All News articles – Page 155
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News
Intelligence January 2007
Africa: 24 coaches built in Pretoria for DR Congo have been seized by National Railways of Zimbabwe. DRC had defaulted on monthly payments for 50 coaches leased from NRZ in 1998, and the railways have now agreed that the vehicles impounded in Bulawayo will stay in Zimbabwe as part- payment ...
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Finance January 2007
Bangladesh: The World Bank has approved the US$40m Bangladesh Railway Reform Programmatic Development Policy Credit, a 40-year credit granted to support rail reform as part of a long-term strategic partnership between the government, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Japan Bank for International Co-operation. China: On November 29 Asian ...
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Wires to Tanger
MOROCCAN railway administration ONCFM has awarded two contracts to Cegelec totalling €20m for electrification work on its two lines to Tanger. Signed in Paris on December 11, the first covers the erection of 150 track-km of 3 kV DC overhead line equipment between the junction at Msaada, near Sidi Kacem, ...
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In search of speed supremacy
CONFIRMATION that the French are hoping to exceed the 515?3 km/h world speed record set up on May 18 1990 by TGV set 325 came on December 14 with a statement by the Ministry of Transport.Followed on December 18 by a media presentation about the future development of high speed ...
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Phone reader
SWIFTPASS has launched a handheld scanner which reads barcodes displayed on mobile phone screens as well as paper tickets. The 'tickets' do not need to be accurately aligned, and the display is readable in low light. Wi-fi links allow for real-time validation, and immediate feedback of information to operators. ...
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Peaceful sleepers
SBB is to test concrete sleepers with a rubber base as it undertakes track renewals between Pratteln and Kaiseraugst. The trial of the sleepers is taking place alongside routine track replacement on the line, with 130 m of rubber-based concrete sleepers due to be laid. SBB hopes that the sleepers, ...
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Overground shortlist
TRANSPORT for London announced on December 15 that it had shortlisted two consortia to submit ’best and final offers’ for the contract to operate London Overground services on the North and East London lines.Four groups were invited to tender in June. Govia and MTR Laing have been chosen to go ...
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Uruguay launches parallel PPPs
URUGUAY’S MINISTRY of Transport & Public Works was due to open on December 18 for a period of one month a data room for companies preparing to bid for contracts to upgrade and maintain 962?km of the national rail network.Bidders will be expected to price for receiving 67% of the ...
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Three-dimensional lasers
Laser profile sensors are being employed in Russia by Infotrans to measure track wear. The sensors, developed by Micro-Epsilon, are used on Infotrans' inspection train to assess the state of RZD's track. The sensors build on existing track measurement technology by enabling profiling at speed as the inspection train passes. ...
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Japanese invest in US wagons
MARUBENI Corp and its US affiliate Marubeni America have acquired Illinois-based wagon lessor Midwest Railcar Corp, the Japanese firm announced on December 4. MRC was established in 1999, and now leases around 3 000 wagons to railways and freight shippers, provides a brokerage service and manages vehicles owned by third ...
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Infrared at speed
Following two and a half years of development, FLIR Systems has developed an infrared thermographic camera capable of processing images taken from a train travelling at line speed. This advance should enable engineers to undertake thermal imaging of infrastructure without recourse to time-consuming and costly possessions. The ThermoVision SC6000HS can ...
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Rail giant takes shape
A COMPANY described as the world’s leading rail producer is to be created with the US$2?3bn purchase of Oregon Steel Mills by the specially-formed Oscar Acquisition Merger subsidiary of Evraz Group, one of Russia’s largest vertically-integrated steelmakers.The Russian steel and mining company commenced a cash tender offer to purchase the ...
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Getting smarter
WMATA has awarded Cubic Transportation Systems an $11?6m contract to upgrade Washington DC’s rail, car park and bus payment systems to accept a common smart card and provide centralised transaction processing and reporting. Tri-Reader contactless readers will be installed at stations and car parks to expand acceptance of the SmarTrip ...
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A watchful eye
AN INTENSIVE security network is to be installed on 13?km of line through Washington DC, used by Virginia Railway Express, Amtrak and CSX, under a $10m pilot project being promoted by the US Department of Homeland Security.CCTV cameras will send live images to law-enforcement agencies and provide a permanent record ...
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Eddington report is music in Treasury ears
AS GNER’s ambitious InterCity East Coast franchise starts to fall apart (p6), Virgin Rail Group’s West Coast business is getting up and running again. On December 13, UK Secretary of State for Transport Douglas Alexander announced the end of the so-called ’Letter Agreement’ which has seen Virgin run West Coast ...
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Czech electrification progress
DECEMBER 8 saw the start of 3?kV DC electric services on the 27?km single-track route between Ostrava-Svinov and Opava-V?chod in the Czech Republic, marking the completion of a KC1?73bn upgrading for 100?km/h operation, which has cut journey times by 15 to 20?min.It was the second Czech wiring scheme completed in ...
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Evergreen II completed on time
A CEREMONY at London’s Marylebone station on December 12 marked the completion of Chiltern Railways’ ?70m Evergreen II capacity expansion project. UK Transport Minister Tom Harris was joined for the ribbon-cutting by Laing Rail and Chiltern Chairman Adrian Shooter.Chiltern has largely completed a programme of improvements worth ?371m to which ...
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East Coast to be re-franchised
EXPRESSIONS of Interest to operate the UK's InterCity East Coast franchise were invited by the Department for Transport on December 15. Submissions are due by January 15, with the aim of having a new operator in post within 12 to 18 months. As an interim measure, existing operator GNER will ...
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Moving People, moving cities
THERE IS A strong and reciprocal link between urban public transport and the cities and regions that it serves neither can be truly successful without the other. Cities need public transport to thrive, but transport systems can only be successful if they form an integral part of urban fabric. To ...
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Chinese expansion continues
CHINESE RAILWAYS has confirmed plans to invest 300bn yuan during 2007 on network extensions and capacity enhancement, as part of the 11th five-year plan which is due to see investment total 1 500bn yuan in 2006-10. Describing the package as ’the biggest in Chinese history’ the National Development & Reform ...