5/2008

RENFE Media Distancia’s fleets of Class 440 and 448 EMUs, and Class 592, 593 and 596 DMUs have put in sterling service over the past three decades or so, often on long and gruelling routes. In spite of various refurbishment programmes, they are now approaching the end of their useful lives, and in July 2006 CAF received two major orders, for 50 DMUs and 57 EMUs, worth in total 588 million EUR. The first of the EMUs was recently outshopped in Zaragoza.

On 15 September 2008, at the ÖBB TS works at Wien-Simmering, the media were at long last invited to see inside the real carriages of railjet, during in fact the first official presentation of the train.

Between 23 and 26 September 2008, from the Tuesday until the Friday, no fewer than 1,912 exhibitors from 41 countries presented some of their latest products and ideas within the vast exhibition complex, occupying far more of the latter than ever before in the past. Total floorspace occupied was a staggering 150,000 m2, both within the halls and on the fan of sidings adjacent to the buildings.

A new era for local rail travellers in the Śląsk conurbation in southern Poland dawned on 30 September 2008, when at Katowice Główny station PKP's first two four-car FLIRT EMUs, EN75-001 and 003, were presented to the general public. The second of these two trains realised a series of demonstration trips to nearby Sosnowiec Główny and back.

With an annual production of 5,000 state-of-the-art units Bombardier is the worldwide leader in bogies. In 43 countries all over the world more than 200,000 of our bogies are doing their operational duty safely and reliably. Each day all of these bogies around the globe run a distance equivalent to 260 times the span between the earth and the moon. Mr. Bart Vantorre, President of BU Bogies, Bombardier Transportation, explains the company's broad portfolio.

The development and the electrification of Greece's north-south main railway corridor, between Thessaloníki and Athína, continues making slow but steady advances. One of the latest developments was the energising of the catenary on the 71 km section south from Litohóro to Lárissa, on 1 September 2008.