News – Page 657
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NewsInland Rail consultants appointed
AUSTRALIA: Australian Rail Track Corp has awarded a joint venture of SMEC and Arup the technical and engineering advisory services contract for the Inland Rail project. On April 22 Arup said the joint venture would provide a team of experts which would to ‘significantly bolster’ the resources of ARTC's Inland ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news in brief
Freedom Railcar Solutions has reached an agreement in principle to establish a wagon repair and cleaning base at USA Rail’s Port Allen terminal in Louisiana by August. Freedom’s mobile teams would serve customers within a 400 km radius, and have access to a section of track for wagon repairs, recertification ...
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NewsMadrid high speed link nears completion
SPAIN: On April 20 Development Minister Ana Pastor visited the 7⋅3 km tunnel between Atocha and Chamartín stations in Madrid, which upon completion of railway fit-out works will connect the high speed routes running north and south from the capital. Laying of slab track and the provision of safety facilities, ...
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NewsManila metro Line 7 breaks ground
PHILIPPINES: Construction of Manila metro Line MRT7 started on April 20 with a groundbreaking ceremony at Quezon Memorial Circle. The 22·8 km line is being developed by San Miguel Holdings subsidiary Universal LRT Corp under a PPP concession that also includes 35 years of operations. EEI Corp is undertaking ...
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NewsChannel Tunnel’s unique status confirmed
FRANCE: The State Council has definitively upheld Channel Tunnel concessionaire Eurotunnel’s appeal against a Ministry of Transport decree which had defined the fixed link as being comparable to the French national railway network, and thus subject to rail reform policies which were announced in August 2014. The reform policies would ...
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NewsPanamá City metro Line 3 agreement finalised
PANAMA: The governments of Panama and Japan finalised the agreement for the construction of Panamá City metro Line 3 on April 20, at an event attended by President Juan Carlos Varela and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The initial technical and financial co-operation agreement was signed on January 14. ...
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NewsBelgrano upgrade relaunched
ARGENTINA: Under a wider development programme for the north of Argentina, the federal government has announced that it is to undertake track renewals on 1 500 km of the 1 000 mm gauge Belgrano network, focusing on routes serving the ports of Rosario and Santa Fe. Tendering has commenced ...
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NewsALE to deliver wagons to Saudi Arabia
SAUDI ARABIA: Specialist heavy-lift logistics contractor ALE has been appointed to deliver 1 186 molten sulphur and phosphoric acid tank wagons which Greenbrier's Wagony Swidnica subsidiary in Poland is building for Saudi Railway Co under a contract announced in October 2015. The wagons are being built to US standards ...
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NewsSydney to use London-style open payment technology
AUSTRALIA: ‘Open payment’ technology enabling passengers to use credit and debit cards instead of dedicated ticket media is to be trialled in Sydney during 2017, New South Wales Minister for Transport & Infrastructure Andrew Constance announced at the Future Transport Summit on April 18. The announcement was welcomed by ...
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NewsCalgary’s Green Line project progresses
CANADA: The City of Calgary announced on April 18 that it had selected a preferred alignment for the central section of the Green Line light rail project. Technical design, economic analysis and further public consultation is due to take place before a formal recommendation is made to the city council ...
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NewsProvisional agreement reached on 4RP market pillar
EUROPE: An informal agreement on the consolidated wording for the market pillar of the Fourth Railway Package was reached in Brussels on April 19, under the leadership of the Netherlands Presidency of the EU. The final trilogue meeting between representatives from the European Commission, Parliament and Council concluded seven months ...
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NewsLisa Maurath
Lisa Maurath has been appointed Area Manager of WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff’s Los Angeles transportation and infrastructure office.
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NewsSanyo Electric Railway EMUs enter service
JAPAN: Sanyo Electric Railway’s Series 6000 electric multiple-units entered revenue service on April 17. The two three-car 1 435 mm gauge 1·5 kV DC EMUs were ordered from Kawasaki Heavy Industries in May 2015, and produced at the Hyogo works in Kobe. The cars are 18·9 m long and 2 ...
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NewsBaku inaugurates third metro line
AZERBAIJAN: President Ilham Aliyev opened the third metro line in Baku on April 19. The two-station Line 3 is designated the Violet Line and links Avtovağzal with Memar Əcəmi-2, where interchange is provided with the Green Line. Construction started in September 2009 and tunnel boring started in February 2011. At ...
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NewsPoitiers – Limoges DUP overturned
FRANCE: National transport users’ association FNAUT is pushing for investment to enhance and accelerate passenger services between Paris and Toulouse via Orléans following the State Council’s decision on April 15 to overturn the Declaration of Public Utility for a high speed line between Poitiers and Limoges.A DUP sanctioning the project ...
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NewsEBRD loan to fund Cluj-Napoca tram purchase
ROMANIA: Cluj-Napoca Mayor Emil Boc announced on April 18 that city transport authority CTP is to receive a €20m ERBD loan towards the purchase of five to seven trams and 50 buses. The loan is to be disbursed in mid-June and would be paid back over 10 years using ...
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NewsMumbai Line 7 contractors selected
INDIA: Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority approved construction contracts for metro Line 7 on April 18. Work for the 16·5 km elevated line linking Andheri East to Dahisar East is split into three packages. Simplex Infrastructure is to build the five-station section from Andheri East to Ashok Nagar. J ...
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NewsCP adds Alfa Pendular services as ridership grows
PORTUGAL: National operator CP is to introduce a premium Alfa Pendular tilting train service between Lisboa and Guimarães on May 1, as it adapts its operations to meet growing ridership after several years of stagnation during the country’s recession. CP’s decision doubles the provision of through trains between Guimarães and ...
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NewsRenata Suša
HŽ Infrastruktura President Renata Suša has become Vice-Chair of CER’s Management Committee, while FS Group Chief Executive Renato Mazzoncini joins as a member.
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NewsSt Petersburg selects fast tram contractor
RUSSIA: The St Petersburg city authority announced on April 11 that it had selected the Transportnaya Koncessionnaya Kompanya consortium of Lider Group and LSR Group for a 30-year build, operate, transfer concession for a fast tram network. The contract is due to be signed within a month. The ...