BTSC has awarded contracts worth THB11bn ($307m) to Siemens and CRRC, DB to sell a minority stake in DB Arriva and DB Schenker. Railway-technology.com wraps up the key headlines from May.
Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company (BTSC) has awarded contracts worth THB11bn ($307m) to Siemens and Changchun Railway Vehicles (CRRC) for the supply of 46 new four-car trains.
Siemens will deliver 22 trains, while 24 will be supplied by CRRC. The locomotives are expected to provide necessary additional capacity to support increasing ridership of the BTSC’s SkyTrain System.
They will feature the latest available technology, while further improvements will be made to efficiency and accessibility.
Deutsche Bahn (DB) has confirmed its supervisory board will develop a plan to sell a minority stake in its international passenger business DB Arriva and logistics subsidiary DB Schenker.
The board plans to pass a final resolution later this year to financially secure the quality and investment campaign in Germany.
As part of group restructuring, DB Mobility Logistics (DB ML) will be merged with holding company DB.
The Government of Victoria in Australia has shortlisted John Holland and a McConnell Dowell Constructors UGL Engineering joint venture as the preferred bidder for the A$588m ($424m) Mernda project.
Victoria’s Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan has unveiled the full reference design and bidders will now submit tenders for the 8km extension of the South Morang line.
Delivered by the Level Crossing Removal Authority, the new project will include a new premium station in Mernda and a second near Marymede Catholic College. The government has asked bidders to price a third station near Hawkstowe Parade.
Contractor Orascom Construction has secured two contracts worth €270m for work on Cairo metro in Egypt.
The contract includes civil and track work and will bring the company’s share of the third phase to €375m.
Orascom Construction’s CEO Osama Bishai said: "We are pleased to expand our market share in the transportation sector and particularly the Cairo metro programme.
Network Rail is using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to carry out resilience work on the line between Exeter and Newton Abbot.
The company is performing the work after a portion of the line at Dawlish collapsed into the sea due to extreme weather conditions in 2014.
A study was also conducted to examine the impact of coastal flooding, erosion, and cliff instability on this part of the Great Western route. It is also exploring options available to limit the effects of such natural disasters in the future.
UK-based Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has launched a new campaign to highlight the portal PlusBike, which can be used by people to obtain more information about cycle-friendly train travel.
The drive is set to help people plan and make better cycle and rail journeys.
The portal features details of cycle facilities at stations such as parking spaces, rules about taking bikes on trains, and whether reservations are available or required.
Developer and promotor of the UK’s new networks High Speed Two (HS2) has commenced construction on the National College for High Speed Rail (NCHSR) at sites in Doncaster and Birmingham.
The new facilities will provide specialist training for skills and qualifications required to build HS2 and future infrastructure projects.
They will house a 1,900m² workshop area, external track, teaching classrooms, informal learning areas, open project spaces, a 120-seat capacity lecture theatre, seminar and meeting rooms, and an atrium social area, which will be open to the public.
The Government of Victoria in Australia has installed advanced high-capacity signalling on an existing network for the Metro Tunnel project.
Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews is now seeking expressions of interest (EOI) for the Rail Systems Alliance, which will be responsible for designing, developing, and delivering up to A$1bn ($727m) worth of signalling, communications, and other related systems.
The signalling will be installed on the Sunbury-Cranbourne/Pakenham line and a new cross-city tunnel will be built.
Alstom has received planning permission from Halton Borough Council to obtain land for construction of a new training facility in the North-West of England.
Called North West Transport Training Academy, the facility will be built at a cost of around €25m. Construction is scheduled to begin later this year, with plans to open the facility next year.
Alstom Europe’s senior vice-president Andreas Knitter said: "This new centre is part of our global strategy to grow our service activities by localising our operations close to our customers. It allows us to react much more quickly to growth in local markets.
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