Latest news – Page 1251
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NewsMissing link unites Sofia metro Line 1
BULGARIA: Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, interim Mayor of Sofia Minko Gerdzikov and Japanese Ambassador Tsuneharu Takeda formally opened the latest section of Sofia metro Line 1 on September 8. Passenger services had started the previous day. The 2 km link between Serdika and Vasil Levski National Stadium joins the ...
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NewsDubai metro opens
UAE: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, will officially open the Dubai metro Red Line on September 9.Following months of speculation about the status of the metro project, RTA Chairman & Executive Director Mattar Al Tayer confirmed ...
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NewsAssociation of American Railroads voices PTC concerns
USA: The Association of American Railroads has registered objections to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Positive Train Control, issued by the Federal Railroad Administration on July 16. According to AAR, the proposal goes beyond what was mandated by Congress, and would therefore impose unnecessary burdens on the Class I ...
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NewsEIB to provide £1bn Crossrail loan
UK: Transport for London announced a £1bn loan agreement with the European Investment Bank on September 8. TfL and the Greater London Authority are responsible for contributing £7·7bn of the £15·9bn cost for the Crossrail east-west line across central London. Of this £7·7bn, £2·4bn is to be funded from ...
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NewsTasmanian rail sale deal agreed
AUSTRALIA: The Tasmanian government and Pacific National announced on September 7 that they had successfully concluded the 'lengthy and highly complex negotiations' for the state to buy the island's railways for A$32m. Subject to approval from the state parliament the transfer will be completed on December 1, with a ...
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NewsNS Hispeed launches HSL-Zuid services
NETHERLANDS: NS Hispeed launched Amsterdam - Rotterdam passenger services over HSL-Zuid on September 7, following a formal inauguration by the Dutch Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings and the mayors of Amsterdam, Haarlemmermeer and Rotterdam the previous day. The interim service comprises 17 weekday return trips, with Bombardier Traxx electric locomotives ...
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NewsLooking into stopping faster
BRAKING: An Inertia Dynamometer Test Rig now installed at Knorr-Bremse’s München plant can simulate extreme environmental conditions found in the hottest and coldest parts of the world, allowing the brake manufacturer to reproduce any requirements a high speed train operator may envisage. Knorr-Bremse has made a significant investment in ...
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NewsPeople in the News - September 2009
Recently-appointed President of national rail operator RENFE Operadora, Teófilo Serrano has named four additional members of the company’s executive management board. Enrique Urkijo Goitia becomes Director General of Strategic Development, Avelino Castro López Director General of Construction & Maintenance, Francisco Celso González Director General of Economics & Finance, and Jésus ...
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NewsMumbai Line 2 awarded
INDIA: Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority awarded the PPP contract for Mumbai Metro Line 2 to the sole bidder, a consortium of Reliance Infrastructure, Reliance Infocomm and Canada’s SNC Lavalin, on July 29. The consortium is already building Line 1 which will connect Versova, Andheri and Ghatkopar. Work on ...
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NewsCitadis tram arrives in Istanbul
TURKEY: On September 1 Alstom delivered the first of 37 Citadis trams ordered by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. The vehicle left Alstom’s engineering and production centre in Valenciennes, France, on August 25 and travelled by road to Trieste in Italy, from where it was shipped to Turkey on August 29. The ...
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NewsTyva railway PPP signed
RUSSIA: Eniseiskaya Industrial Corp and the government of the Tyva republic signed a public-private partnership agreement for the construction of the Kyzyl - Kuragino railway during a visit by Federal Minister for Regional Development Viktor Basargin on August 28. Under terms agreed in February, the 98·6 rouble cost of ...
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NewsNo go on DB’s IPO
GERMANY: Despite recent suggestions by some political commentators that the postponed partial flotation of DB Mobility Logistics could be reactivated after the country’s federal elections this month, DB Chairman Rüdiger Grube has ruled out any sale for the foreseeable future. Last month he told Der Spiegel that ‘there will probably ...
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NewsStruggling concessions under review
EAST AFRICA: Frustrated by a lack of progress in revitalising the region’s railways, politicians are increasingly questioning the ability of the concessionaires and withdrawing their support in favour of ambitious proposals to develop new standard-gauge lines.
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NewsAlstom retains Luas infrastructure maintenace contract
IRELAND: The Railway Procurement Agency has awarded the infrastructure maintenance contract for Dublin’s Luas light rail network to Alstom after a competitive tender. The five-year contract, which will take effect on October 1, is worth more than €30m for Alstom and its partner Dalkia, with Alstom’s share being €24m. There ...
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NewsMelbourne's trains to get Metro brand
AUSTRALIA: 'Metro' was unveiled as the branding for Melbourne's suburban rail services on September 1, when the Victoria government signed the operating contract under which Metro Trains Melbourne will replace Veolia Transport. On the same day, Keolis Downer EDI signed the contract to operate the Yarra Trams network. ...
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NewsVeolia agrees sale of freight division
EUROPE: Veolia Environnement confirmed to the Paris stock exchange on September 3 that the sale of its rail freight business to SNCF and Groupe Eurotunnel had been agreed, subject to approval by competition authorities. Veolia Cargo’s operations in France, which include the Socorail, Veolia Cargo France, Veolia Cargo Link and ...
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NewsConstellation Software buys intelligent transport business
PUBLIC TRANSIT SOLUTIONS: Automotive component supplier Continental signed a contract to sell its Public Transit Solutions business to Toronto-based Constellation Software Inc on August 31, as part of a streamlining of its portfolio. The PT business develops control equipment, on-board computers and passenger information systems for trams and buses. ...
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NewsDutch tram-train trial to end
NETHERLANDS: The Dutch tram-train pilot project between Alphen-aan den Rijn and Gouda is expected to end with the December 2009 timetable change, when the current mix of trams and EMUs will be replaced by a strengthened train service. This follows the signing of an agreement between the province of ...
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NewsWestinghouse Rail Systems becomes Invensys Rail
INVENSYS: Renaming of Westinghouse Rail Systems Ltd to Invensys Rail with effect from September 1 marked the start of an international rebranding which will bring the companies within the Invensys Rail Group under the Invensys Rail banner over the next few months. This reflects ongoing co-operation between UK-based Westinghouse ...
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NewsLGV Est Phase 2 tendering gets underway
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager RFF invited tenders on September 2 for work on the second phase of Ligne à Grande Vitesse Est Européenne, with a view to starting construction in the spring of 2010. This follows the signing of the formal financing agreement for the project on September 1. Participating ...