All News articles – Page 311
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News
Products in Brief
Titgemeyer UK has developed two high performance rail screws. Designed for use with BR1 and PAN8 baseplates, the CAMR16000 and CAMR1601 timber screws have undergone five years of trials, and received Railtrack approval. Spare spike holes are used, and existing spikes do not have to be removed. Union Pacific Railroad ...
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Industry News in Brief
Shares in steel producer Arcelor, formed through the merger of Aceralia of Spain with Arbed of Luxembourg and Usinor of France, were due to begin trading on the Paris stock exchange on February 18 at an opening price of €13·63. Arcelor shares are also to be listed on the Brussels, ...
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Toledo branch
SPANISH high speed construction authority GIF has called tenders for the design of civil works for a 25·7 km branch off the Madrid - Sevilla route to Toledo. Two contracts totalling €4m will be let, the first comprising the 10·5 km from a flying junction with the existing line at ...
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KTM port branch opens
MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad joined the ceremonies on January 21 to inaugurate a new freight branch in the south of the country. The 31·5 km link to the container port of Tanjung Pelepas leaves the KTM main line at Skudai, north of Johor Baru.The line was built by ...
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Cross-border freight boost
BUILDING on an earlier agreement to work towards a doubling of rail freight between France and Germany within five years (RG 10.01 p655), the two state railways have now agreed an initial package of measures designed to remove obstacles that impede the movement of cross-border freight. At a meeting in ...
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Intermodal boost
SHIFTING the equivalent of the annual increase in road freight to other modes is the goal of the Marco Polo programme outlined by the European Commission on February 4. It aims to improve services and logistics in rail, short-sea and inland waterways freight so as to attract an additional 12 ...
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Brazil’s big three
A NEW HOLDING company controlling the Ferroban, Ferronorte and Novoeste railways in Brazil was unveiled on March 4, after the owners of the former Fepasa São Paulo state network reached agreement on dividing Ferroban following two years of negotiations. Headed by Nelson Bastos, Brasil Ferrovias is controlled by the Ferronorte ...
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Saudi BOT bid launched
JEDDAH-based construction company LAM has lodged the first expression of interest for BOT concessions to build three new railways in Saudi Arabia, which are costed at around 10bn riyals in total. In February LAM signed a memorandum of understanding with China Civil Engineering Construction Corp to provide technical assistance. According ...
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International best practice takes root in Europe
INTRO: The first privatisation of a former Soviet railway sees the Baltic Rail Services Consortium bringing international experience and best practice to Estonia. Investment and management changes are transforming the outlook for Estonian Railways’ transit freight businessBYLINE: Ed Burkhardt and Henry Posner III*BIG-TIME RAILROADING has long been the name ...
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Lightweight batteries
FRENCH battery specialist SAFT has launched a new range of compact lightweight batteries for on-board applications in LRVs and suburban EMUs. Marketed as Matrics (Mass Transit Integrated Compact Rail System), the MRX family offers a smaller and lighter alternative to rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries for emergency lighting, air-conditioning, door controls and ...
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Pajares base tunnel contract
GIF has awarded Ineco and Geoconsult a €5·18m contract to design a 50 km high speed line running between La Robla and Pola de Lena on the Madrid - Oviedo main line. The new alignment includes a 25 km twin-bore base tunnel under the Pajares pass that is intended to ...
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Barcelona LRT
BIDSHAVE been invited to build, finance and operate two light rail routes from the centre of Barcelona to Sant Adrià de Bes
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Report backs Sydney metro
THREE heavy metro routes, two suburban lines and up to 80 new stations are recommended in a plan for the Sydney area unveiled on February 25. Compiled last year for Transport Minister Carl Scully by former SRA administrator Ron Christie, the Long Term Strategic Plan for Rail says investment of ...
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STB backs DM&E link
THE US Surface Transportation Board has approved the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad’s ambitious proposal to serve the Powder River coalfield. Officially authorised on January 31, the $1·4bn project will enable DM&E to compete with Union Pacific and Burlington Northern & Santa Fe.DM&E plans to build 450 km of new ...
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Austrians debate separation
ARGUMENTS over separation of infrastructure and operations continue to dominate the rail policy agenda in Austria. Last month Austrian Federal Railways’ Director General Rüdiger vorm Walde defended the concept of the integrated railway in response to comments from newly-appointed Transport Minister Matias Reichhold about the need for ÖBB to stay ...
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Rail tops Austrian investment
RAIL projects will account for two-thirds of the Austrian government’s transport investment over the next decade, under the terms of a plan unveiled by Transport Minister Monika Forstinger on January 29. This envisages a total spend of €17·3bn, of which up to €8bn will be allocated by October 2003.Of the ...
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Australian suburb wired
MELBOURNE’S suburban electrified network was extended by 6 km from January 27, when services began running from St Albans to a new station in Sydenham. Following an official opening ceremony on January 23, the St Albans line has been renamed the Sydenham line.The A$44m electrification project began in October 2000. ...
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Atocha expands
Spanish National Railways has allocated €4·5m to the first phase of works to increase capacity at Madrid Puerta de Atocha station prior to opening of the high-speed line to Lleida in 2003. This involves reconstruction and enlargement of the concourse above the platforms, where new refreshment facilities, shops and a ...
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Desiro UK demands a pit stop approach
INTRO: As part of its £1·5bn contract to supply 785 Desiro UK EMU cars to South West Trains, Siemens will be responsible for maintenance of the fleet for 20 years under a complex performance regime. Key to this task will be a purpose-built maintenance depot now taking shape near ...
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Commander managesstation announcer
CALGARY-based Interalia supplies a range of passenger information systems to urban and main-line rail operators around the world, including on-board and station announcement systems and vehicle monitoring equipment. The digital Commander station announcement system has been installed at London Underground’s busy interchanges at Oxford Circus, Bank/Monument, Embankment and Earls Court, ...