All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 1049
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News
Middle Eastern awakening
WHEN THE Saudi Arabian government began work on that country's ambitious north-south railway now under construc-tion, it suggested that the passenger line from Riyadh to the northwestern border might one day host international trains to and from Jordan. On May 23 that dream came a step closer, as Jordanian Transport ...
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DB board approves EWS and Transfesa takeover
On June 28 the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bahn AG approved the takeover of all shares in freight operator English Welsh & Scottish Railway Holding Ltd, and the acquisition of a majority stake in Spanish logistics company Transportes Ferroviarios Especiales (Transfesa). Contracts are still to be signed and regulatory approval ...
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Serco preferred bidder for Dubai metro operations contract
DUBAI'S Roads & Transport Authority named Serco as preferred bidder for the contract to operate and maintain the first two lines of the Dubai Metro on June 19. The contract is valued at more than £400m over 12½ years, and begins this summer with a pre-launch consultancy and planning ...
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DB looks at EWS and Transfesa
ENGLISH WELSH & Scottish Railway could become Railion UK if DB's freight subsidiary acquires Britain's largest freight operating company. The two organisations confirmed on May 25 that they were 'in discussions about plans to develop a stronger European rail freight network', and that 'the full range of co-operation options such ...
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Funding changes could unlock Russian metro expansion
A shortfall in federal funding has delayed work on metro construction in a number of Russian cities. A recent review has recommended changes in responsibility for funding future projects, whilst innovations such as light metro and light rail are being developed as cost-effective alternatives, reports Boris Lukov
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Orex upgrade targets more capacity
Longer trains and a new locomotive fleet are key elements in a programme to raise capacity on Spoornet's heavy-haul iron ore line linking mines at Sishen with the deep-water port at Saldanha. Rollo Dickson reports on progress
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NewsManaging rail degradation on the Malmbanan
An upgrading programme started in 1998 and due to be completed by 2010 is allowing the introduction of heavier axleloads on Sweden's heavy haul iron ore line, permitting gross train weights to be increased to more than 8 000 tonnes. But the transition requires careful management if degradation of the ...
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RFF explores PPP models to fund infrastructure enhancements
Infrastructure manager RFF is now taking forward more than 20 major projects agreed by the French government. At an estimated €40bn, the total investment is well beyond the capacity of traditional public finance, but RFF has a new tool to accelerate network development in the shape of public-private partnerships
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SNCF prepares to face the competition
Liberalisation of rail freight services in France last year has provided a foretaste of the competition that can be expected in the future as EU policies come into effect. SNCF Chief Executive Guillaume Pepy tells Chris Jackson how this one-time bastion of state enterprise is facing the prospect of change
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Northeast France joins the high speed network
June 10 sees the launch of revenue services on LGV Est Européen, slashing journey times from Paris to Metz, Nancy, Strasbourg and a host of other towns, as well as expanding international and inter-regional links. Chris Jackson reports from Strasbourg
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Liège's prestigious new station approaches completion
THIS SUMMER marks a key stage in Belgian Railways' ambitious project to rebuild Liège Guillemins station, with the demolition of the old station buildings. The reconstruction is due to be completed by December 2008 in time for the opening of the Chênée - Hammerbrücke high speed line, the final link ...
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Schabert focuses on Complete Mobility
Chris Jackson talks to the President of Siemens Transportation Systems
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Marembaud targets freight productivity
Many hurdles lie ahead as SNCF attempts to nurse its sick freight business back to health. Regional directors appointed in April have been tasked with boosting productivity, and a new organisation has been set up to ensure common management of all freight subsidiaries. Murray Hughes reports
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First refurbished ICM returns to service
This summer Netherlands Railways begins returning to service 87 inter-city EMUs following modernisation by NedTrain, reports Hans Scherpenhuizen
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Intelligence June 2007
Angola: After a 10-year hiatus, CFL resumed operations last month with the introduction of weekday commuter services running 30 km from Viana to Luada. Two of eight 1 067 mm gauge Cummins-engined diesel locos ordered from Sifang in China have now been delivered, and will be used to haul three ...
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Route upgrade to fill gap in TENs jigsaw
COMPLETION of the Paris - Bratislava Trans-European-Network project inched a step closer in April when a symbolic start was made in south Germany on upgrading the 146 km route from München Ost to Salzburg via Mühldorf. The ceremony was held at Ampfing on April 19, one day before the 'Trunk ...
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Madrid completes metro extensions
THE OPENING of the 3·1 km extension of Line 1 from Congosto to Valdecarros on May 16 at a cost of €257·6m marked completion of the metro projects contained within Madrid's 2003-07 expansion plan, which has seen 90 km of routes built at a cost of €4·4bn. With regional government ...
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NewsInfrastructure research
A THREE-YEAR research programme into Track-Train System Availability was officially launched at Eurotunnel's Coquelles terminal on April 26. Eurotunnel is working with I-Trans, RFF, Corus, Sculfort and other industry and academic partners to develop and test new products and analysis systems, with a particular focus on improving track quality and ...