INNOTRANS: Austrian Federal Railways has ordered 29 Plasser & Theurer CatenaryCrafter 15.4 E3 electric-battery overhead line maintenance vehicles which will soon begin entering service, and an agreement to supply Germany’s DB InfraGO with 15 from 2029 is expected to be finalised shortly.

Examples from DSB and Transdev Deutschland highlight how use of resource planning software can boost employee recruitment and retention as the rail industry adapts to an endemic staff shortage.

INNOTRANS: The future appearance of the 90 extra-long electric multiple-units which Siemens Mobility is to supply for München S-Bahn services was unveiled by Bayern Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter at InnoTrans on September 25.

INNOTRANS: ABB has launched its Pro Series battery as the latest addition to its range of traction powerpacks.

INNOTRANS: ABB has launched its Pro Series battery as the latest addition to its range of traction powerpacks.

INNOTRANS: One of the 30 Stadler Class 99 electro-diesel locomotives ordered by GB Railfreight through leasing company Beacon Rail is a highlight of the manufacturer’s presence at InnoTrans, the world’s largest railway industry trade fair which is being held in Berlin on September 24-27.

INNOTRANS: French rail industry association Fédération des Industries Ferroviaires and government export promotion body Business France have signed a Team France Ferroviaire agreement to share knowledge to boost overseas sales.

INNOTRANS: Plasser & Theurer has unveiled its InfraSpector Truck road-rail mobile testing lab, which is designed to meet all the infrastructure inspection and measuring requirements of metro, tramway and local railway operators.

UK: A five-year contract to supply Network Rail with switches and crossings and associated components was announced by Progress Rail at the InnoTrans rail industry trade fair in Berlin.

GERMANY: In a bid to end the shortage of qualified staff at a time when demand for electrification skills is expected to grow rapidly, the German Railway Industry Association (Verband der Bahnindustrie in Deutschland) has partnered with a group of companies to launch a specialist training scheme.

AFRICA: China Civil Engineering Construction Corp is in active negotiations for a 30-year concession to operate the Tanzania-Zambia Railway network and revitalise the infrastructure and rolling stock.

AUSTRALIA: Port Dock station on a spur from the Outer Harbor line in central Port Adelaide has reopened after 43 years.

INNOTRANS: Stadler has unveiled its prototype RS Zero lightweight railcar, offered in hydrogen or battery powered versions as a locally emission-free successor to the successful Regio-Shuttle RS1 family of diesel railcars for use on secondary routes where a high passenger capacity is not required.

INNOTRANS: The Resource Sharing Broker digital platform for matching freight operators’ locomotive requirements with leasing companies’ availability has been developed with the aim of increasing the competitiveness of the rail freight sector.

UK: High speed line project promoter HS2 Ltd has selected six businesses to join its latest Innovation Accelerator programme.

EUROPE: Plans for the launch of a daily direct ICE train service between Paris and Berlin have been presented by SNCF TGV-Intercités CEO Alain Krakovitch and DB Personenverkehr CEO Michael Peterson at InnoTrans.

InnoTrans: The global market for railway systems and services is expected to continue growing at an annual average of around 3% until 2027-29, according to the 10th UNIFE World Rail Market Study.

INNOTRANS: ‘We need to harness people’s passion for railways’, urged Hermany’s Federal Minister for Digital & Transport Dr Wolker Wissing at the opening ceremony for InnoTrans 2024 in Berlin on September 24.

SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has selected Frequentis to supply and maintain technology to replace its current dispatching system and manage communications for more than 11 000 trains per day.

INNOTRANS: Hyundai Rotem is displaying its prototype hydrogen fuel cell tram at InnoTrans 2024 in Berlin.