NETHERLANDS: The Lansingerland-Zoetermeer interchange which brings together RandstadRail light rail, NS rail and bus services, a park-and-ride site and cycling facilities at a site to the east of Den Haag and north of Rotterdam has been officially inaugurated by State Secretary for Infrastructure & Water Management Stientje Van Veldhoven and

EUROPE: Leasing company European Loc Pool has awarded Stadler a firm contract to supply 10 Eurodual Co-Co electro-diesel freight locomotives, within a framework contract covering up to 100 locos. The locomotives will have a 2·8 MW rating in diesel mode and up to 6·15 MW in electric mode, with the capability of

CANADA: VIA Rail is installing beehives on the rooftops of its stations in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Québec City in partnership with Alvéole, a company which combines beekeeping with education. The national passenger operator hopes this will help to raise awareness among urban populations of the decline of bees and the

3D PRINTING: Wabtec has purchased an H2 binder jet printer from GE Additive that is to be used to 3D print components for the group’s locomotive, transit, engine and mining products. The printer uses metal binder jetting with stainless steel 316, and Wabtec says that use with other materials is

EUROPE: Fuel cell and hydrogen trains ‘are well positioned to help Europe reach its greenhouse gas, air contaminant and noise reduction goals as a versatile zero-emission technology’, according to a report commissioned by the EU-funded Shift2Rail and Fuel Cells & Hydrogen joint undertakings. Published in conjunction with a Hydrogen Train Workshop

THE 10¼in-gauge South Downs Light Railway run trains every 15 minutes, 11.00 to 12.30 and 13.30 to 15.30 on Saturdays, Sundays, bank holidays and Wednesdays in school holidays, March to September. There are two annual enthusiast events – the steam gala on May 25-27 and visiting locos weekend, September 28-29.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Infrastructure manager SŽDC and SNCF Mobilités have signed a KC11m agreement to jointly draw up technical standards and documentation for future high speed lines in the country. SŽDC is currently planning a route from Praha to Dresden including a 26 km tunnel under the Erzgebirge mountains, which would provide a

TIMETABLES have been shaken up following the usual May changeover, and commuters are discovering today whether the new schedules work.All operators are keeping a sharp eye on performance. Although the new timetables started yesterday (Sunday), the real test comes on the first weekday. Many people will remember the serious disruption which

NORTH MACEDONIA: National operator MŽ Transport is testing the first of four CRRC Zhuzhou electric locomotives it has ordered to haul freight on the north–south corridor between the Serbian and Greek borders. The €8m order signed in January 2017 was financed using part of a €50m loan from the European Bank

THE 3ft-gauge Irish Steam Preservation Society will officially name its 1949-built Andrew Barclay 0-4-0WT No. 2 Róisín, the first time in its history the locomotive has carried a name.  The naming ceremony for the former Bord na Móna loco (W/No. 2264) took place at the Stradbally Woodland Railway on May