Traction & rolling stock news – Page 4
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NewsFlirt DMUs enter service in Azerbaijan
AZERBAIJAN: National railway ADY put its Stadler Flirt diesel multiple-units into service on the Baku – Ağstafa route on June 14. In November 2019 ADY placed a €115m order with Stadler for 10 Flirt trainsets: four inter-regional DMUs designated DŞ1, three EMUs also configured for inter-regional services ...
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Metro Report InternationalPCC trolley cars return to service in Philadelphia
USA: Presidents’ Conference Committee trams dating back to 1947 have re-entered service on Philadelphia’s Route 15 following refurbishment. The 1 581 mm gauge vehicles were originally built by St Louis Car Co and remained in service until 1992. In 2005, 18 cars which had been extensively ...
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NewsCN launches fire-fighting trains to protect supply chains from wildfires
CANADA: Canadian National has created fire-fighting trains named ‘Trident’ and ‘Neptune’ which are designed to enable a significant amount of water and fire suppression capacity to reach isolated areas. The two trains are in addition to ‘Poseidon’, which was developed as a proof-of-concept. All three will ...
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Metro Report International‘Extremely exacting’ Madrid metro train order signed
SPAIN: Metro de Madrid has signed a contract for sole bidder CAF to supply 40 six-car trainsets to operate on large-profile lines 6 and 8. The €400m deal announced by CAF on June 17 includes a programme to optimise the fleet’s life cycle, and there is ...
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NewsBangladesh Railway orders Indian coaches
BANGLADESH: Indian Railways’ engineering consultancy RITES has been awarded a contract to supply 200 coaches to Bangladesh Railway. Signed in Dhaka on May 20, the US$111·3m contract is being funded by the European Investment Bank, and follows a global competitive tender. It provides 36 months for ...
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NewsAdvanced Polymer Coatings targets wagon market
USA: Advanced Polymer Coatings has launched TriFLEX, a direct-to-metal exterior coating system for wagons which it has developed in collaboration with the chemical sector and ‘major rail rolling stock operators’ to offer chemical resistance, mechanical toughness, UV stability and weather resistance. ‘We believe there’s a gap ...
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Rail Business UKOrder for extra Elizabeth Line trains confirmed
UK: Alstom has signed a contract to supply and maintain a further 10 nine-car Class 345 Aventra electric multiple-units for London’s Elizabeth Line. The £220·5m order is being funded by the Department for Transport, with Transport for London contracting for maintenance until 2046 which takes the ...
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NewsLong-distance trainset for Malaysia unveiled
MALAYSIA: The first of 10 ETS3 long-distance trainsets for national railway KTMB’s electrified west coast corridor was rolled at CRRC Zhuzhou’s factory in China on June 7. The contract was awarded in 2020. The first two trainsets are to be manufactured in China, and the rest ...
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NewsMarcopolo Rail announces hybrid railcar in expansion drive
BRAZIL: As part of an expansion of its range, rolling stock supplier Marcopolo Rail has increased the production capacity at its Caxias do Sul plant with the addition of a 2 600 m² hall, the manufacturer announced on June 5. The workshop features gantries and overhead ...
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NewsBLS undertakes Lötschberger mid-life refurbishment
SWITZERLAND: BLS has returned to service the first of its RABe535 Lötschberger electric multiple-units to undergo mid-life refurbishment at its Bönigen works. The 25 four-car EMUs were supplied by Vevey Technologies and then Bombardier Transportation in 2008-12. The SFr17m refurbishment programme running to 2027 aims to ...
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Rail Business UKCarbon Clean & Capture process cuts diesel loco emissions
UK: Independent testing has been undertaken to measure the reduction in emissions which can obtained by fitting a diesel shunting locomotive with Advanced Hydrogen Technologies Group’s Engine Carbon Clean & Capture technology. AHT worked with Harry Needle Railroad Co, which owns the 1950s designed Class 08 ...
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NewsRhätische Bahn’s replacement Albula tunnel opens
SWITZERLAND: More than 300 guests from the rail industry, politics, business and tourism attended opening celebrations held at both ends of Rhätische Bahn’s replacement Albula tunnel on June 8, ahead of the start of regular services on June 12. The 5 860 m long Albula II ...
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Rail Business UKSteam turbine freight locomotive prototype to be developed
UK: A Class 60 diesel locomotive is to be converted to a modern form of steam power as a potential alternative to electrification for zero-emission heavy freight operations.
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NewsFRA studies the behaviour of very long freight trains
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration has produced three reports into the safety and performance of trains more than 7 500 ft (2 286 m) in length. Testing found that air brake systems performed largely as expected when in a controlled environment, but FRA says further testing ...
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NewsMaintenance deal to enhance Carajás loco fleet
BRAZIL: Mining group Vale has signed a 10-year master service agreement with Wabtec Corp for maintenance of the Evolution series diesel-electric locomotives used on the 1 600 mm gauge Estrada de Ferro Carajás. Worth R$1∙8bn, the agreement will ‘optimise the maintenance services for Vale’s fleet, increasing ...
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NewsPesa confirmed as winner of Romanian EMU contract
ROMANIA: Railway reform authority ARF has confirmed Pesa Bydgoszcz as the winner of a contract to supply 20 electric multiple-units for InterRegio services, after a court required a review of the bids following an appeal by Alstom. The contract is worth €168m for the rolling stock ...
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Metro Report InternationalHitachi Rail delivers next-generation metro trainset to Genova
ITALY: Hitachi Rail has delivered the first of 14 latest generation metro trainsets to Genova, the municipality reported on May 31. The vehicles are to be used to expand the capacity of the city’s automated light metro line, which is currently being extended at both ends. ...
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Rail Business UKBattery trains could save £3·5bn, says Siemens Mobility
UK: ‘Britain should never have to buy a diesel passenger train again’, said Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO of Siemens Mobility UK & Ireland, when the company set out a case for ordering battery-electric trainsets which would use electrification where available and battery power on non-electrified tracks. ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst Pune Metro Line 3 train unveiled
INDIA: Alstom has delivered the first of 22 trainsets for the Pune Metro Line 3 project. The three-car trains will have a capacity of 1 000 passengers, with a design speed of 95 km/h and an operating speed of 85 km/h. They are being manufactured at ...
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In depthCzech Republic: Ostrava link leads revised core network plan
With limited progress being made on the planned new line between Praha and Dresden, Czech infrastructure manager Správa Železnic is taking forward an initial section of high speed line in the east as part of plans to develop a 400 route-km high-performance backbone. SŽ’s Deputy Director for High Speed Lines Jiří Merta explains the state of progress to Benjámin Zelki.