Railways Africa

In what is said to be the first western investment in the Belarus rolling stock manufacturing sector, Stadler of Switzerland is partnering the Minsk Region Executive Committee (MREC) in a joint venture funded by a €14.5 million loan of “up to 10 years” from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). MREC, described as [...]

Every time someone complains about commuter rail services in South Africa, the official response highlights the average age of rolling stock, variously said to be more than thirty or even forty years. Exactly what this implies is not made clear. Is the figure greatly in excess of world norms? If so, at what point does [...]

A new fast TGV service to Barcelona in Spain from the Gare de Lyon in Paris, due to have been launched in April, has been delayed “indefinitely”. This is blamed on “a combination of technical, political and immigration issues.” Until through services start eventually, travellers must continue to change at Figueres from the twice-daily French [...]

According to www.breakingtravelnews.com, Europe’s busiest interchange – Clapham Junction, used by 40 million people every year – has become the first station in the UK to be equipped with a guided path for blind or partially sighted passengers. This facility will make it much easier for them to use the station footbridge, linking the new [...]

Rossiiskie Zheleznie Dorogi (RZhD – the 1,520mm gauge Russian state railway) has launched an initiative code-named Vauxhall to encourage people to visit stations, and at the same time give them the opportunity to learn about art and culture. Rizhsky, chosen for the first station art centre, is currently displaying a train-themed exhibit. In collaboration with [...]

Alstom and its Russian partner Transmashholding (TMH) have inaugurated a joint production site in Novocherkassk, Southern Russia, dedicated to the production of asynchronous traction drives for electric locomotives. The drive is a high-technology component whose main features are a low weight-to-power ratio and easier monitoring of the locomotive. The drive is to be installed on [...]

Network Rail Consulting, the international consultancy arm of state-owned UK rail infrastructure company Network Rail, has entered the North American rail market by bidding to become part of Amtrak’s North-east Corridor (NEC) Partner Forum. Membership of the forum will enable Network Rail Consulting to share best practices internationally and collaborate on areas of interest, including [...]

Plans to demolish London’s Euston station have been dropped: the experts underestimated the cost by £500 million. (That’s an error of about R7 billion, give or take a few cents). Instead, the existing layout is to be remodelled to accommodate eleven new platforms for use by new London-Birmingham high-speed trains, due to start running in [...]

The European Union has approved the acquisition by Siemens of Invensys Rail, the railway signalling division of the Invensys group. The European Commission’s investigation confirmed that Invensys Rail and Siemens are not close competitors and that the merged entity will continue to face competition from Thales, Alstom, Bombardier, Ansaldo and others. The commission found that [...]

During 2012, the European Investment Bank (EIB) advanced a loan for the purchase of modern and energy-efficient rolling stock for the Warsaw metro. Recently the bank announced it will lend about €238 million for construction of the 6.7km central section of a new metro line in the city centre. The project includes seven stations as [...]