World Railway News... 16th August 2012

International Railway Journal

GERMAN RAIL (DB) subsidiary DB Regio has exercised an option worth €108m for an additional 32 class 146 electric locomotives from Bombardier.

INDIAN Railways has reported a 20.7% increase in revenues for the first quarter of the 2012-13 financial year with earnings for April-June reaching $US 6bn, compared with $US 5bn during the corresponding period last year.

TRANSNET Freight Rail (TFR) chief executive Mr Siyabonga Gama announced on August 6 that the Richards Bay heavy-haul line had set a new record for weekly coal volumes of 1.877 million tonnes.

www.progressiverailroading.com US Railroad News

TriMet's WES commuter-rail route posted record ridership last month

L.A.-area ports report mixed container traffic results for July; Seattle port advances corridor preservation plan

Ohio utilities commission approves safety upgrades at 14 crossings

San Bruno grade separation is nearly half completed, Caltrain says

BART adding service to Richmond-Millbrae Line

Riverport Railroad, Watco make top management changes

Three TTCI researchers attain honor for wheel rail interface management model

DART: Carlson becomes general counsel, Adams joins board


www.railway-technology.com Latest Updates

MotivePower to repower Metrolinx locomotives with new engines
MotivePower, a subsidiary of Wabtec, has won a $45m contract from Toronto transit authority Metrolinx in Canada to equip new engines and propulsion systems in 11 of its MP40PH-3C diesel locomotives.       
                   
Siemens to provide 13 heavy haul locomotives to BMA's coal rail network
Siemens has won an order from BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) to supply 13 heavy-haul E40AC-type locomotives for the Australian coal rail network.       
                   
Alion to assess human factors on train, trespasser and crossing accidents
Alion Science and Technology has won a $10m contract from the US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to study human performance in rail operations and maintenance.       
                   
CN to invest in rail infrastructure to transport frac sand
Canadian National Railway (CN) and Superior Silica Sands have entered into a multi-year agreement to haul frac sand from a new processing plant that is currently being built in northern Wisconsin, US.       


UK: Office of Rail Regulation (ORR)

Key statistics for the 19 franchised train operating companies published

16 August 2012
The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has today published key statistics for the 19 franchised train operating companies (TOCs), including the number of passenger journeys taken on each of the TOCs, punctuality and cancellations figures, and complaints data.
Figures comparing 2011-2012 to the previous year show that the number of passenger journeys has increased on 17 of the 19 TOCs, and that the distance travelled by passengers has increased on 18 of the 19 TOCs.
Published data also highlights each TOCs’ performance – measuring the number of trains arriving within five, 10 or 20 minutes of the scheduled time, the number of cancelled trains and the proportion of complaints dealt with within 20 days.
To view these statistics, visit ORR's National Rail Trends (NRT) Portal at: http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk
The NRT Portal – which now has over 1,700 subscribers - gives everyone access to a wide range of rail statistics throughout the year. The NRT Portal holds information in one place and is easy to navigate. New data is uploaded onto the Portal each month.