Singapore’s LTA awards four contracts for JRL

Indian Railways shortlists nine companies for station redevelopment

Indian Railways has announced that it has shortlisted nine companies for the redevelopment of four railway stations.

LiveMint stated that the nine companies include GR Infraprojects, Kalpataru Power Transmission, GMR Business and Consultancy, and Cube Construction Engineering.

Anchorage Infrastructure Investments Holdings, ISQ Asia Infrastructure Investments, Montecarlo, JKB Infrastructure, and Kalyan Toll Infrastructure are the other shortlisted companies.

The Indian Government has planned to redevelop the stations in Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, Nagpur in Maharashtra, Amritsar in Punjab, and Sabarmati in Gujarat into commercial hubs.

Last month, the Indian Railway Stations Development Corp (IRSDC) opened requests for qualification (RFQs) to shortlist companies.

The Indian Government has planned to spend around Rs13bn ($173.2m) to redevelop the four stations.

The stations are expected to attract large investments after the completion of the project, which is a part of Indian Railways’ plan to attract private investment.

Earlier this month, the ministry invited RFQs for private entities for passenger rail service operations for 151 new trains.

These trains will operate more than 109 origin-destination (OD) pairs of routes.

The Ministry of Railways has also announced its plans to transform Indian Railways into green railways by 2030.

It has implemented different measures to mitigate global warming and combat climate change.

In April, Indian Railways announced that a new freight locomotive has cleared a key trial, thereby further advancing the process of its induction into service.

The trial was conducted by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), which also confirmed that the locomotive can operate at a maximum speed of 100km/h on Indian tracks.

Indra to develop rail traffic management system for Estonia

Technology firm Indra has received a contract from Estonian railway infrastructure company Eesti Raudtee for its rail traffic management system.

According to the €18.4m contract, Indra will be responsible for the design, development, implementation, and start-up of the management system which will manage the traffic on 1,214km of the rail network.

The contract also includes system maintenance for two years, effective from the start-up of the last line, which is expected to take place in 2025.

Eesti Raudtee CEO Erik Laidvee said: “We have set in motion a very ambitious investment plan until 2030 that will take our railway infrastructure to a new quality and safety level, so we are very happy to start the modernisation projects.

“For Eesti Raudtee, the stages of implementing the new traffic management automation software are closely related to the schedule of the CCS (Control Command and Signalling System) project.

“Its aim is to automate and digitise the processes related to traffic management: the development of traffic schedules, the management of traffic by train dispatchers and the collection of traffic statistics for analysis.”

Indra will deploy a complete traffic control and management solution that includes centralised traffic control (CTC), regulation, and planning systems.

The solution will be based on the Rail Traffic Management System (TMS).

The integrated and open management system is expected to offer a high degree of automation, as well as a number of benefits that come with digitalisation.

The solution offers a ‘unique vision’ to the operators and allows operational automation, improved network capacity use, operating cost reductions and increased safety.

DP World hails passing of legislation to deploy hyperloop systems

Port operator DP World has publicly lauded legislation passed by the US House of Representatives that requests a regulatory framework to safely deploy hyperloop systems.

This legislation is said to be the first of its kind from the US Government.

It also directs the Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology (NETT) Council to provide guidance regarding the regulatory framework for the hyperloop system in six months.

DP World created a new venture, known as DP World Cargospeed, in partnership with Virgin Hyperloop.

The venture hopes to achieve the quick, sustainable and efficient delivery of cargo worldwide.

Virgin Hyperloop has started talks with the governments of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and India.

It recently carried out the first national-level study in the world, along with the Saudi Ministry of Transport.

DP World is the largest investor in Virgin Hyperloop, which raised investments exceeding $400m.

DP World CEO and group chairman and VH chairman Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said: “We are excited to see this revolutionary vision becoming part of the future of transportation, as much as we are confident that Virgin Hyperloop will take a leap forward and deliver on a 21st-century transportation solution.

“The decision is a huge vote of confidence that we are all on the right side of history. The move, which brings hyperloop systems one major step closer to reality, validates our decision to take this technology seriously and support this innovation.”

Virgin Hyperloop One CEO Jay Walder said: “DP World has been a key enabler of developing this technology for deployment, and the inclusion of hyperloop transportation in this legislation is a great moment in history for us and for DP World.”

Last year, Virgin Hyperloop One announced plans to build a long-range hyperloop test track in Saudi Arabia.

DB to procure 30 inter-city trains from Siemens Mobility for €1bn

German railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) has awarded a €1bn order to Siemens Mobility for the delivery of 30 inter-city trains.

The order also includes an extension for the delivery of an additional 60 trainsets.

Last November, DB announced plans to invest €1bn in purchasing 30 high-speed trains to expand its long-distance fleet.

The trains will begin operations in 2022 on the routes between Munich and North Rhine-Westphalia via the Cologne-Rhine-Main line.

Based on the ICE 3 platform, these trains will increase the daily passenger capacity on the routes by 13,000 seats. They can accommodate 440 seats each and operate at speeds of up to 320km/h.

Siemens’ North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Austria locations will be involved in the manufacture of the ICE trains.

The trains will feature different features for comfort, such as frequency-transparent windows and space to transport bicycles.

DB has stated that there will be 421 ICE trains operating on the German rail network by 2026.

Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz said: “Today marks a big step for a strong and environmentally friendly rail system: DB is investing in new trains at a record level. Our fleet will be getting state-of-the-art additions with the new ICE trains, and our passengers will benefit from more seats, greater comfort and higher speeds by the end of 2022.

“The entire DB fleet will grow by 20% over the coming years. Even though demand has sharply declined due to the corona pandemic, everything speaks in favour of climate-friendly rail transport for the longer term. That’s why we’re committed to growth!”

Network Rail launches competition for future railway stations

Alstom to supply integrated metro system for Taipei Metro

An Alstom-led consortium and CTCI have received a €424m contract for the Taipei Metro Line 7 Phase Two extension.

Of the total value of the contract, Alstom’s share is €248m.

In 2018, Alstom won a contract to supply an integrated metro system for Taipei Metro Line 7 phase one.

The contract was awarded by the Systemwide E&M Project Office Department of Rapid Transit System Taipei City Government (SEMPO) to Alstom and CTCI.

Under the latest contract, Alstom will supply 16 additional four-car Metropolis trains, its Urbalis 400 CBTC driverless signalling system, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system and platform screen doors.

Alstom will oversee the design, supply, manufacturing, testing and commissioning of the completely automated trains.

Alstom’s Taubaté factory in Brazil will manufacture the trains, while Saint-Ouen site in France and Bangalore site in India will be responsible for the signalling system.

CTCI will be responsible for the trackwork, power supply, depot equipment, telecommunication and ticketing systems.

Alstom Asia Pacific senior vice president Ling Fang said: “Taipei Metro Line 7, which interchanges with five other lines, will be a game-changer for the travelling public of Taipei, and Alstom is delighted to continue to be a part of this iconic project.

“The success of this project extension with SEMPO positions us as a reliable and trusted partner, established for the long term in Taiwan and well beyond our 40 years of active presence.”

Also known as Wanda Zhonghe Shulin Line, Taipei Metro Line 7 is a medium-capacity rapid transit line.

Expected to be completed in 2028, Phase Two is a 22.8km-long rail line and an extension of Phase One. It also aims to link Taipei City with New Taipei City more seamlessly.

Skanska to upgrade rail track in Czech Republic

Swedish construction company Skanska has received a contract from the Railway Administration of the Czech Republic to upgrade an 8.5km-long railway track in Brno.

The company signed the contract, along with the Electrification of Railways in Prague. Skanska’s part of the contract is valued at CZK1.5bn ($63.5m).

Skanska will completely upgrade the infrastructure and carry out pre-electrification adjustments that are expected to make the railway track more environmentally friendly.

It will also construct two new stops, new pedestrian underpasses, and four new crossings, bridges and culverts, as well as reconstruct a steel pedestrian bridge.

The electrification part of the project will be completed by the Electrification of Railways in Prague.

The construction is expected to begin this month and will be complete in August 2022.

Skanska is a development and construction company, with the majority of its operations concentrated across Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Last year, the company reported sales of Skr33bn ($3.5bn).