Dear Readers
We are pleased be to supporting the upcoming Asia Pacific Rail which will take place from 29th - 30th May 2024 at BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand
For the last 25 years, Asia Pacific Rail has brought together more than 25,000 rail leaders from across the globe for the most exclusive and influential railway gathering in the region. The event celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 2023 with everything stepping up a gear, resulting in a record-breaking attendance of over 3,000 rail professionals from across Asia. For 2024, Asia Pacific Rail will cover the latest innovations and insights on digital rail, signalling & communications, operations & maintenance, asset management and mainline & metro
Packed with networking opportunities, on-floor presentations, product demonstrations, and more, Asia Pacific Rail 2024 is set to be even BIGGER than before. Whether you’re a rail operator, rail authority, or solution provider to the global rail industry, we look forward to seeing you in Bangkok from 29 – 30 May 2024.
For more information and to register to attend, visit: https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/asia-pacific-rail/index.stm
Best Regards
Rail Personnel
Rail News
19 March 2024. Australia. New Sydney Metro excavation works forging ahead
Work on Sydney Metro West’s new Hunter St Station is progressing well, with an estimated 30 per cent of excavation works completed so far. When Sydney Metro West opens, passengers will be able to use an underground walkway to connect to metro services on the Metro North West Line and City & Southwest line at Martin Place. Further connections to the Sydney light rail and train network are also minutes away on George Street and at Wynyard Station.
Source: Infrastructure Magazine
19 March 2024. United Kingdom. Greater Manchester submits business case for new station at Golborne
The business case for a new rail station at Golborne has been submitted to government, setting out the transformational benefits it will bring for the local community as a key part of the Bee Network. Submission of the Golborne: Transformation Through Transport outline business case is an important step towards approval of the £31.8 million investment earmarked for the project, unlocking an ambitious vision for public transport alongside wider community benefits.
Source: Rail UK
19 March 2024. France. SNCF Réseau launches FRMCS prototype initiatives
In a bid to modernise and enhance railway communication systems, Europe is gearing up to usher in the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS-5G), slated to replace the ageing GSM-R (2G) by 2035. The system promises interoperability and a significant boost in network performance. SNCF Réseau is participating in prototype initiatives spanning multiple European nations. The landscape of railway communication is evolving rapidly, with a slew of acronyms dominating the discourse—ERTMS, ETCS, GSM-R, and now FRMCS.
Source: RailTech.com
19 March 2024. United Kingdom. Welcome to Wrexham says new operator Alstom
Railway engineering firm Alstom plans to run new direct train services between North Wales, Shropshire, the English Midlands and London. The announcement has taken most parties by surprise. As the country’s foremost supplier of new trains and train services, and a leading signalling and infrastructure provider, Alstom will operate its own rail service in the UK for the first time. Alstom is partnering with Birmingham headquartered SLC Rail to form a new open-access rail operation, registered as Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway (WSMR).
Source: RailTech.com
19 March 2024. Australia. Testing Milestone Achieved on Sydney Metro City & Southwest Line
All 45 trains set to operate on the Sydney Metro City & Southwest line later this year have now completed at least one return journey between Tallawong and Sydenham at operational speed. This puts the programme on track to launch metro services through the Sydney CBD. During testing, each train stopped at every station on the 51-kilometre journey to ensure the train and platform screen doors performed as designed.
Source: Railway-News
19 March 2024. Germany. Siemens Delivers Final ICE 4 Train to Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn (DB) has announced that its ICE 4 fleet is now complete with the delivery of the 137th train. The 7-part ICE 4 train was delivered to Berlin on time and has been named ‘Spree’. This marks the end of a 6 billion EUR project that has seen Siemens Mobility deliver 137 trains in three different variants since 2016. In total, over 1,500 cars with around 105,000 seats have been supplied, marking the largest procurement programme in DB’s history.
Source: Railway-News
19 March 2024. Canada. Thales to modernise Montreal Metro Blue Line
Thales and the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) have agreed a new contract for the train control system project for the Blue Line of the Montreal metro. Thales will design, manufacture, install and test the CBTC SelTrac train control signalling system, and provide maintenance services for 5 years. CBTC is a cutting-edge technology. It is deployed by the vast majority of metro operators around the world and will support the modernisation of the Montreal metro.
Source: Rail Technology Magazine
19 March 2024. Japan. Kanazawa to Tsuruga extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen opens
At 06.00 on March 16 Tsurugi ‘local’ Shinkansen service No 1 departed Kanazawa for Tsuruga, forming the inaugural westbound train over the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen between Tsuruga and Kanazawa, which it reached at 06.57. It was followed by Kagayaki service No 501 from Tokyo to Tsuruga, which arrived at 09.34 after a 575∙6 km run achieved in 3 h 8 min. In the opposite direction the inaugural train from Tsuruga was the 06.11 Kagayaki 502 service to Kanazawa and Tokyo.
Source: Railway Gazette International
19 March 2024. Asia. Joint venture to manage upgraded Baku – Tbilisi – Kars railway
An equally-owned binational joint venture is to be set up to manage the Azeri and Georgian sections of the Baku – Tbilisi – Kars railway once current upgrading works are completed. Azerbaijan’s and Georgia’s state railways currently hold sole responsibility for the sections of line within each country. Separately, Turkish infrastructure manager TCDD is responsible for the 76 km section in Turkey.
Source: Railway Gazette International
