All News articles – Page 392
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News
Metros
Austria: Tenders are to be issued this year for work on the first section of a 10 km U-Bahn line from Praterstern across the River Danube to Stadlau and beyond. Completion is expected in 2008.Germany: The first dual-gauge track has been laid in Braunschweig. Conversion of the 1100mm gauge tram ...
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Market
Algeria: SNTF has called tenders for the supply of 21 track maintenance machines, including six tamping, levelling and lining units and six ballast regulators. Two vehicles for overhead line maintenance are also required.Australia: Alstom Australia has been awarded a contract to provide rolling stock and infrastructure maintenance for the Hillside ...
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Letters
Wrong tacticSir - The exposé of how Wisconsin Central shareholders unceremoniously fired Ed Burkhardt (RG 8.99 p481) is yet another example of what is wrong with the great god privatisation. This sordid tale of stockholders dumping good executives because they were using earnings to improve and expand the property has ...
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Island LRT
PROPOSALS have been invited for the restoration of rail services to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, on the basis of a design-build-own-operate-transfer concession. The government is concerned about increasing road congestion in the Port Louis - Curepipe corridor, but earlier tenders for a 27 km light rail line ...
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INTELLIGENCE
Argentina: 11 companies have expressed interest in operating freight and passenger services on the northern section of the Belgrano Railway, under a 30-year concession from the province of Salta (RG 7.99 p415). A decree to confirm transfer of the Belgrano to Unión Ferroviaria until 2029 was expected to follow an ...
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Zimbabwe reverts to vertical integration
Retirement of General Manager Alvord Mabena earlier this year and his replacement by Mr S Zumbika as Acting GM was followed by a rethink of the way in which National Railways of Zimbabwe will be privatised. The principle of separate infrastructure and operations has now been rejected in favour of ...
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News
Rails reach Mato Grosso
AUGUST 6 saw the opening of the second stage of Brazil’s Ferronorte Railway, adding 120 km from Chapadao do Sul to Alto Taquari in Mato Grosso state. Services began on the first 310 km from Aparecida do Taboado in Mato Grosso do Sul at the end of May, following completion ...
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News
Green sleepers from Primix
Primix has developed a sleeper comprising a steel and concrete core surrounded by a composite shell. This extruded shell is made from recycled polyethylene, sourced from domestic plastic containers and mixed with crumb rubber obtained from spent vehicle tyres and a proprietary Primix binding agent.As well as offering a recycled ...
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News
Mälarbanan fleet renewal
SWEDISH State Railway will call tenders next month for a fleet of 40 two-car trainsets at a cost of around SKr1bn. They are intended to operate on the two Stockholm - Örebro routes: the Mälarbanan via Västerås and the Svealandsbanan via Eskilstuna. They would replace X2000 tilting trains which are ...
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Railtrack faces massive fines
Britain’s recently appointed Rail Regulator, Tom Winsor, announced on August 19 that he expects to sign in October an Enforcement Order requiring Railtrack to cut the delays which it causes to passenger trains by 12·7% during the year ending March 31 2000. This would be the first such order served ...
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News
Trams extend
ZWICKAU City Transport has confirmed that October 1 will see the inauguration of metre-gauge tram services on the city’s dual-gauge Stadtbahn- und Regionalbahn route (RG 8.99 p528). SVZ’s trams will be extended south from Neumarkt in the city centre, sharing the three-rail section with Vogtlandbahn standard-gauge diesel railbuses between Zentrum ...
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News
Swiss will be first with live ETCS
Level 2 ETCS is being installed on the Olten - Luzern main line, where Swiss Federal Railways is taking the opportunity to replace obsolete signalling equipment. The project forms a pilot for the ERTMS/ETCS programme
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News
NS Reizigers needs ETCS and new lines to handle growth
INTRO: ATB-NG, the ATP upgrade equivalent to ETCS Level 1 developed for the Netherlands, will not enhance capacity. Faced by 50% growth projections for 2010, passenger operator NS Reizigers believes that only BB21 moving block and civil works to relieve bottlenecks can meet public expectationsBYLINE: Jos HoltzerManager, Department of Infrastructure ...
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Russian locos enter service
TWO advanced designs of electric locomotive have been approved for regular service on Russian Railways, following the completion of commissioning trials. The occasion was marked by a ceremony at the Shcherbinka test centre attended by Minister of Railways V I Starostenko (third from left) and Vice-Minister Kondratenko (right). The two ...
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News
KTZ monopoly to be ended
THE GOVERNMENT of Kazakhstan has approved draft proposals for the restructuring of the national railway network and the introduction of competition for support services. Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) General Director Ablai Myrzakhmetov announced at the beginning of August that the ’demonopolisation’ process would be phased over the next four years.Noting that ...
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Graffiti drive
Under a contract worth 4bn euros, work is due to begin in September to apply anti-graffiti film to 1600 passenger vehicles operated by Italian State Railways’ Transport Strategic Business Area, which is responsible for regional and urban services. Application of film to this first batch of vehicles operating around Torino, ...
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News
Dieter
Il viaggio a Reims. To celebrate the total solar eclipse in Europe on August 11, 250 VIPs enjoyed a trip from Paris on the Nostalgie Orient Express, including a ’brunch astronomique’ with caviar and champagne. Dieter wonders whether a steam train is really ideal for a solar observation tour.
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Taiwan deal
THE SIGNING of a three-way accord on August 13 appears to have salvaged the 35-year concession for the 345 km Taipei - Kaohsiung high-speed line. The agreement followed two days of talks between the Taiwan government, concessionaire THSRC and bankers' representatives. THSRC gave notice at the end of July that ...
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SkyTrain deal
ON AUGUST 3, Bombardier Transportation confirmed that it had been awarded a C$205m contract for design and supply of electrical and mechanical systems for the 21 km SkyTrain Line 2 in Vancouver. Rapid Transit 2000 Ltd had already awarded the company a C$165m contract for 60 ALRT MkII cars last ...