All News articles – Page 87
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NewsWorld infrastructure market January 2009
Australia: Under a A$1bn five-year contract placed by RailCorp, the Novo consortium of Laing O’Rourke, O’Donnell Griffin and Connell Wagner will undertake work on Sydney’s CityRail network, upgrading the Lidcombe - Granville corridor, commissioning two turn-backs, remodelling junctions and strengthening traction supplies. Canada: Toronto Transit Commission has awarded Aecom ...
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NewsPeople in the News - January 2009
Philippe Gauderon takes over as Director of Infrastructure and Board Member at Swiss Federal Railways with effect from January 1. Formerly Deputy Director of the Passenger business and Head of Passenger Operations, he is being succeeded on an interim basis by Passenger Rolling Stock Manager Manfred Haller. Gauderon replaces ...
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NewsContract placed for next stage of Libyan network
LIBYA: On January 22 China Railway Construction Corp announced it had signed a US$805m contract to build a further 172 km of the planned Libyan rail network. Work on the line from Tripoli to Ras Ejder on the Tunisian border is scheduled to take 54 months. In 2008 CRCC ...
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NewsTranscontainer opens a gateway to the west
SLOVAKIA: A 15-year lease of a container transfer terminal will enable Russia’s intermodal operator to launch direct services between Moscow and the Adriatic ports, boosting its position in the Eurasian landbridge market. Chris Jackson reports from Dobra.
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NewsRail to benefit from Obama stimulus
USA: Following his inauguration on January 20, President Barack Obama is pushing ahead with legislation to fund a national economic stimulus package. The new administration reportedly wants to see the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act passed by both the House and Senate in Congress and be ready for the President’s ...
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NewsCzechs to outsource infrastructure maintenance
CZECH REPUBLIC: State-owned infrastructure manager SZDC has called bids for a 8½ year contract worth an estimated KC35·8bn to maintain the national network between July 2009 and December 2017. The outsourcing programme covers 60% to 70% of SZDC’s total annual expenditure, and following previous analysis it is hoping for ...
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NewsGO Transit unveils strategic plan
CANADA: GO Transit recently unveiled its GO 2020 strategic plan, which includes more commuter rail service and the purchase of additional right-of-way. The amount of trackage to be obtained has yet to be determined. The acquisition could begin as early as this year, adding to the right-of-way that GO ...
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NewsFunkey locomotive orders
SOUTH AFRICA: Transnet Rail engineering has ordered two 24 tonne diesel shunting locomotives from DCD Dorbyl for delivery to the Kings Rest and Bay Head yards by November. Lafarge Industries, Richards Bay Minerals and Nampower of Namibia have each ordered 35 tonne Funkey DHK locomotives for delivery this year. ...
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NewsCompeting with the low-cost airlines
FRANCE: Staff on the iDTGV services which SNCF launched in December 2004 to compete with budget airlines are now using Motorola MC70 enterprise digital assistants to check tickets. Motorola had supplied 300 of the devices by the end of 2008, and they are being used to scan 2D barcodes on ...
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NewsFreight data exchange development
EUROPE: UIC has begun development of a standardised and secure way for the rail freight industry to exchange data. To be deployed from mid-2010, the software is intended to make rail more competitive by improving the reliability of journey times and the provision of shipment information. On December 17 ...
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NewsWhy won‘t passengers use ticket machines?
TICKETING: London commuter operator South West Trains and consumer body Passenger Focus comissioned Outlook Research to discover the reasons why some passengers appear reluctant to use ticket vending machines. Surveys undertaken at 11 stations in southern England found that most passengers queuing at booking offices could have bought their tickets ...
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NewsTickets on departure are in demand
UK: Online ticket purchases in the UK grew by 30% in 2008 to reach a total of £700m. The Association of Train Operating Companies expects this to reach £2bn by 2013. Internet sales are increasing the need for stations to have machines which can print out tickets booked online, and ...
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NewsProcessing paperwork
DOCUMENTATION: With the December timetable change drivers with Swiss operator BLS began using documentation generated using a customised version of the RailOpt software from Qnamic. RailOpt was already in use for rolling stock diagramming and to plan crew rosters. It has now been expanded to produce daily documentation on drivers’ ...
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NewsNews in Brief
Kuwait-based Fuad Algarim Group did not meet a December 31 deadline to submit a feasibility study and begin taking over administration of the 781 km Chemin de fer Djibouti-Ethopien. The governments of Djibouti and Ethiopia are now looking for new investors to manage the line under a concession agreement; it ...
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NewsProducts & Technology in Brief
Torpedo wagons carrying pig iron from a blast furnace to a steel works can be weighed automatically using the Multirail HotMetalWeight application, developed by Darmstadt-based Schenck Process. Dynamic train scales are made from standard concrete turnout bearers with built-in load sensors. China South subsidiary CSR Puzhen has adopted SEE Electrical ...
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NewsHigh Speed Two to consider UK options
UK: Giving the government's backing for controversial plans to build a third runway at London Heathrow airport on January 15, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon announced the formation of a body to consider the case for a London to Scotland high speed line. A decision on major electrification projects on existing ...
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NewsSakhalin link proposed
RUSSIA: Visiting Tokyo on January 14, Transport Minister Igor Levitin issued an invitation for Japanese companies to participate in Russian transport infrastructure projects, highlighting in particular the planned rail link between the mainland and the island of Sakhalin. According to Vice-Minister Andrei Nedossekov, the government has allocated US$370m in ...
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NewsOV-Chipkaart roll-out creeps forward
NETHERLANDS: Following a critical review highlighting cost over-runs and a lack of clear project leadership, the government has outlined its intention to accelerate the introduction of the country’s much-delayed national public transport smart card, reports Peter Badcock.
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NewsRio Tinto postpones driverless plan
AUSTRALIA: Rio Tinto Iron Ore announced on January 13 that it was postponing work on its Pilbara automated train operations programme. The easing of market growth caused by the economic slowdown has reduced the urgency of the A$557m project, which was designed to increase the efficiency of the ...
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NewsBrussels Luxembourg station remodelled
BELGIUM: SNCB announced on January 14 that it had completed a €45m reconstruction of Brussels Luxembourg station, after a 15-year remodelling triggered by the construction of the European Parliament buildings nearby. Previously known as the 'Gare du quartier Léopold', the station has been rebuilt as a fully-underground facility, but constructed ...