All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 1051

  • News

    Israeli national resignalling

    2007-06-01T15:44:00Z

    ISRAEL Railways suspended all train services on May 11-12 to permit the commissioning of a new national signalling and train control system.ISR has adopted the Command 900 Safe Desk technology supplied by Thales from Germany. Formerly marketed by Alcatel as NetTrac 6653, this is a vital remote control system for ...

  • News

    News in Brief

    2007-06-01T15:43:00Z

    Central Japan Railway President Masayuki Matsumoto confirmed on April 27 that the company hopes to launch revenue services on the first phase of the Chuo maglev line between Tokyo and Nagoya by 2025, with the planned Nagoya - Osaka section to follow. JR Central has allocated ¥6bn in its 2007 ...

  • News

    US safety in the spotlight

    2007-06-01T15:41:00Z

    PROPOSALS for a radical reform of railway safety legislation were introduced into the US Congress on May 1 by James Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. The Railroad Safety Improvement Act envisages redesignating the FRA as the Federal Railroad Safety Adminstration, with a specific objective to reduce ...

  • News

    WCRR debates capacity and sustainability

    2007-06-01T12:41:00Z

    Roy Allen is President of Transportation Technology Center Inc, the research subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads, and Chairman of the WCRR organising committee. As Vice-President, Operations & Regulatory Affairs, at the Railway Association of Canada, Mike Lowenger is Chairman of the WCRR Montréal planning committeeTaking place in Montréal ...

  • News

    Netherlands: Landmark station enhances Amsterdam

    2007-06-01T12:12:00Z

    Linking two districts which are currently divided by the railway, Bijlmer-Arena will be one of the largest stations in the Netherlands and form a major interchange with metro and bus routes Rob Steenhuis, Managing Director, Arcadis Architecten FUNDAMENTAL to the architect's brief for rebuilding the station at Amsterdam Bijlmer-Arena was ...

  • News

    European Commission must act to liberalise rail freight

    2007-06-01T12:11:00Z

    The European Union must enforce the spirit of its First Railway Package if the revitalisation of rail freight is to be achieved, argues Tony Berkeley, Chairman of the Rail Freight Group UK and a Board Member of the European Rail Freight Customer PlatformTHERE WAS a chilling reminder at the CEE ...

  • News

    Netherlands: Sweating assets now ProRail's priority

    2007-06-01T12:10:00Z

    As major projects come to fruition, infrastructure manager ProRail is now concentrating on making the best use of its existing rail network. The ?1·1bn that the government has allocated to enhancements in 2006-12 will be spent on easing bottlenecks rather than new infrastructure, explains Peter Badcock PRORAIL's Infra Operations Manager ...

  • News

    Freight reforms make progress

    2007-06-01T12:09:00Z

    Following the creation of new passenger businesses earlier this year, Russian Railways is preparing to transfer the bulk of its freight operations to a new operating company at the beginning of 2007 THIS MONTH the Russian government is expected to authorise the setting up of a new company to take ...

  • News

    CPR is ready to extend 100% Effective Friction Management

    2007-06-01T12:06:00Z

    Michael RoneyGeneral Manager, Technical Services Canadian Pacific Railway Trials with electronic gauge face lubrication and top-of-rail friction management were delivering good results until deep seated shelling appeared on the gauge corner. This has now been successfully resolved by modifying grinders to work at a 60º angle THERE ARE few ways ...

  • News

    Yakutsk Railway heads for the Lena

    2007-06-01T11:59:00Z

    Construction work is pressing ahead on the new line through Russia’s Sakha Republic, which is in on course to reach Yakutsk in 2010

  • News

    Dedicated freight corridors will boost rail productivity

    2007-06-01T11:53:00Z

    A network of high-performance freight corridors is to be developed with public-private participation through a special purpose vehicle owned by IR A GROUP OF Ministers appointed by the Indian government confirmed on August 27 that a Special Purpose Vehicle is to be created to facilitate the development of the country's ...

  • News

    Porto Metro moves into second phase

    2007-06-01T11:49:00Z

    Opening of the 1·5 km airport branch on May 27 saw the completion of the first phase of the Porto metro. Detailed design work has been completed for a 12·5 km extension of Line A, and planning has started for three more routes THE PLACING of an order earlier ...

  • News

    Speed records are tumbling

    2007-06-01T11:48:00Z

    While the events in Germany hogged last month's headlines, speed records have been established in other countries too. Of special interest is the 404 km/h attained by one of Renfe's 16 AVE S103 trainsets on July 16 on a section of the Madrid - Lleida high speed line. To date ...

  • News

    Mokpo high speed line moves ahead

    2007-06-01T11:47:00Z

    Construction of South Korea's second high speed line starts this year, underlining the government's commitment to invest in the national network. The 230 km line will put the port city of Mokpo less than 2 h away from Seoul

  • News

    VR faces the challenge of growth

    2007-06-01T11:43:00Z

    Last year Finnish Railways reported record levels of passenger traffic, and growth is continuing in 2006. President & CEO Henri Kuitunen explains to Chris Jackson that a new timetable will boost the level of service, but VR must now face the arrival of open-access competition in the freight sector THE ...

  • News

    CM2006 to examine the wheel-rail interface

    2007-06-01T11:40:00Z

    The Seventh International Conference on Contact Mechanics and Wear of Rail/Wheel Systems in Brisbane on September 25 - 27 will look at the latest research and best practice relating to the crucial interface between wheel and rail Peter Mutton is Associate Director of the Institute of Railway Technology at Monash ...

  • News

    Wheel-rail contact technologies: the Australian experience

    2007-06-01T11:28:00Z

    CONSIDERABLE advances have been made in wheel-rail contact technologies over the last 20 years. Detailed research has led to a much deeper understanding of wheel-rail contact phenomena, paving the way for operational, safety and economic improvements.Rail and wheel lives are longer, operating speeds and axleloads are higher, track components deteriorate ...

  • News

    Mehdorn awaits the politicians' verdict

    2007-06-01T11:26:00Z

    The debate about privatising Deutsche Bahn AG will reach a climax in the next few weeks. In the run-up to a decision on a stock market listing, Chris Jackson sought the views of Chairman Hartmut MehdornJackson: Herr Mehdorn, why do you want to float Deutsche Bahn AG on the stock ...

  • News

    Sendai airport line nears completion

    2007-06-01T11:18:00Z

    EAST JAPAN Railway plans to open the 7·1 km rail link to Sendai airport early in 2007 - before the end of the current financial year. Seen as a key element in plans to open up the Tohoku region, the scheme takes the form of a public-private partnership which is ...

  • News

    France's biggest renewals project

    2007-06-01T10:59:00Z

    RELAYING the 80 km of double-track main line between Les Aubrais and Vierzon constitutes 'the biggest regeneration worksite ever undertaken in France', according to RFF.When Transport Minister Dominique Perben visited Saint-Jean-le-Blanc on May 22, the work was nearly finished. Completion was planned for June, and a programme of improvements along ...