All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 1185
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News
Victoria line heads Metronet renewal
OVER THE NEXT 11 years, five of London Underground’s lines are to be resignalled by the Metronet consortium which has acquired the BCV and SSL infrastructure companies as part of the Public-Private Partnership. Work will start with the deep-level Victoria line, followed by the complex network of sub-surface lines - ...
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Luxury unit ready to go
NEXT month French Railcruise plans to run its first luxury tour of southwest France using a heavily-refurbished X4500 two-car diesel multiple-unit. The original interior of the SNCF unit has been completely replaced, with luxurious fittings designed by MBD Design to give the train’s 22 passengers ’exceptional conditions of comfort, elegance ...
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KNR to go private
WIDESPREAD industrial action halted services on Korean National Railroad at the end of June as employees staged protests against plans to privatise all or part of the 3125 km network. Back in January the South Korean government had softened its line on privatisation, saying that it would opt for a ...
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SWT gets three-year franchise
THE UK Strategic Rail Authority announced on July 11 that it had signed a replacement franchise for South West Trains with incumbent operator Stagecoach Group. Originally planned as a 20-year deal, the franchise will now run for three years from February 1 2004, although there is an option to extend ...
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Foundry will keep operating
OHIO Castings Company has announced an agreement with ASF-Keystone and Meridian Rail Products to take over the operation of Meridian’s foundry in Cicero, near Chicago.Meridian had planned to close the foundry, one of three in North America, at the end of June. Under the agreement announced on June 24 it ...
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Interlocking orders to flow
TENDERS will be called this year for up to 150 signal interlockings across Europe, following the approval of 34 new Baseline 7.0 standards by the Euro-Interlocking project consortium of 29 railway and supplier organisations. Euro-Interlocking Project Manager Niklaus K
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Refurbishment modernises Slovakia’s fleet
ZOS Zvolen is to modernise a further 15 Class 810 single-car railbuses for Slovakian operator Zeleznica Spolcnost, following on from 10 vehicles completed in 2001-02. To be rebuilt as Class 812, the modernised vehicles (above)will feature 257 kW MAN D2866LUH21 engines with Voith Diwa 863-3 hydraulic transmission, automatic gear changing ...
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Waste filters
INJECTION moulded synthetic filter material for use in on-train sewage retention tanks has been developed by Microphor. It is intended as a replacement for redwood bark which has traditionally been used in waste filter tanks, and should last at least 10 years. Any chemicals which are accidentally dropped into the ...
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Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting in Metros
This UITP report stresses the importance of devising an integrated approach to fire safety. It examines the particular risks associated with tunnels, pointing to the importance of risk assessment. The report deals with fire prevention, the detection of fires which do occur, and control methods. Case studies and technical recommendations ...
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Electrification ranks high in SNTF modernisation
ALGERIAN Railways is poised to launch a major programme of modernisation that will include electrification of at least half the 3974route-km network. Recognition that rail faces growing competition from road transport has prompted SNTF to make major structural changes, paving the way for financial support from the World Bank. Modernisation ...
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Doubling to Fuengirola
AS PART of a programme to increase capacity on Renfe’s suburban networks across Spain, tenders are to be called for doubling two sections of the 30·4 km M
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Engine upgrade in Paris diesels
A FLEET of 10 diesel locomotives owned by Paris metro operator RATP is being re-engined with Deutz 1015 power plants. The first of the BB 63500 locos has now been completed, and work is underway on the second. The modernisation is being carried out over 18 months by Voies Ferrées ...
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Taipei metro funding deal
TAIPEI City Government has been promised NT$40bn to fund construction of two more metro lines over the next five years. The funding deal was announced by Premier Yu Shyi-Kun on July 3 during a meeting with the capital's Mayor Ma Ying-Jeou. Metro builder DORTS is now working on three ...
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Danish results
COWI ended the 2002-03 financial year with operating profits of DKr43·1m, down DKr7·7m from last year. Pre-tax profits declined by DKr14·8m to DKr42m. Turnover outside Denmark was up 42%, and formed 56% of the company’s record total turnover of DKr2·29bn, up 33% from 2001-02. Turnover in Denmark was up 23%. ...
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NewsConnex loses second UK franchise
UK: For the first time since privatisation in the 1990s, a franchise to operate passenger services in Britain has been terminated through default. On June 27, Strategic Rail Authority Chairman Richard Bowker announced that ‘we have given notice to Connex South Eastern that their franchise will terminate ...
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Mehdorn repeats ETCS concerns
GERMAN Railway ran a test train at 200 km/h using the European Train Control System for the first time on July 7. The trial took place between Jüterbog and Bitterfeld on the main line from Berlin to Halle and Leipzig, marking another step in the lengthy progress of ETCS towards ...
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International EFFORTS complete Korea’s first high speed line
INTRO: French consultants have been involved with South Korea’s high speed line project for the past decade, reviewing engineering designs, training staff and helping to commission the TGV-derived trainsets BYLINE: Jean-Pierre LoubinouxPresident & Director GeneralSNCF InternationalAPRIL 2004 will see the long-awaited start of revenue services on South Korea’s first high ...
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Inter-city coaches upgraded
TRENITALIA Chief Executive Officer Roberto Renon and Passenger Director Massimo Ghenzer unveiled the first refurbished inter-city coaches at Roma Termini on June 16.The first rake of the carriages to be completed re-entered service between Napoli and Udine six days later. The entire inter-city fleet is to be refurbished to modern ...
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Montenegrin Railways face up to the challenge of independence
Europe’s newest state railway authority has inherited a network in poor condition owing to deferred maintenance of infrastructure and rolling stock. Some EU funding has been agreed for signalling renewal, but Ljubinko Dedovic suggests that much more investment will be required
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Hatfield charges brought
documentary evidence was seized and 1500 witnesses interviewed. The extreme complexity of this case has its roots in the split of responsibility between the infrastructure owner, the different contractors undertaking day-to-day maintenance in specific geographical areas and a separate set of contractors who undertake track renewals over much wider areas. ...