All News articles – Page 261
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News
High speed noses
COMBINED nose and coupling assemblies for the Talgo 350 trainsets to work Spain’s Madrid - Barcelona line are being supplied by the Scharfenberg subsidiary of Voith Turbo. The contract reflects a move by the main suppliers to contract out the supply of components as complete sub-assemblies, minimising interface issues.The power ...
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Intensive inspection at high speed
Last month Network Rail launched a 200 km/h infrastructure measuring train designed to record the condition of the UK's busiest main lines at two-weekly intervals. The ultimate aim is to give track engineers data that is never more than 48h old
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Rotterdam grows
ROTTERDAM metro and light rail operator RET has started work on the extension of TramPlus route 23 from Feijenoord stadium through IJsselmonde to Beverwaarde, and on the first stage of the planned 12 km southern route to Carnisselande. Construction of the two routes has been delayed compared to the original ...
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GIF tenders signalling work
SPANISH HIGH SPEED construction authority GIF is to call tenders for supply and maintenance of signalling and telecommunications equipment on the 183 km Puigverd de Lleida - Barcelona Sants section of the new line between Madrid and the French border. A budget of €302·3m has been set for the work, ...
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GO gets more
TWO MONTHS after the Canadian government allocated C$385m for expansion of the GO Transit commuter rail network in Toronto (RG 5.03 p251), the province of Ontario has agreed to provide another C$453m. Announced by Premier Ernie Eves on June 4, the money forms part of a C$645m transport spending package ...
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Projects hinge on funding gap
SPEAKING on June 3 during a debate on the ’audit’ of major transport infrastructure projects (RG 4.03 p179), French Minister of Transport Gilles de Robien identified a funding gap of at least €1·bn a year for the next 20 years if the government is to meet its commitments. Options include ...
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Finance
Australia: Queensland Rail is to spend A$20m upgrading the Rosewood - Helidon main line, and A$14m on the Toowomba - Goondiwindi route.China: Hong Kong MTR Corp has sold HK$500m of 10-year fixed rate bonds, and KCRC is selling the retail portion of its HK$1bn debt issue, intending to raise HK$500m ...
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Palmetto extension opens
THE FIRST extension of Miami’s heavy metro line since Metrorail began operations in 1984 was officially opened on May 30. Passengers were allowed to ride free on the 2·3 km Palmetto extension serving the town of Medley in northwest Dade County until June 29.Miami-Dade Transit began work on the $87·8m ...
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Eurotunnel eyes Europe
ACCORDING to Bill Dix, Managing Director of Eurotunnel Freight Solutions, by 2007 his company could be in partnerships running regular intermodal services between the UK and up to 10 European countries. Conventional rail freight through the Channel Tunnel has fallen far below expectations, in marked contrast to Eurotunnel’s lorry shuttles, ...
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EurailFreight restates the industry’s old problems
INTRO: Ralf Roman Rossberg reports from the EurailFreight event in München on May 22-23ITALIAN Transport Minister Pietro Lunardi opened the EurailFreight 2003 congress in the German city of München on May 22, launching an event intended to achieve for the freight business what EurailSpeed has done for Europe’s high speed ...
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Energy saving transmission
NOW ON test on a refurbished IC3 DMU in Denmark is an innovative mechanical transmission developed by ZF Bahntechnik GmbH. The AS Rail auto-shift transmission is developed from an automotive version used in the lorry market for around five years. AS Rail is also being fitted to Danish State Railways’ ...
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Mail dumps rail
ON JUNE 6 Royal Mail shocked the UK rail industry by announcing that it was ending its 10-year contract with English Welsh & Scottish Railway signed in 1996. From April 2004 all mail will be carried by air or road. Managing Director, Logistics, Paul Bateson claimed this would result in ...
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Refurbishment drives demand for seats
CARRIAGE body shells can outlive their interior furnishings by many years, making refurbishment the key to providing a quality travelling environment throughout the life of the vehicle. Seating is one of the most noticeable interfaces between passengers and trains, and the selection of appropriate designs and materials is critical. Eurostar's ...
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Merseyrail passes to PTE control
JULY 20 will see the control of Liverpool’s 750 VDC suburban lines passed from the UK Strategic Rail Authority to the local Passenger Transport Executive, Merseytravel. On the same day the Merseyrail Services consortium of Serco and NedRailways will take over the operation of the Merseyrail Electrics franchise from Arriva ...
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Newark contracts
ON JUNE 11 the NJ Transit board of directors awarded three contracts totalling US$90m for work on the 1·6 km extension of the Newark City Subway light rail line from Penn station to Broad Street, which is due to open in 2005. Executive Director George D Warrington said the decision ...
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Pajares tunnel contracts let
SPANISH high speed infrastructure authority GIF has now awarded all four contracts to build the 25 km Pajares base tunnel on the León - Oviedo route (RG 6.03 p345). Lot 1, covering both bores on the 10·5 km Pola de Gordón - Folledo section, has been awarded to FCC Construcción ...
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Management and research tackle rolling contact fatigue
INTRO: Rolling contact fatigue is high up the agenda of Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail. A research policy has been established, and with knowledge shared internationally, ProRail has started to modify rail composition and head profiles, and adopted a regular grinding policyBYLINE: Jeroen SmuldersProject Manager, Rolling Contact Fatigue, ProRailINVESTIGATION of a ...
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Cattron sold
FOUNDER and Chairman of Cattron Group Inc Jim Cattron has retired after 56 years, selling his interest in the industrial remote control technology business to a group of senior managers and investors led by Weatherly Private Capital LLC. RFI Investment Partners and Argosy Investment Partners have also contributed significant capital ...
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Carillion enters Europe
RENEWAL and maintenance contractor Carillion Rail has purchased Swedish Rail Systems Enterprenad from Heidelberg Cement Northern Europe. SRSE is one of the largest private sector rail infrastructure contractors in Sweden and Norway, with net assets of £6·2m and around 250 employees. HCNE chose to dispose of its rail maintenance and ...
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Smart card network
STOCKHOLM public transport authority AB Storstockholms Lokaltrafik has awarded a SKr250m contract to ERG for the introduction of smart card ticketing across the city’s metro, suburban rail and bus network over the next two years. The Resekortet project involves upgrading the existing magnetic ticketing equipment and gates at 150 stations ...