All News articles – Page 247
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Transcontinental link completed
On January 15 the first FreightLink container train for Darwin will leave Adelaide, arriving at the Northern Territory port two days later. The inaugural service on the Alice Springs - Darwin marks the completion of the 150 year dream of linking Australia's Top End with the cities in the south ...
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Pyrenees link closer to start
AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT confirming the compulsory purchase of 170000m2 of farmland at La Jonquera was published by the Spanish Ministry of Development on December 4. The land will be required for the southern portal and access to the 8·2 km twin-bore cross-border tunnel that forms part of the new Figueres ...
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Chinese initiative
THREE German companies and Guangzhou Railway Group signed an agreement on December 2 to create a ’German high speed initiative’ in the Chinese city.Turnout maker BWG, track supplier Pfleiderer and Siemens will assist local rail operators, and the high speed initiative will support the development of a 127 km inter-city ...
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Car orders placed
PHOENIX light rail promoter Valley Metro Rail has selected Kinki Sharyo to supply 36 cars to operate the 32·3 km route at a cost of $115m. They will be 27·4m long, with partial low floors, and designed to operate in trains of up to three units. The deal includes options ...
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Capital’s metro grows
BEIJING Metro Corp announced on December 12 that trial passenger services on the city’s 19 km Line 4 would start on December 28, bringing the length of operational metro in the Chinese capital to 95 km. Built mainly above ground, the elevated light metro Line 4 runs east from an ...
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ÖBB to be broken up ...
STRIKES THAT brought services on the Austrian Federal network to a halt during November in protest at the government’s plans to reform the national railway proved to be of no avail. Legislation that will force through a complete restructuring of ÖBB was passed by parliament on December 4, and railway ...
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Intermodal boost
CANADIAN Pacific Railway announced on November 20 a major upgrading of its intermodal services between Montréal, Chicago, and Vancouver. A new fleet of 5500 double-stack wagons and lengthening of 18 passing loops in northern Ontario will allow CPR to carry 28% more containers on 16% fewer trains.Addition of remote-controlled mid-train ...
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Operators rail at footing the ETCS bill
IN TECHNICAL terms, the European Train Control System can be implemented. In financial terms, it can be funded. But it cannot be financed by the railways alone. This was the message to emerge at last month’s ERTMS conference in Leipzig.A UIC report entitled ’Implementing the European Train Control System’ suggests ...
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Halting market share decline is biggest challenge in the East
WITH ACCESSION to the European Union top of the agenda in Eastern Europe, delegates to Terrapinn’s Central & East European Rail 2003 summit in Budapest on November 27-29 were warned not to make the same mistakes as railways in Western Europe. Jean-Arnold Vinois, Head of the Railway Transport & Interoperability ...
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Five make Subte Line A bidding
FROM A FIELD OF nine prequalified bidders, metro construction authority Subterr
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Mandura bidders
RAILLINK JV has been named preferred bidder for the contract to fit out the 70 km New MetroRail line in Western Australia connecting the state capital with urban developments along the southern coast between Rockingham and the resort of Mandura (MR03 p44).Announcing the decision on December 9, WA Planning & ...
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CN wins BC Rail concession
ON NOVEMBER 25 the government of British Columbia announced that it had selected Canadian National Railway for a 60-year concession to operate the 2315 km BC Rail network. Premier Gordon Campbell said CN would pay C$1bn over the life of the concession. Half of this will be used to retire ...
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... as Spoornet goes back together
IN MAY last year the South African government appointed Dolly Mokgatle as Chief Executive of Spoornet. The 20070 km network she found was not in good shape, and in November she decided how she would start to turn the business round.Spoornet had moved into the red in 1998-99 with a ...
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Four contend to build Tel Aviv Red line
ISRAELI Transport Minister Avingor Liebermann announced in November that four consortia had been shortlisted for the 32-year concession to build and operate the Red line light metro in Tel Aviv. Project manager NTA has issued a request for proposals, and expects to announce the winning bidder at the beginning of ...
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Dubai metro will be automated
SPEAKING at the Mena Rail conference at the Dubai World Trade Centre on December 9, Dr Abdelqader O Elshabani, Technical Co-ordinator for the Dubai Rail Project in Dubai Municipality’s Planning & Survey Department, confirmed that the planned urban rail network will use driverless technology with platform screen doors. Trains would ...
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Connex picked in Auckland
JULY 1 will see TranzRail hand over operation of Auckland’s commuter trains to Connex under a deal announced on November 26. Connex was selected as preferred contractor ahead of rival bids from Stagecoach and Serco, and the contract is due to be signed by Auckland Regional Council this month.Auckland’s two ...
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Larkhall approved
PASSENGER trains are set to return to the Lanarkshire town of Larkhall in October 2005, following a final go-ahead for a £35m project. Scottish Transport Minister Nicol Stephen confirmed on December 5 that the Scottish Executive would lift its funding contribution from £16m to £25m, reflecting increases in the projected ...
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RailNet goes alone
JANUARY 1 2004 sees the transformation of RailNetEurope into a free-standing non-profit organisation, with its own offices in Wien, following a decision by the steering committee on December 3. RNE was set up by the European Infrastructure Managers group as a forum to establish co-operation for allocation of international freight ...
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JFK Airtrain opens
DECEMBER 17 saw the formal opening of the 13 km automated peoplemover network serving JFK International Airport. The date had been selected to mark the centenary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight. Airtrain provides a link between the various airline terminals, together with external connections to Howard Beach subway station ...
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Dutch vow not to slip up again
MANY railways suffer from slippery rails in the autumn, and Netherlands Railways is no exception. During a storm over the weekend of October 27-28 2002 NS was hit exceptionally badly, and rolling stock availability fell in the following weeks as many wheelsets had been damaged. A predictable public outcry ensued, ...