All News articles – Page 118
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NewsCross-city expansion gets underway
LONDON: Network Rail has begun work on the long-planned upgrade of the Thameslink cross-city route, where tendering is now in hand for major works due to commence in January. Under a two-stage programme costing a total of £5·5bn, platforms will be lengthened to accommodate 12-car trains operating at a frequency ...
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Wagon builder revived
FRANCE: Wagon supplier Arbel Fauvet Rail expects to return to profit this year. Since acquisition by investment company IGF Care in January 2007, the renamed IGF Industries-AFR has reaped benefits from investment totalling €20m. This year's order book stands at 850 wagons, and next year the company hopes to deliver ...
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Pantographs pushed for higher speed
DEUTSCHE BAHN and Stemmann-Technik are collaborating on a project to develop an actively-controlled single-arm pantograph capable of operation at up to 400 km/h. The design will be an evolution of Stemmann's existing DSA380 model that is already in production, which is approved for speeds in excess of 320 km/h. The ...
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FGC completes upgrade
SPAIN: On February 9 Catalan regional operator FGC introduced a new timetable on its metre-gauge route to Martorell, Igualada and Manresa, having completed a €264·7m programme of capacity enhancements to enable trains to operate every 5 min in the peaks between Barcelona Plaça d'Espanya and Martorell-Enllaç. Trains now operate every ...
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NewsKeep it simple
NIGERIA: Following the collapse of the agreement for Chinese engineering companies to fund as well as build its ambitious standard-gauge rail network, the Nigerian government has been looking for alternative sources of finance. But a recent approach to the World Bank seems to have come away empty-handed. The bank's advisers ...
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São Paulo airport rail concession
BRAZIL: Bids are to be invited in May for a 35-year concession to build and operate the long-planned Airport Express rail link in São Paulo, with the aim of having the line in service by the end of 2011. The state government hopes to receive bids for the US$800m finance-design-build-operate ...
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Infrastructure market March 2008
Argentina: The federal government has awarded Martínez y de la Fuente SA a contract worth 28·3m pesos to build a new broad-gauge connection to the Port of Buenos Aires, which by using the existing metre-gauge route should enable 300 000 containers a year to be handled. Under the second phase ...
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Through the Andes, not over them
ARGENTINA: At the end of January the governments of Argentina and Chile formally abandoned tendering for the project to restore the rail connection between their two countries, having received a single, non-compliant bid. Originally developed by Argentinian engineering consultancy Tecnicagua, the project would have seen the 225 km metre-gauge ...
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Industry News in Brief
Moscow-based European Bearing Corp and Chicago firm Amsted Rail have agreed to form a joint venture which will produce cartridge tapered roller bearings in Russia for the CIS rolling stock market. Miscor Group has expanded its loco repair and remanufacturing capabilities with the purchase of privately-held American Motive Power Inc ...
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Running faster in the Netherlands
NETHERLANDS: Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings published on January 21 a discussion paper on reducing journey times for inter-regional passenger services. He has reserved €70m for this, budgeting €40m for infrastructure improvements and €30m for increasing the maximum speed from 140 to 160 km/h. Four routes have been upgraded in the ...
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Djibouti-Ethopien concession talks
ETHIOPIA: Chemin de fer Djibouti-Ethopien has begun talks with Kuwait-based Fuad Algarim Group with a view to awarding a 20-year concession to operate the 781 km metre gauge line linking Addis Abeba and the port of Djibouti. A previous concessioning proposal by the governments of Ethiopia and Djibouti attracted nine ...
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NewsPointers March 2008
Azerbaijan has applied for US$450m from the World Bank to support a railway rehabilitation programme, expected to cost US$673m. US$55m is expected to come from EBRD. Rehabilitation of infrastructure and renewal of the rolling stock fleet form an integral part of the tri-national South Caucasus Railway Project agreed with Georgia ...
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People in the News - March 2008
Randall Chrisman has replaced Lynn Flint Shaw as Chairman of Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Julian Drury has been confirmed as Managing Director of UK train operator c2c, joining from parent company National Express Group. Raviprakash Karcherlahas been appointed Managing Director of Invensys Rail Group’s Indian operations and Alok K Sinha ...
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KTZ announces wiring plan
KYRGYZSTAN: Work is to begin this year on the US$100m electrification of the 154 km main line linking the capital Bishkek with Lugovoy in Kazakhstan, KTZ Chief Executive Nariman Tuleev announced on January 31. Logovoy is on the route from Toshkent in Uzbekistan to Almaty in Kazakhstan, and the line ...
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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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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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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 ...