All News articles – Page 167
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News
Rift Valley hold-up
FURTHER delays seem inevitable before the Sheltam-led Rift Valley Railways consortium achieves financial close for its 25-year concession to operate the Ugandan rail network.Following a legal challenge by two former members of the consortium, Judge Egonda Ntende of Kampala Commercial Court ruled last month that 25% of the consortium’s shares ...
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NewsHigh speed needs an integrated network, says Pepy
THE PROSPECTS for Europe's growing high speed rail sector are 'very positive', according to the Chief Executive of French National Railways, Guillaume Pepy. But operators need to work together more closely if rail is to boost its market share. Looking back over the 25 years since SNCF opened the ...
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Russia rejoins ’global’ UIC
AT A MEETING of the UIC General Assembly in Montréal last month, the return to membership of Russian Railways after an absence of 58 years was approved unanimously. A series of joint ’technical discussions’ will now take place, leading to full membership for RZD in about a year.UIC Chairman Benedikt ...
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Higher productivity to help fund rising renewals spend
INTRO: French Transport Minister Dominique Perben has authorised higher government spending on track renewals, and is putting in place a performance contract with RFF to ensure the money is spent effectively. Murray Hughes reports from OrléansHISTORY was made in 1967 on the Les Aubrais - Vierzon section of the Paris ...
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Four for Saudi Landbridge
SAUDI RAILWAYS Organisation announced on May 31 that four consortia had been qualified to bid for the BOT concession to build and operate the Saudi Landbridge railway between Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and Jubail. Preliminary tender information was released to the consortia on June 10. 'The Supreme Economic Council, chaired by ...
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Finland - Russia stock upgrade
RUSSIAN Railways has introduced a business class car and restaurant coach on the Tolstoi overnight service between Helsinki and Moscow from June 15.Designed by RZD and Zirkon, the air-conditioned business class car has four compartments, each with a private shower and a DVD player. The restaurant car has separate bar ...
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Finance
Egypt: Minister for International Co-operation Fayza Abul-Naga has announced that the World Bank is to lend US$270m to fund railway development in 2007-08. France: The European Investment Bank has agreed to provide an initial tranche of €60m of a €120m loan towards the cost of building the 15·4 km light ...
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FrontRunner funding finalised
At a trackside ceremony on the site of the future Farmington station, US Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta formally signed the $489m Full Funding Grant Agreement for the first segment of Utah Transit Authority’s FrontRunner commuter rail project on June 16.The agreement will fund more than 80% of the $581m capital ...
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Praha extends
PRAHA city transport authority Dphmp formally opened a new station at Depo Hostivar on May 27, extending the operational length of metro Line A by 1033m to 11 km with 13 stations.Built by Metrostav at a cost of KC1·3bn, the project involved construction of a new surface station alongside existing ...
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EU still pushing for rail reforms
ON June 22 the European Commission adopted a ’Communication’ on transport policy. Essentially, this is a mid-term review of the White Paper published in September 2001.In general terms the review finds that change in the European transport sector is much slower than anticipated, with no appreciable shift in the share ...
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NewsProfit for the environment's sake
Swedish freight operator Green Cargo has enshrined sustainable development as a core value, seeing profitability as the path to ensuring that the environmental benefits of moving goods by rail are not lost to society
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Tianjin - Shengyang to be electrified
BALFOUR BEATTY Rail Power Systems based in München has won a second electrification and signalling contract in China covering 619 km of double track between Tianjin and Shengyang in Liaoning province. In addition to supplying and erecting 25 kV 50Hz catenary, 11 feeder stations spaced at 50 km intervals are ...
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EIB funds high speed routes
ON JUNE 15 European Investment Bank Vice-President Isabel Martín signed a loan contract to provide Spanish infrastructure authority ADIF with €400m over a 30-year term for construction of the high speed line between Madrid, Barcelona and Figueres, representing the final tranche of EIB funding for this project which now stands ...
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Driverless research
IN PARTNERSHIP with Barcelona metro operator TMB and the Universitat Politènica de Catalunya who respectively hold stakes of 39% and 12%, Siemens Transportation Systems has established a research and development centre for driverless metro operation at its traction motor plant at Cornellà de Llobregat. Established with the support of the ...
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Merkel digs her heels in
GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel rode a Transrapid maglev vehicle over the 31 km between Shanghai and Pudong airport during an official visit to China in May, but not everything was running smoothly.The stage had been set for Merkel to sign a deal with Chinese authorities that would have seen German ...
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Dieter
Valley Metro Rail has allocated $6·3m to be spent on public art at stations on the 30 km light rail line under construction in Phoenix. Proposals include pre-Columbian figures and bridge lighting which will change as trains pass over. Campbell station will have a gateway consisting of 32 steel arcs ...
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Eurotunnel unveils debt restructuring
AFTER 10 months of tortuous negotiations, Eurotunnel Chairman Jacques Gounon was finally able to announce on May 31 that agreement had been reached with the Ad-Hoc Committee representing co-financier creditors on a debt restructuring plan that could avoid the company becoming insolvent in January 2007.A new French holding company would ...
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Grinding down for longer crossing life
GERMAN Railway engineers worked with Robel on the development of the 16.01 rail milling machine, which can be used to repair turnout crossings and prolong their service life. DB standards only permit the repair of rigid crossings with cracks up to 20m depth, with more severe defects requiring expensive and ...
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Suburban consultation
ON MAY 26 Iarnród éireann began the formal consultation process for a Railway Order giving powers to re-open the disused Glounthaune - Midleton line as part as its embryonic Cork commuter network (RG 7.04 p390).Being funded from the Irish government’s Transport 21 investment programme, the work includes reinstatement of 10 ...