All News articles – Page 306
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News
Image storage
March Networks’ 4120 digital video recorder is designed for use in demanding transport environments. Mounted in a shock and vibration resistant, EMI, dust and waterproof housing, 4210 DVR can be linked to up to four cameras, with video accessed via a portable computer or wireless GSM link. Seven days of ...
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HSL-Zuid starts to take shape
INTRO: Civil engineering work is underway along the route of the Netherlands’ first 300 km/h line, although delays in awarding the E&M and operating concessions have pushed back the opening date to October 1 2006. Chris Jackson reportsIN A MUDDY POLDER just east of Leiden a temporary construction camp has ...
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Spoornet goes road-rail
ROAD-RAIL specialist Zagro and Nissan Diesel are supplying a fleet of 220 road-rail vehicles to Viamax Fleet Solutions (RG 9.01 p567). To be delivered by 2004, the vehicles will be leased by the infrastructure maintenance division of South African rail operator Spoornet. Zagro is supplying conversion kits for the Nissan ...
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Narrow gauge legacy
AS THE Shinkansen network expands into less densely populated regions, one difficulty that has arisen is the financial losses on parallel 1067mm gauge lines, which normally lose their limited express trains. This issue has been brought sharply into focus by the extension of the Tohoku Shinkansen north of Morioka to ...
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Manila gangway
SOUTH KOREAN rolling stock manufacturer Rotem (formerly known as Koros) has ordered inter-vehicle gangways from Woodville Polymer Engineering to equip the cars it is supplying to Manila heavy metro Line 2.The Metro Plus gangways have a double-skin polymer/fabric composite construction, providing fire resistance, insulation against noise and echo transmission, and ...
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Operators grasp state funds
EXTRA funding to keep Melbourne’s local rail and tram services going was announced by the Victorian government on February 26. The transport ministry said the ’interim agreement’ would bring ’greater certainty and stability’, with Transport Minister Peter Batchelor justifying the funds ’because of the financial problems facing the operators who ...
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Maglev projects may flop
TWO YEARS ago the German government decided to call time on plans to build a high speed magnetic levitation line between Berlin and Hamburg. It was, of course, out of the question to abandon 30 years of research and development paid for by the German taxpayer, so the government promised ...
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Finance
Brazil: The federal government has allocated US$57·2m for investment in railway projects this year, including US$16·8m for construction of the North-South Railway which is to be let to a private operator upon completion. New alignments to eliminate level crossings in the cities of Campo Grande and Curitiba have been allocated ...
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Hillside EMU shipped to Melbourne
INTRO: Alstom’s contract to supply 58 trainsets to Melbourne includes technology transfer to Australian suppliersAT THE END OF February the mv Elansgracht set sail from the French port of La Rochelle bound for Melbourne. On board was the first of a fleet of 58 three-car trainsets destined for Melbourne’s eastern ...
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Detecting defective rail welds
RADIOGRAPHIC non-destructive testing of aluminothermic welds is being carried out by AMEC under a £1m contract from Railtrack. Ultrasonic methods are unsuitable for analysing welds because of the heterogeneity of the metal, but radiography takes less than 30min to check a weld.A selenium isotope is supported above the rail by ...
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Mixed signals at Paris conference
’WE ARE accelerating the pace of change’ insisted Jean-Arnold Vinois on February 26. ’The situation is very serious; we need to push hard to capture business, or rail freight will disappear in 10 years.’ Head of Railway Policy at the European Commission’s Directorate-General of Energy & Transport, Vinois was outlining ...
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French delays compensated
TWO sections of 25 kV overhead line on SNCF’s Paris - Lyon high speed line were damaged on the evening of March 2, a peak day for holiday traffic, leading to long delays for many TGV services. Operations to rescue passengers in two stranded TGVs were put in hand, but ...
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Capacity crunch on TGV Sud-Est
FRENCH National Railways is considering options to expand capacity on its pioneering high speed line between Paris and Lyon. Development Director Michel Leboeuf told delegates that since the Paris - Sud-Est line opened in 1981, the ’awesome’ effort of developing over 1000 km of high speed line had boosted ...
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Tram cameras
HALLE tram operator HAVAG began a six-month trial of on-board video cameras in January, aiming to prevent vandalism and assaults. Date and time- stamped images from four cameras are stored for 48 h before being automatically overwritten. If any criminal activity is detected, the pictures are saved for submission to ...
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RATP buys broadband net
PARIS Transport Authority is upgrading its video surveillance system to reduce operating costs and enhance security. RATP has selected Marconi to build a €14m multi-service broadband network for video surveillance, voice communications and advanced data services. Able to integrate with legacy technology, the packet-based system will support up to 6000 ...
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Products in Brief
Alstom Ferroviaria has ordered 78 SAFT Matrics MRX compact rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries (RG 3.02 p151) for use on Cityway trams that it is supplying to Torino.Laniel Canada has supplied its model LC-12017 change machines fitted with CashCode ST banknote validators for use at stations on the Shanghai Metro network.Cattron-Theimeg has ...
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Industry News in Brief
Balfour Beatty plc has announced pre-tax profits before exceptional items and prior to the amortisation of goodwill for the 12 months to December 31 of £103m. Annual worldwide rail sales are expected to approach £800m in 2002.The IER subsidiary of French group Bolloré, has become the main shareholder of Belgian ...
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Passenger News in Brief
German Railway has begun a programme to refurbish 1305 Eurocity and Intercity coaches (RG 3.01 p141). DB’s workshops at Neumünster, Delitzsch and Wittenberge will share the work with PFA Weiden, Mittenwalder Gerätebau and Vossloh, which will supply electronic seat reservation systems.Eurostar is to run a London - Avignon service on ...
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Security in Brief
The South African cabinet has approved the creation of a dedicated special police unit covering rail, sea, air and taxi facilities.London Underground and British Transport Police have awarded Tyco a contract to install 550 CCTV cameras in 58 station car parks. The cameras will be linked to control centres at ...
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Bolt from the green
MARCH 15 saw the opening of a 375m light rail line in Los Angeles, linking the Farmers Market tourist complex and a new outdoor retail and entertainment centre dubbed The Grove. The 'environmentally-friendly transit system' is worked by a double-deck, open-top tram carrying up to 62 passengers at a top ...