All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 1392
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Euromed cuts timings in coastal corridor
INTRO: RENFE’s Long Distance business unit introduced Euromedservice totheBarcelona - Valencia - Alicante corridor on June 16, cuttingjourney times with a fleet of AVE high-speedtrainsets adapted for 1668mm gaugeoperation at up to 220 km/hSPANISH National Railways has launched Euromed service from Barcelona. This comprises five daily return workings to Valencia ...
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Sevilla circle proposed
SPANISH National Railways’ Suburban business unit has proposed a circular service for Sevilla, calling at Santa Justa, San Bernardo, Virgen del Rocío and six new stations on an existing double-track, electrified freight line east of the city. Continente, Sevilla-Este, Palacio de Congresos, Mercasevilla-Hipercor, La Negrilla-Padre Pío and Segunda Universidad-Ecovol would ...
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China inherits a rail success story
As China resumes sovereignty over Hong Kong on July 1 it inherits from the British a mix of profitable and efficient railways and a rolling programme of expansion. Tim Runnacles* reviews the latest position
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Russians to test smart cards
MOSCOW Metro has awarded an A$8·4m contract to AES Prodata, part of Australia’s ERG group, for installation of advanced fare collection equipment at 153 stations. The system is intended to reduce fraud and handle rising traffic. It will be based around the V3000 ticket reader which combines magnetic stripe and ...
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DWA wins Finnish metro car race
HELSINKI City Transport announced on May 30 that it had selected Deutsche Waggonbau AG to negotiate final terms for supply of 12 metro trainsets, at a cost of FM240m including VAT. The trains are needed to provide extra capacity, and to cover services on a 4 km branch to Vuosaari ...
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Siemens test centre opens for business
JUNE 16 saw the official opening of the test centre at Wildenrath-Wegberg near M
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Changchun builds high-capacity cars to carry Tehran commuters
BYLINE: Zhang LiManager, Changcar Import & Export DepartmentChangchun Car CoTWO CAR designs are currently in production at Changchun for Tehran Urban & Suburban Railway Co. Both form part of a 217-vehicle contract worth US$138m signed in 1996 (RG 11.96 p710). A fleet of seven-car trainsets was ordered for ...
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Budget cuts set the course
WHEN THE Italian government decided in May to cut 2800bn lire of state funds from this year’s budget for Italian State Railways, President Giancarlo Cimoli pointed out that if 1400bn lire in agreed transfers were not made at once, FS would quickly end up with a negative cash flow and ...
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Isobar enhances disc brake performance
INTRO: German Railway’s ICE3 high-speed trains will have just two brake discs per axle, compared to four on earlier ICE generations. Use of advanced brake pads with an improved contact pattern offers lower noise and a 50% increase in energy absorptionBYLINE: Dr-Ing Xaver WirthSenior Manager, Design & DevelopmentKnorr-Bremse ...
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The bottom line can’t be bought
INTRO: Reviewing industry developments in the rail market over the past decade, Andrew Saxe* finds that acquisitions have not boosted profits for the major suppliersBYLINE: * Andrew Saxe is an occasional commentator on the world railway supply industry for Railway Gazette International; he can be contacted in Boston, Massachusetts, at ...
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Jing-Jiu trunk line boosts north-south capacity
As Hong Kong returns to China on July 1, completion of the final section of the Jing-Jiu Railway between Beijing and Kowloon is a major step that strengthens the ties between the former colony and the mainland. Since construction got under way in 1993, around 40bn yuan has been spent ...
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Barter to revive Benguela
RECONSTRUCTION of Angola’s 1304 km Benguela Railway is getting under way in the port of Lobito, following the signing of a barter deal between the government and Italian construction company Tor di Valle. Restoration of the corridor is expected to take 14 years, at a cost of US$500m, although trains ...
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BA projects vie for attention
DIFFERENCES have emerged between the Buenos Aires city authorities and Subte concessionaire Metrovías over expanding the five-line metro network. Two lines are currently on the drawing board: a 10·8 km Line H from Retiro to Nueva Pompeya via Plaza Miserere and Jujuy, and a 7·6 km Line F from Plaza ...
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Bidders pick over AN’s bones
BIDDING for the remnants of Australian National closed on June 20 with decisions expected to be announced around the end of the financial year on June 30.Almost 50 groups had registered interest, many forming consortia or subsequently joining the 15 shortlisted bidders on May 6. Freight prospects attracted Toll Holdings-TNT, ...
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High speed is high on CR’s development agenda
HANDOVER of Hong Kong to China on July 1 is of huge significance to Chinese Railways. The former colony’s role as a gateway city to the CR network is reflected in plans to develop Hong Kong’s already heavily used railways (p461), while completion of the Jing-Jiu line (p455) could hardly ...
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Peace will promote revival of Africa’s railways
PUBLIC LAUNCH of the Southern Africa Railways Association at a function attended by the Zimbabwean transport minister in Harare on May 22 is a hopeful sign. SARA was founded in April last year, and it counts among its 10 members the 1304 km Benguela Railway, reconstruction of which is getting ...
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JR Freight helps to build intermodal landbridge across China
BYLINE: Shigeho NimoriPresident, International Freight Railway System Co Ltd*CONSIGNMENTS of freight moving to and from Japan will be accelerated thanks to a partnership between China Railway Foreign Service Corp and Japan Railway Freight Co. A formal agreement was signed with JR Freight by CRFSC Vice President Shi Yulin in February ...
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Eurotunnel predicts profit in 2005
THE prospectus seeking shareholder approval for Eurotunnel’s financial restructuring, published on May 29, says that if the company’s objectives are achieved it will make a profit after tax in 2005 and pay a dividend in 2006. A more pessimistic scenario would delay the first dividend until 2010.The complex deal worked ...
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Sidetrack
Birds on the wiresIn the past green activists in Germany have pursued their cause by having steam trains banned, whilst expressing little opposition to new roads. Now, the French Transport Users Federation (FNAUT) has offered a three point punishment to a local section of the National Movement for the Environment ...