All News articles – Page 263

  • News

    Rail Business Intelligence reaches 200

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    ON JUNE 19 we published the 200th edition of Rail Business Intelligence, our fortnightly newsletter for the UK railway industry. Rail Regulator Tom Winsor described RBI in a congratulatory message as 'authoritative, opinionated and always right' - other comments were 'incisive, insightful and easily digestible', 'well-read and respected across the ...

  • News

    UFM160 assesses network quality

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: This summer Eurailscout GB Ltd launches the UFM160 high speed infrastructure measuring train on the UK network. The two-car unit is due to inspect most of Network Rail’s Southern Region later this yearBYLINE: Nick OversierTechnical Director, Eurailscout GB LtdEURAILSCOUT GB is a newly-formed joint venture of Carillion Rail and ...

  • News

    Barcelona backs Line 12

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    THE CATALUNYA regional government is planning to start construction of Barcelona’s next metro line at the end of 2004. Line 12 would run for 26·2 km to the west of the city centre from Castelldefels to Sarrià, serving a total of 23 stations of which five would be interchanges with ...

  • News

    Class 104 debut in September

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    THE FIRST OF 20 trainsets for high-speed regional services in Spain is due to begin dynamic trials in September, with deliveries of two series trains each month expected to start in February 2004. Ordered at a cost of €227·8m, the Class 104 will operate at up to 250 km/h on ...

  • News

    Restyling TGV

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    SNCF has selected a consortium of MBD Design, seat manufacturer Compin and fashion house Christian Lacroix to develop new interiors for a refurbishment programme that will treat 183 TGV Atlantique and Réseau trainsets by 2008. Interiors proposed by three bidders had been installed in one TGV which visited 40 towns ...

  • News

    A promise unfulfilled in Victoria

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    When National Express withdrew from its franchises in Melbourne last year, privatisation in the state of Victoria was called into question. John Kirk reviews what has happened and concludes that there are deep flaws in both state and federal policies

  • News

    Restructuring progresses

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    SEPARATION of infrastructure company Rete Ferroviaria Italiana from the Ferrovie dello Stato group, previously planned for this year, has been postponed to 2004 as the government has yet to decide how to proceed. One option is a change of ownership of RFI through a sale of shares in FS. At ...

  • News

    Pointers

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    n Look for the European Union to put forward a revised list of priorities for the Trans-European Network projects, following the setting up of a high-level review group under former Transport Commissioner Karel van Miert. TEN projects will be split into five categories under new guidelines to be adopted later ...

  • News

    PEOPLE

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    On May 20, German Railway announced that its Board Member for Passenger services Dr Christoph Franz and Passenger Marketing Director Hans-Gustav Koch were leaving the company. Passenger services will pass to Board Member Dr Karl-Friedrich Rausch, whose responsibility for technology will devolve to Stefan Garber, formerly Director of Purchasing. The ...

  • News

    NS station works

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    TWO NEW stations are to be built at Tilburg Reeshof and Almere Oostvaarder, following the approval by the Dutch cabinet of a €6m package of works, which also include lengthening of the platfoms at Driebergen-Zeist.In another station improvement scheme, the main hall at Amsterdam Amstel was formally reopened on April ...

  • News

    New York subway orders

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    MTA New York City Transit has awarded a $90m contract to Kawasaki Rail Car Inc for another 80 R142A subway cars. They will be similar to 520 cars now in service on the Lexington Avenue line, which have proved to be one of NYCT’s most reliable fleets, achieving an average ...

  • News

    Metros

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    China:ABB has received an order worth US$7m to supply 152 gas insulated switchgear units for Shenzhen’s metro Line 1 by September this year, and 237 of the 33 kV devices worth US$11m to Guangzhou metro Line 3 next year.Arup has been appointed as engineering consultant and DesignCorp International as architect ...

  • News

    Market

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    Chile: Under a contract worth €16m, EFE is acquiring reconditioned traction and rolling stock from Renfe of Spain for daytime Santiago - Temuco services. This includes four Class 269 electric locomotives, 23 coaches and four car-transporter wagons.France:IER and Thales e-Transactions have been awarded a €20m contract to replace by late ...

  • News

    Metrotrén projects make progress

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    SPANISH Development Minister Francisco Álvarez-Cascos joined Feve President Eugenio Damboriena in Asturias on May 10 to mark the completion of track renewal work between Ribadesella and Llanes, and electrification between Nava and Infiesto. Both projects on Feve’s Oviedo - Santander route have been undertaken as part of the Metrotrén Asturias ...

  • News

    Luzern S-Bahn

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    A THREE-STAGE project to develop an S-Bahn network in the Swiss city of Luzern was officially unveiled on May 7 by the head of the city’s transport and works department Max Pfister. The project forms part of the second phase of the Bahn 2000 programme, which is due to be ...

  • News

    Missing link in place

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    AT THE START OF 2004, Portuguese infrastructure authority Refer expects to complete the second phase of its North-South link programme, which will see routes either side of the Tagus finally connected via the 25 de Abril bridge in Lisboa (RG 4.98 p258). Although passengers have been crossing the Tagus by ...

  • News

    Pyrenees line retendered

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    A NEW INVITATION to tender has been published for the concession to fund, build and operate the 45 km Perpignan - Figueres cross-border route, with bids due back by September 30. The French and Spanish governments hope to award a contract by the end of this year, so that work ...

  • News

    Researchers on the track of wheel-rail interaction

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: A better understanding of the many phenomena which have their roots in the small contact patch between wheel and rail offers a huge potential for savings, in terms of maintenance, reliability, safety and environmental costsBYLINE: Dr Anders Ekberg, Dr Elena Kabo, Dr Jens Nielsen and Dr Jonas RingsbergCharmec*THIS MONTH ...

  • News

    INTELLIGENCE

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    Austria: The 936m Birgl tunnel was holed through on April 28, as part of a project to double-track the 208 km Tauern line from Salzburg to Rosenbach.China: On May 9 work began in Lhasa on a 919m bridge required for the Qinghai - Tibet railway scheme.Europe: This month Logistica Mediterranea ...

  • News

    RCF still an issue in infrastructure policies

    2003-06-01T10:00:00Z

    TWO RECENT conferences in London put the spotlight on the importance of effective inspection and management of infrastructure. Debate in this field continues to be dominated by the need to deal with the complex problem of rolling contact fatigue - now a serious issue in a number of European countries, ...