All News articles – Page 224
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News
Tram promoters hit back
The DECISION by the UK government on July 20 to abort three light rail projects at the final bidding stage in Manchester, Leeds and South Hampshire (RG 8.04 p447) has sparked a furious reaction.Chris Mulligan, Director General of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, spoke of ’enormous resentment’ over the cancellation ...
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New projects axed as budget shortfall bites
INTRO: A budget shortfall means Germany’s ambitious proposals for new lines have been scaled back, although 66 projects are still going ahead between now and 2008RESPONSIBILITY for capital expenditure on rail infrastructure in Germany falls to the federal government under the legislation which set up DB AG; this also made ...
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Automated metro contract
THE SOUTH Korean city of Yong-In announced in July that it had awarded a 35-year build-transfer-operate concession for an 18·5 km automated light metro linking the Seoul metro with Yong-In and the Everland theme park (RG 2.02 p66). The 15 station double-track light metro will be built by the Yong-In ...
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Into Australia
Into AustraliaVOSSLOH AG has acquired Delkor Pty’s rail fastener operations as part of its strategy to enter the Australian market.Delkor’s rail fastener operations generate annual sales of €2·6m, and Vossloh AG Chief Executive Officer Burkhard Schuchmann said the acquisition ’has enabled us to participate in a market with good medium ...
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Europe's next tram-train arrives
On July 6 the first RegioCitadis dual-system LRV for the Regionalbahn Kassel network was rolled out by Alstom LHB. Harry Hondius reports from Salzgitter
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NR maintenance is all in-house
NETWORK Rail ended its last contracts for routine maintenance of the UK rail infrastructure on July 26, when it completed a 13-month process to bring the work in-house. The last five of 20 contract areas were transferred to direct NR control from Carillion and AMEC, bringing the total number of ...
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Testing Alaskan rail integrity
ALASKA Railroad is testing a method of detecting broken rails on routes that are not equipped with track circuiting, in a 14-month Federal Railroad Administration technology demonstration project.The FRA is contributing 93% of the $409740 cost of the project, and selected Alaska Railroad for the tests because of the extreme ...
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Vuknovo airport service launched
MOSCOW Mayor Yuri Luzhkov joined the celebrations on July 29 to mark the launch of Russian Railways' second dedicated airport rail service in the capital. He was joined at Moscow Kievskaya station by RZD President Gennady Fadeyev, Moscow Railway President Vladimir Starostenko and the Chairman of Vuknovo International Airport's ...
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GSM air-conditioning
FROM January Faiveley Transport will be supplying its FPC24/2 series of train air-conditioning controllers with a GSM interface, providing functions currently carried out by RS232 or USB links.Maintenance staff will gain remote access to error and event logs, and be able to modify software without leaving the office. SMS warnings ...
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Danish structure changes again
FURTHER rationalisation of the Danish rail sector took effect on July 1, when the former rail safety authority Jernbanetilsynet was abolished. Under a law passed by Parliament on May 5, responsibility for safety management on the rail network and for routine inspections and approvals has been transferred to the National ...
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African links could bring peace and stability
GOLD, DIAMONDS, oil, uranium and other minerals in southern Sudan could be used to fund an ambitious plan to build a 4100 km network of standard-gauge lines joining the country to Uganda and Kenya. Promoted by German rail welding specialist Thormählen Schweisstechnik, the proposals hinged initially on what the company ...
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Monorail advances wireless CBTC
INTRO: Use of open-standard data communications links and overlapping free-space radio coverage offers cost-effective low-maintenance automatic train controlOPENED on July 15, the 6·4 km Las Vegas Monorail is the first fully-automated line-haul rapid transit route in the USA to use wireless Communications-Based Train Control. Running along the Strip district, it ...
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Advanced bogie
IFV Bahntechnik will be displaying the first prototype Leila wagon bogie (RG9.02 p563), which has been developed to cut noise and wear caused by freight trains.The Leila-DG research project aims to reduce life-cycle operating costs by developing a bogie which is lighter, quieter, more reliable and track-friendly than designs which ...
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Low-floor wagons add height in the transalpine intermodal market
SWISS intermodal operator Hupac is taking delivery of two fleets of new wagons aimed at increasing the company’s share of transalpine freight. One design is a low-floor wagon for high-cube containers and swap bodies, the other is an ultra-low-floor rolling motorway wagon with small wheel bogies.Delivery of 120 Mega II ...
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Links across the Andes
ARGENTINA’s Under-Secretary of Transport Julio Montaña has formally approved tender specifications for the project developed by Tecnicagua to restore the rail link between Mendoza and Los Andes in Chile, expected to cost in excess of US$200m (RG 12.02 p726). Once the scheme has been agreed with Chilean bodies including state ...
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Portec acquires Salient Systems
PORTEC Rail Products Inc announced on July 21 that it is to acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Salient Systems for a combination of stock and cash, valued at $12·4m to $14·0m, depending upon Portec Rail’s stock price prior to closing. The deal includes an earn-out provision for 2004-06 ...
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Spoornet close to Ghana accord
A CONSORTIUM led by South African rail operator Spoornet is reported to have been selected as preferred bidder for the concession to modernise and operate the rail network in Ghana.CPCS Transcom is advising the government on the privatisation process. A ’rolling concession’ will start with an initial 20-year period followed ...
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New York plans $27·3bn capital spend
’PROGRESS that MTA has made in the last 20 years to restore and maintain the core system must not and cannot be eroded’, emphasised New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Executive Director Katherine N Lapp on July 29, unveiling investment proposals for the agency’s fifth five-year capital programme. MTA hopes to ...
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Japanese Railways Annual 2004
Nenkan Nihon no TetsudouThe latest edition of this Japanese-language review from Railway Journal Inc includes a month-by-month review of developments on Japan’s many public and privately-owned railways during 2003. There is also a special section previewing forthcoming events in 2004, including the opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen, and articles giving ...
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NewsInnoTrans 2004 is the biggest ever
INNOTRANS: Held every two years, InnoTrans is now established as a major international showcase for the railway industry. This year's event will be the largest yet, and over 1200 exhibitors are booked to attend. More than 35000 visitors from around 35 countries are expected at the Berlin trade fair grounds ...