AUSTRIA: The HTW 100 E³ hybrid motor tower vehicle developed by Plasser & Theurer for overhead line inspection and maintenance has been successfully tested in the Climate Wind Chamber at Rail Tec Arsenal in Wien. Launched at the IAF track technology fair in Münster last June, the HTW 100 E³ is equipped with a battery
USA: Wabtec Corp has signed a $62m contract to design, install, test and commission Positive Train Control for the 100 km Central Florida Rail Corridor used by SunRail commuter services around Orlando. Wabtec is to provide its Interoperable Electronic Train Management System equipment for 24 locomotives and driving cars, as well as a back-office server, lineside
THE first of seven Hitachi Rail Italy Sirio LRVs for Florence light rail Line T3 arrived in the Tuscan capital on February 9. The 4.1km line will link the current terminus of Line T1 at Alamanni-Stazione with Careggi Hospital in the north of the city, with a journey time of around 20 minutes. The 32m-long
EUROPE: Switzerland-based intermodal transport operator Hupac carried 763 101 road consignments by rail in 2017, an increase of 3·5% on the previous year. This was despite the seven-week blockade of the Rhine Valley route near Rastatt, which resulted in the loss of more than 30 000 consignments. Traffic in the first six months of 2017 had been
LORAM Maintenance of Way and Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (Grex) have completed a definitive merger agreement whereby Loram will acquire all outstanding shares of Grex. Loram offers equipment and services for rail grinding, ballast maintenance and friction management. In recent years the company has made several strategic acquisitions to strengthen its product line, including Tangent
Australia: 4Tel is to supply signalling and communications for the Newcastle light rail project. Brazil: Rumo has awarded Wabtec a US$5m contract to supply a train management and dispatching system to improve safety and efficiency at its yard serving the port of Santos. Canada: Parsons is providing design, procurement and engineering advisory services for Ontario
Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail has called for the reintroduction of the railway police to stem rising levels of vandalism. CEO Pier Eringa said that ProRail employs around 150 special officers and has installed cameras to monitor hotspots on its 7,000km network but that it remains a big problem. In 2016, there were 608 delays as
GERMANY: Proposals to significantly reduce the use of diesel traction in favour of low-emission alternatives have been presented to the Bayern cabinet by Land Transport Minister Joachim Herrmann. The Bayerische Elektromobilitäts-Strategie Schiene (BESS) is intended to support the federal government’s climate 2050 climate targets, and to make rail a more attractive option for passenger and freight transport.
ETHIOPIA: Work is to start later this year on the construction of a railway training academy, Ethiopian Railways Corp announced on January 13. When fully operational, the academy is expected to employ around 250 teachers and administrative staff, training up to 1 00 students at a time in seven different railway-related disciplines. The Chinese-built electrified railway
