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KiwiRail Leases Additional Ferry to Boost Interislander Service

KiwiRail has leased an additional freight ferry to provide capacity and resilience on Cook Strait, KiwiRail Group Chief Executive Greg Miller announced today. The Valentine is completing technical due diligence in England now, ahead of sailing to New Zealand. It is due to arrive in mid-December and Interislander crews will familiarize themselves with the ship before Valentine begins working the Cook Strait, likely later in December.

Mr Miller said the Interislander fleet is aging and more prone to breakdown. “Old ships tend to have mechanical problems and this has been highlighted with the current mechanical issues on Aratere. While she has now resumed service, we know that disruption is bad for us and our customers.

The Valentine is being leased for an initial 12 months.  Valentine has been working in the English Channel and is well-suited to KiwiRail operations.

Mr Miller says the move shows KiwiRail’s determination to support the movement of essential supplies in New Zealand through increased capacity, collaboration, and improving scheduling and resource planning.

First Order Placed With Solaris to Supply 530 Electric Buses to Hamburg

Hamburger Hochbahn, one of the largest public transport operators in Germany, issued a  tender this year for the supply of 530 twelve and eighteen metre-long (articulated) electric  buses. In August, three candidate manufacturers were selected, one of these being the CAF  Group subsidiary. The framework agreement establishes tranche orders for the vehicles over  the next 5 years until completing the delivery of the aforementioned total of 530 vehicles.  

Solaris received its first firm order for units under the framework agreement, specifically 5 12- metre and 5 18-metre e-buses, which will be delivered to Hamburg in October 2021.  

The two selected electric models, the Urbino 12 and the Urbino 18 belong to Solaris’ range of  emission-free and extremely low-noise vehicles. Both vehicles will be equipped with Solaris  High Energy + high-capacity batteries, integrated axle drive motors and also featuring plug-in  charging devices for availability ranges of up to several hundred kilometres on a single charge.  

The vehicles will also be equipped with temperature pre-conditioning to guarantee optimal  vehicle temperatures during battery charging, as well as a variety of solutions to promote  safety, such as a blind spot monitor system that warns the driver when pedestrians or cyclists  are in the vicinity of the vehicle. In terms of capacity, the Solaris Urbino 12 model can carry up  to 70 passengers whilst the articulated vehicles offer 107 passenger places, guaranteeing  maximum driver and passenger comfort during service.

Hamburger Hochbahn AG Innovationslinie 19.02.2015 Fotograf: Marc-Oliver Schulz 0170-3108004 mail@moschulz.de Hamburger Hochbahn AG Innovationslinie 19.02.2015 Fotograf: Marc-Oliver Schulz 0170-3108004 mail@moschulz.de

Boeing Responds to FAA Approval Resuming 737 MAX Operations

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today rescinded the order that halted commercial operations of Boeing (NYSE: BA) 737-8’s and 737-9’s. The move will allow airlines that are under the FAA’s jurisdiction, including those in the U.S., to take the steps necessary to resume service and Boeing to begin making deliveries.

“We will never forget the lives lost in the two tragic accidents that led to the decision to suspend operations,” said David Calhoun, chief executive officer of The Boeing Company. “These events and the lessons we have learned as a result have reshaped our company and further focused our attention on our core values of safety, quality and integrity.”

Throughout the past 20 months, Boeing has worked closely with airlines, providing them with detailed recommendations regarding long-term storage and ensuring their input was part of the effort to safely return the airplanes to service.

An Airworthiness Directive issued by the FAA spells out the requirements that must be met before U.S. carriers can resume service, including installing software enhancements, completing wire separation modifications, conducting pilot training and accomplishing thorough de-preservation activities that will ensure the airplanes are ready for service.

“The FAA’s directive is an important milestone,” said Stan Deal, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We will continue to work with regulators around the world and our customers to return the airplane back into service worldwide.”

In addition to changes made to the airplane and pilot training, Boeing has taken three important steps to strengthen its focus on safety and quality.

  1. Organizational Alignment: More than 50,000 engineers have been brought together in a single organization that includes a new Product & Services Safety unit, unifying safety responsibilities across the company. 
  2. Cultural Focus: Engineers have been further empowered to improve safety and quality. The company is identifying, diagnosing and resolving issues with a higher level of transparency and immediacy. 
  3. Process Enhancements: By adopting next-generation design processes, the company is enabling greater levels of first-time quality.

Boeing 737 MAX 10 Makes its Debut

RENTON, Wash., Nov. 22, 2019 – Boeing [BA] marked a key milestone as thousands of employees gathered for the debut of the first 737 MAX 10 at the company’s Renton, Washington factory. During a ceremony, Boeing leaders highlighted the team’s accomplishments and recognized their efforts in completing production of the newest member of the 737 MAX family.

“Today is not just about a new airplane. It’s about the people who design, build and support it,” said Mark Jenks, vice president and general manager of the 737 program. “This team’s relentless focus on safety and quality shows the commitment we have to our airline customers and every person who flies on a Boeing airplane.”

The 737 MAX 10, the largest variant of the MAX family, can seat up to 230 passengers and offers the lowest seat-mile cost of any single-aisle airplane ever produced. The airplane will now undergo system checks and engine runs prior to first flight next year.

“I’m honored to take this airplane on its first flight and show the world what you’ve put your heart and soul into,” 737 Chief Pilot Jennifer Henderson told the employee crowd.

The 737 MAX 10 currently has more than 550 orders and commitments from more than 20 customers around the globe.

MAX10 Reveal – November 22, 2019