ROLLINGSTOCK

Mainline locomotives and shunters at InnoTrans 2024   ROLLINGSTOCK continues to publish its reviews of the InnoTrans exhibition. We have already covered the unveiled passenger rolling stock in detail (see here: https://lnkd.in/ejk-3rD3 ). Now it is time for the locomotives. Visitors to InnoTrans 2024 in September witnessed the premiere of mainline locomotives from Stadler, Siemens Mobility, Alstom and others. Large shunting locomotives by Vossloh Rolling Stock, CZ LOKO and small vehicles of G. Zwiehoff GmbH and ZAGRO Bahn- und Baumaschinen GmbH were also on display. Read our in-depth feature at: https://lnkd.in/eUCMRmZQ #rollingstock #rail #railway #mobility

Alstom unveils first refurbished locomotive-hauled train for DB Regio The trainset of six Married Pair passenger coaches, produced in 2005–2007 by Bombardier Transportation (acquired by Alstom in 2021), was refurbished at Alstom’s plant in Hennigsdorf, Germany. The refurbishment included renewing the floor covering, handrails, and seat upholstery, adding wheelchair areas, new luggage racks, and baby changing tables, and fitting the train with LED lighting and a passenger information system. In addition, the noses of the coaches with the control cab were redesigned, and measures were taken to protect the bodies and doors of all coaches from corrosion. The unveiled train is scheduled to enter service in December on the approximately 200 km-long Marsh Railway. The contract worth more than €30 mln for the refurbishment of 90 coaches was signed in June 2023 with the NAH.SH Schleswig-Holstein transport association. Images: Alstom, NAH.SH #rollingstock #rail #railway #passengerservice

Morocco orders 18 high-speed trains from Alstom   Following a tender, the national operator Groupe ONCF signed a firm contract with the manufacturer for the supply of 12 trains with an option for a further six units (see https://lnkd.in/e6V2qx4U for details). The signing ceremony took place on Monday on the sidelines of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Morocco.   According to the operator’s CEO, Mohamed Rabie Khlie, Alstom offered both the best price and quality compared to Spain’s CAF and South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, although the value of the contract and the model of rolling stock to be delivered are not disclosed.   This is not the first delivery to the country. Since November 2018, 12 Avelia Euroduplex high-speed double-decker trains (pictured) have been running on the Al Boraq line at a maximum speed of 320 km/h.   Meanwhile, ONCF is continuing its tendering process. It is accepting bids for 150 regional trains, with the winner expected to build a factory and depot in the country.   Image: Perry Tak/flickr #rollingstock #rail #railway #highspeedtrain

Alstom hydrogen trains in Germany face more serious problems   The authorities of the Hochtaunus district in the state of Hesse are highly critical of both the rolling stock and the technology, stressing that the faults have not been rectified for almost a year.   As reported by the Frankfurter Neue Presse, most of the 27 Coradia iLint two-car trains delivered to the region are now out of service due to technical problems. Ulrich Krebs, head of the Hochtaunus district and chairman of the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund GmbH (RMV) supervisory board, told German media that the Coradia iLint’s hydrogen technology was “obviously fundamentally unreliable”.   Read more at the link: https://lnkd.in/esqrCEHs   #rollingstock #rail #railway #hydrogen

Sinara – Transport Machines to present trams of in-house design in 2025 Sergey Shunin, General Director for Sinara – Urban Machines, a subsidiary of Sinara – Transport Machines (STM), announced the news in the course of the Public Transport forum that took place on 25 October in Moscow. “In April 2025, we plan to come on the market with our own three-car tram of an original design”, said the company’s representative. According to Mr. Shunin, this is going to be a tram for operation on the 1,435 mm gauge track in Rostov-on-Don, where Sinara – GTR (STM’s subsidiary for urban transport solutions) has a concession project for the development of the city’s tram network. Later, the three-car and single-car tram models for the 1,524 mm gauge track will be also presented. STM has been designing its own low-floor trams for several years. Among other solutions, presented by the manufacturer at this summer’s INNOPROM exhibition, there was a full-size mock-up of the new vehicle’s cabin. There were also unveiled project technical specifications for the future trams. Rendering, images: STM #rollingstock #rail #LRV #tram

More about cooperation between Pesa and Talgo on high-speed trains President of PESA Bydgoszcz S.A., Krzysztof Zdziarski, laid out details of the collaboration to the Rynek Kolejowy news outlet. The memorandum of understanding with the Spanish manufacturer was signed in September at InnoTrans 2024 (for further information on the signing, go to https://lnkd.in/eqf7K8-7). According to Zdziarski, the first step is to submit a joint application for a tender to supply high-speed trains to Poland. The tender is to be lodged in 2025. The potential volume of the order makes up 100– 200 unit (see https://lnkd.in/eFJbjpEe for details). Currently, the manufacturers are distributing responsibilities between them. Zdziarski says that the jointly produced train will resemble Talgo Avril, designed for a speed of up to 330 km/h (pictured, for further details on the Talgo Avril, see https://lnkd.in/ejuuab8Z). Lately, they have been put into public service in Spain and proved to be contentious due to technical problems (more information available at https://lnkd.in/eZ6vd4Cs). “I think we will be able to produce trains for a speed of up to 250 km/h during the next ten years. But we are at the stage when we don't compete in any technological races now. Today, the safety and comfort of the passengers are of top priority”, notes Zdziarski. In the future, Pesa’s head doesn’t exclude an extension of cooperation to supply high-speed trains to the Baltic and Eastern European countries, as well as collaboration on another trainset. According to Zdziarski, “Our portfolios complement each other”. Pesa announced the development of its high-speed train in 2022 and has already unveiled its concept. At that moment, it was stated that due to a tight schedule, the vehicle would be manufactured in a consortium with a global player, that has such competencies (see https://lnkd.in/dVrYP6CC for details). This summer, Poland’s authorities expressed interest in buying Talgo. Image: MaestreSerra/X #rollingstock #rail #railway #highspeedtrain

CRRC shunters approved for operation in Hungary   The freight operator Rail Cargo Hungaria, RCH, part of ÖBB's Rail Cargo Group, has received approval to operate two Class 461 hybrid locomotives on the public network. The vehicles have been built at CRRC Corporation Ltd.’s plant in Zhuzhou.   The traction capacity of the the Class 461’s hybrid drive is 850 kW in catenary mode and 350 kW when using the LTO batteries (see https://lnkd.in/eCk8gevk for details). During testing, the locomotives have travelled a total of 40,000 km. Another locomotive, the Bison mainline electric locomotive, also ordered by RCH, is still being tested on the national network (for further details, go to https://lnkd.in/g5-JyVck).   RCH has leased the locomotives from the producer for a term of four years. As Imre Kovács, the company’s CEO, told Vilaggazdasag, the operator is considering a possible order for a further 22 mainline and shunting locomotives from CRRC, four of which could be built in Hungary. This spring, the Chinese manufacturer announced the possibility of starting rolling stock assembly in the country (see https://lnkd.in/eAxzNJFS for more information).   This is not the first time that CRRC has supplied locomotives to Europe. Earlier, there were supplies of shunting locomotives to Germany and Austria and mainline electric locomotives to Macedonia and Serbia. In 2020, the Chinese company acquired a locomotive manufacturer in Germany, Vossloh. Today, its subsidiary has a full backlog of orders and is launching new machines on the market. In the context of China’s expansion in this and other industrial sectors, the year 2023 witnessed stricter state control over the purchase and sale of EU assets (further information available at https://lnkd.in/eRTQP4Rj).   Image: Kallus György/Vilaggazdasag #rollingstock #rail #railway #locomotive

Batch of narrow-gauge PG1 flatcars released by Kambarka Engineering Works The new rolling stock, designed to operate on 750 mm lines, can be used for transportation of continuous welded rails, wheeled and tracked machinery, and other cumbersome loads. The customer and the size of the batch are not disclosed. According to the data from the manufacturer’s website, the four-axle PG1 flatcar with a payload of 14 t has a length over buffers of 9.3 m and a width of 2.37 m. The vehicle is made as an all-metal welded construction consisting of a frame mounted on bogies. The frame features flooring, draw and buffer gears, and brake equipment. The Kambarka Engineering Works is focused on designing and manufacturing of industrial diesel locomotives, metro maintenance machines for the 1,520 mm gauge track, as well as vehicles for narrow-gauge tracks of 600, 750, and 1,067 mm. In particular, the plant has recently supplied a train for the children’s railway in Kazakhstan (see https://lnkd.in/ez4ES-N6 for details). Images: Kambarka Engineering Works #rollingstock #rail #railway #flatcar

Stadler receives first order for special-purpose locomotives from Paris Metro Following the results of the tender, the Paris public transport administration, RATPgroup, has placed an order with the Swiss manufacturer for 12 locomotives powered by third rail and batteries. The contract includes an option for another two vehicles. The locomotives are stated to be able to haul trains of up to 120 t at a speed of 40 km/h. They will also be used for the infrastructure maintenance. Authorised to operate during track possessions as well as in parallel with regular metro services, the new vehicles will serve RATP’s entire network of 14 lines, including fully automated ones. Since 2027, these machines are expected to complement an existing fleet of 28 special-purpose electric locomotives, produced between 1985 and 2005 by French Alstom and CFD (acquired by CAF in 2008). It is worth noting, that a comparable contract for the supply of hybrid locomotives was signed with CAF back in 2017. However, the Spanish manufacturer has delayed the delivery for five years already. The first vehicle from this order is now being certified (see https://lnkd.in/enkDchmW for details). Rendering: Stadler #rollingstock #rail #LRV #metro

Wabtec expanding freight loco deliveries to Kazakhstan   The national operator Kazakhstan Temir Zholy NC JSC (KTZ) and the locomotive builder have secured a $405 mln agreement for the supply of TE33A locomotives. The volume of the order is not disclosed.   The entire new fleet will be built at the Wabtec Corporation plant in Astana, Locomotive Kurastyru Zauyt (LKZ). With 451 such vehicles already delivered in past years, the new ones will start arriving at the KTZ’s disposal already next year.   In 2023, the sum of $900 mln was made available to the operator last year for the purchase of 240 locomotives (for more details, go to https://lnkd.in/eWJfiANp). The year before, two companies signed a $600 mln memorandum of understanding to build 150 battery shunting locomotives and convert the mainline fleet to LNG (see https://lnkd.in/eNQJMp68 for more information).   Since 2009, LKZ has been producing mainly TE33A diesel locomotives in various modifications, and in the spring of last year announced an increase in production capacity to 120 vehicles per year (further information available at https://lnkd.in/eTv38BhZ). This February, KTZ reported that it had ordered 75 TE33AS freight, 37 TEP33A passenger, and 18 TEM11A shunting diesel locomotives from the plant (see https://lnkd.in/e6hDi-k9 for details).   Image: Locomotive Kurastyru Zauyt #rollingstock #rail #railway #locomotive