5/2014

In the mid-1980s Morocco was the first country in Africa to run passenger trains at speeds of 160 km/h, between Casablanca and Rabat. Within a few years it will also be the first African country to possess a 320 km/h high speed line, the first part of an ambitious network.

The first opportunity the general public had to see this long-awaited vehicle built by Astra Vagoane Călători was at InnoTrans. Following its exhibition in Berlin the carriage was taken on a promotional tour to the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Alstom is now completing the deliveries of PKP Intercity’s batch of 20 Type ED250 (Class 237) EMUs. Under the contract signed in May 2011 all are to be ready by the end of November 2014. Now the timetable is being prepared for when they enter public service the following month.

We were inspired for the name of our InnoTrans 2014 report by that of the new structure which now dominates the Messe Berlin trade fair complex. The voluminous CityCube Berlin provided a much needed expansion area, not only for the exhibitors but also for visitors attending the world’s largest rail industry exhibition.

Moskva-based Tsentralnaya prigorodnaya passazhirskaya kompaniya is keen to assume all the duties associated with a true passenger service operator, and to ensure that it is responsible for offering a consistent quality of journey from end to end for all passengers.

Although it may seem rather unusual, the Sydney tramway network, inaugurated as recently as 1997, currently has three types of tram, all of European design, in service. The oldest vehicles were built by Adtranz, the more recent ones by CAF.