All News articles – Page 64
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NewsWorld infrastructure market September 2009
Australia: ARTC signed an agreement with Leighton Contractors on July 29 creating the Upper Hunter Valley Alliance to deliver A$152m of works to increase rail capacity on the Hunter Valley coal corridor. Sub-alliance partners include Parsons Brinckerhoff, Coffey Geotechnics and KMH Environmental. Last month Siemens completed electrification of QR’s Jilalan ...
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NewsContracts - September 2009
Australia: The Victorian Department of Transport has awarded Unisys a six-year contract worth A$114m to modernise passenger information systems at 220 stations around Melbourne. Xstrata Coal has awarded Pacific National a 10-year haulage contract replacing existing contracts covering the Hunter Valley and Port Kembla regions from January 1. QR National ...
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NewsRail industry has cause for optimism, survey suggests
GLOBAL: A survey of 961 respondents across the rail, aviation and shipping industries by law firm Norton Rose has indicated that the rail industry is best placed to withstand the impact of the recession. Norton Rose launched its report detailing the results, entitled The Way Ahead for Transport, at ...
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NewsGrand designs from Ethiopian Railway Corp
ETHIOPIA: Dr Getachew Betru is a man with a vision. As Director of the Ethiopian Railway Corp, he has been charged by the country’s government with planning and developing a 5 000 km standard-gauge rail network over the next seven years. Through his business at GBA Consultancy, Dr Betru ...
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NewsAdonis builds momentum at UK’s High Speed Rail Summit
UK: Fresh from visits to China and South Korea where he had been looking at high speed rail developments, Secretary of State for Transport Lord Andrew Adonis told an audience of around 250 delegates at the HSR Summit in London on September 9 that the issue of high speed rail ...
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NewsCab signalling to bring 200 km/h to Poland
POLAND: The CMK fast line linking Warszawa with Silesia is to be equipped with ETCS Level 1 under a 50·1m zloty contract signed by infrastructure manager PKP PLK and Thales Rail Signalling Solutions on August 29. The work is being funded by PKP PLK and the state, but as ...
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NewsAssociation of American Railroads voices PTC concerns
USA: The Association of American Railroads has registered objections to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Positive Train Control, issued by the Federal Railroad Administration on July 16. According to AAR, the proposal goes beyond what was mandated by Congress, and would therefore impose unnecessary burdens on the Class I ...
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NewsTasmanian rail sale deal agreed
AUSTRALIA: The Tasmanian government and Pacific National announced on September 7 that they had successfully concluded the 'lengthy and highly complex negotiations' for the state to buy the island's railways for A$32m. Subject to approval from the state parliament the transfer will be completed on December 1, with a ...
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NewsNS Hispeed launches HSL-Zuid services
NETHERLANDS: NS Hispeed launched Amsterdam - Rotterdam passenger services over HSL-Zuid on September 7, following a formal inauguration by the Dutch Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings and the mayors of Amsterdam, Haarlemmermeer and Rotterdam the previous day. The interim service comprises 17 weekday return trips, with Bombardier Traxx electric locomotives ...
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NewsLooking into stopping faster
BRAKING: An Inertia Dynamometer Test Rig now installed at Knorr-Bremse’s München plant can simulate extreme environmental conditions found in the hottest and coldest parts of the world, allowing the brake manufacturer to reproduce any requirements a high speed train operator may envisage. Knorr-Bremse has made a significant investment in ...
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NewsPeople in the News - September 2009
Recently-appointed President of national rail operator RENFE Operadora, Teófilo Serrano has named four additional members of the company’s executive management board. Enrique Urkijo Goitia becomes Director General of Strategic Development, Avelino Castro López Director General of Construction & Maintenance, Francisco Celso González Director General of Economics & Finance, and Jésus ...
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NewsTyva railway PPP signed
RUSSIA: Eniseiskaya Industrial Corp and the government of the Tyva republic signed a public-private partnership agreement for the construction of the Kyzyl - Kuragino railway during a visit by Federal Minister for Regional Development Viktor Basargin on August 28. Under terms agreed in February, the 98·6 rouble cost of ...
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NewsNo go on DB’s IPO
GERMANY: Despite recent suggestions by some political commentators that the postponed partial flotation of DB Mobility Logistics could be reactivated after the country’s federal elections this month, DB Chairman Rüdiger Grube has ruled out any sale for the foreseeable future. Last month he told Der Spiegel that ‘there will probably ...
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NewsStruggling concessions under review
EAST AFRICA: Frustrated by a lack of progress in revitalising the region’s railways, politicians are increasingly questioning the ability of the concessionaires and withdrawing their support in favour of ambitious proposals to develop new standard-gauge lines.
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NewsVeolia agrees sale of freight division
EUROPE: Veolia Environnement confirmed to the Paris stock exchange on September 3 that the sale of its rail freight business to SNCF and Groupe Eurotunnel had been agreed, subject to approval by competition authorities. Veolia Cargo’s operations in France, which include the Socorail, Veolia Cargo France, Veolia Cargo Link and ...
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NewsConstellation Software buys intelligent transport business
PUBLIC TRANSIT SOLUTIONS: Automotive component supplier Continental signed a contract to sell its Public Transit Solutions business to Toronto-based Constellation Software Inc on August 31, as part of a streamlining of its portfolio. The PT business develops control equipment, on-board computers and passenger information systems for trams and buses. ...
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NewsWestinghouse Rail Systems becomes Invensys Rail
INVENSYS: Renaming of Westinghouse Rail Systems Ltd to Invensys Rail with effect from September 1 marked the start of an international rebranding which will bring the companies within the Invensys Rail Group under the Invensys Rail banner over the next few months. This reflects ongoing co-operation between UK-based Westinghouse ...
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NewsLGV Est Phase 2 tendering gets underway
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager RFF invited tenders on September 2 for work on the second phase of Ligne à Grande Vitesse Est Européenne, with a view to starting construction in the spring of 2010. This follows the signing of the formal financing agreement for the project on September 1. Participating ...
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NewsAECOM buys LAN Engineering
USA: AECOM Technology Corp has acquired Lim & Nascimento Engineering Corp, saying the deal announced on August 30 would strengthen AECOM's transport activities and increase the geographical reach of California-based LAN. Working mainly with public sector clients, LAN provides engineering design and management services for transport projects including rail ...
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NewsVoith wins Syntus train maintenance contract
NETHERLANDS: Passenger operator Syntus has selected Voith Railservices to maintain its fleet of DM90 and Alstom Coradia Lint diesel multiple-units for three years from mid-December. There were five bidders for the contract, which is currently held by Nedtrain. Voith already has similar agreements with Arriva and Veolia Transport. ...