Latest news – Page 1354
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Bangladesh upgrade loan
THE GOVERNMENT of Bangladesh expected to sign an accord with the Japan Bank for International Co-operation before the end of September, releasing a US$112m soft loan to fund upgrading work on the national rail network. The funding will support a US$924m reform package to transform Bangladesh Railway into a profitable ...
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Colombia to launch US$600m tender package
TENDERING IS DUE to start this month for the first upgrading projects that Colombia's Ministry of Transport is undertaking under a U$600m investment programme. According to Miguel Bonilla who heads the Rail Group at national concessions agency INCO, the aim is to award contracts in the first half of 2008 ...
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Chinese to plug Ilebo - Kinshasa gap in DR Congo
AGREEMENTS were signed in Kinshasa on September 17 which provide for China to fund a major railway project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The rail element of a US$5bn loan package, signed by Congolese Minister for Public Works & Infrastructure Pierre Lumbi and Chinese Ambassador to the DRC Wu ...
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Kelana Jaya upgrade
BOMBARDIER and its Malaysian partner Hartasuma announced on August 30 that a contract had been agreed with Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad to upgrade lineside electrical and mechanical systems on Kuala Lumpur's Kelana Jaya Line (formerly known as Putra). The contract is valued at approximately €87m, with Bombardier's share being worth ...
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NewsLithuanian Eurorunner diesel loco unveiled
THE FIRST of 34 type ER 20 CF diesel-electric freight locomotives built by Siemens was formally handed over to Lithuanian Railways on October 5. Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas, Minister of Transport & Communications Algirdas Butkevicius and LG Chief executive Stasys Dailydka were joined by Siemens Group President Hans Schabert ...
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NewsLondon Crossrail gets the go-ahead
PRIME Minister Gordon Brown gave the go-ahead for London's long-awaited Crossrail project on October 5, with details of the funding package announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling four days later. The total cost was put at up to £16bn, allowing for inflation during construction and inclusive of land, ...
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Austria orders 44 more Railjet trains
SIEMENS announced on October 5 that Austrian Federal Railways had placed a €540m order for an additional 44 Railjet trainsets on September 25. The largest ever contract won by Siemens AG Österreich, it follows from an initial €244m order for 23 Railjet trains announced by ÖBB in early 2006 ...
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Bids in for Mendoza upgrade
IN THE PRESENCE of President Néstor Kirchner, bids to upgrade the route between Buenos Aires and Mendoza (RG 9.07 p524) for use by trains travelling at up to 160 km/h were opened on September 18. The turnkey contract including civil, track and signalling work to create a 'high performance' line, ...
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Chinese lines get underway
CONSTRUCTION of Chinese Railways' 904 km Passenger Dedicated Line between Harbin and Dalian formally began on August 28, and is expected to take 5½ years to complete. According to Minister of Railways Li Zhijun, the line is intended to relieve the existing railway between Dalian, Shenyang and Harbin, which is ...
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Crossrail and DLC set to merge
THE DIRECTORS and shareholders of Crossrail and Dillen & Le Jeune Cargo announced their intention to merge the two companies to create a pan-European independent traction provider on October 3. The merged company will be headquartered in Switzerland and operate under the Crossrail name. It will be jointly owned ...
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Napoli awards €426m metro Line 6 contract
ANSALDO STS was awarded a €426m contract by the Napoli local authority on September 28 for the construction of the Mergellina to Municipio second phase of the city’s metro Line 6. Completion of the 3·1 km underground extension is planned for 2012. The Ansaldo Trasporti Sistemi Ferroviari subsidiary of Ansaldo ...
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Second Zürich tunnel launched
AFTER NINE years of planning, Swiss Federal Railways formally started work on September 20 for the second cross-city rail tunnel in Zürich. SBB President Andreas Meyer and Zürich regional president Rita Fuhrer participated in the ceremonies to launch the 9·6 km Durchmesserlinie, which is expected to cost around SFr1·8bn to ...
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Traxx Class 246 diesel-electric unveiled
THE FIRST diesel-electric loco in Bombardier´s Traxx family was officially launched into service on September 3. For an initial three-month trial, the Class 246 and three double-deck coaches will replace a VT628 DMU on the EVB route between Bremervörde and Hamburg-Neugraben. Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG has ordered 11 Class 246 ...
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A meeting place for eventful times
THIS YEAR'S Elmia Nordic Rail will for the first time share its conference programme with Elmia Future Transport, a concurrent event launched to look beyond rail to the wider transport scene. Held at Jönköping in Sweden every two years, Nordic Rail has grown dramatically since the first event was held ...
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Tanzania concession starts this month
THE TANZANIAN government and Rites of India signed a 25-year concession for operation of the 2 700 km metre gauge state railway on September 3. The government holds 49% in the newly-established Tanzania Railway Ltd, with Rites holding 51%. Operation of Tanzania Railways Corp is scheduled to be officially handed ...
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Lifting constraints on capacity
TWO important documents on freight policy will shortly emerge from the European Commission: the Logistics Action Plan and a Communication on a European Rail Freight Network. Keen to influence both documents, the Community of European Railways presented 'a comprehensive business case analysis' on major freight corridors to the Commission on ...
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Three-way battle in the basin
THE ANNOUNCEMENT on September 5 that Canadian Pacific Railway is to purchase the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corp for US$1·48bn came as a surprise to US industry experts and financial analysts, who queried the high price that CPR is paying for the 4?000 km network. However, President & CEO ...
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Correction
The weight shown for the AGV prototype trainset (RG 9.907 p548) was in fact for an 11-car version. The figure for the seven-car AGV prototype should have been 272 tonnes.
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Sidetrack October 2007
The Bombela consortium which is building the Gautrain rail network in South Africa has placed newspaper advertisements offering '2 million tonnes of rock, stone, soil and fill' excavated from its tunnels beneath Johannesburg. The material is free of charge – but people must collect it themselves. In nearby Tshwane, traditional ...
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People October 2007
President & Director-General of Paris transport operator RATP Pierre Mongin has announced a restructuring of the senior management plus the creation of two new business units. Of the two Deputy Directors-General, Yves Ramette takes responsibility for maintenance and engineering, whilst Philippe Martin will handle operational and commercial activities, sharing responsibility ...