In Numbers

€387m

French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom has received a €387m ($398m) contract from India’s Madhya Pradesh Metro Rail for the supply of 156 Movia metro cars.

€9.5bn

The Irish Cabinet has given the go-ahead to the National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s preliminary business case for Dublin's €9.5bn ($9.55bn) MetroLink project.

$447m

Ekovest Construction has received a $447m engineering, procurement and construction contract for the high-speed railway project that will connect Malaysia and Singapore.

£1bn

The UK Government has allocated more than £1bn ($1.2bn) for the replacement of outmoded infrastructure with modern digital signalling technology on the East Coast Main Line.

€350m

The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency has granted over €350m ($351.8m) to Rail Baltica in the first call of the new financial period 2021-2027.

$573m

The US Department of Transportation has allocated more than $573m this year for the Railroad Crossing Elimination Programme.

Projects

UK’s HS2 begins viaduct construction in Buckinghamshire

UK-based company High Speed 2 has commenced construction on a 450m-long viaduct situated south of the village of Wendover in Buckinghamshire.

The Wendover Dean Viaduct is claimed to be the first major railway bridge in the UK to be constructed with a ‘double composite’ structure.

It will be built using significantly lower carbon-intensive concrete and steel compared with a more traditional design.

Source: Railway Technology

Rail Vision begins heavy haul rail network pilot

Technology firm Rail Vision, along with Rio Tinto Iron Ore, has commenced a long-term pilot programme for the AutoHaul project.

The project is claimed to be the first automated and long-distance heavy haul rail network across the globe.

Under the firm’s contract with Hitachi Rails STS, the Rail Vision Main Line System will be trialled in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for three months.

Source: Railway Technology

Skanska wins further contract for HS2 project in UK

Swedish construction company Skanska, as part of the Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture, has announced receipt of a further £78m ($92.6m) contract to carry out works on the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway line in the UK.

The latest award has been provided under the existing contract with HS2 for works on the first phase of the project. The contract is associated with the planned and agreed changes to the scope of works under the original award.

Source: Railway Technology

In Quotes

Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, Comments on the union members' vote to undertake strike action in the UK:

"‘Strikes are always the last resort. We don’t want to inconvenience passengers – our friends and families use public transport, too – and we don’t want to lose money by going on strike but we’ve been forced into this position by the companies driven by the government.

"Many of our members – who were, you will remember, the men and women who moved key workers and goods around the country during the pandemic – have not had a pay rise since 2019.

"With inflation running at north of 10% that means those drivers have had a real-terms pay cut over the last three years. We want an increase in line with the cost of living – we want to be able to buy, in 2022, what we could buy in 2021.

"It’s not unreasonable to ask your employer to make sure you’re not worse off for three years in a row.  Especially as the train companies are doing very nicely, thank you, out of Britain’s railways – with handsome profits, dividends for shareholders, and big salaries for managers – and train drivers don’t want to work longer for less."

Source: PMLive

David Clarke, Technical Director at the Railway Industry Association (RIA), welcomes the UK Government's £1bn ($1.2bn) investment in signalling upgrades on the east coast main line:

“The East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) will increase train capacity, provide more reliable services and better information for passengers and bring safety and environmental benefits. It will future-proof one of the vital transport arteries of the UK.

“It is a credit to the team at Network Rail, led by Toufic Machnouk, and members of the supply chain, who are working so collaboratively on the ECDP. Earlier this year, The RIA published a report on the programme which found that its innovative structure and the close work between suppliers and clients are currently helping the team reach key milestones on time and will pave the way for future railway projects.

“This builds on steady progress in this area, following the launch of digital signalling and trains on the Elizabeth Line and Thameslink, the 4LM project by Transport for London, and further investment promised in the Integrated Rail Plan.

"Rolling out digital signalling more widely will be an important part of building a rail network which is fit for the future. The RIA will continue to work with our members and partners to support the delivery of the ECDP and other digital projects, to ensure customers right around the country feel the benefits of digital technology on our railway.”