Latest news – Page 1328
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News
'Reduce the flexibility of ERTMS'
Speaking at Terrapinn's EuroRail 2008 event in Milano on February 27, Swiss Federal Railways' Head of Train Protection Dr Thomas Staffelbach called for Europe's railways to recognise that less flexibility in the design of ERTMS would be for their own benefit
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NewsLänsimetro contribution
FINLAND: The cabinet voted on March 11 to provide €200m towards the total €713m cost of extending the metro westwards into the neighbouring city of Espoo. In the wake of the decision, planning tenders are expected to be received this month, with construction likely to start in 2009 and the ...
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Freight support boost
AUSTRALIA: Following the announcement that Pacific National was looking to discontinue many rural freight services (RG 2.08 p76), the state of Victoria has taken steps to safeguard rail freight for the next two years. On February 26 Premier John Brumby announced an A$20m Rail Freight Support Package, designed to ensure ...
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Logistics venture formed
RUSSIA: Regular intermodal services are to be introduced to link Moscow with various German cities, following the formal launch of the Trans-Eurasia Logistics joint venture on March 6. A memorandum of understanding had been signed in July 2007, and the project has now been approved by the competition authorities. To ...
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Tram-train trials
UK: Five tram-trains are to be procured for trials in northern England, the Department for Transport confirmed on March 18. The two-year test starting in 2010 will 'establish whether tram-trains similar to those operating successfully in Europe are suitable for Britain's railway network.' Tram-trains will replace DMUs on the 60 ...
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High speed co-operation
EUROPE: Bombardier Transportation and Finmeccanica's rail subsidiary AnsaldoBreda announced on April 1 that they had signed an agreement to jointly develop, bid and manufacture a high speed train capable of travelling at more than 300 km/h which will eliminate 'shortcomings of existing concepts.' Bombardier said the train would offer 'improved ...
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Mitsui restructures Dispolok
MITSUI: The locomotive leasing activities of Mitsui Rail Capital Europe and the Displok business which the Japanese group acquired from Siemens in 2006 will be integrated with effect from April 1. Mitsui's shares in Dispolok will be transferred to MRCE, which was established as a European loco leasing subsidiary in ...
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NewsPointers April 2008
This month is expected to see the start of operations across the Friendship Bridge linking Thailand and Laos. A ceremony was held on February 20 to mark completion of the 3·5 km link between the SRT railhead at Nong Khai and a Laotian terminal near Vientiane. Faced with losses of ...
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News
Kaohsiung Red Line launched
TAIWAN: Public services began running on the island's second metro network on March 9, following the formal opening of Kaohsiung's 28 km Red Line the preceding day. Heading the list of VIPs riding the inaugural train were Premier Chang Chen-Hsiung and Mayor Chen Chu. Outgoing President Chen Shui-Bien had visited ...
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News
Software aids timetable architects
CAPACITY: While planning software and simulation tools continue to facilitate the train pathing and dispatching process, delegates at the IT08.rail conference were told that integration and preparation are essential for a successful timetable. Nick Kingsley reports from Zürich.
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NewsBorder bridges rebuilt
EUROPE: Polish Transport Minister Czezary Grabarczyk and his German counterpart Wolfgang Tiefensee signed a treaty on February 26 that provides for repair or replacement of 13 bridges over the Oder and Neisse rivers forming the border between the two countries. The replacement bridge over the ...
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Freight for sale
ROMANIA: After years of speculation, proposals and counter-proposals, Minister of Transport Ludovic Orban confirmed on March 16 that state-owned rail freight operator CFR Marfa is to be privatised. Established as a stand-alone business during Romania's railway reform programme of 1998-99 (RG 3.07 p155), CFR Marfa was always intended to be ...
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News
In a hole
AUSTRALIA: March 9 saw the first test train on the 13 km Epping - Chatswood line in Sydney's northern suburbs. Revenue services on the A$2bn underground route had been due to start in June, but RailCorp has postponed the launch until the end of the year because of trackwork problems. ...
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Docklands Light Railway car formally unveiled
UK: Decathlete Dean Macey, Chairman of Britain's Olympic Delivery Authority John Armitt, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and Transport for London's Managing Director, London Rail, Ian Brown unveiled the first of a new design of train for the Docklands Light Railway on March 13. TfL placed a £50m order ...
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São Paulo airport concession
BRAZIL: Bids are to be invited in May for a 35-year concession to build and operate the long-planned Airport Express rail link in São Paulo, with the aim of having the line in service by the end of 2011. The state government hopes to receive bids for the US$800m finance-design-build-operate ...
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FTD makes insolvency application
GERMANY: Rolling stock builder Fahrzeugtechnik Dessau AG lodged a formal insolvency application with the Dessau Rosslau district court on March 25. Attorney Dr Volkhard Frenzel has been appointed provisional insolvency manager. FTD was taken over by Transmash Holding in 2006, and currently has 168 staff. Recent projects have included ...
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NewsDelhi Metro exercises €87m car option
INDIA: Bombardier announced on March 28 that it had received a €87m order from Delhi Metro Rail Corp for an additional 84 Movia metro cars. The order is an option on a €427m contract signed in July 2007 which covered the supply of 340 cars, and brings the total number ...
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Editorial vacancy
With the launch of Metro Report International as a quarterly publication, we have a vacancy for an Assistant Editor to take responsibility for MRI, as well as contributing to Railway Gazette International, the leading business magazine for the world rail industry, and its various print and online publications. We ...