Railway-News Industry Insider: This Week’s 14 Must-Read Rail Stories

The Railway-News Industry Insider for the week 22–26 October 2018:

Europe & United Kingdom

Kepler Communications KIPP satellite
Kepler’s KIPP satellite © Kepler Communications

Internet from Space for Seamless Connectivity says Deutsche Bahn

DB Digital Ventures, part of Deutsche Bahn AG, has announced it is partnering with Canadian start-up Kepler Communications to push forward the development of nano satellites that will help deliver seamless connectivity for a wide variety of applications, including the rail freight and logistics industry. Kepler Communications recently successfully completed testing of its satellite with Phasor antennas.

Read: Internet from Space for Seamless Connectivity says Deutsche Bahn

Stadler Tramlink Rolling Stock Chosen for Limmat Valley Line

Swiss transport operator Aargau Verkehr AG has announced it has chosen Stadler Tramlink rolling stock for the narrow-gauge light rail line currently under construction in the Limmat Valley. The definitive contract will be issued in autumn 2019 and the railway line itself is expected to open in December 2022.

Read: Stadler Tramlink Rolling Stock Chosen for Limmat Valley Line

ÖBB Cityjet TALENT 3
Austria Central Station / ÖBB Cityjet TALENT 3 © ÖBB

Austrian Federal Railways Announces Improvements for 2019 Timetable

Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) will make several improvements to its services with the introduction of the new timetable in December 2018. It will run an increased number of long-distance trains, including cross-border services. It will also put new trains on the line, such as Cityjet Desiro ML trains and the Cityjet TALENT 3 trains that were recently presented at InnoTrans.

Read: Austrian Federal Railways Announces Improvements for 2019 Timetable

Rail Baltica: Presentation of Technical Design Requirements for Two Sections

RB Rail AS held a meeting with qualified contractors to present the technical design requirements for two sections of the infrastructure project: a 71km section in Estonia and a 78km section in Lithuania. Twelve companies attended the meeting. They will have to submit their proposals for tender by 27 November.

Read: Rail Baltica: Presentation of Technical Design Requirements for Two Sections

British Steel Infrabel
British Steel has secured a four-year contract with Infrabel

Infrabel Awards British Steel Four-Year Supply Contract

The Belgian national railway operator Infrabel has signed a four-year agreement with British Steel for the supply of up to 40,000 tonnes of rail a year, which equals more than 3,000km of rail during the contract period. Deliveries are to start in January 2019. The steel will be manufactured in England before being transported to the company’s rail rolling plant in France.

Read: Infrabel Awards British Steel Four-Year Supply Contract

Pepper the Robot Joins Eurostar Team in London St Pancras

Digital technologies are becoming increasingly important in the rail sector as well. And not just for operating and maintaining trains but also for enhancing the customer experience. High-speed rail operator Eurostar has taken a new step in this direction, by installing a humanoid robot at its St Pancras departure lounge. Pepper, as it’s called, can inform and entertain passengers as they wait.

Read: Pepper the Robot Joins Eurostar Team in London St Pancras

Metrans Bombardier TRAXX locomotive
Metrans receives 40th TRAXX locomotive from Bombardier in Prague © HHLA/Lubomír Vosáhlo

Bombardier Delivers 40th TRAXX MS2 Locomotive to Metrans

Transport and logistics operator Metrans, a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG, has received its 40th TRAXX locomotive from Bombardier. The event was marked at the company’s container terminal near Prague and has brought the total number of locomotives owned by the company to 80.

Read: Bombardier Delivers 40th TRAXX MS2 Locomotive to Metrans

Spanish Rail Infrastructure Manager Adif to Invest 67m EUR in Updating Fleet

Adif has announced it intends to invest more than 67 million euros by 2027 in acquiring and maintaining four auscultation vehicles for conventional and high-speed networks that are already in service as well as for lines currently under construction. The funds will be spent on a high-speed train that is equipped with axles that can run on the Iberian gauge and on standard gauge. It will be fitted with ERTMS and will have a top speed of 330km/h (standard gauge) and 300km/h (Iberian gauge).

Read: Adif to Invest 67m EUR in Updating Auscultation Fleet by 2027

Level crossing sign
Level Crossing Sign © włodi under licence

Driving Instructors in Poland Stepping Up Efforts to Teach Students About Level Crossings

Driving instructors in Gdańsk are stepping up their efforts to teach new drivers about level crossings. PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A. is continuing its workshops for instructors. Their goal is to prepare future drivers so they will be better at crossing railway. In the first three quarters of 2018 there were 164 events at railway crossings in Poland where 40 people died and 27 were seriously injured.

Read: Driving Instructors in Poland Stepping Up Efforts to Teach Students About Level Crossings

Rail Experts from around the World to Meet in Riga to Discuss Attracting Talent to the Rail Industry

With new technologies and automation on the rise, it is vital for the rail industry to attract employees who have new skills in these areas. Latvian Railways, together with the International Union of Railways (UIC), has organised the international conference “Attraction of new talents in conditions of growing competition and open labour market”. It will be held in Riga on 29 October and will feature representatives of the rail industry from countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, Belarus, Great Britain, Cameroon and Morocco.

Read: Railway Experts to Meet in Riga to Discuss Attracting New Talent to the Transport Industry

Trains outside London Bridge
Trains Outside London Bridge © Joshua Brown under licence

RSSB and Partners Develop Framework to Measure Rail Industry’s Social Value

RSSB and partners have developed a way of measuring the rail industry’s social value by means of the ‘Common Social Impact Framework for Rail’. It looks at a number of monetised, quantifiable and qualitative measures so assess the ‘social good’ of a scenario. RSSB wants the rail industry in the United Kingdom to adopt the framework. To achieve that it is hosting a webinar on 28 November for a Q&A.

Read: Rail Can Better Measure Its Societal Value Thanks to New RSSB Framework

Asia

Bangkok Skytrain
Bombardier’s INNOVIA 300 monorail system for Bangkok © Bombardier Transportation

Bangkok Skytrain: Bombardier Discloses Maintenance Contract Partner

Bombardier Transportation announced in July 2018 that it has signed a 20-year maintenance contract with an undisclosed partner in the southeast Asia region. The company has now revealed this contract is with Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Co. Ltd. The contract is to cover all the Bombardier INNOVIA monorail 300 systems that will run on the pink and yellow lines of the Bangkok Skytrain.

Read: Bangkok Skytrain: Bombardier Discloses Maintenance Contract Partner

Africa

Worker at Dunnottar Train Manufacturing Facility
Worker at Dunnottar Train Manufacturing Facility © Alstom Gibela

Alstom to Deliver 15 Coradia Polyvalent Trains to Senegal

Alstom is to begin shipping its 15 Coradia Polyvalent trains to Senegal following their order in 2016. The rail vehicles will be moved from the ports of Le Havre to Dakar, where they will be reassembled and undergo final testing. The trains are intended to run on the TER rail line between Dakar city centre and the new international airport.

Read: Alstom to Deliver 15 Coradia Polyvalent Trains to Senegal

Africa’s Largest Train Manufacturing Plant Opens in Dunnottar

Africa’s largest train manufacturing plant has opened in Dunnottar, South Africa. It will manufacture 580 six-car X’Trapolis Mega commuter trains for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa. The order, which was for 600 such trains, was signed in 2013. 20 of these trains have already been delivered. They were manufactured at Alstom’s Brazil factory. The first wholly South African-produced train is expected to leave the facility by the end of 2018.

Read: Africa’s Largest Train Manufacturing Plant Opens in Dunnottar

 

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