News

The first of five headhouses that will provide ventilation and emergency access to HS2’s 16 km long Chiltern tunnel has gained planning approval from Buckinghamshire Council.

On 26 January 2021, Bombardier Transportation has announced the launch of a major investment and hiring plan aimed at increasing the production capacity of its Brugge factory.

HS2 have completed sheet piling work by contractors Skanska Costain STRABAG Railways Joint Venture (SCS Railways) in Acton, West London, to enable the construction of the Victoria Road Crossover Box.  

Following the first narrow-gauge Class 495.95 EMU for TEŽ and OŽ, which arrived in Slovakia on 14 January 2021, another new vehicle destined for ZSSK appeared in Poprad a week later.

Starting on 18 January 2021, the Belgian railway Infrastructure manager Infrabel is running tests with the purpose to carry out interference current measurements in order to check the compatibility of the new TCM100 track circuits with already homologated rolling stock. 

On 20 January 2021, Alstom announced it has won a contract worth 106 million EUR to design, supply and install the signalling, train control and telecommunication system of the 82 km Delhi - Ghaziabad - Meerut RRTS corridor.

On 14 January 2021, the National Authority for Tunnels, a governmental authority under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport of Egypt, and Siemens Mobility have signed a MoU - together with the local companies Orascom Construction S. A. E. and The Arab Contractors (Osman Ahmed Osman & Co.) - to design, install and commission Egypt’s first ever high-speed rail transportation system. 

In late December 2020, Stadler and ÖBB Infrastruktur signed a framework agreement for up to 20 new fire-fighting and rescue trains.

On 4 January 2021, HS2 has received the go-ahead from Birmingham City Council to begin the transformative refurbishment of the Old Curzon Street Station.

On 25 December 2020, TVZ sent to RZD four Model 61-4484 escort carriages for freight and infrastructure maintenance trains.

On 18 December 2020, the first freight train has arrived at HS2’s main construction compound in Buckinghamshire, as work continues to prepare for the start of construction across the central section of Britain’s new high-speed railway.

On 8 December 2020, HS2’s first two Tunnel Boring Machines have arrived in the UK and will be ready to start work on the UK’s largest infrastructure project early next year.

On 2 December 2020, TMH launched operations in Israel with the creation of TMH Israel to serve the needs of the Israeli railway and urban transportation markets in partnership with local companies.

On 24 November 2020, Siemens Mobility and its partners have won two research projects from the German Center for Rail Traffic Research (DZSF, Deutsches Zentrum für Schienenverkehrsforschung) to study the safety of automated rail operations.

On 23 November 2020, HS2 issued an invitation to tender to five bidders in the running to design, deliver and maintain almost 300 lifts and escalators for HS2’s four major new stations.