All News articles – Page 95
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NewsContracts November 2008
Australia: ARTC has appointed Parsons Brinckerhoff, Connell Wagner and Halcrow to undertake a A$15m feasibility study into an inland Melbourne – Brisbane route. PricewaterhouseCoopers, ACIL Tasman and SAHA will provide financial input. Egypt: ENR has selected Kernex Microsystems India to undertake a US$16m modernisation of 136 level crossings. ...
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NewsRussian high speed train sets sail
EUROPE: The first of eight Sapsan high speed trains being built for Russian Railways left the German Baltic port of Sassnitz-Mukran on November 13. Siemens is assembling the 10-car Velaro RUS trains at its Krefeld plant, and awarded DB's logistics company DB Schenker the contract to deliver them to ...
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NewsBombardier opens Indian rolling stock plant
INDIA: A ceremony on November 13 marked the formal inauguration of Bombardier Transportation's €33m rolling stock manufacturing plant at Savli in the Vadodara district of Gujarat. Designed and built within 18 months, it will produce vehicles for projects in India and Southeast Asia using technology based on that at Bombardier's ...
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NewsCAF buys CFD stake
CAF: The Spanish rolling stock manufacturer has acquired a 60% stake in CFD Bagnères, the French constructor which has specialised in DMUs for metre-gauge networks as well as shunters and road-rail infrastructure maintenance vehicles. CFD has 160 employees, and its works at Bagnères-de-Bigorre south of Tarbes is currently producing 12 ...
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NewsBurundi rail project to begin next year?
AFRICA: Burundi's Minister of Transport, Post & Telecommunications Philippe Njoni announced on November 5 that he expects a five-year, US$4bn international rail project to commence in 2009. The proposed 691 km railway will run from Bujumbura in Burundi and Kigali in Rwanda to Isaka on Tanzania's metre gauge Dar-es-Salaam ...
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NewsAcquisition and restructuring
PÖYRY: The engineering and consultancy group has acquired Madrid-based ETT Proyectos, which provides engineering consultancy in the rail sector. It has 45 staff, and sales totalled €3·2m in 2007. Pöyry said the acquisition is part of a strategy of expansion into the Spanish market, offering synergies with its position in ...
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NewsPerishables back on the rails
USA: On October 6 CSX and Union Pacific launched a perishable produce service with trains of 55 refrigerated cars taking 128 h between California and New York. 'What is exciting about this new service is that we’re carrying produce such as peppers, grapes and celery that we haven’t ...
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News'We are not a low-cost supplier’
CZECH REPUBLIC: Over the past two decades, Prostejov-based Hanácké Zelezárny a Pérovny a s has transformed itself from its former position as the Soviet Union’s principal suspension component manufacturer into Europe’s leading supplier of coil springs for rail applications. Sub-suppliers such as HZP are the first to challenge the popular ...
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NewsVelim team focuses on delivery
CZECH REPUBLIC: The Velim test circuit has been the subject of considerable media attention as it has been testing Pégase, Alstom’s AGV demonstrator and AnsaldoBreda’s first Albatros trainset, which will be deployed on NS Hispeed services between Amsterdam and Brussels.
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NewsIndustry News in Brief
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov has opened discussions with Transmash for the establishment of a electric locomotive plant near Astana. Costing around US$150m, it would have a capacity of up to 200 locos and 100 coaches a year. The Ministry of Transport & Communications has also signed a MOU ...
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NewsHigh-tech Czechs
CZECH REPUBLIC: Renewal of telecoms and IT equipment is a major priority for the railways of central and eastern Europe, especially those in EU member states which must also comply with the Technical Specifications for Interoperability set out by the European Railway Agency. The Czech Republic boasts a growing cluster ...
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NewsSlovenian Railways at the crossroads
SLOVENIA: Strategically placed at the intersection of two key international corridors, Slovenian Railways is well placed to act as a hub linking east and west, but it must face up to emerging competition in the lucrative freight market. Chris Jackson asked SZ Director-General Tomaz Schara about the challenges and opportunities ...
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NewsAmbitious upgrading plans take shape
SLOVENIA: Up to €9bn will be spent over the next 15 years to upgrade Slovenia's trunk rail corridors, under a programme being developed by the Ministry of Transport.
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NewsLiefkenshoek PPP reaches financial close
BELGIUM: Work is to start on November 12 on construction of the Liefkenshoek Connection serving the port of Antwerpen, following the signing of a PPP concession for the project. Infrastructure manager Infrabel confirmed on November 5 that it had reached financial close on the deal, under which LocoRail NV will ...
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NewsEBRD to boost loco production
SINARA: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is advancing a seven-year loan of US$65m to Russian freight locomotive manufacturer Sinara Transport Machines. This will enable the company to create a modern production plant capable of building over 500 locomotives a year, set up a service centre and continue development ...
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NewsPlastic track installed in Germany
SLEEPERS: A service life of at least 50 years is expected from the Eslon Neo Lumber FFU Polyurethane sleepers which Voestalpine has installed on private sidings serving a chemical plant at Leverkusen in Germany. The 74 m turnout has 136 sleepers between 2 200 and 4 500 mm long. They ...
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NewsIranian links make progress
ARMENIA: Construction of a rail link to Iran is likely to be pushed forward with Russian backing, following the recent conflict between Russia and Georgia. At a meeting in Sochi in September, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev discussed the project with his Armenian counterpart Serch Sarkissjan as part of a co-operation ...
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NewsLightweight Turbostars to get MTU drives
UK: Three batches of Class 172 Turbostar diesel multiple-units being built at Bombardier’s Derby plant for train operators London Midland, Chiltern and London Overground are to be equipped with MTU underfloor engines. MTU’s parent group, Togum, announced on November 5 that the Friedrichshafen-based company had won a contract from Bombardier ...
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NewsExploiting synergies in the wheelset market
EUROPE: The takeover of Valdunes by GHH Radsatz International this year has reshaped the competitive global market for wheels and axles, reports Dr Harry Hondius.
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NewsITSO to phase out vulnerable smart card
UK: Smart card specification body ITSO announced on November 4 that it is to 'phase out Mifare Classic 1k and 4k customer media from the ITSO environment' as a precautionary measure in response to the 'theoretical risk posed by Mifare Classic security issues'. Last month Radboud University Nijmegen published ...