Vossloh opens Sweden’s first new turnout factory in over a century
SWEDEN: Vossloh has opened Sweden’s first new turnout factory in more than a century, commissioning an automated plant at Sannahed to boost production capacity as infrastructure manager Trafikverket works to clear a long-running maintenance backlog. The plant in Sannahed, opened on May 20, replaces Vossloh’s nearby Örebro production site, where turnouts for the Swedish rail […]
Finland signs ‘unique’ alliance deal to support ERTMS rollout
FINLAND: Infrastructure manager Väylävirasto has signed a €70 million service alliance deal with six companies to support the rollout of ERTMS in southern and western Finland, advancing the Digirail programme across one of the country’s busiest rail regions. The agreement covers three rollout zones totalling around 970 km, spanning the Helsinki metropolitan area, Southwest Finland […]
Kaohsiung metro construction contract awarded
TAIWAN: Kaohsiung’s Mass Rapid Transit Bureau has awarded a 70:30 joint venture of Malaysia’s Gamuda and local partner Shang Ting Construction the civil works and electromechanical facilities contract RLC02 for the Xiaogang–Linyuan (Red) Line. The NT$26.39bn contract includes the construction of three underground metro stations, one elevated station, 3.9 km of twin-bore tunnel and six […]
Automation: Stadler works to find the right path in signalling
Automatic Train Operation is the latest addition to a growing portfolio of train control systems which Stadler has built up over the past decade, as the group’s Head of Signalling Marc Trippel explains to Toma Bačić. Earlier this year, the metre-gauge Waldenburgerbahn became the first railway in Switzerland to introduce GoA2 automated operation, using CBTC […]
Planning contract awarded for modernisation of Serbian rail link to Bosnia
SERBIA: Italy’s FS Engineering, Serbian-Hungarian engineering firm Project Biro Utiber and Hungary’s Utiber Közúti Beruházó have been commissioned to preparing preliminary designs for upgrading the Ruma – Šabac – Donja Borina line to the border with Bosnia & Herzegovina border. The Ministry of Construction, Transport & Infrastructure said the 110 km line built between 1901 and […]
Istanbul rail bypass project tendering underway
TURKEY: The Ministry for Transport & Infrastructure has invited expressions of interest in contracts to support the development of the 127 km Istanbul North Rail Crossing Project to build a railway bypass around the city, and has given advance notice of four tenders for construction works. The US$6.5bn INRAIL route, to be designed for passenger […]
Berlin launches first new large-profile U-Bahn fleet in more than 30 years
GERMANY: Berlin has begun rolling out Stadler-built trains as its first new large-profile U-Bahn fleet in more than 30 years, giving operator BVG a long-awaited stability boost on the city’s higher-capacity metro routes. Described by the Berlin transport operator as a ‘milestone for the stability of U-Bahn operations’, the first Stadler-built trains entered regular service […]
Procurement problems delay Lisboa metro extension projects
PORTUGAL: Construction of Metropolitano de Lisboa Red Line’s extension could finally begin in June with the opening now envisaged for the beginning of 2030. However financing is still to be secured following the loss of EU funding. Diogo Ferreira Nunes reports on delays to metro projects in Lisboa. Plans to extend the Lisboa metro’s Red […]
Lithuania starts work on military mobility hub to move NATO cargo to the Baltics
LITHUANIA: LTG Infra has broken ground on a €37m military mobility project at the Palemonas terminal near Kaunas which is served by both standard and broad gauge tracks. The site will be turned into a dual-use hub for strengthening NATO rail logistics on Europe’s eastern flank. Described by LTG as one of its ‘most significant […]
SBB ‘categorically rejects’ claims it missed ‘unmistakable warning signs’ in Gotthard derailment
SWITZERLAND: SBB has ‘categorically rejected’ allegations that it ignored ‘unmistakable warning signs’ during the 2023 Gotthard Base Tunnel freight derailment. The rebuttal comes as the national rail company has launched a series of new derailment detectors on the tunnel approaches, which have allowed it to lift the 160 km/h speed restriction. Switzerland’s national railway has […]