All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 1080
-
News
Cavite concession
FOUR international consortia have expressed interest in a PPP concession to build the planned southern extension of Manila light rail Line 1 from Baclaran to Cavite.LRTA Administrator Mel Robles confirmed last month that bids have been received from a Japanese construction firm, an Indian-American joint venture and two Spanish companies. ...
-
News
Carriage connected by Qinetiq
WIRELESS internet equipment developed by Qinetiq is being tested on a Virgin Trains Pendolino trainset. The Connected Carriage system provides a moving train with national coverage at up to 49 MB/sec by combining multiple wide-area networking methods, including bi-directional satellite links and pre-WiMAX proprietary technology. Wi-fi hotspots are provided throughout ...
-
News
FRA crushes push-pull canard
ATTEMPTS by Californian legislator Dario Frommer to outlaw push-pull operation were unanimously defeated on June 27, one day after the Federal Railroad Administration issued a report confirming that push-pull operation did not compromise safety. The Assembly Majority Leader had introduced his measure earlier this year, following the Glendale collision on ...
-
News
Cable tie up
WIRING and cable manufacturer Leoni is to acquire Swiss company Studer Draht- und Kabelwerk AG with effect from July 31, subject to regulatory approval. The Nürnberg-based firm will pay €105m for the cable maker, which had sales of about €84m in 2005.Based in Solothurn, Studer Cables has 350 employees. It ...
-
News
Japanese increase Russian wagon building capacity
NIPPON Sharyo and its export trading partner Sojitz Group have announced a ´200m contract to provide engineering support to Russian rolling stock manufacturer Promtractor-Vagon.Under the deal announced in June, the Japanese companies will supply equipment and advise on the layout of the wagon assembly plant which is to be built ...
-
News
Passenger News in Brief
Passenger News in BriefA KC581m two-year long modernisation of Ostrava-Svinov station by OHLwas completed on June 29.UK internet ticket retailer Trainline has been sold to Exponent Private Equity by Virgin and National Express for £163m.Czech Railways has bought a 38·79% stake in dining and sleeping car operator JLV from the ...
-
News
Industry News in Brief
Industry News in BriefThe European Commission has approved Bouygues’ acquisition of the French government’s 21·01% stake in Alstom, under the terms announced on April 27 (RG 6.06 p361). The 29051244 shares were transferred at €68·21 per share on June 26, giving Bouygues 23·26% of Alstom’s capital and voting rights.Huber+Suhner has ...
-
News
QR builds on coal boom
LAST MONTH Queensland Rail formally put in a bid to buy forwarding company FCL Interstate Transport Services. With the A$446·5m deal to acquire Australian Railroad Group’s operations in Western Australia finalised on June 2, QR appears set on a course of aggressive expansion.If it beats the three other reported contenders ...
-
-
News
Siemens bets on Desiro Main Line
Two new EMU designs are being developed for use by independent operators bidding to run regional concessions in Europe. Harry Hondius reports
-
News
Improving rail's competitive position to serve the Belgian ports
To boost rail's share of the growing traffic using the ports of Antwerpen, Gent and Zeebrugge, Infrabel has unveiled a package of investment projects totalling nearly €1·2bn over the next six years. Harry Hondius reports
-
NewsBangalore metro launched
INDIAN Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the Rs64bn Bangalore metro project on June 24, paving the way for the start of construction in October. 'I hope this project will become a milestone in Bangalore's progress', said the Prime Minister, adding that 'we must start ...
-
News
Metrolink tries a Little Bang instead
NEXT MONTH is due to see a call for expressions of interest in building three light rail lines in Manchester, following the agreement of a £650m funding package which will allow work to start on part of the long-planned ’Big Bang’ Metrolink expansion scheme, now priced at £1·2bn.The Association of ...
-
News
Madrid LRT contracts awarded
SPAIN: The Madrid regional government has selected a consortium of Madrid Metro, the Caja Madrid bank and bus operator Alsa as preferred bidder for a 30-year concession to operate and maintain the light rail route currently under construction between Pinar del Chamartín and Las Tablas (RG 7.06 p377). The winning ...
-
News
UIC hosts first Middle East Assembly
FOLLOWING a decision taken by the UIC General Assembly in Montréal on June 8 to set up five UIC Regional Assemblies worldwide, the first meeting of the Regional Assembly for the Middle East took place in Istanbul on June 13-14. Chaired by Khalid Alyahya, President of Saudi Railways Organisation, ...
-
News
Railroads invest in extra capacity to move Asian import windfall
Unprecedented volumes of Asian import traffic arriving at ports along the Pacific coast are putting pressure on North American railroads, but the welcome boost to their profitability is helping to fund the much-needed investment in additional capacity, explains David Lustig
-
News
Idrac arrives in a bear garden
ALL EYES are on France as new SNCF President Anne-Marie Idrac takes up the reins in the toughest management challenge in Europe’s railway business.Formally appointed on July 12, Idrac succeeds Louis Gallois, who has returned to the aerospace business from whence he came in July 1996. The presidency of SNCF ...
-
News
Arriva expands in Europe
ON JULY 4 Arriva announced that it had won a contract to operate trains between München and Oberstdorf in the Bavarian Alps, and also to Lindau in southern Germany. The contract starts from December 9 2007 and is expected to generate total revenue exceeding €150m over the following 10 years.In ...
-
News
SBB funding package approved
ON JUNE 21 Swiss Transport Minister Moritz Leuenburger confirmed that Parliament had approved SFr5·88bn of state funding to support Swiss Federal Railways over the next four years.The budget allocation had been passed by the Bundesrat in March, but was the subject of fierce debate in the Ständerat before it was ...
-
News
SSB announces midlife car refit
STUTTGARTER Straßenbahn AG announced on July 5 that it intends to start a mid-life refit for around a third of its 164-strong fleet of LRVs.The 60 cars in the DT8.4 to DT8.9 series, which are coming up to 20 years old, will be fully refurbished and brought up to the ...