All News articles – Page 255
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News
Market
Australia: Queensland Rail has been awarded a A$2·4m contract running to December 2005 for rail grinding on WestNet Rail’s 1067mm gauge lines in Western Australia.Brazil: CVRD has announced plans to buy 77 diesel locomoties and 2010 wagons to handle traffic rising at 9% a year. China:Bombardier Sifang Power (Qingdao) Transportation ...
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Stand-off over Pilbara ore line
ATTEMPTS to stitch together a coalition of three groups holding rights to work virgin iron ore deposits in the Central Pilbara region of Western Australia, northwest of Newman, broke down at the end of July. However, a strong market with prospects for growing demand, especially in China, is piling on ...
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On-board internet
UK inter-city train operator GNER announced on August 11 that it is preparing a business case to install broadband internet access on its trains. Subject to the outcome of a pilot project between King’s Cross and Scotland for three months starting in mid-September, GNER plans to fit the equipment to ...
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Secaucus interchange opens
UNDER CONSTRUCTION for more than eight years, the $450m Secaucus Transfer interchange in New Jersey will see its first fare-paying passengers on September 6. However, NJ Transit board decided on July 31 that the multilevel station linking 10 of its 11 commuter rail routes will initially be open only at ...
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Intelligent pantograph on trial
INTRO: Ralf Roman Rossberg reports on tests with an actively-controlled pantograph GERMAN Railway and Bombardier have developed an actively-controlled pantograph to permit operation at higher speeds without costly alterations to overhead line equipment. The single-arm ASP design is also expected to reduce contact noise by 10dB(A) and to halve wear ...
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Hybrid railcar
EAST JAPAN Railway has completed the first trial runs with its ’environmentally-friendly’ New Energy Train, a hybrid diesel-electric railcar designated Series E991. The tests were conducted on the 40 km Utsonomiya - Nikko line. The 19·5m long 1067mm gauge vehicle has a top speed of 100 km/h. It is driven ...
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Tranz Rail sale on hold
ON AUGUST 13 New Zealand’s Tranz Rail confirmed that ’there have been limited discussions’ with Toll Holdings of Australia about improvements to the company’s most recent offer, submitted on July 9. The offer for NZ$0·95 per share required 90% acceptance by August 29 and replaced Toll’s previous takeover bid (RG ...
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Hit by trams
Carillion plc issued a trading update on July 10, in advance of an interim results announcement on September 10. Profit in Construction Services for the six months to June 30 is likely to be £10m less than expected, owing to difficulties with the Nottingham Express Transit light rail public-private partnership ...
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Infrastructure industry heads for Manchester
THE INFRARAIL 2003 exhibition will be held at the G-MEX centre in Manchester from September 16 to 18. Every aspect of infrastructure work will be on show, from civil engineering to fare collection and staff recruitment.Aimed at all companies involved in the rail infrastructure market, Infrarail will be of interest ...
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LA Gold line inaugurated
JULY 28 saw the start of revenue services on the 22 km Gold line light rail route linking Los Angeles and Pasadena, following a weekend of free rides. Local politicians and MTA board members participated in a dedication ceremony at Union Station on July 25, including Los Angeles Mayor James ...
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Green Kid is a smaller Goat
GREEN Kid is the latest hybrid shunting locomotive developed by RailPower Technologies. Smaller than the firm’s Green Goat (RG 11.01 p786), Green Kid is designed for operation in grain terminals, ports and other industrial sites where the duty cycle is less harsh than the busy shunting yards Green Goat is ...
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Ticket and gate orders
ASCOM has won a €50m order from SNCF to supply automatic access control gates for 120 stations in Ile de France. As well as delivery and installation over the next five years, the contract covers maintenance and servicing for 10 years. The gates will be able to read both magnetic ...
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Gantry mill installed
A HENRY Liné Macbormill 249 CNC gantry mill for machining switch and crossing components has been installed at Balfour Beatty Rail Track Systems’ Sandiacre works near Nottingham. Supplied by M-Tech (UK), the 4 + 1 axis machine is fitted with Siemens 840D controls and has a 20m x-axis. The main ...
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Miscalculation topples FLEX
A CAUTIONARY tale reaches us from Schleswig-Holstein, where newly-established operator FLEX-Verkehrs AG took over InterRegio services between Hamburg and Flensburg from German Railway on December 15 last year. A subsidiary of Norddeutsche Nahverkehrsgesellschaft mbH, FLEX had an ambitious programme to develop services over the route, and had launched with a ...
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Merseytram picks shortlist of five
ON SEPTEMBER 1 Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive is due to issue detailed information to the five candidates it has shortlisted for a contract to build and operate Line 1 of the proposed Merseytram network, a 19 km light rail route running from the centre of Liverpool to Kirkby (MR 03 ...
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Finance
Argentina:The Tecnicagua consultancy developing plans to re-open the route from Mendoza to Los Andes in Chile has signed a letter of intent to appoint state-owned development bank BICE as its financial agent. Should Tecnicagua win a call for tenders which is expected before the end of 2003, an international bond ...
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Genova light metro extended
AUGUST 7 saw the start of revenue services on a further section of Genova’s automated light metro, between Principe and San Giorgio, following an official inauguration on July 25. The line is being built and operated for the city by AnsaldoBreda.The initial 3·5 km between Brin and Dinegro was opened ...
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EMU upgrade
KRASNOYARSK Electric Railcar Repair Facility has completed the overhaul of an ER9P-311 electric multiple-unit, intended to improve passenger comfort on Russian Railways’ Krasnoyarsk - Abakan route. The AC EMU has been fitted with automatic doors, modern fire safety systems and upgraded heating. Three first-class carriages have been added to the ...
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Skoda Electric restructuring
ON JULY 1 Skoda Electric sro completed a merger with Skoda Trakcní Motory sro, and took over traction component casing production from Skoda Dopravní Technika sro.Skoda Holding, owned by Appian Group, began combining its electric traction systems manufacturing activities into a single entity at the start of the year, establishing ...
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Czech stations
CZECH Railways has begun a KC950m modernisation of Chocen station on the Decín - Praha - Breclav route, for completion in 2005. A consortium of Skanska CZ and SSZ Praha will upgrade track and overhead electrification for 160 km/h operation, build three island platforms and install a subway with lifts.A ...