All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 1400
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News
Reform is in, privatisation is out
INTRO: After a false start last year, France’s rail network is being restructured. A new national agency will own the infrastructure, with French National Railways managing and operating the network and providing the transport service. Louis Gallois, appointed as President of SNCF last July, reveals his strategy to Murray HughesHughes: ...
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Metros
Canada: Vancouver city authority has bought part of a 1·5 km of right-of-way through CP’s False Creek yard for a proposed light rail line between SkyTrain at Main Street and Science World.Great Britain: London Underground has invited tenders for its Connect network-wide radio communications Private Finance Initiative; prequalified are Gensys, ...
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Metro spending
In addition to Pts19·31bn to be spent on Madrid’s infrastructure in 1997, mainly on metro extensions (RG 2.97 p76), the Catalan regional government has budgeted Pts22·7bn this year.This covers completion of Barcelona’s Line 2, ATP for Line 5 and substation upgrading on Line 1. Another Pts4·2bn will go on rolling ...
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Market
Australia: SRANSW has called tenders for technical support in its timetable planning and train control activities over three years.Belgium: Siemens has won a DM28·5m contract to modernise marshalling yard control equipment at an Antwerpen yard, including MSR32 radio-control equipment for shunting locos.Brazil: CPTM and Renfe have signed a technical co-operation ...
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ZW track machines load themselves
Plasser & Theurer has developed the ZW range of compact self-loading track maintenance machines, designed for use on regional and urban railways. Each of the four ZW models is equipped with four hydraulic jacks which raise the machine clear of the rails, allowing a flatbed road trailer to be positioned ...
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Letters
Green issuesSir - Articles in your November 1996 issue on train noise raise the issue of ’greens’ causing railway operators excessive costs, although they fail conspicuously to complain so vociferously about road noise. Here in the US the words are the same, the melody just a bit different. Too many ...
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The VAT lady sings
ENLIVENING the closing minutes of ICM's conference on Managing Privatised Railways in London on January 16 was a chilling dissertation by Celia Brennen of KPMG on the looming horrors of Value Added Tax. January 1 1997 saw the expiry of a derogation which legitimised a long-established practice in some European ...
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Izmir LRT to open next year
INTRO: Faced with worsening traffic congestion, Turkey’s third largest city has embarked upon the construction of a light rail network that will eventually total 50 km. Under a turnkey contract awarded to the ABB-Yapi Merkezi-Adtranz consortium, the first 11·5 km is scheduled to open during 1998 BYLINE: Lennart GunnarssonProject ManagerAdtranz ...
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Intelligence
CAPTION: Metrolink operator Southern California Regional Rail Authority has been running a series of trials around Los Angeles with a Siemens-built RegioSprinter. On January 18 the lightweight articulated railcar made demonstration runs on a freight line between Arcadia (above) and Claremont in the San Gabriel valleyCAPTION: French National Railways ran ...
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Intelligence
CAPTION: Czech Railways has received the first series-built Class 943 driving trailers and Class 043 centre cars from MSV Studenka to operate with its Class 843 diesel-electric railcars. The 11 driving and 20 non-driving cars are all due to be delivered by the end of this yearCAPTION: Thorn Transit Systems ...
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Intelligence
Australia: Westrail has been prosecuted by Worksafe Western Australia for failing to provide automatic train protection at Hines Hill crossing loop; two people died after a National Rail driver failed to stop at a red signal in January 1996.Formal approval has been given for National Rail to compete with V/Line ...
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Industry
Brazil: Cobrasma has closed after deteriorating finances led to accumulated debt of at least R$400m; the firm only left receivership in 1994.Canada: Bombardier Inc has bought NorRail Inc of Buffalo to develop a wagon leasing business in North America as part of Bombardier Capital.Czech Republic: IFE AG of Austria has ...
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Green line runs through
WASHINGTON Metrorail launched through trains from the city centre to the Green line terminus at Greenbelt, Maryland, on January 27. Pending completion of the missing link in the Green line, WMATA has launched peak-hour through trains from Farragut North via the Red line and a connecting curve at Fort Totten. ...
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Gone mining
JUST AS the Russian Railways Ministry starts to implement its restructuring process which includes pulling out of non-core activities such as running towns and hospitals for railwaymen, comes news that it is to be granted the rights to mineral development along the Baikal - Amur corridor. Immediately after the BAM ...
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French under fire from Korea
A BITTER row has erupted between France and South Korea that could see the 431 km Seoul - Pusan TGV line delayed by more than the four years already likely because of problems with civil engineering work (RG 12.96 p777). The problem stems from a decision last December by France’s ...
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Finance
Canada: CN reported a profit for 1996 of C$142m, compared to a C$1·1bn loss in 1995. Much of the 1996 fourth-quarter loss of C$166m was blamed on restructuring costs of C$365m to cover job losses. CN has announced plans to consolidate its four revenue management centres at a single Toronto ...
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Nouvelle Génération will expand the TGV family
INTRO: SNCF’s Rolling Stock & Traction Director François Lac
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IR projects edge forward
ISRAEL RAILWAYS has confirmed plans to step up the trial service on the Tel Aviv - Ashdod route, following encouraging loadings after the Rechovot service was extended in October 1996. The aim is to run five trains an hour once upgrading and double-tracking costing US$90m is completed.Another Tel Aviv commuter ...
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Denver light rail extends
GROUNDBREAKING ceremonies were held on January 21 for Denver’s 14 km Southwest Corridor light rail extension. Regional Transportation District Chairman Ben Klein said the event marked ’the culmination of a dozen years of studies, planning and preparation.’ Detailed engineering design is due to be finished by the end of this ...
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Tube in deep trouble
LONDON Underground could be sold after a general election expected on May 1, although a memo from Transport Secretary Sir George Young to Prime Minister John Major warns that it will be ’a unique and very difficult privatisation to sell to the public’. Higher subsidies required to clear an investment ...