All News articles – Page 257
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News
Intermodal fly ash in bulk
CEMENT maker RMC Rugby has ordered 40 intermodal H-type ISO-Veyor units from inBulk Technologies for transporting fly ash from power stations.The H-type is a cylindrical vessel with 34m3 capacity constructed within the dimensions of a 30ft ISO container, and can be handled and transported using the same equipment. Once it ...
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North Rail approved
THE PHILIPPINES government announced on August 8 that it had approved plans for construction of the first stage of the planned North Rail express commuter railway, at an estimated cost of 27·6bn pesos. The project has been cleared by the Investment Co-ordination Committee of the National Economic Development Authority. NEDA ...
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Angolan restoration
LAST MONTH was due to see the start of work on rehabilitating Angola’s 1067mm gauge Caminhos de Ferro do Luanda. This runs eastwards for 424 km from the Atlantic coast to Malanje, with a southern branch to Dondo. In recent years trains have only been running between Luanda and Dondo.Transport ...
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Amtrak reform bill goes to Congress
INTRO: Julian Wolinsky reports on the latest developments in the saga of the US long-distance passenger trainOn August 5 the US administration presented its Passenger Rail Reform Bill to Congress, proposing the breaking up of Amtrak and privatisation of some parts, together with the devolving of control and financial responsibility ...
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Alpine plan cleared
PLANS TO introduce rolling motorway services over the 175 km Fréjus corridor between Aiton-Bourganeuf in France and Orbassano in Italy have been cleared by the European Commission. On August 4 the EC confirmed that it had given the go-ahead for the formation of Autoroute Ferroviaire Alpine, a 50:50 joint venture ...
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RZD reforms move ahead
ON OCTOBER 1 Russian Railways will begin life as a joint stock company, OAO RZD, marking the start of the second phase of the railway reform programme. The company will remain 100% state-owned, according to Vice-Minister of Railways Anna Belova.Reviewing progress with the reform programme on July 25, Mrs Belova ...
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Financial rescue agreed
ALSTOM announced on August 6 that it had secured a comprehensive financial package with the agreement of more than 30 of its banks. This will enable the company to repay its existing debt facilities which mature in the first half of 2004, as well as providing short and medium-term liquidity.The ...
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Cost control tops the agenda as refranchising moves ahead
INTRO: With the complex relationships of the privatised rail industry driving costs and subsidies to record levels, politicians are asking whether Britain still needs its railways. Murray Hughes looks at recent developmentsTEN YEARS have passed since the Railways Act 1993, the legislation passed by John Major’s Conservative government that brought ...
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Smart card accord
RAIL and bus operators in the Greater Tokyo region have agreed to introduce a common smart card by 2006 that can be used on services run by 53 organisations. Around six million passengers use the Suica smart card introduced by JR-East in 2001, and two other rail operators have smart ...
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Pendeltåg X60 EMU takes shape
Harry Hondius MSc reports from Salzgitter NOW UNDER construction at the Alstom LHB plant in Salzgitter are the first cars for a fleet of innovative articulated low-floor cars to operate Pendeltåg suburban services in Stockholm. Ordered last year by Storstockholms Lokaltrafik AB, they are derived from the Lirex experimental multiple-unit ...
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Preparations for InnoTrans 2004 are already well advanced
INTRO: Letter from InnoTransInnoTrans 2004 looks set to repeat the success of previous years. With 12 months still to go before this event starts on September 21 2004, Messe Berlin has already received a record number of applications. The amount of display space that has been reserved is almost equivalent ...
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Intelligence September 2003
Argentina: The Entre Ríos provincial government has signed an agreement with ALL Mesopot? mica that will see the Concepción del Uruguay - Paran? route re-opened to freight traffic with new terminals at Estación Parera and Nogoy? . A daily Basavilbaso - Villaguay passenger service is also planned. ALL Central ...
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BHP line to carry 100 million tonnes
BHP BILLITON has accelerated plans that will expand the capacity of its 426 km railway from Newman to Port Hedland to 100 million net tonnes/year by the end of 2004. In the year ended June 30 2002 the line carried 71 million tonnes. Announcing investment totalling A$77m on July 25, ...
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Visualisation software
MADRID Metro has begun using ILOG’s Solver software for its staff scheduling, and the same company’s Views package to display network data to aid the real-time supervision of depots and lines. In May French National Railways deployed ILOG Views to create visual displays which are used to show the location ...
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Pyrenean project progress
MEETING on July 11, the Spanish cabinet approved bids from four consortia seeking pre-qualification for the concession to build and operate the 45 km route from Figueres to Perpignan in France. A second tender was issued after the intergovernmental commission announced on April 16 that no further progress could be ...
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TENs programme is revised
FORMER Transport Commissioner Karel van Miert presented a report on the future development of the Trans-European Transport Networks to the European Commission on June 30. Compiled by a group of experts appointed by transport ministers of the 15 current and the 12 future member states, the report includes recommendations on ...
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Polish takeover
ZIELONA Gora-based wagon builder and component supplier Zastal Wagony SA has been purchased by Tabor Szynowy Opole SA. Zastal Wagony SA became a Tabor subsidiary in May, with Robert Siwulski as General Director, Janusz Kapala as Technical Director and Janina Krol as Commercial Director. In addition to new general and ...
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Weighing up your passengers
AEA Technology Rail has developed an electronic version of its Passenger Load Determination System, used to assess the number of passengers on a train at any given time. Developed from AEA’s existing PLD which already tracks around 2 million passenger-journeys a week, the updated e-PLD is expected to be simpler ...
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Oslo ring opens
CEREMONIES will be held on August 20 to mark the opening of the first stage of Oslo Sporveier’s metro ring line, although revenue services are scheduled to start on August 17. The 2·9 km section from Ullevål Stadion to Storo will be served by an extension of Line 5 which ...
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Managing maintenance on the Tokaido Shinkansen
INTRO: The infrastructure on Japan’s oldest high speed line has gradually been improved to allow operation at 270 km/h, with curve realignment, the introduction of composite sleepers and improved standards for maintenance work. Plans are being drawn up to strengthen major structures from 2017Dr-Eng Masaki SekiHead of Track Maintenance & ...