All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 1157
-
News
UK brings infrastructure maintenance back in-house
INTRO: When Railtrack contracted out maintenance of its network in 1995 a 30% cost reduction was expected, but by 2003-04 it was 50% higher in real terms. Network Rail Deputy Chief Executive Iain Coucher explained to Richard Hope what went wrong, and why Railtrack’s successor decided that employing its own ...
-
News
Alliances deliver on performance and cost
INTRO: Australian Rail Track Corporation relies on contractors to maintain the standard gauge trunk lines linking major cities. By switching to alliances that set target costs and share risks between client and contractor, ARTC has more than halved its average maintenance bill to A$8500/track-km a year despite rising tonnageBYLINE: Malcolm ...
-
News
Algerian initatives spur modernisation
WORK IS due to start early this month on the long-planned project to build a 360 km standard gauge line between Méchéria and Béchar in western Algeria. To be laid parallel to Algerian Railways' existing 1055mm gauge alignment, which it will ultimately replace, the line is intended primarily for oil ...
-
News
Australia agrees to invest in rail at last
YEARS OF intense lobbying by Australia’s rail industry for funding to upgrade the worst sections of the east coast interstate main line have finally been rewarded. The budget for the year commencing on July 1 tabled by Federal Treasurer Peter Costello on May 11 includes a one-off grant of A$450m ...
-
News
Alstom rescue package agreed
EUROPEAN Competition Commissioner Mario Monti confirmed on May 17 that he had ’the basis of an agreement’ with French Finance Minister Nicolas Sarkozy on the refinancing and restructuring of Alstom, and that ’this should be finalised by the end of the week’.Alstom’s existing government guarantees backing €3·8bn of emergency bank ...
-
News
Transfer accord
CHINA National Machinery Import & Export Corp has proposed a technology transfer and US$50m credit agreement to supply Sri Lanka Railways with stainless steel passenger carriages.The Chinese company would initially supply completed vehicles under the proposals, which were put to Minister for Transport, Highways & Aviation Tilak Marapana in April. ...
-
News
Lyon - Torino financing accord
CONSTRUCTION of the planned Lyon - Torino high speed line and its 52 km Alpine base tunnel moved a step closer on May 5, when France and Italy signed a memorandum of understanding on financing the €12·5bn project.The event was held to coincide with a visit to Paris by Italian ...
-
News
Academy opens
THE Yorkshire Rail Academy was opened on May 5. A £1·25m joint venture of the National Railway Musem and York College, it is funded by Yorkshire Forward and the Learning &Skills Council North Yorkshire.The Academy incorporates York College’s Centre of Vocational Excellence for rail and signal engineering. Principal Mike Galloway ...
-
News
‘Don’t abandon your trams!’
INTRO: When Dresden hosted UITP’s seventh light rail conference on April 21-23, the underlying objective was to prevent cities in Central and Eastern Europe from making the same mistakes as their Western counterparts ’GOOD TRANSPORT is vital for attracting industry and investment’, insisted Dr Martin Gillo in his welcome to ...
-
News
rail4chem targets UK
OPEN-ACCESS freight train operator rail4chem announced on May 3 that it was planning to launch services between Germany and the UK from the beginning of 2005. The company is currently in discussion with prospective customers, and proposes to run a block train between Nürnberg and Dollands Moor in 26h. Last ...
-
News
Property deal will fund Tehran Line 4
A US$836m contract for construction of Tehran Metro Line 4 was signed on May 15 by the Managing Director of Tehran Urban & Suburban Railway Co, Mohsen Hashemi, and the Managing Director of China North Industries Corp, in the presence of the city's Mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Norinco was selected ...
-
News
Sitram starts tracklaying
JEAN-MARIE Bockel, Mayor of Mulhouse, took part in a ceremony on March 16 to weld one of the first rails on the city’s tram network. The event was staged at La Porte Jeune, site of the future interchange between the two lines of the planned 19·75 km network.Work on the ...
-
News
A satisfactory start
INITIAL results have been published for Metronet Rail’s performance during the first year of the London Underground PPP. In April 2003 the firm assumed responsibility for maintaining and upgrading the infrastructure and rolling stock on nine of LU’s 12 lines. Bonuses and penalties are payable for good or poor performance.Metronet ...
-
News
Septa retenders
AMID charges of favouritism and political interference, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority on March 19 cancelled a $236m order for 104 stainless steel commuter cars from the Rotem-led United Transit Systems consortium.Septa board Chairman Pasquale Deon blamed the potential cost of defending a lawsuit brought by Kawasaki Rail Car, one of ...
-
News
PUBLICATIONS
Transport Projects, Programmes & PoliciesEvaluation needs and capabilitiesEditors: Alan Pearman, Peter Mackie and John NellthorpForming part of the Contemporary Trends in European Social Sciences series, this volume collects together selected papers from international specialists in the application of economic evaluation to the transport sector. These were presented at a workshop ...
-
News
Upgrading programme
AN INFRASTRUCTURE improvement programme for the Montréal metro costing C$309·4m was announced on March 22 following approval by the federal, provincial and city governments.Forming part of the Infrastructure Canada-Québec 2000 Programme, the work includes replacing 41 escalators and two moving walkways in the initial 26-station network. Other elements in the ...
-
News
Profits up
ENGINEERING company Balfour Beatty reported a 10% increase in pre-tax profits to £130m for the year to December 31 2003, including provision for anticipated costs arising from the ’surprising and disappointing’ termination of its three Network Rail maintenance contracts.The order book grew 14% to £5·8bn.Balfour Beatty’s share in two of ...
-
News
Praha refurbishment
A CONSORTIUM including ING Real Estate Development, Supod Praha and Moravka Centrum is to refurbish Praha’s Masarykovo station at a cost of up to KC8m.CD has taken an initial 51% stake in the consortium, in exchange for providing the buildings and land. As the other partners fund the refurbishment, the ...