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Hitachi agrees to buy Finmeccanica’s rail and signalling assets

Hitachi

Hitachi agreed to acquire Italy-based Finmeccanica’s rail transport engineering company, AnsaldoBreda, and its 40% stake in signalling supplier Ansaldo STS.

In November last year, Hitachi submitted a bid for acquisition after Finmeccanica shortlisted Hitachi and China’s CNR Corporation for the sale.

Hitachi will pay €9.65 a share to purchase signalling unit Ansaldo STS, resulting in a total consideration of €773m.

Alstom wins €2bn contract to deliver trains for Paris metro

French rail manufacturer Alstom received a contract worth more than €2bn from Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) to deliver metros trains for Lines 1, 4, 6, 11 and 14 of the Paris metro and the Grand Paris.

This new development was also supported by Syndicat des Transports d’Île-de-France (STIF) and Société du Grand Paris (SGP).

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Under this contract, Alstom will provide a maximum of 217 MP14 trains over a period of 15 years.

MTR signs concession agreement for Beijing Metro Line 16

Beijing

The Beijing MTR joint venture (JV) signed the concession agreement with the city’s municipal government for the Beijing Metro Line 16 public-private partnership (PPP) project.

Under this concession agreement, which is subject to approval by relevant authorities, Beijing MTR will be responsible for the operations and maintenance of Line 16 for a period of 30 years.

Beijing MTR JV consists of MTR Corporation Limited (49%), Beijing Capital Group Limited (49%) and Beijing Infrastructure Investment Corporation Limited (2%).

India to invest $137bn on railways over next five years

Indian Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu unveiled the 2015 annual railway budget, which includes plans for a $137bn investment over the next five years.

The first railway budget of Narendra Modi-led government primarily focused on the improvements of rail infrastructure in the country, ensuring a safe and comfortable travel experience.

Suresh Prabhu was quoted by BBC News as saying: “Railways facilities have not improved substantially for the past few decades, which is the result of under-investment that affects capacity, leading to poor morale.”

CSX’s freight train carrying crude oil derails in West Virginia, US

A CSX freight train carrying crude oil derailed in West Virginia, US, setting rail cars ablaze, destroying a house and forcing the evacuation of two towns.

Consisting of two locomotives and 109 cars, the train was travelling from North Dakota to the coastal town of Yorktown, Virginia. Officials have evacuated residents of Adena Village and Boomer after a house caught fire.

BBC news reported citing state officials that at least one of the cars plunged into the Kanawha River, while 14 cars caught fire.

Bombardier and China’s New United Group to form new joint venture

Train manufacturer Bombardier and China’s New United Group (NUG) agreed to establish a new joint venture (JV) for signalling and rail control in China.

Located in Changzhou near Shanghai, the new JV will be known as Bombardier NUG Signalling Solutions Company and both the firms will have a 50% share.

According to Bombardier, the new company will focus on rail transportation communications, signalling and integrated monitoring systems for the Chinese mass transit and light rail markets.

EIB grants €950m loan for rail improvements in Italy

EIB

The European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a loan agreement with the Italian Economics and Finance Ministry to provide €950m in funding for Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI)’s investment programme.

This financial assistance will be allocated for the modernisation of conventional railway lines, as well as regional and local routes, in northern and southern Italy.

EIB vice-president Dario Scannapieco said: “Having been the main funder of Italy’s high-speed rail network, the EIB is now supporting local routes used daily by millions of Italians.”

EU grants €293m for five transportation projects in Poland

The European Commission granted €293m in financial support for five projects aimed to enhance sustainable transport services in Warsaw, Lódz, Szczecin and Poznan, Poland.

Granted from the commission’s cohesion fund, this investment will support the modernisation of transport systems in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.

These projects are financed under the Polish ‘Infrastructure and Environment’ operational programme under the same priority, namely ‘environment-friendly transport’. It is expected to be finalised by the end of this year.

NSW Transport opens Sydney’s South West Rail Link

Sydney

Australia’s Transport for New South Wales (NSW) commissioned the South West Rail Link, Sydney’s new 11.4km-long rail line from Leppington to Glenfield through Edmondson Park.

This $1.8bn project was delivered by the NSW’s Transport Construction Authority (TCA) with a goal to address the issues of reliability and passenger growth on the metropolitan rail network.

NSW premier and minister for Western Sydney Mike Baird said: “The communities of South Western Sydney have waited far too long for a modern, reliable train line, and today this government has delivered.

World Bank grants $195m loan for Uzbekistan rail project

The International Bank for Reconstruction of Development (IBRD) granted a $195m loan for the $1.63bn Pap-Angren railway project in Uzbekistan.

Part of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) programme, the project is aimed to strengthen transport connectivity in the Ferghana Valley by improving the efficiency of transport services in the Uzbek part of the valley.

The CAREC programme intends to implement a transport and trade facilitation strategy focused on six transport corridors and the present project is located along corridor two, which runs from China to the Caucasus.