Dear Readers
We are pleased to be supporting the upcoming Vietnam Railway Summit which will take place from 25th to 26th September 2024 in Hanoi, Vietnam.
This Vietnam Railway Summit 2024 will bring together around 200 C-Level executives from Government Authorities, practitioners, and all railway stakeholders from Vietnam and beyond to discuss the urban and high-speed railway development in Vietnam and across the ASEAN region, the potential of railway investment, railway asset maintenance and management and O&M case studies best practices.
As the most anticipated gathering of industry experts, innovators, and thought leaders, this conference is your gateway to unlocking new opportunities, gaining exclusive strategic insights and improving your business growth.
For more information and to register to attend, visit: https://www.railwayvietnam.com/
Best Regards
Rail Personnel
Rail News
25 June 2024. United Kingdom. Final Pendolino refurbished as part the UK’s biggest fleet upgrade
Avanti West Coast has concluded the £117 million refurbishment of its iconic Pendolino fleet after the final completed train went into service this week. The departure of the last Pendolino from rail manufacturer Alstom’s Widnes facility marked the end of the project – the UK’s biggest ever fleet upgrade. It has seen 574 refurbished carriages delivered in just over two years, at a rate of one completed train every two weeks. The last train, 390020, entered into service yesterday (Monday 24 June) – working the 08:43 service from Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston.
Source: Rail UK
25 June 2024. Iran. Iran’s Caspian Sea rail link commissioned
The 37 km extension of RAI’s Qazvin – Rasht line to the Caspian Sea port of Bandar-e Anzali was opened on June 20, completing a further section of the International North-South Transport Corridor through the central Asia region. The line was formally inaugurated with a ceremony attended by Iran’s acting President Mohammad Mokhber and Minister of Transport & Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash. They were joined by Russian presidential aide Igor Levitin, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev, and the Governor of Astrakhan Oblast Igor Babushkin, along with ambassadors from several neighbouring countries.
Source: Railway Gazette International
25 June 2024. France. Siemens completes upgrade on Paris metro’s Line 14 ahead of Olympics
Siemens Mobility has completed the six-year extension project of the Paris metro’s Line 14 just a month before the French capital hosts the Olympics, making it the first driverless line to be upgraded to the latest automation system. Working with the city’s public transport authority RATP, Siemens added 14km to the line and upgraded its operations from the standard GoA4 level to the Trainguard MT CBTC system.
Source: Railway Technology
25 June 2024. Australia. Sydney Metro City & Southwest Project Begins Trial Runs
The Sydney Metro City & Southwest project has entered its final testing phase on the City section, preparing for the start of service in August. This new metro line will connect Chatswood with Sydenham, passing through the Sydney CBD. Metro Trains Sydney (MTS), responsible for the operations and maintenance of this service, has initiated the ‘Trial Running’ phase. This phase is essential for obtaining the required accreditation before passenger services begin.
Source: Railway-News
24 June 2024. Australia. Testing underway on new SA railway line
The delivery of a new spur rail line into Port Dock in Port Adelaide is nearing completion with train testing now underway after the $51 million rebuild. The newly established spur line, which runs from the existing Outer Harbor line at Grand Junction Road, will provide rail services for those who already call the area home and the many more set to live, work and visit Port Adelaide into the future. As part of the project, a new Port Dock Railway Station and plaza at Baker Street, and bus interchange at the existing Lipson Street car park, has also been established.
Source: Infrastructure Magazine
24 June 2024. Spain. Spain invests almost £2 billion in rail infrastructure
The Spanish Government has committed €2.24 billion (£1.89 billion) to improving rail infrastructure in northern Spain. This investment forms a large part of the country’s Master Plan for the Atlantic Corridor, a cross-border network that will connect cities across Western Europe, including Lisbon, Madrid, Paris, Strasbourg, Mannheim and Le Havre, with high-speed rail links. The funding is part of an overall €2.8 billion (£2.37 billion) package for transport infrastructure in Spain’s northern Asturias region.
Source: Rail Technology Magazine
24 June 2024. United States. BNSF developing rail logistics hub in Arizona
US railroad company BNSF has begun development of a 4,321-acre rail facility and logistics hub in Phoenix, Arizona, to support freight transportation in the south-west region. The significant hub in Maricopa County will contain three interrelated sections: A 1,770-acre intermodal facility, a 1,420-acre logistics park and a 1,131-acre logistics centre. Jon Gabriel, BNSF’s vice-president of service design, said: “As BNSF and the customers we serve adapt to shifting marketplace needs, evolving supply chains and significant technological advancements, we identified a need for additional rail capacity in the Phoenix metro area.”
Source: Railway Technology
21 June 2024. China. New Beijing - Hong Kong High-Speed Night Trains Launched
China launched overnight high-speed trains from Hong Kong to Beijing and Shanghai this week. The trips are about 1,200 miles and 750 miles by air, respectively. From Hong Kong to Beijing, the overnight trip takes 12 hours 30 minutes, and it covers roughly the same distance as a flight from New York to Miami or Los Angeles to Dallas. It complements the 8 hour 15 minute day train that has run for years. The overnight trip to Shanghai takes 11 hours. The corresponding day train takes just 7 hours 47 minutes. (It is important to note that many other high-speed trains use these tracks, only a few go from end to end.)
Source: High Speed Rail Alliance
21 June 2024. Singapore. Singapore awards further tunnelling contracts for Cross Island Line
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded a S$242m ($178.6m) contract for the design and construction of more tunnels for its Cross Island Line (CRL) to a joint venture between Nishimatsu Construction and Okumura Corporation’s Singapore branch. The major contract falls under phase 2 of the CRL, part of the country’s Mass Rapid Transit system, and will see 2.4km twin tunnels bored between Singapore’s West Coast Station and Jurong Lake District Station.
Source: Railway Technology
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