Latest news – Page 1103
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NewsSound Transit launches Northgate Link construction
USA: A groundbreaking ceremony on August 17 marked the start of work on the Northgate Link light rail extension in Seattle, a 6·88 km route running mostly in tunnel from University of Washington station to U District, Roosevelt and Northgate. The project is expected to cost $2·1bn, with ...
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NewsDoha metro contracts awarded
QATAR: Qatar Rail has signed the first round of engineering and consultancy contracts for the planned US$36bn national network of railway and metro routes. Construction of the 75·4 km Phase 1a of the network is scheduled to begin in early 2013 for completion by October 2019 and opening in 2020. ...
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NewsFinal Ampang LRT Line Extension Project contract awarded
MALAYSIA: Government infrastructure body Prasarana has announced the winner of the final construction contract for Kuala Lumpur's Ampang Line metro extension project, selecting a joint venture of George Kent and Lion Pacific to supply and commission trackwork and railway systems. The Ampang Line is being extended 17·7 km from Sri ...
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market August 2012
Brazil: Invensys Rail Dimetronic is supplying signalling and a Westrace electronic interlocking for the Novo Hamburgo extension of the Porto Alegre suburban Line 1. China: CNR has developed a ‘high speed’ vehicle which can be dispatched to undertake emergency repairs to electrification equipment, bridges and other infrastructure. MTR ...
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NewsTrenitalia unveils Frecciarossa 1000
ITALY: Prime Minister Mario Monti unveiled a full-size mock-up of Trenitalia’s next generation of high speed trains at the ‘Rimini Meeting’ summer festival on August 19, describing the Frecciarossa 1000 as a ‘new technological jewel, made entirely in Italy’. On show in Rimini until August 25, the mock-up is also ...
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NewsNoise research in the spotlight
GERMANY: In partnership with industry and government partners, railway engineers’ association VDEI held a two-day conference in Berlin on June 26-27 to assess the latest progress in noise abatement. Co-hosted by the Federal Transport Ministry and infrastructure manager DB Netz, the conference updated delegates on 82 specific projects in 13 ...
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NewsAsia Pacific region Centre for Transport Excellence established
SINGAPORE: A Centre for Transport Excellence in the Asia Pacific region has been established as a joint initiative between Singapore’s Land Transport Authority and UITP. Intended to provide a resource for planners and administrators from other cities in the region, the centre is intended as ‘an all-encompassing’ resource focused on ...
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NewsNews in Brief - August 2012
Seven companies became members of UIC at its 80th general assembly in Philadelphia: Californian High Speed Rail Authority; Bulgaria‘s BDZ PP; Hungarian national transport authority NKH; open access operators Westbahn and Student Agency; UK high speed promoter HS2 Ltd and Russian Railways’ Federal Passenger Co. Airport rail service operator Aeroexpress ...
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NewsKadiköy - Kartal metro opened by Prime Minister
TURKEY: The first metro line on the Asian side of Istanbul was opened by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on August 17. Line M4 runs for 21·7 km from Kadiköy on the Bosporus to Kartal, with 16 stations and an end to end journey time of 32 min. The line ...
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NewsNational Express targets German rail sector
GERMANY: UK bus and rail operator National Express announced on August 17 that it was seeking to enter the regional rail market in Germany, with the formation of a local subsidiary. Based in Düsseldorf, National Express Rail GmbH has reportedly already prequalified for contracts to operate four regional lines. ‘We ...
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NewsExplore the potential of LTE
ALCATEL-LUCENT: A single 4G-LTE telecoms network can support a host of vital and non-vital data services, which the telecoms group will demonstrate on its stand in Hall 4.1. Seen as a potential successor to GSM-R and Tetra, LTE uses internet protocol to support a range of high-bandwidth functions. This in ...
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NewsBrazil to develop 10 000 km of new railway
BRAZIL: The federal government launched a logistics investment plan on August 15 that will see R$91bn spent on 12 new railway projects totalling 10 000 km over the next 30 years. As well as reviving rail freight, the plan aims to 'break the monopoly' on the provision of rail ...
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NewsJeddah and Makkah metro plans approved
SAUDI ARABIA: Plans to develop metro networks in Jeddah and Makkah have been approved. A 62bn riyal strategy to develop a metro and bus network in Makkah was announced on August 14. Four metro lines totalling 182 km with 88 stations are planned, supplementing the existing Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah ...
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NewsHydrogen locomotive demonstrated at Hydrail conference
UK: A demonstration run by the UK’s first hydrogen-powered locomotive provided a highlight for the seventh International Hydrail Conference on July 3-4, hosted by the University of Birmingham and sponsored by the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research & Education. The 260 mm gauge locomotive had been built by the university’s ...
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NewsLondon Underground pulls the plug on Powerlink PFI
UK: London Underground gave notice on August 16 that it intends to terminate the 30-year Powerlink private finance initiative contract for the operation and maintenance of its high-voltage electrical power network. LU will end the contract in August 2013 by exercising a half-way break clause. It will be required ...
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NewsDB orders Traxx locomotives
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has placed a firm order for Bombardier Transportation to supply a further 32 Class 146 Traxx electric locomotives for regional passenger services. The €108m contract announced on August 16 an option on existing agreements. Delivery is planned for 2014, with the 160 km/h locomotives to be used ...
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NewsGotthard alliance signed
EUROPE: Swiss Federal Railways and Italian infrastructure manager RFI have agreed to strengthen their co-operation on the Gotthard corridor ahead of the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016. Two agreements were signed by head of SBB Infrastruktur Philippe Gauderon and RFI Director Michele Mario Elia on ...
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NewsYuxi - Mengzi line completed
CHINA: Construction of 141 km line from Yuxi, south of Kunming, to Mengzi on the route to the Vietnamese border was officially completed on August 14. Just over half of the route is on viaducts or in tunnel, reflecting the challenging local topography, and the 4·5bn yuan ...
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NewsWärtsilä engine on test in Russia
RUSSIA: The first TEM18V shunter produced by TMH’s Bryansk plant with a 882 kW Wärtsilä 20LA engine is undergoing field testing following certification by the federal railway agency. The Wärtsilä TMH Diesel Engine Co joint venture has announced plans for an engine factory at TMH’s Penzadieselmash plant, broadening the Finnish ...
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NewsChemnitz orders electro-diesel tram-trains
GERMANY: Vossloh has won an order to supply eight electro-diesel tram-trains for the network under development around Chemnitz, with an option for two more. Delivery is planned for 2014. The €42·3m contract was signed by transport authority Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen on August 14, with funding from the Land of Sachsen and ...