All News articles – Page 241
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News
Finance
Germany: DB is to provide €300000 to Berlin Technical University over the next five years to fund continued research into railway technology and operations.Israel: IR is to spend 5m shekels over two years to provide safety fencing at crossings and in areas deemed a high accident risk.Lithuania: An agreement was ...
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More UK franchises extended
ON February 13 the UK’s Strategic Rail Authority announced that it had agreed terms for two-year extensions of three more passenger train operating franchises, taking them to March 31 2006. SRA has signed a deal with National Express Group covering the Wessex Trains franchise and the Great Northern section of ...
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Riyadh explores the light rail option
INTRO: North-south and east-west light rail lines have been chosen to form the pilot phase of a major public transport project in the Saudi Arabian capitalPROPOSALS for a two-line light rail network could see the first phase operational in 2009, according to Jalal A Nafakh, Director, Transportation Unit, at the ...
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Hanoi plans elevated suburban
DEVELOPMENT of a high-capacity cross-city suburban railway in Hanoi could be completed by 2010, DSVN confirmed last month, following approval of pre-feasibility studies by the Vietnamese government. Prime Minister Phan Van Khai also indicated that the government would fund between 50% and 60% of the estimated 9200bn dong cost. The ...
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Facing up to terrorist dangers
WHEN a bomb exploded on a crowded Moscow metro train on February 6, killing around 40 people and injuring many more, the International Union of Public Transport was quick to point out that ’the metro is the world’s safest transport mode’. UITP highlighted an increase in terrorist attacks on public ...
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High speed line costs too high
A report published by Britain’s Commission for Integrated Transport on February 8 makes ’a persuasive case’ for ’a fresh look now at the future role for high speed rail.’ CfIT’s remit is to advise on transport policy, and the Chairman Professor David Begg urged government to start looking seriously at ...
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Power converter
The output from on-board batteries can be converted to a clean 240V AC supply using I-Power’s PT3000, allowing passengers to use portable computers and charge mobile phones at their seats. It can be mounted under seats or below the vehicle.The firm’s 5 kW catering converter occupies the same space as ...
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Consultant reorganises
UTRECHT-based engineering consultancy Holland Railconsult has announced a restructuring programme, as part of a plan to offer a range of services across the whole of Europe by 2007.Parent company Holland Railconsult Holding is now headed by Wim Jol and Gerrit Disberg, who is also President of the firm’s domestic arm, ...
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Competition will follow Korail reforms
ON FEBRUARY 10 Korean National Railroad Administrator Kim See-Ho announced at a press conference in Seoul that KTX high speed services from Seoul to Pusan and Mokpo will be launched on April 1. Speaking to VIPs and foreign correspondents in South Korea who took part in a demonstration run from ...
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Comfort at speed
LAST year Russian Railways carried almost 9million passengers on its Express trains, which are designed to offer a more comfortable environment than other services, including a bar and reclining seats.Introduced on routes 200 km to 350 km long, where the main competition is from buses, Express services contributed a profit ...
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Third rail data collection
DYNAMIC measurements of the height of a power supply rail can be taken using the DT800 data-logger, which Atkins Rail is using to identify misalignments that could potentially damage pick-up shoe gear. Fitted to the shoe of an EMU, the DT800 samples up to 130000 data points with a measurement ...
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Le Mans to join French tram club
MARCH 15 is the closing date for tenders to built a 15 km light rail network in the French city of Le Mans, at an estimated cost of €290m. Alstom, Siemens, Bombardier and Stadler have already prequalified, and a group led by Semaly and Thales has been selected as project ...
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More cities choose urban rail
APART FROM the well-established metro network in Tehran, where two lines are operational and a suburban line links the centre to the western satellite of Karaj, six other Iranian cities are building or planning urban rail networks. According to Siadat Mousavi, Managing Director of the newly-established Iranian Union of Urban ...
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CFS goes underground in Damascus
INTRO: Part of the Hedjaz Railway alignment is being relocated below ground in the centre of DamascusWORK HAS started to rebuild a short section of the Hedjaz-Syrian Railway alignment in the centre of Damascus. A 4 km section between Qadam station in the southern part of the city and the ...
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Passenger News in Brief
National Express Group’s UK on-line ticket retailer Qjump Ltd has merged with The Trainline. Stagecoach has withdrawn from the project, leaving Virgin Group owning 86% of Trainline Holdings and NEG 14%.Metrorail suburban services from Cape Town were extended to Worcester in February. The 175 km route has a daily return ...
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Industry News in Brief
Interfleet Technology has acquired safety case and risk management consultancy RSE Management Ltd from GB Railways Group plc, which became part of First Group last year. RSEM was formed in April 2003, and provides auditing, project management and environmental services.All rail-sector companies in the Lloyd’s Register Group, including Lloyd’s Register ...
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Products in Brief
Thales has commissioned Infotec to produce next train indicators which comply with strict fire safety regulations for installation at underground and surface stations on WAGN’s Northern City Line in London. The LED-based displays include glass screens, low-smoke paint and have silicon rather than rubber seals.Infotec, UKReader Enquiry Number: 144The Omron ...
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Chinese plan border rail link
PROPOSALS to develop a 1380 km rail corridor paralleling the border with North Korea were unveiled by the Chinese government at the beginning of February. To be built over 15 years, the line is expected to revitalise primary industries in the run-down northeast of the country and open up another ...
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Bombardier restructures
A MAJOR shake-up of rail activities was announced by Bombardier Inc President & Chief Executive Paul Tellier on January 29. The position of President & Chief Operating Officer at Bombardier Transportation is to be split into separate roles. A President will be appointed by the end of March, with Tellier ...
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Short of a billion
HERE’S a little anecdote to add to our story on rebuilding the railways of Iraq on p160. Back in the 1980s Korea Overseas Construction, a consortium of Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Namkwang Construction, was assigned the job of building the 242 km line between Haditha and Kirkuk in northern ...