All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 1324
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Private operators to boost recovery
INTRO: Sudan Railways Corp has embarked on a three-year transition to transfer freight and passenger services to the private sector, and generate investment to bring the network up to a modern standardBYLINE: Eng Omer M M NourGeneral ManagerSudan Railways CorpAS PRESIDENT of the Arab Union of Railways, I have great ...
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HSL bidders line up
NETHERLANDS Minister of Transport Tineke Netelenbos should be pleased with the response to the call for bids to run international passenger services on the future HSL-Zuid between Amsterdam and Antwerpen. Among the 13 respondents were domestic organisations and firms from Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden and Britain, where Virgin Trains expressed ...
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Chinese metro ban is lifted
CHINA's State Planning Committee has lifted the embargo on new metro construction which was imposed in 1995 to limit demands for foreign exchange. Vice-Minister of Construction Zhao Baojiang announced on August 8 that urban rail expansion was now to be encouraged as a means of stimulating the national economy. ...
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Peru concessions awarded
SEPTEMBER 21 is due to see the management of three rail networks in Peru transferred to private sector consortia. The government has awarded two 30-year concessions which each include an option for a further 30-year extension.One grouping, led by Sea Containers and Peruval Corp, will take over Enafer’s 914mm gauge ...
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Operators await TBTC standards
INTRO: Recent Transmission-Based Train Control pilot projects and new efforts to set international standards foreshadow the future direction for the next generation of train control technology. But where is it all going and why is it taking so long?BYLINE: Tom SullivanTransportation Systems Design Inc*CALL IT WHAT you will, Transmission-Based Signalling, ...
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Railsim available for license
Systra Consulting Inc has released Version 7 of its Railsim¨ Train Performance Calculator, a program for simulating and analysing train performance including journey time predictions, maximum attainable speeds and safe braking distances. The standard licence package includes TPC, three rolling stock libraries and two rolling resistance algorithms, as well as ...
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Austrian Federal shares in Taurus loco build
DELIVERY of the first of 75 high performance Taurus electric locomotives to Austrian Federal Railways is scheduled for January. Ordered in 1997 from Siemens Austria at a cost of ASch2·7bn, the Bo-Bo Class 1016 locos are the first fruits of a major locomotive replacement programme. Options exist for 325 more, ...
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Aqaba closer
FORMAL signing of a 25-year concession to operate and expand Jordan’s 1050mm gauge Aqaba Railway was expected towards the end of last month, following the approval of the deal by the country’s cabinet on August 8.A consortium led by Wisconsin Central International and Raytheon Infrastructure was selected last November as ...
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Madrid approves Metro Sur
PUBLIC CONSULTATION began in July for the route of a 40 km metro loop serving the rapidly expanding southern suburbs of the Spanish capital. Madrid Region’s Councillor for Public Works Luis Eduardo Cortés explained the definitive route alignments for the Metro Sur project. This is to serve the satellite towns ...
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Manila upgrade approved
THE PHILIPPINES government announced on July 26 that it had approved a P7·6bn expansion package for Manila’s light rail Line 1. The target is to boost capacity from 27000 to 40000 passengers/h in each direction. This will involve improvements to the signalling and power supplies plus the purchase of 12 ...
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Amcoach dinner service
AS PART of its Service Standard Initiative to ensure improved amenities and consistent quality of service for long-distance passengers, Amtrak has introduced a Coach Dinner Service for passengers who cannot be accommodated in the dining car. Coach class passengers can purchase pre-prepared fixed-price meals, which can be eaten in the ...
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Airport link to be rebranded
British train operator Gatwick Express is rolling out a new corporate identity that aims to create a strong and dynamic brand image for the London Victoria - Gatwick Airport service. As well as the red and silver-grey livery worn by the Alstom electric multiple-units (RG 11.98 p774) that will enter ...
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CFM sales move ahead
LAST MONTH the Malagasy government’s privatisation committee announced that it had selected the South African joint venture Comazar as preferred bidder to operate the 730 km metre-gauge northern railway on the island of Madagascar. Under the privatisation process started last year, the deal is due to be completed by the ...
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Goninan sale agreed
Howard Smith Ltd of Australia announced on August 10 that it had signed heads of agreement for the sale of its A Goninan & Co Ltd rolling stock business to engineering company United Group Ltd. Expected to generate proceeds of A$130m for Howard Smith, the sale is due to be ...
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Slovak loan agreed
ON JULY 23 the European Investment Bank confirmed the award of a 200m euros credit for Slovak Republic Railways. To be guaranteed by the Slovak government, the money will help to fund five major investment projects drawn up by ZSR General Director Andrej Egyed (RG 7.99 p459).Around 120m euros will ...
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Restructuring will reverse African railway decline
Many of Africa’s railways are looking at concessioning or some form of restructuring to reverse a disastrous decline in traffic, caused all too often by neglect and deferred maintenance. Our southern Africa correspondent Luke Ripley offers this series of first hand reports
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Border accords
UPGRADING of the 371 km Praha - Nürnberg corridor is to be completed by 2002, under the terms of an accord signed in the Czech capital on July 13. CD General Manager Dalibor Zeleny and DB Chairman Johannes Ludewig agreed to electrify and resignal the route and modify the alignment ...
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Seoul moves from 8 to 9
BARELY TWO WEEKS after the inauguration of the final section of metro Line 8, the Seoul City Government announced that work would start on the long-planned Line 9 in 2001. Despite the region’s recent economic problems, construction is pushing ahead on Line 6 and the second stage of Line 7 ...
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Eurostar up 6%
Eurostar Group has reported a total revenue of £198·3m for the first six months of 1999, up 6% from £186·8m in the first half of 1998. Over the same period, volume was up 1% from 3·4million to 3·5 million passengers.Chief Executive Designate Hamish Taylor said that a combination of ’powerful ...
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3 green bottles
FURTHER consolidation in the world rolling stock industry could be in the offing. Stories surfaced in mid-August about the possibility of Bombardier moving closer to Siemens, with speculation ranging from a merger to Bombardier acquiring Siemens factories supplying traction equipment - which is precisely what is missing in the Canadian-based ...