All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 1141
-
News
ERTMS development reaches the critical point
With installation of ETCS Level 1 underway in several countries, feedback from pilot projects is helping to fine-tune the technical specifications for Level 2. Growing pressure to upgrade the railways of eastern Europe may trigger the high-volume orders needed to make ERTMS cost-effective
-
News
Córdoba - M
ON NOVEMBER 29 Spanish Development Minister Magdalena Álvarez joined GIF President Antonio Gonz
-
News
Connex wins Metrolink race
SOUTHERN California Regional Rail Authority board of directors has selected Connex to operate the Metrolink commuter rail network in Los Angeles, replacing Amtrak with effect from July 1 2005.The $210m five-year contract is Connex’s second in the USA; the group took over operation of MBTA commuter rail services around Boston ...
-
News
Tamping with a Cobra
COBRA TT is the latest version of a the Cobra handheld tamper from Atlas Copco. The machine is powered by a petrol engine, so it does not require a hose and is highly portable for rapid deployment on operational railways.Though originally designed for tamping, Cobra TT can also be used ...
-
News
Metro car logistics
ALSTOM has outsourced to Exel management of the supply chain for the delivery of around 1000 types of component worth £50m required for 87 cars Alstom is to build for London Underground’s Jubilee Line.The components include wheelsets, air-conditioning and control systems, which will be brought from the suppliers to Exel’s ...
-
News
Cities told to swap trains for buses
IN ADDITION to simplifying the UK rail industry’s tortuous structure, a white paper published last July said responsibility for local passenger trains would be devolved to regional and local government (RG 8.04 p447). However, the Railways Bill as published on November 25 removes the right of Passenger Transport Executives responsible ...
-
News
MÁV lays foundations to build a growing business
ZOLTÁN MÁNDOKI, General Director of Hungarian State Railways, gave details at the CEE Rail event of MÁV’s plans to develop its freight and passenger businesses and outlined progress being made towards establishment of a commercial railway conforming to EU directives.Provisional traffic figures for 2004 put freight volume on the 7729 ...
-
News
SNCB budget set
LAST MONTH the board of Belgian National Railways approved a €1·48bn investment programme for 2005. The bulk of the money, €814·6m, will come from the government, and €80m from the Brussels RER fund. Another €6·5m will be raised through the Diabolo PPP project. Infrabel expects to spend €473·4m on ...
-
News
ERTMS: The view from Brussels
IN THE FINAL months of 2004 there was frantic activity as the European Commission strove to make progress towards the roll-out of ERTMS. Interest centred on Chapter 7 of the TSI on conventional railway lines, which covers the migration process from conventional signalling and train control systems to ETCS. According ...
-
News
City News in Brief
On November 20 the US Congress passed a funding appropriations bill for the 2005 fiscal year, allocating $7·6bn for public transport, a 5·2% increase over FY 2004. This includes $3·3bn for capital investment, $1·4bn for new starts and $1·2bn for fixed guideway modernisation. The bill also provides $1·4bn for the ...
-
News
Industry News in Brief
On November 29 Alstom announced it had agreed terms for the sale of its Valencia diesel locomotive works to Vossloh, subject to regulatory approval. Washington Group International and RATP Développement have formed an alliance to bid for passenger and light rail operations and maintenance work in the USA.Timken Co announced ...
-
News
Products in Brief
Netherlands Railway is replacing existing polyester coach interior cladding with sheets made of Xantar, an unfilled blend of polycarbonate and ABS which is extruded into sheets and then vacuum-formed in combination with a co-extruded PVDF protective layer. DSM Engineering Plastics, NetherlandsCoronet Rail’s two-part rail end-post can be used to replace ...
-
News
MTR branches out
ON DECEMBER 3 Hong Kong MTR Corp signed a formal agreement to build and operate Beijing metro Line 4, which is due to open in time for the 2008 Olympics. MTRC is taking a 49% stake in the project, as will the state-owned Beijing Capital Group; the remaining 2% will ...
-
News
Bonds support Russian spending
RUSSIAN Railways’ first 12bn rouble bond issue was launched on December 8, when three tranches of 1000-rouble bonds were sold by public subscription at the Moscow Inter-Bank Currency Exchange.The receipts will help to fund RZD’s 148·1bn rouble investment programme for 2005 approved by the board in December; this is 23% ...
-
News
More changes at Bombardier
ON DECEMBER 13 Bombardier Inc announced major changes following the sudden departure of President & CEO Paul Tellier who had said that he did not wish to renew his contract when it expired at the end of 2005. In Tellier’s place Bombardier has set up a new Office of the ...
-
News
Bids in for EFE signalling upgrade
CHILEAN state railway EFE was due to select last month a preferred bidder for a US$103m contract to upgrade and maintain signalling, electrification and telecommunications equipment under its 2003-05 investment programme (RG 10.04 p660). Work is to begin soon after contract signature in February 2005, and should take three years ...
-
News
Keeping it quiet below Berlin
Building a main line railway under the heart of Berlin demands the highest standards of vibration and noise prevention. The answer is to use concrete slabs supported on polymer bearings
-
News
Bangkok bid battle
A CONSORTIUM of Siemens Transportation Systems and Sino-Thai Engineering & Construction was confirmed on December 13 as preferred bidder for the DBOM concession to build the express rail line to serve Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi International Airport (RG 10.04 p663).According to SRT Deputy Governor Youdtana Tupcharoen, the Siemens group offered the ...
-
News
Integral ballast recycling contributes
INTRO: Development of ballast cleaning machines with integral recycling of used ballast is helping to reduce the cost of disposal, and is becoming an important tool in the track maintenance business as legislation on waste disposal takes effectBYLINE: Rudolf Becker and Patrick Vierlinger*RECYCLING of used ballast merits high priority ...
-
News
High-Output Ballast Cleaner
The first of two High-Output Ballast Cleaning Systems being supplied by Plasser & Theurer to UK infrastructure company Network Rail is due to enter service this month, with the second to be delivered in the summer of 2005. Both machines will be operated by First Swietelsky under a two-year contract ...