All News articles – Page 151
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NewsBDZ separation plan approved
BULGARIA: The cabinet approved a plan to further restructure Bulgarian State Railways on January 18, following the creation of financially independent passenger, freight and traction divisions of the national operator on January 1 (RG 12.06 p764). Transport Minister Peter Mutafchiev plans to create separate telecoms, rolling stock management, maintenance ...
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NewsPendolino deal falls apart
THE SURGE of passengers riding Virgin's tilting Pendolinos after the UK's West Coast Main Line was upgraded for 200 km/h operation has created an urgent need for two extra vehicles in each of the 53 nine-car trainsets. Under a 'handshake deal' valued at around ?158m, reached on January ...
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Restructuring announced at Tognum
TOGNUM announced a restructuring on February 5, creating two divisions which Chief Executive Volker Heuer says will provide ’clear structures of responsibility and allow us to implement our growth strategy more effectively.’ The new Engines & After-Sales division is centred on MTU’s rail, marine and heavy industrial engine manufacturing ...
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United Streetcar to enter American tram market
ON JANUARY 26 Oregon Iron Works announced a $4m contract to produce a prototype modern low-floor light rail vehicle for the North American market at its Clackamas plant in the USA. United Streetcar LLC has been established as an OIW subsidiary to produce the vehicle, which will be based on ...
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Bangkok growth goes ahead
A 165bn baht programme for expansion of Bangkok’s metro network has been approved by the government of Thailand. The latest package calls for construction of five routes totalling 118?km. The government’s final decision comes after the Cabinet gave its backing to the scheme at a meeting in November (RG 12.06 ...
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Records fall as the French forge ahead
AN UNOFFICIAL world rail speed record of 554?3?km/h was set in France on February 13 during trials on TGV Est. This comprehensively beats the 515?3?km/h rail record that SNCF established on May 18 1990 and surpasses the 552?km/h achieved by the Japanese experimental maglev trainset MLX01 at Yamanashi on April ...
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Two cities adopt smart tickets
TICKETING: Affiliated Computer Services announced on February 12 that it had won a US$14m three-year contract from Marseille Provence Metropole to implement a multi-operator and multi-modal contactless ticketing system across the city. ACS will deploy its Atlas multi-operator system in partnership with Spie. Implementation will allow a single smart card ...
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ADIF awards
SPANISH infrastructure authority ADIF has awarded contracts for civil works on three sections of the high speed line between Madrid and Valencia, all lying between the capital and Cuenca. A joint venture of Constructora San Jos? and Arci?n is building the 21?5?km Oca?a - Villarrubia section under a contract worth ...
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Madrid action plan
ON JANUARY 22 a package of measures to ease overcrowding and improve service reliability on Madrid Metro Line 6 was announced by Elvira Rodr?guez, Minister for Transport & Infrastructure in the Madrid regional government. On the busiest section of Line 6 between Plaza El?ptica and Avenida de Am?rica, 50 staff ...
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NewsOpen access high speed bid
BIDS ARE due to close around February 28 for supply and maintenance of a fleet of 25 high speed trains, with an option for up to 10 more sets. A group of four leading Italian businessmen is planning to launch services on three domestic routes in competition with Trenitalia. ...
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Santiago Line 5 grows
PRESIDENT Michelle Bachelet of Chile joined Transport Minister Sergio Espejo and Santiago Metro President Blas Tomic on January 25 to mark the start of work on a 14·2 km extension of Line 5 from Quinta Normal to Plaza de Maipú. Running for 10·2 km in tunnel and 4 km on ...
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Market March 2007
Angola: ÅF Group's SwedeRail business has been appointed to provide the National Railway Institute with technical assistance for the restructuring of railway legislation. Australia: Union Switch & Signal has won a contract to supply signalling and other asset protection systems for the Lang Hancock Railway in Western Australia. The ...
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Metros March 2007
Argentina: Alstom has been awarded a contract to provide signalling and a control centre for the 3·6 km extension of Buenos Aires metro Line A from Primera Junta to Nazca. Under a two-stage programme, work on the extension is scheduled for completion by December 2008. Canada: Toronto Transit Commission ...
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People March 2007
Michael Clausecker took over as General Manager of Unife on February 1, replacing Drewin Nieuwenhuis who agreed to leave under a mutual understanding' with the board. Clausecker became Chairman of Waggonbau Niesky in 1993, before joining Siemens in 1999 with worldwide responsibility for locomotives. In 2001 he was appointed General ...
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Rail cuts CO2 emissions by 20%
UK OPERATORS have been criticised in recent years for buying trains that are heavier and use more energy per seat-km than those they replace. Key factors have been crashworthiness, retention toilets, air-conditioning and the need to accommodate wheelchairs. This, it is claimed even by transport ministers, has increased kWh/seat-km and ...
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NewsCapacity crunch looms on busy UK network as policy failures bite
Contrasts abound in the complex UK railway business, with high costs militating against network enhancements despite the urgent need to raise capacity
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NewsCross-London projects languish on the back burner
WHILE the East London Line is finally being rebuilt to provide rapid and frequent services along a corridor linking London's northern and southern suburbs, two major projects to make it simple for rail passengers to travel across London have made spectacularly little progress over the last 15 years. The Thameslink ...
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Finance February 2007
Africa: The Northern Corridor Transit Transport Co-ordination Authority based in Mombasa is to receive US$3m from the African Development Bank and World Bank to prepare an infrastructure master plan for trade and transport in east Africa. A further US$1·5m has been budgeted to establish a Central Corridor agency to manage ...
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NewsQR on course to move freight throughout Australia
A transformation is taking place in Australian rail freight, as Queensland's state-owned railway emerges as the stronger of two major players and Pacific National seeks a new backer under Toll ownership. Richard Hope asked CEO Bob Scheuber where QR is heading now
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Test track speeds up
The Railway Research Institute subsidiary of Czech Railways formally marked the completion of a KC60m modernisation of a 5 km section of its Cerhenice test track on December 13. Track on the larger of the test site's two loops has been upgraded to permit conventional trains to run at 210 ...