While the complex migration to operation using digital automatic couplers lies ahead, Europe’s freight trains are already being digitalised. Reinhard Christeller presents a snapshot of the benefits in safety, productivity and cost effectiveness.

FRANCE: Commercial trials with a hybrid multiple-unit featuring conventional electric, diesel and battery traction were launched in the Grand Est région on July 15. The train will operate on the Strasbourg – Sarreguemines route until November 24, during which tests will also be undertaken using hydrotreated vegetable oil instead of ...

USA: Amtrak has appointed a joint venture of Skanska and E-J Electric Installation Co to undertake the East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project to modernise the four bores connecting New York Penn Station with Queens.

CROATIA: National passenger operator HŽPP has awarded Končar KEV a contract to supply six electro-diesel multiple-units for the 429 km Zagreb – Split route, which is electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz as far as Oštarije.

UK: The cancellation of Phase 2 of High Speed 2 means the programme will now not address the capacity issues on the West Coast Main Line north of Birmingham, according to the National Audit Office.

GERMANY: Transport authorities go.Rheinland and Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr have selected Alstom to supply and maintain 90 custom-designed Adessia Stream electric multiple-units for S-Bahn services through Köln.

INNOTRANS: ‘Forging Mobility Ahead’, is the slogan for Moxa’s presence at InnoTrans 2024, where it will be showing what it says is the world’s first router certified to IEC 62443-4-2 Security Level 2 for train control management systems and ethernet train backbone network management.

UK: Construction of HS2 Ltd’s Green Park Way ventilation shaft at Greenford in west London has entered a crucial phase, as preparations ramp up ahead of the arrival and subsequent recovery of four tunnel boring machines at the site.

USA: New York State Department of Transportation has awarded Skanska a design and build contract for the $634·8m replacement of the Livingston Avenue Bridge connecting Albany and Rensselaer across the Hudson River.

BANGLADESH: Korea Railroad Corp has been awarded a three-year contract to maintain passenger rolling stock operated by Bangladesh Railway.

PHILIPPINES: The Department of Transportation is to work with the Department of Science & Technology to develop a second prototype diesel-electric train.

UK: HS2 Ltd is to work with SMEs Infinitive Group Ltd and Material Index as part of its efforts to sustainably ‘deconstruct’ worksites along the 225 km of high speed railway being built between London and the West Midlands.

UK: The government has introduced to parliament a bill to create the legal framework for transferring the operation of passenger rail services in Great Britain from private sector contractors to public sector companies. The direct award of a contract to a public sector operator would become the default, rather than ...

FRANCE: Vossloh has acquired France Aiguillages Services, which provides a range of turnout and signalling installation, inspection and maintenance services and has extensive approvals to undertake work for its biggest customer SNCF.

FINLAND: The driverless movement of a tram around the Tampere tramway’s depot has been demonstrated, with Škoda Group saying its ’marks a significant step towards full autonomy’.

SOUTH AFRICA: The African Development Bank has approved a US$1bn corporate loan to support national rail, port and logistics company Transnet’s business recovery plan, and is considering two targeted grants.

Construction of the long-planned 1 435 mm gauge north-south rail corridor through the Baltic States is ramping up rapidly, despite a near-trebling of the forecast cost and continuing uncertainty over some sections of the route. Toma Bačić reports from Tallinn.

SINGAPORE: Singapore Post and operator SMRT are testing the use of metro trains for moving post.

News from the world rail freight market.

UK: Train operator Northern says its entirely AI-operated Whatsapp enquiry service has received 8 000 messages from customers in the first year of operation, which has freed-up 1 277 h of employee time.