All News articles – Page 295

  • News

    Track inspection moves up the agenda

    2002-08-01T10:00:00Z

    DETAILED technical presentations on a wide range of track and civil engineering topics were given to over 300 delegates who attended the Railway Engineering 2002 conference in London on July 3-4, organised by ECS Publications and sponsored by Railway Gazette International. Many of the 117 papers explored the application of ...

  • News

    Advertising agreement

    2002-08-01T10:00:00Z

    CLEAR Channel Transit has won metro advertising contracts covering 17 København metro stations and the VAL metro in Rennes. The company has also won a 10-year concession for the Kuala Lumpur Express Rail Link, and a 31/2 -year concession for Stockholm’s Arlanda Express. Advertising material will be displayed both at ...

  • News

    AATC approved for revenue service

    2002-08-01T10:00:00Z

    ON JUNE 28 the California Public Utilities Commission formally approved the use of Advanced Automatic Train Control on the Bay Area Rapid Transit network in Oakland and San Francisco. Safety certification for revenue operation came after five years of design and testing on the communications-based train control system (RG 6.02 ...

  • News

    Santiago launches Line 4

    2002-08-01T10:00:00Z

    CHILEAN President Ricardo Lagos formally started work on Santiago’s fourth metro line on July 2, in a ceremony at Plaza de Armas in the southern suburb of Puente Alto. Due to be completed in the second quarter of 2005, the line is expected to carry 325000 passengers a day, or ...

  • News

    High Voltage Boosters can raise capacity on 25 kV lines

    2002-08-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: Adding a thyristor-controlled static VAr compensator mid-way between substations is proving to be an economical way of boosting line voltage. SVCs enable existing transformers and catenary to deliver the higher power demanded by a more intensive or faster train serviceBYLINE: Malcolm Stuart BSc (Tech) CEng FIEE** Malcolm Stuart is ...

  • News

    Intelligence August 2002

    2002-08-01T10:00:00Z

    Australia: Victoria's Minister for Ports Candy Broad has announced a A$20m project to reinstate rail access to Swanson Dock West in Melbourne, with a 1·5 km dual-gauge line. CityRail's first 130 km/h Millennium EMU entered public service in Sydney on July 1. Up to eight cars will be introduced each ...

  • News

    Bahn 2000 under budget

    2002-08-01T10:00:00Z

    LEST THERE be any doubt that the cost of infrastructure projects in Britain is seriously out of control, here is another comparison. Take Switzerland’s Bahn 2000 programme.When authorised by the Swiss Parliament in 1994, the expected out-turn cost was SFr7·4bn. Reviewing progress on July 4, Swiss Federal Railways confirmed that ...

  • News

    Sidetrack

    2002-07-01T10:00:00Z

    It’s a bug’s lifeVirgin Cross-Country’s highly-successful Voyager DEMU fleet has been found to be carrying some unexpected passengers. A layer of micro-organisms, called a biofilm, frequently forms in the air filters of diesel engines. These microbes are sensitive to their environment, and in the past some strains were killed off ...

  • News

    SBB updates

    2002-07-01T10:00:00Z

    SWISS Federal Railways is to modernise 619 regional stations in a SFr340m investment programme. Working with the cantonal governments, 80 stations will be refurbished by the end of this year, and the rest by 2006. The first station to be completed is Muntelier, near Murten, which was done in June. ...

  • News

    Publications

    2002-07-01T10:00:00Z

    2002 Public Transportation Fact Book The 53rd edition of this annual APTA publication contains statistical data on all aspects of the public transport industry in the United States, with additional information covering Canada. This 204 page book includes details of financial information, operating statistics, safety and crime, modes of travel, ...

  • News

    Pointers

    2002-07-01T10:00:00Z

    n South African Transport Minister Dullah Omar announced on June 7 that design work for the 4·4 km extension of Cape Town’s suburban rail service to Baden-Powell Drive is to be completed this year; construction will begin in 2003.n Government officials are now preparing legislation to privatise AFE, according to ...

  • News

    People

    2002-07-01T10:00:00Z

    Following last month's general election in France, Gilles de Robien has been confirmed as Minister of Public Works, Transport, Housing, Tourism & the Sea. Dominique Bussereau is Secretary of State for Transport & the Sea. Radwan Bounasserdin has taken over as President & General Manager of Lebanon State ...

  • News

    NRC reform plan

    2002-07-01T10:00:00Z

    NIGERIA’s Federal Executive Council has selected the Canadian consultancy Canac to provide technical and managerial assistance for the reform of Nigeria Railways Corp. The consultants were due to start work in June on an initial 10-month study phase valued at US$4m, which will be followed by a five-year oversight programme. ...

  • News

    And so to Nice?

    2002-07-01T10:00:00Z

    THERE was plenty for SNCF to celebrate last month when TGV Méditerranée reached its first birthday. Since opening on June 10 last year, when the best Paris - Marseille journey time was cut to just 3h (RG 7.01 p449), the line has carried 18million passengers and has increased traffic by ...

  • News

    Metros

    2002-07-01T10:00:00Z

    Australia: The Victorian government has reached a settlement with OneLink, supplier of Melbourne’s troubled automated ticketing system, under which the company will receive up to A$65m towards claims of A$360m relating to alleged late changes in the initial contract. A revised contract based on performance is to be signed.Belgium: Tenders ...

  • News

    Relaying mechanised in Shanghai

    2002-07-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: Among the latest track renewal machines delivered by Matisa is a P95LS for use in ChinaBYLINE: Jo

  • News

    Market

    2002-07-01T10:00:00Z

    Australia: Global Technology is to supply Queensland Rail with its Metify business cost management software.The Queensland government has called for expressions of interest to operate the weekly Savannahlander railcar service between Cairns and Forsayth currently run by Queensland Rail.Belgium: Thales e-Transactions has been awarded a €4·5m contract to supply fleet ...

  • News

    SL picks Lirex

    2002-07-01T10:00:00Z

    STOCKHOLM public transport operator Storstockholms Lokaltrafik and rolling stock leasing company AB Transitio have ordered 55 low-floor EMUs from Alstom Transport to replace the ageing suburban fleet in the Swedish capital. The €380m deal includes options for up to 50 additional units. To be manufactured in Germany, Belgium and France, ...

  • News

    Letters

    2002-07-01T10:00:00Z

    SJ still exclusiveSir - In your article ’Mixed signals at Paris conference’ (RG 4.02 p177), you report that ’Sweden now contracts out all local services and subsidised long-distance corridors; with the disappearance next year of the exclusive right for state-owned SJ AB to run profitable inter-city routes, there will effectively ...

  • Metro Report International

    Jerusalem LRT shortlist

    2002-07-01T10:00:00Z

    DETAILS of the two competing bids to build and operate the initial light rail line in Jerusalem were unveiled by the Municipality and the Israeli ministries of Transport and Finance on June 4, which were presented to the inter-ministerial committee that day. Analysis of the tenders is expected to take ...