All News articles – Page 327
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News
MBTA fleet renewal
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has awarded a $172m contract to Siemens Transportation Systems Inc to supply a new fleet of 94 metro cars for Boston’s heavy metro Blue line. Due for delivery from 2003, the new vehicles will replace 70 cars built by Hawker Siddeley of Canada in 1978-80, and ...
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Finance
China: China International Trust & Investment Corp has provided a 1bn yuan loan to the Shanghai Transrapid project.Iran: Officials confirmed onSeptember 12 that final terms had been agreed for Chinese banks to provide US$100m for a 25 km extension of the Tehran Suburban Railway from Mehrshahr near Karaj to Hashgerd; ...
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Fast train shortlist
THE AUSTRALIAN state of Victoria shortlisted five consortia in mid-September for the A$550m Fast Rail Links project (RG 10.00 p660). This involves upgrading of 500 route-km on the lines from Melbourne to Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and the LaTrobe Valley.The five consortia are: Thiess-Alstom Joint Venture, Fastrax Victoria (Leighton Contractors), BLM ...
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Terror fall-out will be long-lasting
JUST WHAT long-term effects the appalling terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on September 11 will have on the rail business is hard to foresee. Washington metro stations at the Pentagon and National Airport closed immediately, but reopened next day, with restricted access at the Pentagon.In New York all ...
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Safety regulation to be expanded
MAJOR changes to the way safety on Britain’s rail network is regulated and managed were proposed by Lord Cullen on September 20, in Part 2 of his report into the collision at Ladbroke Grove which killed 31 people on October 5 1999. All 74 recommendations were immediately accepted by Transport ...
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Pendolinos expand
FINNISH Railways will increase its range of Pendolino services on October 22, when new tilting EMUs will replace InterCity2 trains on three daily Helsinki - Tampere - Jyväskylä services.VR is taking delivery of eight more Italian-built Pendolino sets to augment its two locally-built prototypes. The first new trains entered service ...
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Curve lubricants
A high performance lubricant to prevent track and wheel flange wear on curves has been developed by ITW Polymers & Fluids. Rocol Rail Curve Grease contains graphite dispersed in highly refined mineral oil, with a lithium thickener. It is non-flammable, and offers a working temperature range of -10°C to 150°C. ...
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Euro-Interlocking promises lower life-cycle costs
INTRO: Europe’s railways are plagued with a host of different mechanical, electrical and electronic interlockings. A pan-European programme to standardise functional requirements and interface specifications will cut costs through the use of common equipment and enable railways to harness emerging technology more easilyBYLINE: Niklaus K
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Lower locomotive fuel costs
FUEL savings and lower emissions are promised by the use of an auxiliary power unit on large American diesel locos. A prototype APU was demonstrated by CSX Transportation on August 9. The diesel-fuelled APU automatically shuts down the main locomotive engine when the train is stopped, but provides power to ...
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Corsican upgrade
THE REGIONAL government in Corsica has reached agreement in principle with French National Railways for a major upgrading of the 232 route-km network by 2005. Over €100m will be invested to cut 1h off the present 3h 40min journey time between Ajaccio and Bastia. SNCF has operated the metre-gauge network ...
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Doubling contract
SOUTHERN FLORIDA’s Tri-County Commuter Rail Authority has awarded a $231·6m contract for further double-tracking work on the Miami - Fort Lauderdale - West Palm Beach corridor. Segment 5 of the operator’s upgrading programme was awarded to Tri-County Rail Constructors on August 24. The group is a joint venture of Herzog ...
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Reservations computerised
AUSTRALIAN firm OneRail has developed a point-and-click computerised booking system for use by travel agents, marketed as Orion. Originally developed to replace an ageing mainframe legacy system at VIA Rail Canada, Orion is also used by Queensland Rail, State Rail Authority of New South Wales and Orient Express Trains. The ...
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Estonian privatisation completed
THE long-running privatisation of Estonian State Railways was finally completed on August 31, with the sale of a 66% stake in Eesti Raudtee (EVR) to the Baltic Rail Services OÜ joint venture for US$58m. The deal follows the signing on April 30 of a provisional agreement with the Estonian Privatisation ...
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Jerusalem revival cleared
ISRAELI PRIME Minister Ariel Sharon approved US$85m of funding for the long-planned upgrade of the line to Jerusalem on August 22, and a contract is expected to be signed this month. Work will begin with the 21 km Na’an - Bet-Shemesh section, at a cost of US$24m. The second stage ...
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Cleaning staff management
KØBENHAVN-based cleaning and services group ISS has developed a computer system to manage staff deployment over a wide area. British subsidiary ISS Transport is using the equipment to supervise 1500 staff working on cleaning and maintenance contracts across the London Underground network from a control centre in Docklands. When beginning ...
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Chinese orders
KOWLOON-Canton Railway Corp has awarded two contracts worth a total of €44m to Siemens Transportation Systems. One covers the provision of signalling, control and electrification equipment for a 4 km 10-station extension of the Tuen Mun light rail network to connect with West Rail. Together with rehabilitation work on the ...
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White Paper charts rail future
ON SEPTEMBER 12 the European Commission published a White Paper on Transport. European Transport Policy for 2010 - Time to Decide includes 60 measures in an Action Plan, with a mid-term review in 2005. Described as ’the first practical contribution to the sustainable development strategy adopted by the G
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Certification management
BRITISH engineering support consultancy Interfleet Technology has launched a computer service to manage and track vehicle certification for rolling stock owners. Customers connect to their private area on Interfleet’s secure server via a World Wide Web interface. Using their web browser, customers can access all of the certification associated with ...
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GOVIA takes over South Central
THE GOVIA consortium of Go-Ahead and Keolis (formerly VIA-Cariane) took control of Britain’s Network South Central franchise on August 26, after Industry & Energy Minister Brian Wilson decided not to refer the deal to the Competition Commission. GOVIA already operates the Thameslink franchise which competes with South Central on the ...
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Onwards by car
Swiss Federal Railways, DaimlerChrysler and Mobility CarSharing have launched a carpool service designated RailLink, which offers rail passengers local car hire from 42 Swiss stations. SBB has a 55% stake in the venture, which involved an investment of SFr2·5m. Cars can be reserved by telephone or internet, and must be ...