India — Certification trials are under way on India’s first Vande Bharat freight EMU. Built at the ICF plant in Chennai — part of national operator Indian Railways — the 16-car train is being tested between Kota and Mahidpur, running up to 140 km/h. Engineers are checking emergency braking and running characteristics under full load. The train is designed to carry up to 395 tonnes of cargo in containers on pallets, and should enter service early next year.
Battery rail bus at the InformBusiness plant in Chisinau. Source: Ministerul Infrastructurii și Dezvoltării Regionale al Republicii Moldova
Moldova — The country has finished building its first battery rail bus, which started life as an old tram. Assembled at InformBusiness in Chisinau, the vehicle reuses the carbody of a partially low-floor T3-KVP Odyssey tram, built by Ukrainian firm Politekhnoservis on a high-floor Tatra T3 car from Czech manufacturer ČKD. A new bogie lets it run on railway lines, and it draws power solely from batteries. Claimed figures: a range of up to 400 km, a top speed of 75 km/h, and room for 100 passengers, 34 of them seated.
PMA-3 tamping, lining and levelling machine. Source: STM
Russia — Sinara Transport Machines (STM) has certified its PMA-3 tamping, lining and levelling machine. Kalugaputmash, part of the STM group, now holds a five-year TR CU 001/2011 certificate for series production. The PMA-3 levels and aligns track in plan and profile, compacts ballast under and around sleepers, and stabilises track for all rail types. It can tamp three sleepers at once, at a rate of 3,300 sleepers an hour, with a design speed of 90 km/h and a crew of just three. STM had earlier put potential demand from Russian Railways at 150 machines or more.
DP2D push-pull diesel train. Source: TMH
Russia — TMH has certified its DP2D push-pull diesel train. The TMH plant in Demikhovo has received a five-year TR CU 001/2011 certificate, following earlier approval of a 30-train pilot batch. Built for non-electrified lines, the train pairs a TEP70BS diesel locomotive with modified non-motor intermediate coaches and an EP2DM driving car — the locomotive pulls in one direction and pushes in the other, with controls duplicated in both cabs. Formations range from two to six carriages, including the driving car; the six-car version seats 636 passengers. Design speed is 120 km/h.
