All News articles – Page 427
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News
Tribasa grouping takes Sureste
THE MEXICAN government on July 1 awarded a 50-year concession to Triturados Basalticos y Derivados SA to operate the 1 479 km Ferrocarril Sureste in the southeast of the country. Also included in the package is an option for the Mayab line, connecting Coatzacoalcos with Merida in Yucatan (RG 4.98 ...
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Glatt valley to get light rail
PROPOSALS have been published for a 17 km three-line light rail network serving towns in the Glatt valley and the northern sector of the Zürich conurbation. Announcing the results of nine years of planning, Project Manager Andreas Fleury unveiled a project that should see light rail services running on the ...
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Mine the gap
LAST MONTH saw the start of work on the second phase of reconstruction of Angola’s 1304 km Benguela Railway, following a 15-year closure because of the civil war. Italy’s Tor di Valle company is just over a year into its barter deal to undertake a US$500m 14-year renovation for 37500ha ...
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Orders galore
WITH German Railway exercising an option for 400 freight locos on July 10 (p499), French National Railways clearly did not wish to be left behind. On July 21 it announced an Ecu272m order for 120 units to be built by Alstom for delivery from 2001; 90 will be dual-voltage (25 ...
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ICEs to replace short-haul flights
’GERMAN Railway and Lufthansa are agreed that rail will in the future largely replace domestic air services.’ Speaking on July 13 after signing a strategic co-operation agreement with Lufthansa chief Jürgen Weber, DB Chairman Dr Johannes Ludewig was highlighting a policy change that could have a major impact on ...
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Prescott puts public transport first
BRITAIN’S long-awaited White Paper, unveiled by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on July 20, heralds a major shift in transport policies: from fragmentation to integration; from car to train, bus, cycling and walking; and from road to rail freight. It does not reverse privatisation, but it does set out to ...
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Optic fibre links
INDIAN Railways has announced plans to modernise its telecommunications network as a partnership with the private sector. Optic fibre cables will be laid on the trunk routes under a series of build-own-operate-lease concessions which will allow IR and its partners to market spare capacity to telephone companies and internet service ...
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Heathrow Express off to flying start
INTRO: Murray Hughes reports from the 160 km/h rail link serving Europe’s busiest airportBRITAIN’S Prime Minister Tony Blair inaugurated the Heathrow Express service between London Paddington and Heathrow airport on June 23. Riding the 10.10 from Paddington, he was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Environment, ...
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Sunrise Express
INTRO: JR West, in co-operation with JR Central, has introduced a novel design of EMU on overnight services from Tokyo to Izumoshi and Takamatsu. These innovative trains offer a range of stylish accommodation varying from hotel quality bedrooms to simple bunksBYLINE: Masayasu MatsuokaChief ManagerRolling Stock DepartmentWest Japan RailwayON JULY 10 ...
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rail forum europe
CONFERENCE organiser AiC Worldwide has formed rail forum europe to develop a programme of industry events aimed at promoting the exchange of information and developing best practice among Europe’s railways. The events will include conferences, seminars, exhibitions and training courses and members will be offered discounts and briefings.The advisory board ...
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Yauza enters service
MOSCOW metro has started revenue trials with a prototype Yauza metro trainset developed at Mytischchy car works. Designated Class 81-720 for the driving cars and 81-720 for non-driving, the prototype set had earlier been tested at the Shcherbinka test track (RG 12.94 p805.The stainless-steel bodied train was launched by Metro ...
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Pakistan split delayed
INCORPORATION of Pakistan Railways’ three operating business units, scheduled for July 1, was delayed for at least two weeks at the last minute. Managing Directors had been designated for the passenger, freight and infrastructure units (p508), and were due to be formally appointed by the Prime Minister at the end ...
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Darwin highlights federal policy vacuum
IN A BLATANT electioneering move, Federal Prime Minister John Howard gave a ringing endorsement on June 23 to the A$9bn proposal by Australian Transport & Energy Corridor Pty Ltd and Abigroup Ltd to build a new railway from Melbourne to Darwin via Toowoomba, 150 km inland from Brisbane (RG 5.97 ...
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Links drive Danish upgrading
Within a couple of years Banestyrelsen will form the key section of an unbroken rail corridor between Scandinavia and mainland Europe. Director General Erik Elsborg told Andrew Hellawell how he plans to expand capacity for growing domestic and international traffic while encouraging both new and established rail operators
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Cut-offs open
ON JULY 1 Spanish National Railways inaugurated a 12·2 km cut-off in Andalucía, intended to reduce journey times from Sevilla and Córdoba to Granada and Almería. Avoiding a reversal at Bobadilla, the cut-off saves around 45min. Aligned for 160 km/h, the link between Fuente de Piedra and Las Maravillas is ...
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SNCF makes connecting flight
SNCF and United Airlines have formed a partnership to convey Lyon - USA air traffic by TGV to and from Charles de Gaulle airport under a code-sharing agreement. A coupon issued with the air ticket is exchanged for a rail ticket before travel, and members of United’s frequent-flyer scheme are ...
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Concessionaire prepares to launch the
INTRO: The first four-car Arlanda Express train is on trial in Sweden, and private-sector concessionaire A-Train is on schedule to launch services on the shuttle route next year. Andrew Hellawell toured the project siteARRIVE in Stockholm by air, and the need for a rapid rail link from the main airport ...
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Regifercam concession
THE CAMEROON government has selected two rival groups to operate its national railways over the next 20 years. Under a tendering process started in 1996, it had been seeking established railway operating concessionaires with local backing to take a majority stake in national railway authority Regifercam. Two main bidders were ...
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Cheaper option
RUSSIA’S HOPES of building the Moscow - St Petersburg high speed line suffered a heavy blow last month when some provisions of the decree signed by President Yeltsin on September 13 1991 establishing the Russian High Speed Shareholding Co RAO VSM were wiped off the statute book. All that has ...
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Cellnet comms car
A COACH on Virgin West Coast’s Manchester - London route has been fitted out by Cellnet as a trial ’Communications Carriage’. It provides First Class ticket holders with access to a wide range of information technology services.The objective is to make it easier for passengers to work during the journey. ...