All News articles – Page 265
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News
Electronic management in control
INTRO: Modern train management systems are increasing the scope for on-board monitoring, control and fault diagnosis. QR’s Cairns Tilt Trains use EKE-Trainnet to provide real-time status and control information collected from the whole train, including a log of track conditionBYLINE: Sauli Luoto Project Manager, EKE-Electronics LtdTWO TILTING trainsets are on ...
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Madrid tunnel contracts let
THE SPANISH Ministry of Development has awarded two contracts to build a new cross-city tunnel in Madrid, which will carry suburban services between Atocha and Chamartín stations. Under a contract worth €79·7m Ferrovial-Agrom
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Rail’s chance to shape growing cities
HIGHLIGHT of the 55th UITP World Congress in Madrid last month was the signing at the closing ceremony of the association’s Charter on Sustainable Development. Described as a ’most important development’ by UITP President Wolfgang Meyer, the charter ’makes clear to everyone, including politicians, that sustainable development of our cities ...
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Govia signs at South Central
ON MAY 12 the UK Strategic Rail Authority signed its second replacement franchise, under which the Govia joint venture of Go-Ahead and Keolis will operate the South Central network for up to seven years. The operation was due to be rebranded as Southern Railway when the franchise took effect on ...
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Catenary inspection at the speed of light
CATENARY geometry and contact wire wear can be measured at high speed using OptoCat, developed by Italian firm Selectra in co-operation with FS. A light source and camera unit can be attached to almost any rail vehicle. A beam of light is reflected from the lower surface of the contact ...
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Carve-up in Wien
AUSTRIAN Secretary of State for Transport Helmut Kukacka published proposals on May 6 to break up Austrian Federal Railways. Legislation to implement the plans is intended to be in place by the end of this year so that restructuring can go ahead in 2004.The plans call for four subsidiary companies ...
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EuroNight sleeping car unveiled in Poland
PESA Bydgoszcz SA has unveiled a sleeping car ordered for use on PKP InterCity’s EuroNight services. It is designed to offer a high standard of comfort for passengers, with improved reliability for the operator.The vehicle can accommodate up to 28 passengers and one attendant. There are eight three-berth compartments, configurable ...
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Metro car joint venture
ON MARCH 19 Beijing Metro Operations Co launched a joint venture with Beijing Metro Car Plant, Changchun Rail Passenger Cars and Zhuzhou Times Electric Group to develop a range of metro cars using indigenous Chinese technology.The cars, which will feature AC drives, air-conditioning and passenger information systems, will cost an ...
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FNM expands freight business
ITALIAN regional operator Ferrovie Nord Milano launched a new open-access freight service on April 18, linking Desio yard in Milano and the border station at Chiasso Smistamento. The train is operated under contract for SBB Cargo, pending the start of operations by Swiss Rail Cargo Italy which received a licence ...
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UK refines ERTMS business case
A PROGRESS report issued on May 19 by Britain’s Strategic Rail Authority and the new Rail Safety & Standards Board says there is now a sound business case for developing and installing the European Rail Traffic Management System across most of the 16666 km network. The capital cost (at current ...
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Czech wagon builders consolidate
TRINITY Rail GmbH, a European subsidiary of US firm Trinity Rail Group, has announced it is to end production of wagons at the Thrall Vagónka Studénka workshops in the Czech Republic. Blaming ’weaker than anticipated demand’, Trinity Rail GmbH President Chris Schmalbruch said wagon building would be consolidated at Trinity’s ...
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Products in Brief
A moving gantry locomotive washing plant has been installed at Direct Rail Services’ Carlisle Kingmoor depot by Smith Bros & Webb. Purpose-designed swing arm brushes and dedicated solebar brushes are able to clean locomotives with full-width bodies as well as the narrower-bodied Class 20 locos.Cooling units for 35 First Great ...
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Passenger News in Brief
On June 6 Connex will introduce another German inter-regional route, with the launch of daily through services from K
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Industry News in Brief
Alstom Transport announced on May 6 that it had acquired the rights to the Innorail surface-contact power supply technology developed for the Bordeaux light rail network by SPIE Industries.CAF has reported a pre-tax profit of €12·6m for 2002, up 1% from 2001, with turnover up 1·1% at €392·5m. The rolling ...
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CIE break-up planned
IRISH Transport Minister Seamus Brennan is expected to place proposals for breaking up state transport holding company CIE before the Irish Cabinet in the next few weeks. CIE's three existing business units - Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail), Bus Éireann (the national bus operator) and Bus Atha Cliath (Dublin Bus) - ...
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Tsukuba Express close to ultimate electric braking system
INTRO: From autumn 2005, Tsukuba Science City will be directly linked to Akihabara station in the centre of Tokyo by a 58 km radial line now being built through the Greater Tokyo area. The opportunity to get even closer to ’pure’ regenerative braking is being seized, reserving friction brakes for ...
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Ficas bodyshells lift metro capacity
ON MAY 5 Bombardier Transportation unveiled a car body assembly technique which uses thinner and smoother vehicle sidewalls to increase passenger capacity by up to 10%, reports Geoff Hadwick. Speaking at the UITP World Congress in Madrid, Bombardier Transportation President & Chief Operating Officer Pierre Lortie announced that a ...
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Rivals bidding for Tranz Rail
ONMAY 15 the Board of Tranz Rail confirmed that RailAmerica Inc had offered to acquire the share capital of New Zealand’s freight operator, which leases and manages the national network. According to their statement, the directors had ’considered, in particular, the condition [of the offer] relating to the company’s ability ...
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Bridge bearing research
TAIYUAN Research Institute of Science & Technology and the Railway Civil Engineering Institute at China’s Railway Academy have jointly developed an improved design of bridge beam support bearing, designed to provide optimal elasticity. By permitting longitudinal shifting and rotation of the bridge beams, the bearing helps lessen the shocks to ...
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Battery upgrade
TURKISH State Railways is replacing the on-board pocket plate batteries fitted to 26 of its E43000 electric locomotives with SRM 105P cells from Saft. These offer 105Ah capacity, and are installed on the locomotives in 13 six-cell stainless steel crates and one four-cell crate. The SRM cell design uses sintered ...