World Railway News Digest. 17th May 2012

International Railway Journal Headlines

Hitachi closing in on AnsaldoBreda stake? AN Italian union official says that Hitachi has completed a due diligence study of AnsaldoBreda and is hoping that a deal can be clinched with parent company Finmeccanica for a 50% stake in the Italian rolling stock manufacturer by June.

Hedge fund wins battle to control Canadian Pacific FRED Green and five of his directors have lost the fight to stay at the helm of Canadian Pacific (CP) following a battle with hedge fund Pershing Square, which acquired a 14.2% stake in CP last October. As a result, Green has ended his 34-year career with CP by stepped down as president and CEO. In addition, CP's chairman Mr John Cleghorn, and four other directors have announced that they will not stand for re-election at today's annual shareholder meeting. Chinese double-unit locomotives arrive in Belarus BELARUSIAN Railways (BC) has taken delivery of the first of 12 double-unit 9.6MW electric locomotives from CNR Datong Locomotive Works. They are based on the Chinese HXD2 locomotives designed by CNR and Alstom. Sheffield - Rotherham tram-train pilot goes ahead THE British Department for Transport (DfT) has given the go-ahead for a £58m tram-train pilot scheme linking the Sheffield Supertram network with Rotherham. Škoda to modernise Polish emus A CONSORTIUM of Škoda Transportation subsidiary Škoda Poland and Tabor Szynowy Opole, Poland, has signed a Euros 24m contract with PKP Group subsidiary SKM for the modernisation of 21 class EN57 emus, which are used on suburban services around Gdansk and Gdynia. SKF opens Russian railway test centre BEARING manufacturer SKF has opened a new railway test centre in Russia at its Tver railway bearing factory near Moscow.

www.progressiverailroading.com US Railroad News


CP's Green resigns in advance of shareholder meeting

Charlotte transit agency signs Blue Line extension agreements with North Carolina Railroad, NS

Ontario government to offer GO Transit service guarantee

NCTD names Zoll chief of security

Long Beach port registers traffic dip in April

SBA recognizes MTA's diversity officer

UP honors North Platte with Train Town USA membership

Rail supplier updates from CalAmp, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Bombardier and Gannett Fleming (May 17)



www.railway-technology.com Latest News....

BNSF to improve rail capacity in Kansas and MissouriBNSF Railway (BNSF) is planning to invest $242m in Kansas and $130m in Missouri for railway maintenance, capacity improvements and expansion projects over the course of 2012.       
                   
Sound Transit's Seattle downtown tunnel reaches halfway markWashington State's regional transit authority South Transit has completed the connection of the University Link light rail tunnels with the Downtown Seattle transit tunnel (DSTT).       
                   
San Miguel awards Manila metro rail project to DMIC-Marubeni consortiumSan Miguel has awarded a contract to a Marubeni and D M Consunji (DMCI) consortium for the $1.2bn expansion of the Metro Railway Transit System 7 (MRT-7) in Manila, Philippines.       
                   
FRA opens two new Amtrak Downeaster platformsThe US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has opened two new train platforms in Brunswick and Freeport, Maine, US, which will serve Amtrak's Downeaster line when the service is extended later in 2012.