European rail services on high alert after foiled attack on French high-speed train
Major European rail services bolstered security measures after the foiled attack on a Thalys service high-speed train on Friday.
A 25-year-old Moroccan national named Ayob El Khazzani, opened fire on Friday evening on a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris.
The suspected Islamist militant was reportedly armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a Luger automatic pistol, nine cartridge clips and a box-cutter.
West Japan Railway installs new cameras to detect drunken passengers
Railway operator West Japan Railway installed new automated security cameras at Kyobashi station in Osaka, in a bid to detect drunken passengers.
The cameras have been designed to search for the signs of intoxication and alert station attendants, who will subsequently check if the individual needs assistance, and ensure that the person in question does not fall on the railway tracks.
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Some of the signs that the cameras look for include staggering and falling asleep on benches and also remaining on the platform for an extended time without any specific reason.
Northern Railways gets 30-year concession for Erdenet-Ovoot project in Mongolia
The cabinet of the Government of Mongolia (GOM) approved Aspire Mining’s subsidiary Northern Railways to build and operate the 547km Erdenet to Ovoot railway.
Mongolian metallurgical coal explorer and infrastructure company Aspire is said to be the largest coal tenement holder in the country’s Northern provinces.
The Mongolian Government’s Investment Agency has been authorised to execute the 30-year concession agreement with Northern Railways.
Thales wins £760m London Underground re-signalling contract
The UK’s Transport for London (TfL) awarded Thales a £760m contract to modernise the signalling and train control system on London Underground’s (LU’s) Circle, District, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines.
The modernisation will bring faster, frequent and more reliable journeys to millions of passengers who use these LU lines.
As part of this project, approximately 1,100 jobs and 60 apprenticeships will be sustained or created, both in London and across the UK.
Siemens and Cofely-Fabricom consortium win €510m ETCS Level 2 contract in Belgium
Belgian railway infrastructure operator Infrabel awarded a €510m contract to a consortium comprising Siemens and an infrastructure development firm Cofely-Fabricom, to modernise large sections of its railway network.
Under the deal, Siemens will install more than 2,200km track of the railway network with the European train control system (ETCS) Level 2.
The ETCS constitutes an essential component for the merging of European railway traffic and is designed to replace the more than 20 national automatic train protection (ATP) systems on the European continent and improve network safety and capacity.
Skoda Transportation acquires majority stake in Finland’s Transtech
Czech engineering company Skoda Transportation completed the acquisition of the controlling stake in Finnish rolling stock manufacturer Transtech from investment company Pritech Oy for an undisclosed amount.
TransTech, Finland’s only manufacturer of railway and urban rail vehicles, employs around 500 people and has an annual turnover in excess of CZK2.5bn (€92m).
The company’s largest customer is Finnish State Railways (VR Limited), to which it supplies double-decker and pressure-tight carriages, which are designed to operate at a speed of 200km/h.
Canadian Government to invest in Ottawa-Montreal rail upgrade
The Canadian Government is set to invest C$102.5m ($77.6m) over the next two years to improve the safety and efficiency of passenger operations on the Ottawa-Montreal rail corridor.
The announcement was made by Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt and Via Rail president and CEO Yves Desjardins-Siciliano.
The investment will support several infrastructure projects which aim to increase the reliability of the service by reducing delays for users.
UK DfT approves First Great Western’s £361m Hitachi train order
The UK Department for Transport (DfT) granted approval to First Great Western (FGW) to introduce a new fleet of 29 high-speed trains built by Hitachi Rail Europe for the new franchise.
Eversholt Rail has also signed a separate contract with FGW to procure and finance 173 new AT300 vehicles worth £361m.
The new fleet of Hitachi AT300 trains will primarily be operated from London Paddington to Plymouth and Penzance, replacing the 40-year-old trains currently serving this intercity route.
At least 31 passengers killed by train derailment in India
Two passenger trains derailed on a submerged railway bridge in Madhya Pradesh, India, killing at least 31 people and injuring more than 100.
According to media reports, at least 25 people have been injured and around 300 were rescued. The death toll is expected to rise.
The Kamayani Express that was enroute to Varanasi is said to have run off first and the Mumbai-Jabalpur Janata Express travelling in the opposite direction derailed shortly after.
Hitachi Rail Europe to open new train manufacturing plant in September
Hitachi Rail Europe opened its new rolling stock manufacturing and assembly plant in the UK on 3 September.
The new £82m plant in Newton Aycliffe is the first European train factory of Hitachi Rail.
The new facility will initially be used to build Super Express Trains for the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line.
