CALGARY, Dec. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ – Canadian Pacific Railroad (NYSE: CP) announced today it has completed its previously announced agreement to purchase an 83.5 percent stake in the Detroit River Rail Tunnel from certain affiliates of OMERS, the defined benefit pension plan for municipal employees in the province of Ontario. CP previously owned a 16.5 percent stake of the tunnel in partnership with OMERS. The purchase price for the transaction is approximately US$312 million, subject to customary closing adjustments.
Alstom has been awarded the contract by Toulouse Metropole for the system for the third and new 27 km metro line, called Toulouse Aerospace Express, for the sum of more than €470 M. The contract could eventually be worth €713 M, including all options. The line consists of 21 stations and will serve the aviation labour pool.
The firm tranche of the order guarantees a transport capacity of 5,000 passengers per hour in each direction (pphpd), with options for up to 10,000 pphpd. It includes Alstom’s efficient, proven “Systems” solutions: Metropolis™ trains and Urbalis™ 400 CBTC solution for driverless operation and Hesop™ reversible substations. The scope also includes platform screen doors, including a dynamic system for load indication, and the track including the laying with the automated solution Appitrack™. Finally, the firm tranche of the order includes six years of maintenance, with 12 years of maintenance as an option.
“This order is excellent news for Alstom and I would like to thank Tisséo and Toulouse Metropole for their confidence! Alstom has submitted a very competitive system offer, while proposing its latest technologies and innovations on the various subsystems (vehicles, signalling, infrastructure and power supply). This order will enable us to continue developing our skills in France in all these areas, as well as our presence in the region of Occitanie, already in full expansion with our centres of excellence for Electrical component’in Toulouse and traction in Tarbes, and soon the Line 3 project team. We’ll also be calling on a number of local partners,” says Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, President of Alstom in France.
The city of Toulouse is renowned for its economic vitality and the quality of life of the surrounding region. The Toulouse Aerospace Express project is part of a drive to increase the city’s appeal with the help of sustainable, inclusive mobility.
Alstom will contribute to the economic vitality of the local area with its site in Toulouse, which will be the nerve centre of the project. The site will consequently be developed for the construction and maintenance activities, thereby promoting local employment. In total, more than 600 people in France will work on this project, including up to 400 people in the Toulouse metropolitan area at the peak of the activity. 80% of the hours spent working on this project will be in France and 55% directly in the region of Occitanie. Jobs will also be created with our suppliers in France and in the city of Toulouse for the activities of installation, infrastructure and system deployment.
Alstom’s integrated Systems solution provides a highly mature, efficient and comfortable transport offer, designed with maximum operability and reliability in mind, with record availability of 99.8%. Alstom has a global leadership position and fully proven experience in the successful construction, commissioning and delivery of new integrated metro systems, as well as in their safe, reliable and efficient operation. Alstom can boast more than 65 years’ experience, having sold over 17,000 metro cars that carry 30 million passengers every day operate in 55 cities around the world. One of the most recent successes for Alstom in integrated metro projects being the 15-kilometre-long Dubai Metro Route 2020, completed and delivered in July 2020
The design selected for the system and the metro makes it possible to propose a solution that minimises waiting time in stations, with reduced traffic frequency from the moment of entry into service, but which, by increasing the number of metro cars from 2 to 3, increases the transport offer to 15,000 passengers per hour in each direction, without modifying the infrastructure. Indeed, Alstom will design the system to be able to go up to 15,000. The base contract is for 5,000 with options to go up to 10,000.
The rolling stock belongs to the Métropolis™ range of trains. It benefits from the innovations and continuous improvement brought to this product for more than 15 years, through numerous R&D programmes and contracts executed throughout the world. This state-of-the-art metro has been designed to improve passenger experience as well as reconcile performance, energy efficiency and ease of maintenance, in order to control costs throughout its life cycle.
For passengers, as it is a new line, the train will be characterised in particular by increased volumes on board and large openings to the exterior. The experience of the journey will be made more pleasant with an atmosphere that is air-conditioned and quiet, LED lighting that adjusts to travel conditions, reinforced air filtration and antibacterial coatings on the handholds for a healthier interior.
Travel will be made easier from the moment you step on board, with, for example, platform facades indicating the density of people on board the cars.
Urbalis™ 400 is a proven, efficient CBTC (Communication Based Train Control) automatic operation solution, in commercial service in many cities around the world. Deployed or in the process of being deployed on more than 100 metro lines, notably in Lyon and Marseille, Urbalis 400™ is a generic solution, managed as a platform, to ensure optimum safety and reliability as well as long-term durability. The solution has also demonstrated its operational robustness and modular capabilities, enabling it to control sensitive interfaces such as those of the train or the centralised control centre.
The transport system solution provided by Alstom has also been designed to reduce operational costs, achieving major energy savings through a combination of reversible Hesop™ substations with regenerative braking, efficient traction and braking systems and improved CBTC automatic train control strategies.
And finally, the project also includes the construction of a rail track that reduces friction and fine particles to a minimum, thanks to steel-on-steel operation and offers guaranteed performance over time.
With this contract, Alstom is making a long-term commitment to mobility in Toulouse by ensuring the construction and maintenance of this third line on behalf of Tisséo.
Infrastructure work across the Auckland metro rail network is set to ramp up over the Christmas period during a network wide shut down.
As Aucklanders head out of the city on holiday, work on several projects is scheduled across the network to take advantage of the quieter period.
KiwiRail Chief Operating Officer Todd Moyle says work will focus on track repairs.
“We’ll have more than 100 people working over the Christmas and New Year period across the network. Additionally, preliminary work on Papakura to Pukekohe electrification, the Westfield and Wiri junction and the construction of a third main will be getting underway.”
All of the projects are part of the Auckland Metro Rail Programme and once complete will deliver Auckland a resilient train infrastructure network for improved reliability of passenger train services provided by Auckland Transport and freight trains.
Earlier in the year, testing uncovered damage to more than 100km of track which required urgent upgrading.
“Our teams have put in a lot of hours and have already completed over 50 percent of the required work.
“The upgrade has been a massive task and KiwiRail has worked with Auckland Transport throughout the project to try to minimise the impact on commuters.”
The network shutdown will take place from Saturday 26 December to Sunday 10 January. During that period only freight trains will operate on the tracks.
Commuters on the Western line between Fruitvale Road and Swanson will need to prepare for a longer period of disruption, with work starting earlier, on December 20, and continuing along the entire Western Line until the end of January 2021.
“We have planned the repairs on the Western line to minimise the impact when the school year begins in February.”
“KiwiRail appreciates the level of cooperation and understanding from the public as this necessary work continues. The progress that will be made during the shutdown is an investment which will make the network more resilient and reduce future outages.”
AT Executive General Manager Integrated Networks Mark Lambert says “Once again AT wishes to acknowledge the disruption that these works have had on our customers. We will continue to provide Rail Replacement Bus services across the network throughout the shutdown, including New Year’s Eve, when many Aucklanders will be wanting to spend time with their friends and loved-ones.”
Airbus-led consortiums have recently won a series of contracts to shape the future of EGNOS, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service. EGNOS enhances Galileo and GPS signals to provide augmented safety of life services.
EGNOS V3, set to replace the current version, is already being developed by a consortium of 20 European companies led by Airbus. It will enable ‘Category I’ automatic landing of aircraft – with the flight crew supervising – in weather conditions where it would otherwise be dangerous or impossible to operate.
To prepare EGNOS V3 Evolutions, the European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded a new study contract to Airbus. The focus is on the use of the augmentation service for stringent operations like Category II approach and landing under very low visibility conditions going beyond the current EGNOS V3 performance requirements.
Preceding this, Airbus has been conducting an innovative study under the ESA NAVISP Programme to assess the potential of sensor fusion techniques, for aviation applications demanding stringent performance requirements aiding operations under low visibility conditions. The study assesses the fit and the benefits of this approach to the Positioning Navigation & Timing (PNT) requirement adherence, in particular for the Satellite Navigation.
In addition, Airbus, together with European partners, has won a series of contracts from the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA) and ESA to extend EGNOS service use for the safe operations of railways. The resulting projects are:
– CLUG (Certifiable Localisation Unit with GNSS): GNSS could prove a game changer for the European railway network by enabling a significant reduction of trackside equipment and by improving localisation performance. This project is performing mission analysis/needs identification and a preliminary feasibility study of an on-board localisation unit.
– GREET (GNSS for the Railway EnvironmEnT) ESA recently awarded Airbus a study for the development of a railway GNSS receiver chain to support the testing and validation of integrity concepts, algorithms, and techniques for receivers in railway environment.
– EGNSS-R (European GNSS for Rail): Rail signaling systems are used to safely control traffic in order to prevent train collisions. The project aims to define a new GNSS augmentation service for improved rail signaling, along with an implementation roadmap.
Qantas Frequent Flyers can now earn and use points on premium train trips around Australia including The Ghan, Indian Pacific and the Great Southern – marking the first time Classic Reward Seats have been offered on the ground.
From today, members can use points to book Classic Rail Reward seats or earn 1 point per $1 spent on Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions journeys.
Journey Beyond offers extended overnight rail holidays that traverse some of Australia’s most picturesque and iconic landscapes such as the Red Centre, Blue Mountains and east coast. The all-inclusive high-end expeditions include bespoke menus inspired by the places the trains travel through and the opportunity for guests to explore beyond the tracks with immersive Off Train Excursions before returning to their onboard accommodation and world-class hospitality.
Qantas Loyalty CEO, Olivia Wirth said at a time when Australians are planning domestic holidays more than ever the partnership with Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions provides even more choice for frequent flyers to use their Qantas Points.
“Ninety per cent of our members want to use their points for travel so the ability to explore the country by rail is an exciting alternative for frequent flyers and a real drawcard for our program,” Ms Wirth said.
“Whether members are redeeming points on flights, hotel bookings, holiday packages or now rail travel, we’re always evolving and innovating to meet the needs of our 13 million members and help bring them closer to their next dream trip.”
Journey Beyond Chief Executive Officer, Chris Tallent said the announcement reflected a coming together of two great Australian brands.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Qantas Frequent Flyer and provide people who love to travel with greater value when they choose a premium rail holiday experience,” Mr Tallent said.
“Like Qantas, Journey Beyond is in the business of taking people to incredible places across the country and curating unique experiences that forge lasting memories.
“As the first travel partner to offer Classic Reward Seats outside of flights, with the launch of our ‘Classic Rail’ Rewards, we look forward to growing our partnership with Qantas and sharing the joy of travel with our guests.”
Bookings are now available for rail travel next year with the Great Southern’s second season being extended by two weeks into February and the once-a-week Ghan service becoming a twice-weekly service from May to August. Work is currently underway to see the Indian Pacific return with its weekly journeys from mid-February.
Qantas Frequent Flyers can earn 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on all Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions or use points to book twin and single Gold Cabins on The Ghan, Indian Pacific and Great Southern starting from 100,000 Qantas Points.
Union Pacific today named Craig Richardson executive vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary. Richardson is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s legal affairs, including commercial transactions and litigation, regulatory matters, labor and employment. Richardson also supervises the railroad’s compliance and ethics program, and risk management initiatives, including Union Pacific’s police department. He succeeds Rhonda Ferguson, who served as executive vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary.
Richardson most recently served as vice president of commercial and regulatory law. He’s also held the position of associate general counsel.
“Craig has provided critical leadership, guiding us through sensitive and complex legal matters with insight, sound judgment and clarity,” said Chairman, President and CEO Lance Fritz. “He is a superior partner and counselor and has the expertise we need during this time of unprecedented change within our nation and company.”
Richardson’s experience spans commercial and regulatory litigation, including oil and gas, environmental, and antitrust law, as well as all aspects of multi-jurisdictional permitting of global energy infrastructure. For nearly a decade, he served as the Chief Legal Officer of El Paso Corporation’s Pipeline Group, the largest network of interstate natural gas pipelines in North America, delivering over 30% of the natural gas consumed in the United States. He was responsible for all legal matters nationwide, waging successful litigation in executing El Paso’s $8 billion portfolio of crucial additions to national energy infrastructure from California to New York.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on KiwiRail’s bottom line for the past financial year, but rigorous operational changes and cost savings measures have helped stabilise the business, KiwiRail chairman Brian Corban says.
KiwiRail Holdings Limited, New Zealand’s national rail provider, which also operates the Interislander ferry service across Cook Strait, today reported an operating surplus of $40 million1in FY20 for the KiwiRail Group, down $15 million compared with FY192.
FY20 was also notable for the additional $1.2 billion of Crown funding allocated in Budget 2020, including $400 million to progress the iReX project to replace the three ageing Interislander ferries with two brand new ones. When they arrive, they will be the first new purpose-built ferries in Interislander’s fleet for 25 years. The Budget 2020 allocation also allows the purchase of new locomotives.
Mr Miller explains that COVID-19 interrupted progress on some significant projects including the rejuvenation of the North Auckland Line where $35.5 million of $164.5 million allocated by the Provincial Growth Fund was spent during the year. More than 400 staff, contractors and sub-contractors are at work building tracks, replacing bridges and making tunnels suitable for wagons carrying hi-cube containers in Northland.
Other highlights during the year included the full return to service of the Main North line through Kaikōura and, in Wellington, work advanced on upgrading the metro network including construction starting on a second 2.7km track between Trentham and Upper Hutt.
1 Operating surplus represents earnings before depreciation & amortisation, interest, impairment, capital grants and fair value changes.
2 FY19 Operating surplus of $55m excludes impact of non-recurring items ($29m Holidays Act remediation).
Log trains are running again on the Wairoa-Napier line from this weekend.
Services were suspended earlier this year as a result of COVID-19’s impact on the forestry industry.
KiwiRail Chief Operating Officer Todd Moyle says the first train will run tomorrow (November 21).
“We’re pleased to get the service up and running again.
“However, with the track now back in regular use, people travelling in the area will need to take special care around level crossings. Those crossing the tracks should expect trains at any time and from either direction.
“Initially there will be two return trains each weekend. Each train is expected to consist of 24 wagons, the equivalent of 24 truckloads of logs.
“Over time, as log volumes increase, we expect to run trains daily.
“There are significant numbers of forests in the Wairoa catchment that are reaching maturity.
“Harvest volumes in the Hawke’s Bay region are predicted to reach 3.3 million tonnes per annum in the next few years and remain at high levels until the mid-2030s, so we know there is a demand for rail.
“Rail infrastructure investment has multiple, long-term benefits, some of which are not immediately obvious.
“For example, moving more logs by rail instead of trucks reduces road maintenance costs and congestion and improves road safety – particularly on regional roads like those between Napier and Wairoa which were not designed for heavy trucks.
“Given trains have 70 per cent fewer emissions than trucks per tonne of freight, it also helps reduce transport emissions.”
The line was rebuilt with $6.2 million provided to the project through the Provincial Growth Fund.
To commemorate 20 years of Acela service throughout the Northeast Corridor (NEC),Amtrak is Acela-celebrating by offering customers the opportunity to travel on its premium product one way in Business class for only $20 from anywhere between Boston and Washington, D.C. The sale is available for purchase from Tuesday, Nov. 10, to Thursday, Nov. 12 and is valid for travel between Nov. 16 through Dec. 17 with blackout dates during Thanksgiving week (Nov. 24, 25, and 28 through 30) and on Fridays and Sundays. Other restrictions may apply and the fare may not be available on all departures.
As part of its partnership with experts from the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Amtrak’s new, enhanced safety initiatives and amenities, including the recently introduced Reserved Seating offering, will continue to be in effect for customers and employees on our trains and at our stations.
“Celebrating 20 years of Acela service is an incredible milestone that we are proud to celebrate. We would like to thank our customers and give them a chance to see the changes we’ve made to the experience by offering an exceptionally low fare of only $20,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer Roger Harris. “For anyone who has been curious about the premium travel experience on our flagship product, this is your chance to ride Acela for a special, low fare that is only available for two days.”
“The name Ruakanakana is associated with a pā site beside Lake Elterwater that was occupied by the renowned chief Te Rakaitauheke of the Ngāti Kurī hapū of Ngāi Tahu.
“The Main North Line runs alongside Lake Elterwater, around 10km north of the new overpass. Ruakanakana can be translated as “two-headed lamprey” which evokes images of a guardian taniwha.
“Traffic will be travelling on the new overpass next month. Construction work is close to completion, with the naming by iwi and blessing of the new overpass part of our final preparations.
“Vehicles have been using a temporary diversion through the area, while it was being built.
“The new road overpass is part of the work KiwiRail is doing to move a stretch of the Main North Line to bypass Tar Barrel tunnel, the oldest tunnel on the line.
“This work is needed to make the rail line more resilient and involves cutting through the hill to re-route the line to the south of the tunnel and beneath State Highway 1.”
The project is part of the Kaikoura Earthquake recovery works and will improve rail operations and seismic reliance for both road and rail.
KiwiRail is working with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to deliver these works, which are on track to be completed by mid-2021.
Waka Kotahi Director Regional Relationships Jim Harland thanked drivers through this site for taking care around road and rail crews while a more resilient link, particularly in the event of earthquakes, is completed for both road and rail.
