Latest news – Page 1125
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News
Andy Byford
Andy Byford was confirmed as CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission on March 12. The former NSW RailCorp Chief Operating Officer replaced Gary Webster, who was dismissed on February 21 following a disagreement with Mayor Rob Ford over light rail development.
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NewsBurundi and Rwanda railway study
AFRICA: Canarail has been awarded a C$4m contract to undertake studies for the second phase of a proposed railway from Dar es Salaam to Rwanda and Burundi. The study is being funded by the African Development Bank through the Rwanda Transport Development Agency, which is representing the transport ministries of ...
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NewsAll Aboard Florida plan announced
USA: Florida East Coast Industries Inc has announced that it is to produce an 'investment grade' ridership study for a $1bn privately owned, operated and maintained inter-city passenger service carrying business travellers and tourists between Miami and Orlando. Revealing outline plans for All Aboard Florida on March 22, property and ...
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NewsGoogle's virtual Rhätische Bahn goes live
SWITZERLAND: Panoramic images of Rhätische Bahn's 122 km Albula and Bernina lines between Thusis and Tirano are now available on Google Street View. Martin Sturzenegger, Head of Sales & Marketing at RhB, said the virtual train ride will help promote the railway as an experience for tourists before, during and ...
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NewsLongest single-piece level crossing installed
NETHERLANDS: Strukton installed the Netherlands' longest level crossing slabs at Zoeterwoude over the weekend of March 24-25. The level crossing carries heavy lorry traffic, requiring a durable design. Voestalpine Railpro prefabricated and delivered 36 m long concrete slabs with pre-mounted rails for each track. A heavy crane was used ...
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NewsTrackSAFE foundation aims to cut fatalities
AUSTRALIA: The TrackSAFE foundation was formally launched at an event in Sydney on March 28. The not-for-profit organisation is backed by 11 rail companies and has four key aims: Improving level crossing safety Reducing trespass on rail property; Reducing suicides and attempted suicides; Providing support for employees who witness ...
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News
Mayor becomes Minister
Former Mayor of Granadero Baigorria Alejandro Ramos (photo) was sworn in as Argentina's Transport Minister on March 8, replacing Juan Pablo Schiavi. Schiavi resigned on the previous day due to poor health, having recently undergone heart surgery. His decision closely followed a fatal rail crash for which he is currently ...
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NewsOntario to sell Northland rail businesses
CANADA: The government of Ontario announced on March 23 that it is to 'wind down' the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, an agency established in 1902 which operates a 1 100 km rail network in the north of the province. A transition board has been appointed to divest ONTC's 'commercially valuable' ...
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NewsETCS Level 2 on test in Madrid
SPAIN: The start of trials of ETCS Level 2 on the cross-city tunnel between Atocha, Sol and Chamartín in Madrid was marked on March 26 when Development Minister Ana Pastor travelled by train from Tres Cantos to Sol. According to the ministry, this is the first application of ETCS Level ...
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NewsNetwork Rail awards ETCS development contracts
UK: Framework agreements for the development and design of ETCS for applications on Network Rail have been awarded to Ansaldo STS, Infrasig, Invensys Rail and Signalling Solutions Ltd, the infrastructure manager announced on March 27. Starting in April, the collaborative agreements cover a one-year development phase to 'confirm' the design ...
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NewsAmey awarded Great Western electrification contract
UK: Network Rail has awarded Amey a five-year contract to install 25 kV 50 Hz electrification on the Great Western Main Line. The contract covers the line from Maidenhead near London to Bristol and Cardiff, along with the routes to Newbury and Oxford. Announcing the contract on March 26, Amey ...
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NewsGlasgow Subway upgrade funding package completed
UK: The Scottish Government has confirmed the allocation of up to £246m to complete the funding package for a major modernisation of Glasgow’s 1 220 mm gauge small-profile metro. A further £41·5m is to be provided by transport authority Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. The upgrading programme is ...
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NewsKuwait invites first expressions of interest in metro contracts
KUWAIT: Government procurement agency the Partnerships Technical Bureau has invited expressions of interest in the Integrated Rolling Stock & Systems contract, a public-private partnership deal covering the provision and maintenance of rolling stock, a depot, signalling, electrification and control systems for the planned Kuwait Metropolitan Rapid Transit System. The KMRT ...
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News
Jean-François Michotte
Jean-François Michotte has been appointed Managing Director of Syntigo, the IT and telecommunications division of SNCB Holding, succeeding Giovanni Palmier.
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NewsJICA to fund Cairo metro Line 4
EGYPT: Less than a month after the opening of the first stage of Cairo Line 3, the National Authority for Tunnels has authorised the start of work on the capital's fourth metro route. On March 19 Minister of Transport Dr Galal Moustafa Mohamed Said signed a loan agreement with the ...
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NewsWaging war on litter
SWITZERLAND: Three days' worth of litter was collected by staff at Zürich Hauptbahnhof and put on public display to mark the launch of SBB's campaign to keep the network tidy. Noting that there has been 'a recent increase' in the amount of rubbish left on trains and at stations, SBB ...
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NewsResponding to market conditions
TRINITY INDUSTRIES: 'Our companies are responding well as economic conditions change', said Trinity Industries Chairman, CEO & President Timothy R Wallace, when the 2011 last quarter and full-year results were presented on February 15. ‘We continue to see consistent demand for railcars that resulted in a US$2·1bn increase in order ...
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NewsHigh speed programme axed
PORTUGAL: The Ministry of Economy & Employment announced on March 21 that the country's high speed programme had been 'definitively abandoned'. This followed a ruling by the Court of Auditors that the concession awarded to the ELOS consortium to build the eastern section of the Lisboa - Madrid route between ...
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NewsSydney monorail to be scrapped
AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales government announced on March 23 that it had paid A$19·8m to acquire light rail and monorail owner Metro Transport Sydney, clearing the way for the monorail to be removed to accommodate the new Sydney International Convention Exhibition & Entertainment Precinct. The deal will also simplify ...
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NewsCN announces locomotive acquisition programme
CANADA: Canadian National announced orders for 161 locomotives on March 22, saying the acquisition programme would accommodate anticipated traffic growth and improve operational efficiency. CN has ordered 35 GE Transportation ES44AC and 30 Electro-Motive Diesel SD70ACe locomotives for delivery in 2013-14. Intended to haul coal trains on demanding steeply-graded and ...