All News articles – Page 114
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News
New Zealand confirms rail buy-back
NEW ZEALAND: The government is to buy Toll New Zealand's rail and ferry business, Prime Minister Helen Clark and Finance Minister Michael Cullen confirmed on May 5. The price had been a sticking point in negotiations (RG 4.08 p22), but has been agreed at NZ$665m to be settled by June ...
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NewsMore West Coast Pendolinos
UK: Alstom has been given notice to proceed with the production of 106 Class 390 Pendolino vehicles worth €318m for the West Coast Main Line, the Department for Transport announced on May 6. A firm contract including maintenance and worth a total of €1·8bn will be finalised in August. The ...
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NewsDouble track makes progress
PAKISTAN: This month trains are expected to begin using a second track laid on the Kachakhuh - Chichawatni section of Pakistan Railway's Karachi - Lahore main line. The 1 676 mm gauge route is being doubled throughout and upgraded for 140 km/h operation under a project due to be completed ...
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NewsPointers May 2008
During a visit to Paris last month, Argentina's Federal Planning Minister Julio De Vido said he expected the contract to build the Buenos Aires - Córdoba high speed line to be signed with the Alstom-led Veloxia consortium by the end of April. A funding package that will see French bank ...
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Wien tram factory opened
BOMBARDIER: A ceremony on March 26 marked the formal opening of Bombardier's new tram and light vehicle assembly plant in the Donaustadt area of Wien. It replaces the company's Floridsdorf factory, which the company described as aging and lacking in scope for expansion. Built in 14 months with the support ...
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News
EMD turns to the repowering market
ENGINES: Locomotive manufacturer EMD has taken its first steps to re-enter the repowering business with the launch of the GP22ECO and GP32ECO scheduled for this month. The GP22ECO concept - General Purpose, 2 150 hp, Tier 2 compliant, ECOlogy - is intended for repowering suitable low and medium-power four ...
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News
Fortescue carries first ore load
AUSTRALIA: On April 6 Fortescue Metals transported its first load of iron ore mined at Cloudbreak in the Pilbara to Herb Elliott Port. The initial shipment was taken by lorry from the opencast mine to the Hunter Siding open access facility of Fortescue subsidiary The Pilbara Infrastructure Pty. It was ...
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NewsFirst profit for Eurotunnel
EUROPE: Presenting Eurotunnel's 2007 results on April 8, Chairman & Chief Executive Jacques Gounon said they showed 'the new Groupe Eurotunnel is nothing like the old'. The company recorded a pro-forma profit of €1m after excluding an exceptional profit of €3·3bn arising from financial restructuring in accordance with the Safeguard ...
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News
News in Brief
The Dutch province of Groningen and Arriva signed a memorandum on March 14 to introduce a half-hourly train service to Veendam from April 2010 (RG 10.07 p600). Since the original Veendam station is used by the preserved STAR line, a new station will be built there. Arriva intends to order ...
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NewsBrussels RER order won on seats
BELGIUM: On April 13 SNCB confirmed that it had awarded a contract for supply of 305 three-car EMUs over the next eight years; at € 1 425m it is the largest rolling stock order ever placed in Belgium. As we reported last month, SNCB has selected Siemens' modular Desiro Mainline ...
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News
Duplex-NG on trial
FRANCE: Between April 14 and 17, the first pre-series unit of SNCF's order for 80 new-generation TGV Duplex trainsets undertook endurance testing at up to 320 km/h between Tourcoing and Benestroff, using LGVs Nord, Interconnexion and Est. Known as DASYE (Duplex ASYnchrone ERTMS), the Series 700 sets are similar to ...
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News
Euro 4000 on test
SPAIN: Test running is under way with the first of two Euro 4000 diesel locos being supplied to Comsa Rail by Vossloh España under a contract awarded in 2006. Powered by a 16-cylinder EMD 710G3 engine, the 4 250 hp loco can be fitted with up to three train ...
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News
FrontRunner services begin
USA: A day of free rides inaugurated Utah Transit Authority's 71 km FrontRunner commuter service between Salt Lake City and Ogden on April 26. UTA placed two of the line's MotivePower MPXpress locomotives nose--to-nose behind the speakers' platform at Salt Lake Central for the launch, a modern re-enactment of the ...
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NewsModular station opens this month
UK: The first trains are due to call at a newly-built station at Mitcham Eastfields in south London on May 19. The station is a showcase for modular construction developed in-house by UK infrastructure manager Network Rail, which is seeking an economical way to build new stations or rebuild ...
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News
Daimler acquires EQT's stake in Tognum
TOGNUM: Private equity group EQT is to sell its remaining 22·3% stake in diesel engine manufacturer Tognum AG to Daimler AG. The Daimler board approved the €585m deal on April 30, and it is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year, subject to regulatory approval. ...
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NewsGlobaltrans IPO raises US$449·4m
RUSSIA: On April 30 private freight operator Globaltrans Investment plc announced the price of its initial public offering of shares which will be admitted to the London Stock Exchange. The offer is priced at US$13·25 per Global Depositary Receipt representing one ordinary share. A total of 16 959 064 GDRs ...
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NewsVeloxia signs Argentine high speed deal
ARGENTINA: On April 29 President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner formally signed a turnkey contract with the Veloxia consortium for the construction of a 320 km/h line between Buenos Aires, Rosario and Córdoba. The consortium had been selected for the concession on January 16, having submitted the sole ...
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Merkel approves partial sale of DB
GERMANY: Chancellor Angela Merkel confirmed on April 28 that a government committee had endorsed plans to sell an initial 24·9% stake in Deutsche Bahn to the private sector, with the process due to be completed ahead of national elections scheduled for September 2009. Previous attempts to persuade the left ...
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NewsUIC calls in administrator
INTERNATIONAL: On April 28 the International Union of Railways announced that a Provisional Administrator had been appointed to manage the organisation, pending the calling of an Extraordinary General Meeting. Ms Béatrice Dunogué-Gaffié has been appointed by the Paris-based Court of First Instance following a request from UIC's Chief Executive Luc ...