World Railway News................. 30th April 2012

www.railjournal.com Prorail plans Leeuwarden- Groningen upgrade DUTCH infrastructure manager Prorail is to upgrade the non-electrified line between Groningen and Leeuwarden in an effort to meet demand for a second hourly fast service between the two towns. The Euros 120m project, which is due to be completed by the end of 2017, is being supported by the provinces of Friesland and Groningen, the cities of Leeuwarden and Groningen, and the municipalities along the line.

KiwiRail to relaunch Overlander service KIWIRAIL is relaunching its only North Island long-distance passenger train, which operates between Auckland and Wellington, in a bid to make the service profitable.   Knorr-Bremse to supply braking systems for E6 Shinkansen trains JR EAST has selected Knorr-Bremse to supply braking equipment for its latest-generation E6 Shinaknsen trains, 23 of which will be delivered from next March for use on Tokyo - Akita services. Globaltrans buys freight division of Russian iron-ore producer RUSSIAN private railfreight operator Globaltrans Investments has agreed to a $US 540m, 100% acquisition of Metalloinvesttrans (MIT), the freight operator division of Metalloinvest, a global iron-ore and hot-briquetted iron producer, based in Russia.   Tata Steel’s SilentTrack installed at London station An innovative new track product which reduces the noise of passing trains has been installed for the first time in Britain at Blackfriars station in London.     www.progressiverailroading.com US Railroad News   Conference committee to meet May 8 on surface transportation bill Teamsters Canada Rail Conference members favor CP strike if contract renewal stalls Analysts to discuss Class I first-quarter earnings tomorrow during morning webcast BNSF bestows employee achievement awards, boots up interactive map CTA North Red Line stations to undergo $86 million worth of upgrades Terre Haute chamber honors Indiana Rail Road's wellness program NCTD assumes dispatching for San Diego's coastal rail corridor CSXT to upgrade three Ohio grade crossings VTA to transition to smart-card fare system     www.railway-technology.com     Knorr-Bremse to supply brakes for Japanese high-speed Shinkansen trainsKnorr-Bremse has won a contract from Japanese rail operator JR East to supply brake systems for the new E6 generation of high-speed Shinkansen trains.                            Globaltrans to acquire MetalloinvesttransRussian freight operator Globaltrans Investment has agreed to acquire Metalloinvesttrans, the railcar unit of iron ore miner Metalloinvest, for $540m.                            Atlas Iron and QR National plan independent rail line in Pilbara of AustraliaAtlas Iron has signed a memorandum of understanding with rail freight carrier QR National to explore the feasibility of an independent railway in Western Australia's Pilbara region costing around A$3.5bn ($3.6bn).                            SMRT to upgrade rail systemSingapore's train operator SMRT will invest S$900m ($724m) to upgrade its rail system in order to address problems that have led to several breakdowns in recent months.