All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 1005
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News
Africa miners in the railway market
AFRICA: As two European companies start work on short-term contracts to rescue the existing railway networks in the Democractic Republic of Congo, word reaches us of ambitious plans to build more than 3 000 km of new railway in that country, together with further spending on roads, hospitals and hydro-electric ...
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Melbourne to re-let franchises
AUSTRALIA: The Victorian state government has called for expressions of interest to operate its urban rail services from 2009. The suburban trains are presently run by Connex Melbourne, and the Yarra Trams network is operated by the Metrolink joint venture of Transdev and Transfield Services Ltd. Both franchises expire next ...
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Amman - Zarqa light rail back on
JORDAN: A new contract has been awarded for the construction and operation of the long-planned inter-urban light rail line between Amman and Zarqa. The US$332m 30-year build-operate-transfer concession with Spain's Ineco-Tifsa and a Kuwaiti partner replaces a US$240m contract with a consortium of Jordanian, Pakistani and Chinese firms which was ...
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Urban rail news in brief - June 2008
Madrid Metro has unveiled the first of 36 Series 9000 trainsets that are to be introduced on Line 6 by 2011, part of an order for 52 units placed with AnsaldoBreda for €450m. The upgrade of Line 6 has included the construction of new traction substations and a new station ...
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NewsPointers June 2008
At a meeting with his Iranian and Afghan counterparts, the Foreign Minister of Tajikistan proposed that a railway which is planned to serve a Chinese copper mining concession at Aynak, east of Kabul, be routed through Kunduz, Panj and then to the Tajik capital Dushanbe. A line would be built ...
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Santiago trackwork
CHILE: Balfour Beatty plc announced on May 14 that its Chilean subsidiary had been awarded contracts worth a total of £37m to undertake tracklaying on two extensions to the Santiago metro. Under a contact worth £10·2m, work on the 3·8 km section of Line 1 from Escuela Militar to Los ...
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NewsBahrain investor buys Freightliner
UK: Freightliner Group announced on June 13 that it had been bought for an undisclosed sum by Arcapita, a Bahrain-based investment bank specialising in corporate, real estate and asset-based investments and venture capital. Subject to clearance from the European Commission, Arcapita will acquire Freightliner from 3i and Electra Private ...
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NewsTrain leasing company sold for £3·6bn
ANGEL TRAINS: Royal Bank of Scotland's long-anticipated sale of rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains to a consortium led by Babcock & Brown was announced on June 13. Definitive agreements with an enterprise value of £3·6bn of have been signed, and subject to regulatory approval the transaction is expected to ...
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Dallas assembles kit cars
USA: Dallas Area Rapid Transit has begun adding low-floor sections to its 115 KinkiSharyo light rail vehicles under a programme to be completed in 2010. The number of seats is increased from 75 to 100 on the 'Super Light Rail Vehicles', the first of which will begin carrying passengers shortly. ...
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Tokyo metro line inaugurated
JAPAN: Ceremonies were held at Shinjuku-3chome station on June 13 to mark the inauguration of Tokyo Metro Line 13. Now officially known as the Fukutoshin Line, the 8·9 km north-south route connects the districts of Ikebukuro, Shinjuku and Shibuya on the western side of the Japanese capital. There are ...
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UK high speed rail development fund announced
UK: High speed rail pressure group Greengauge 21 announced a £750 000 strategy development programme at a Rail Forum event in Birmingham on June 13. The work programme will examine five broad corridors linking Britain's major urban areas: London - Birmingham - ManchesterLondon - ...
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St Petersburg to buy low-floor trams
RUSSIA: Petersburg Tram Mechanical Factory is to supply 45 trams to St Petersburg Tramways under a contract won following a competitive tender. The contract, which was expected to be formally signed during May, is worth 645m roubles, under which PTMZ would supply the operator with a further 29 model 71-134 ...
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Moscow sets out metro development plan
RUSSIA: Moscow Metro General Manager Dmitry Gaev has revealed plans for further expansion of the network over the period from 2010 to 2015. Gaev hopes to see a further 130 km built by 2015, of which 60 km is already included in the city's budget. Funding for the remainder will ...
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NewsNew locos confirm Madagascar rail renaissance
MADAGASCAR: The arrival of five Chinese-built locomotives is a significant step in the revitalisation of the island's railways, which were in a parlous state just five years ago. State-owned Madagascar Northern railway Rncfm had just one operable locomotive and its employees had not been paid for seven months when a ...
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Board battle grows increasingly bitter
USA: The heated dispute between CSX and some of its major shareholders looks set to reach a climax at the company's annual general meeting later this month.
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Regional conflict could open up inter-city sector
NETHERLANDS: The European Parliament may have backed away from proposals to liberalise the operation of domestic passenger trains before 2017, as proposed in the Third Railway Package, but private-sector concessionaires may try to force the pace of change, starting with a forthcoming legal challenge in the Netherlands. The country's largest ...
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Embedded rail welding
WELDING: Tramtrac II is the latest welding equipment product to be developed by ESAB for the repair of embedded grooved tramway rails. Use of the flux-cored arc welding process with self-shielded wire allows Tramtrac II to be smaller and lighter than submerged-arc welding equipment. Tramtrac II can be deployed from ...
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Frankfurt LRV handed over
GERMANY: Frankfurt Transport Authority VGF has taken delivery of the first of 146 Flexity Swift light rail vehicles which are being built by Bombardier. A further 11 will be supplied from the Bautzen factory this year, with deliveries continuing until autumn 2015. The bi-directional vehicles have been custom ...
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NewsMoscow Sheremetyevo airport rail link opens
RUSSIA: First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov attended the formal launch of rail services between Sheremetyevo international airport and Moscow's Savylovaky station on June 10. The 29 km journey from the airport to the city centre takes around 35 min by rail, compared to around 50 min by bus on ...
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Improving EMC awareness
TRAINING: Engineering institutions seek to encourage their members to take part in continuing professional development to keep them up to date in their respective subject areas. One discipline that particularly lends itself to tailored training is electromagnetic compatibility.