All Railway Gazette International articles in May 2010 – Page 2
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NewsTrains talk to avoid collisions
GERMANY: Trials are being undertaken at the Wegberg-Wildenrath test centre near Düsseldorf with a collision avoidance technique based on short-distance train-to-train transmission. The trials are being led by aerospace research agency Deutches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, which is providing researchers from its institutes for Transportation Systems, Communications & Navigation ...
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NewsMonitoring responses
USA: Alion Science & Technology has supplied a Cab Technology Integration Laboratory to the US Department of Transportation's Volpe National Transportation Systems centre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Valued at $16m, the full-size simulator recreates a typical locomotive cab, enabling crew behaviour to be monitored by video, audio and eye-tracking technology. ...
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NewsTransport orders down at Alstom
ALSTOM: ‘Fiscal year 2009-10 was marked by a major contraction in demand for power generation due to the strong economic downturn, whilst the transportation market resisted better, supported by the focus on rail projects in government budgets’, said Alstom Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Patrick Kron on May 4 as ...
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NewsOut of gauge?
UK: Siemens has installed a laser-based object detection device at Old Oak Common depot in London, where it maintains the Class 332 and Class 360 EMUs used on services to Heathrow Airport. The Out of Gauge Warning System developed by Zonegreen uses a series of non-contact laser rangefinder sensors to ...
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NewsProducts & Technology in Brief
Donaldson has updated its range of hydraulic fluid filters by introducing an updated version of its Triboguard product with a Synteq XP medium. The filters offer a 47% lower initial pressure drop in new condition compared to previous versions whilst dirt capturing capacity is enhanced by up to 73%. South ...
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NewsHitting the right notes
AUDIO: EAO has extended its Series 56 range of sound modules with the launch of a TSI PRM-compliant offering. The module can be pre-programmed with three TSI-compliant tones that are intended to help mobility-impaired passengers board trains and orientate themselves within the saloon. The module allows volume ...
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NewsSecond Avenue Subway tunnelling starts
USA: Tunnelling for the first phase of New York’s Second Avenue Subway project got underway on May 14 when a 485 tonne TBM began boring through Manhattan bedrock south from a launch pit between 96th Street and 92nd Street. The machine will dig two tunnels, each around 2 350 m ...
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News10-year KiwiRail turnaround plan approved
NEW ZEALAND: On May 18 the government gave its backing to KiwiRail's NZ$4·6bn 10-year turn-around plan, providing the long-term commitment needed to retain the network and make rail 'relevant' to freight shippers. The government has allocated NZ$250m this year and agreed to a three-year package worth NZ$750m, subject to individual ...
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NewsChina's rail expansion continues
CHINA: The rapid expansion of the Chinese rail network continues, with a series of significant openings in recent weeks. Two years to the day after a devastating earthquake hit Sichuan province, a 65 km high speed link between Chengdu and Dujiangyan was opened on May 12. The 13bn yuan ...
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NewsFederal funds for faster freight
AUSTRALIA: The 2010-11 Commonwealth budget presented by the government on May 11 allocates A$1bn for capital investment by Australian Rail Track Corp, in addition to A$1·2bn provided under the Nation Building economic stimulus package in 2008. The money will be used on projects which ARTC has identified as being able ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief
Canadian National has sold a section of track west of Toronto Union station to Greater Toronto transport authority Metrolinx for C$168m. It is part of the busiest GO Transit commuter corridor and provides access to a depot. Queensland's Gold Coast rapid transit project team is evaluating expressions of interest from ...
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NewsFour-way split proposed for Pakistan Railways
PAKISTAN: The national railway would be split into passenger, freight infrastructure and manufacturing businesses under a reform and privatisation strategy announced by the Cabinet Committee on Restructuring of Public Sector Enterprises in March. Despite protests from opposition parties and unions, the government has committed to a draft timetable which covers ...
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NewsWorld infrastructure market May 2010
Australia: QR has awarded the Coal Stream Alliance consortium a A$90m contract for civil works on the Goonyella to Abbot Point project. Brazil: Harsco Rail is to supply Egesa Engenharia with a laser-guided tamping machine. China: MTR Corp has awarded the Gammon-Nishimatsu WIL Joint Venture a HK$4·75bn contract ...
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NewsLa Sagrera contracts awarded
SPAIN: ADIF has awarded two contracts worth a total of €5892m for the construction of a new station at La Sagrera in Barcelona, located on the high speed line to the French border. Also served by regional and suburban trains and with parking space for 2500 cars, it is expected ...
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NewsPortuguese high speed concession signed
PORTUGAL: Minister of Public Works, Transport & Communications António Mendoça participated in ceremonies on May 8 to mark the formal signing of the 40-year PPP concession contract covering construction of the country’s first high speed line. He was joined by Assistant Secretary of State Paulo Campas, Transport Secretary Correia da ...
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NewsHajj trains shipped to Makkah
SAUDI ARABIA: Chinese manufacturer CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles has shipped the first 24 of 204 metro cars which will be used to transport pilgrims around Makkah, Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat during the 2010 Hajj (MR 9.09 p12). The cars were due to arrive in Jeddah on May 20. The order ...
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NewsGroundbreaking in Boston
USA: A groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 3 marking the start of a $17·4m project to double-track 6·4 km of the Haverhill commuter line between Lawrence and Andover. Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Mullan led a group of local elected officials in wielding shovels at Andover station, the starting point of ...
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NewsMünchen unveils refurbished tram
GERMANY: The first of München’s 50 Type R2.2 low-floor trams to undergo a mid-life refit was revealed by operator MVG on May 17. Supplied in 1994-97, the three-section cars are all to be refurbished by the end of 2011 under a programme valued at €15m. Following a European tender, the ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market May 2010
Canada: At a cost of C$12·6m Industrial Rail Services is to rebuild six Budd RDC railcars used in northern Ontario and Vancouver Island. Accessibility will be improved, and they will get LED lighting, new HVAC and rebuilt Euro-II compliant Cummins N14E-R engines. China: ContiTech is to supply Bombardier ...
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NewsFiltration agreement signed
CANADA: Bombardier Transportation and Noveko International have signed an agreement for the joint development of rolling stock air filters. Montréal-based Noveko said its washable and recyclable filtration equipment has antimicrobial properties and can offer train operators cost savings by cutting the number of filters used and reducing the energy consumed ...