All Railway Gazette International articles in November 2015 – Page 2
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NewsHendy revises Network Rail project timescales as costs rise
UK: The cost of Network Rail’s infrastructure enhancement programme for 2014-19 has increased from £12·8bn to £15·3bn, according to a review by new Chairman Sir Peter Hendy which was published on November 25. He insisted that all of the planned works would still be completed, although some schemes will be ...
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NewsEversholt awards ETCS First in Class contract
UK: Leasing company Eversholt Rail has awarded Alstom’s signalling business SSL a contract for the trial installation of ETCS equipment on a Class 365 electric multiple-unit operated by Govia Thameslink Railway. The contract includes an option for the conversion of the remaining Class 365 EMUs ahead of full ETCS Level ...
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NewsČD loses Škoda Transportation locomotive battle
CZECH REPUBLIC: An arbitration court issued its ruling on a protracted dispute between national railway ČD and Škoda Transportation over the late delivery of 20 Type 109E Class 380 multi-voltage electric locomotives on November 16. The court ruled in favour of Škoda Transportation, rejecting ČD’s claim for compensation and saying ...
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NewsDublin orders nine-section trams
IRELAND: Transport Infrastructure Ireland placed a €36·5m order for seven Alstom Citadis trams on November 25. To be built at Alstom’s La Rochelle factory, the trams are to be delivered in time for the opening of the Luas Cross City extension of the Green Line at the end of ...
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NewsThree Rail Baltica funding agreements signed
EUROPE: Three grant agreements for the Rail Baltica project with a total value of €734m were signed by the EU's Innovation & Networks Executive Agency in Tallinn on November 24. The grants have been awarded under the 2014 call for Connecting Europe Facility funding, and cover planning and construction works ...
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NewsNorthern Line extension breaks ground
UK: Mayor of London Boris Johnson officially launched construction of an extension of London Underground’s Northern Line on November 23. The 3·3 km extension from Kennington to Nine Elms and Battersea is due to be completed in 2020. Boring of twin tunnels is due to begin in early 2017 ...
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NewsGold Coast tram option exercised
AUSTRALIA: Bombardier Transportation is to supply four additional Flexity trams to the Gold Coast under a A$25m contract announced on November 25. The order forms an option that was part of the original contract signed in 2011 between the Queensland government and the GoldlinQ consortium of KDR Gold Coast, ...
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NewsBeijing metro traction equipment contract awarded
CHINA: Alstom and its local joint venture Shanghai Alstom Transport Electrical Equipment Co have won a €27m contract to supply traction equipment for 160 metro cars for Phase 3 of Beijing metro Line 6. The rolling stock is being supplied by CRRC’s Changchun division and is expected to enter ...
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NewsStrong interest in Kuala Lumpur - Singapore high speed line
ASIA: The land transport authorities of Malaysia and Singapore received 98 responses to their request for information for the Kuala Lumpur – Singapore High Speed Rail project, SPAD and LTA jointly announced on November 25. The proposed 330 km line would offer a 90 min journey time. The RFI was ...
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NewsTransnet tests diesel and electric locos
SOUTH AFRICA: Transnet Freight Rail has taken delivery of the first of 233 Class 44 diesel locomotives ordered from General Electric in March 2014. The order was one of four placed at the time for a total of 1 064 locomotives. Four Class 44 locomotives, each rated at 3 120 ...
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NewsNAO identifies emerging risks to franchising
UK: There are ‘emerging risks’ to achieving value for money, the National Audit Office warns in its report on the Department for Transport’s management of the passenger rail franchising programme which was published on November 24. These include uncertainty around infrastructure projects, a reduction in market interest and ‘stretched’ resources ...
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NewsRENFE seeks 30 high speed trains
SPAIN: National operator RENFE has invited expressions of interest in a contract to supply up to 30 high speed trainsets, setting a budget of €2⋅64bn including maintenance over 40 years. It is hoped to award the contract before June 2016, enabling the new fleet to enter service ‘as soon as ...
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NewsFrance announces security checks for international rail passengers
FRANCE: Equipment to enable passengers and their luggage to be scanned prior to boarding Thalys services in Paris and Lille is to be installed before December 20, Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development & Energy Ségolène Royal has announced. During an interview with radio station France Inter, the minister ...
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NewsVoters approve Limmattalbahn
SWITZERLAND: Funding which will enable the construction of the Limmattalbahn was approved by voters in Zürich Canton on November 22. Turnout was 40%, with 64·5% of voters in favour. Zürich is to provide SFr510m for construction of the line and a further SFr136m for changes to the road network. ...
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NewsTransnet signs R12bn loan to fund loco programme
SOUTH AFRICA: State-owned freight operator Transnet signed a R12bn club loan with five financial institutions on November 23, saying the agreements confirmed ‘buoyant investor appetite’. This completes the majority of the funding required for Transnet’s programme to acquire 1 064 locomotives from four manufacturers. Transnet has raised R12bn in the ...
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NewsLyon orders more Citadis trams
FRANCE: Lyon transport authority Sytral has ordered seven additional Citadis trams from Alstom. The order announced on November 24 is an option on a €33m contract signed in 2011 for 10 trams, and is worth €20m. The 100% low-floor trams will be the same as those already in operation ...
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NewsChicago underground 4G progresses
USA: Chicago Transit Authority has completed the installation of 4G wireless coverage on the underground sections of its Blue Line. Coverage on the underground sections of the Red Line is expected by the end of the year. The $32·5m project to upgrade the network began earlier this year. It ...
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NewsMetropolitan Line Extension funding agreed
UK: The funding package for the Metropolitan Line Extension project has been finalised, London Underground announced on November 23. Construction is now expected to start next year, with completion due in 2020. Previously known as the Croxley Rail Link, the project has until now been managed by Hertfordshire County ...
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NewsPrasarana develops its international portfolio
THAILAND: Kuala Lumpur transport agency Prasarana is to provide technical support to the Purple Line metro project in Bangkok by sending six drivers and five controllers from operating subsidiary Rapid Rail to Bangkok for four months. The request for assistance on the site integration test came from the Marubeni-Toshiba ...
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NewsEthiopia – Djibouti railway carries first freight
AFRICA: The first freight train to operate on the new standard gauge railway between Djibouti and Addis Ababa arrived at a temporary unloading facility in Merebe Mermersa, 112 km south of Ethiopia's capital, on November 21.Construction of the railway has not yet been completed, but freight services have been launched ...