has undergone

Lee Valley route capacity upgrades near completion

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WORK to boost capacity on the Lee Valley route in north-east London is on schedule for completion by May 2019.  The £170million programme of work includes a third track between Stratford and the new station at Meridian Water, and additional platforms at Tottenham Hale and Northumberland Park, which will allow an

Modernisation plan edges forward on Seaford line

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NETWORK Rail has replaced switches and crossings at Southerham Junction, near Lewes, which controls access to the Seaford branch.  New signalling equipment was also installed between Lewes and Seaford during the closure.  The work took place over the weekend of January 19-20. A Southern Class 170 departs from Lewes with an Ashford to

Upgraded Lime Street is top station in Britain

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LIVERPOOL’S recently upgraded Lime Street station is the highest rated of Britain’s major stations by passengers in the latest National Passenger Rail Survey.  Scoring a 93.8% satisfaction rating, Lime Street narrowly beat St Pancras International (93.6%) and King’s Cross (92.9%) to top the list for Network Rail managed stations. NETWORK RAIL Read

£13m refurbishment for Glasgow Clyde bridge

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A TWO-YEAR, £13million renovation project is underway on one of Scotland’s busiest railway bridges.  The 200 metre-long Clyde Bridge on the approach to Glasgow Central is used by up to 1,300 trains every day, serving the West Coast Main Line, Lanarkshire, Inverclyde and Ayrshire.  The impressive Clyde bridge at Glasgow Central will

Campaigners urge action on new passenger routes

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REOPENING 33 sections of railway across Britain could bring 500,000 more people within walking distance of a main line station, generating an extra 20 million journeys every year, according to a new report by the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT).  At an estimated overall cost of between £4.76billion and £6.39bn, 343

Diamond celebrations for Norwich ‘engineers’

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EATON Park MR is celebrating its 60th anniversary year. The Norwich-based line is run by the Norwich & District Society of Model Engineers.  It was opened in 1959 as a raised, 5in-gauge track, with a 5in-/ 7¼in-gauge ground-level line being introduced in 2006.  Sophie B heads a ‘Santa’ special at Eaton Park Miniature

Audley End’s small locos going under the hammer

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FOUR smaller Audley End Miniature Railway locos are to be auctioned by Dreweatts at Newbury on March 12.  This follows the death of Lord Braybrooke, of Audley End Estate, Essex in 2017. The larger steam and diesel locos are being retained for the railway. David Curwen built about 50 locos of 7¼in

EMUs to increase capacity in eastern Austria

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AUSTRIA: National railway ÖBB’s passenger business has awarded Siemens Mobility a firm contract to supply a further 24 Cityjet three-car Desiro ML electric multiple-units for use in Wien, Niederösterreich and Burgenland from mid-2020. These will replace older vehicles, increase capacity to accommodate rising ridership, and support upgrading of the Marchegger Ostbahn, Pottendorf,

Rail Cargo Group locomotive order

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AUSTRIA: ÖBB has exercised an option for Siemens Mobility to supply a further 61 Vectron MS electric locomotives for use by Rail Cargo Group on cross-border routes in several countries. The national railway has now placed firm orders for a total of 108 Vecton locomotives within a January 2017 framework agreement

Stadler announces IPO plan

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SWITZERLAND: Plans for an initial public offering and listing on the SIX Swiss Exchange were announced by rolling stock manufacturer Stadler on March 19. The IPO is planned for ‘the coming months’, subject to market conditions. It would consist entirely of secondary shares held directly and indirectly by Executive Chairman Peter

Modernised platskartny coach enters service

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RUSSIA: The first platskartny coach to be modernised by the Vagonremmash factory in Tambov re-entered revenue service on March 18, following the completion of testing and certification. It is to be used on trains 19/20 Rostov-na-Donu – Moscow and 11/12 Anapa – Moscow. Platskartny coaches offer the most basic, and cheap, accommodation

An academic route to train track specialists

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ISRAEL: The first intake of students is expected to enrol in May at the Technion Institute of Technology in Haifa as ISR and the Ministry of Transport launch a programme to train more track engineers. Historically, the national railway was able to draw on a large community of permanent way specialists

Mumbai – Ahmedabad high speed tenders called

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INDIA: Tenders for design, construction and commissioning of civil engineering works on around half of the planned Mumbai – Ahmedabad high speed line were invited by the National High Speed Rail Corp Ltd on March 15. Covering a 237 km section in the state of Gujurat, running south from Vadodara to the

Revolutionary lightweight tram planned for Coventry

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A NEW design of a new very lightweight rail vehicle (VLR) could be running on the streets of Coventry by 2024. Photo: Transport Design International It’s design could revise thinking for cities keen to adopt VLRs as a way of cutting emissions, but the creativity behind the design and track would make construction

Tilting train service direct award planned

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GERMANY: The Land of Thüringen has given advance notice of its intention to directly award incumbent DB Regio a new contract to continue to operate a group of regional passenger services which require the use of tilting diesel-multiple units to achieve the required timings. The Land said a direct award was

Station regeneration to create a gateway to Vilnius

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LITHUANIA: The Vilnius Connect programme to revitalise the capital’s main station and its surroundings has been designated as a project of regional importance by the city council. Mayor Remigijus Šimašius said the project to create a modern European gateway to the city would be inspired by the ‘best examples of the

Overhead Line Electrification for Railways

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Book Review Overhead Line Electrification for RailwaysBy Garry Keenor Developed over several years by an experienced electrification engineer, this book is intended to provide ‘an approachable and reasonably comprehensive’ study of overhead electrification systems, setting out ‘the why as well as the what’ for readers with some basic engineering knowledge. It is

Algorithm could cut high speed rail energy use

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CHINA: Researchers at Xi’an Jiaotong-
Liverpool University’s Suzhou campus have developed an algorithm intended to optimise the storage and reuse of braking energy. Currently, regenerative braking is used extensively across China’s 29 000 km high speed network. Typically, the energy is returned to the grid by trains under braking, and reused by accelerating trains

CAI International sells wagons

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USA: CAI International has agreed to sell 2 146 wagons, approximately 30% of its North American lease fleet, for $200m. The sale of 1 946 wagons was completed on February 26, realising a gain of $7m, while the remaining 200 wagons are currently being manufactured and will be sold in

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