Latest news – Page 1331
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News
Majors join forces for Mar del Plata bidding
ARGENTINA: Alstom and Siemens have joined forces to bid for the project to build a high speed line between Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata, where expressions of interest to prequalify for a turnkey contract were opened in the presence of President Cristina Fernández of Argentina on February 8. As ...
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NewsDocklands Light Railway car unveiled
UK: Mayor of London Ken Livingstone is due to formally unveil the first of a new design of trainset for the Docklands Light Railway on March 13. Transport for London placed a £50m order with Bombardier Transportation for 31 articulated vehicles in June 2006, a continuation of a £45m ...
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Market March 2008
Brazil: IBRD has granted a US$44m loan to improve suburban rail services in Rio de Janeiro and encourage private-sector participation in operations and management. Czech Republic: CD has inaugurated a train washing and toilet emptying plant at Praha-Odstavné depot. The KC296m facility built by Tchas Ostrava includes a 93 m ...
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Smart card difficulties
AUSTRALIA: Sydney's plans to introduce contactless ticketing have been dealt a severe blow after the New South Wales government terminated its contract with supplier ERG. The NSW government had pledged to deliver smart card ticketing by the start of the 2000 Olympic Games, but a series of delays and technical ...
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News'A change of mindset'
California has embarked on an ambitious drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, through better planning of transport investment and economic development. Chris Jackson reports from Sacramento.
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UIC Highspeed 2008 looks to the future
Under the patronage of European Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot and the Mayor of Amsterdam Job Cohen, and with the support of the United Nations, UIC is organising the sixth world congress on high speed rail. UIC Highspeed 2008 is being jointly hosted by the main players in the Netherlands rail ...
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Fast track to sustainable mobility
High Speed Rail is firmly established as an attractive and environmentally-friendly transport mode. The UIC Highspeed 2008 conference in Amsterdam on March 17-19 will debate the technical, political, commercial and environmental issues that will shape the evolution of high speed rail travel over the next few years
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NewsSiemens scoops Brussels RER order
BELGIUM: SNCB confirmed on March 12 that its board had the previous week selected Siemens as its preferred bidder to supply up to 300 trainsets for the Brussels RER network. A firm contract for the first batch of 95 trains is to be placed before Easter, with options that could ...
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Helsinki airport rail link awaits approval
FINLAND: The cabinet is expected to give approval shortly for the planned Ring Rail Line which will provide a link between the capital's main station and Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Tenders will be called in mid-2009, with completion scheduled for early 2014 at a cost of €512m. The state budget has allocated ...
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NewsCapacity challenge triggers £10bn investment surge
As Network Rail's 10-year West Coast Route Modernisation nears completion, Richard Hope explains why the UK government is signing up to a big increase in infrastructure projects targeted at accommodating unprecedented growth in passenger traffic alongside an expanding role for freight in cutting CO2 emissions
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Short line upgrades
CANADA: Transport Canada and the government of Québec announced on February 1 the award of grants to co-finance renewal and upgrading work on nine short line and regional railways over the next five years. The federal and provincial governments had announced a framework agreement in July 2007 for a package ...
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Jungfrau fast link
Swiss mountain railway operator Jungfraubahnen has appointed Bern civil engineering consultancy IUB to look into the feasibility of building a funicular or fast lift between the Lauter-brunnen Valley and Jungfraujoch station, situated 3 454 m above sea level near the summit of the famous mountain. Passengers would use the existing ...
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Crashworthiness standards may block locomotive approvals
Europe is due to adopt the EN 15227 crashworthiness standard this year, but studies suggest that without an exemption clause this could effectively prohibit the use of short centre-cab freight locomotives. Christoph Müller investigates
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More Spanish stock for Argentina
ARGENTINA: Under the terms of a co-operation agreement signed in July 2004, the RENFE board has approved the sale of a further 416 locomotives and passenger vehicles to the government of Argentina for €120m. During 2008, the Spanish national operator will supply 105 surplus vehicles, followed by 140 in 2008-09 ...
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NewsManchester and Blackpool get tram funding
UK: The Department for Transport has signed off the remaining government contribution to a £102m upgrade of the Manchester Metrolink light rail network (RG 10.07 p649). The £25·7m grant announced on February 1 brings the government's contribution to £58m, and will fund work on bridges, cabling and overhead line equipment ...
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News in Brief
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation of Canada is to receive up to C$12m of federal funds to continue passenger services providing the only surface transport between Sept-îles and Schefferville in northern Québec. The funding runs to the end of 2009. On January 29 Network Rail signed an agreement granting freight operator First ...
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Middle East plans
GULF: Ambitious proposals to build urban rail networks have been unveiled by authorities in Doha and Kuwait City. Both projects are intended to complement existing plans for a network of main lines and suburban routes across the Gulf states (RG 12.07 p756). A 140 km light rail network has ...
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Saudi bidding hots up
SAUDI ARABIA: Four consortia have been invited to submit final bids this month for a 50-year BOT concession to design, build and operate the 444 km Western Railway high speed line linking Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah. Six of the seven groups that submitted prequalification bids in 2006 were shortlisted in ...
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Flying the flag in a global market
Lobbying on behalf of its members, the Railway Industry Association has an important role to play in both the domestic and international arenas
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Infrarail 2008 focuses on signalling
THE SEVENTH Infrarail exhibition takes place from March 11-13 at a new venue, the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, with signalling and train control technology at the heart of this year's show. The confirmation in last year's UK rail white paper that a number of major enhancement projects are to ...