Latest news – Page 1287
-
News
Reaching out to young talent
UK: We have remarked before about skills shortages in the rail sector, with operators and suppliers from Australia to Europe and North America voicing concerns about the age profile of their technicians and the lack of suitable recruits. This is particularly marked where productivity improvements in the 1980s and ...
-
NewsDijon and Brest agree joint order
FRANCE: The cities of Dijon and Brest signed an agreement on November 27 covering the joint purchase of 53 trams at an estimated cost of €120m. Tenders are due to be issued to prospective suppliers by the end of 2008, with bid submission set for May and contract award expected ...
-
NewsRed Line to proceed
THAILAND: An 8·7bn baht contract for construction of the first phase of the Red Line in suburban Bangkok was signed on December 12. State Railway of Thailand has finalised the agreement for a 15·3 km line from Taling Chan to Bang Sue with the Unique-Chun Wo joint venture of ...
-
NewsA fair market needs regulation
EUROPE: An EU study of progress with railway liberalisation was presented in Brussels on November 7, as part of a process to recast the legislation in the First Railway Package. But the weighting of the responses risks understating the need for further change, warn Monika Heiming and Jan Möllmann.
-
NewsRemodelled network off to a shaky start
FRANCE: This month SNCF relaunches its troubled wagonload business with shuttle trains linking three main hubs and 30 yards. Laurent Charlier reports.
-
NewsCeremony starts Sofia Line 2
BULGARIA: Mayor of Sofia Boyko Borisov, Minister of Transport Petar Mutafchiev and Meglena Plugchieva, Deputy Prime Minister responsible for EU funding, attended a ceremony on December 15 to mark the start of work on metro Line 2. The route comprises a 6·4 km first phase running south from Nadezhda to ...
-
NewsAccurate measurements
WHEEL INSPECTION: A laser system for the inspection of wheelsets and running gear has been successfully deployed by Polish passenger operator PKP Intercity. Developed by Polish company Graw and Germany’s LAP, the system uses lasers to measure tyre and flange profiles and running gear geometry with high precision, making it ...
-
NewsUS seeks high speed PPP proposals
USA: On December 15 the federal Department of Transportation invited statements of interest from the private sector for the design, finance, construction, operation and maintenance of high speed rail services in 11 inter-city corridors, beginning with the route between New York City and Washington DC. The programme, which will include ...
-
NewsETCS Level 2 for entire Danish network
DENMARK: Banedanmark has announced plans to replace all signalling on the country's national rail network by ERTMS over the next 12 years. Much of the existing equipment is obsolete or nearing life-expiry, and the infrastructure manager has been working for two years to develop an optimum renewal strategy for both ...
-
NewsThird autoroute ferroviaire planned
In a keynote speech opening the Freight without Frontiers conference, French Secretary of State for Transport Dominique Bussereau gave details of his government’s views on further development of autoroute ferroviaire services. He said that France and Italy had decided to continue beyond 2008 with the pilot shuttle service over the ...
-
NewsWorld infrastructure market December 2008
China: China Railway Group has been awarded a 4·7bn yuan contract for Section 1 of the Shijiazhuang - Wuhan line, a 2·9bn yuan contract for Section 1 of the Changdu - Dujiangyan line, and a 1·8bn yuan contract for works on the Wuhan - Guangzhou project and in Shenzhen. The ...
-
NewsNext ICE3s to have different axle dimensions
GERMANY: DB has signed a contract with Siemens for 15 more ICE3 trainsets. Inked by DB Chairman Hartmut Mehdorn and Siemens Chairman Peter Löscher on December 17 at DB's headquarters in Berlin, the deal is worth €500m. DB's future ICE3 sets will be designed specifically for international services, which ...
-
NewsQR to lease diesels
AUSTRALIA: Downer EDI announced on December 12 that it had signed an agreement with Queensland Rail to lease nine GT46Ace diesel locomotives to QR National's expanding standard-gauge intermodal business. The first loco was expected to be delivered before the end of the year, and the remainder by mid-2009. Valued at ...
-
NewsPandrol buys Rosenqvist Rail
SWEDEN: Pandrol International has purchased Rosenqvist Rail, a Swedish manufacturer of equipment for the installation and extraction of rail fastenings such as Pandrol's Fastclip. Rosenqvist also designs and builds rail and sleeper handling tools, ballast regulation equipment, trailers and attachments for road-rail vehicles. Pandrol sees Rosenqvist as ...
-
NewsWabtec expands presence in China
CHINA: Beijing Wabtec Huaxia Technology has been established as a joint venture of US firm Wabtec and Beijing Huaxia United Friendship New Technology of Electrification Development Co, a local supplier of rail braking components. The company will manufacture friction products for the customers in China. 'The Chinese market ...
-
NewsSNCB goes back for more
BELGIUM: SNCB has exercised options for an additional 60 Class 18 electric locomotives and 72 M6 double-deck coaches. An option has been taken up for Siemens to supply a further 60 Eurosprinter ES60U3 electric locomotives at a cost of €222m, with deliveries to run from June 2010 to April ...
-
NewsKLW maintains a global perspective
WHEELSETS: Having adopted a single brand for its wheels business last year, Interpipe is emphasising its broad geographical reach. KLW Sales Director Michael Iskov spoke to Nick Kingsley about M&A activity, investment plans and concerns about product approval.
-
NewsWorld rolling stock market December 2008
Belgium: Bombardier has been awarded a €168m subcontract to undertake painting, final assembly and testing at its Brugge plant of 115 of the Desiro ML trainsets on order from Siemens for Brussels RER services (RG 5.08 p289). China: Last month China Southern announced orders from the Ministry of Railways for ...