All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 616
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NewsSNCF orders 19 more Francilien EMUs
FRANCE: SNCF has exercised a €127m option for a further 19 Francilien electric multiple-units, Bombardier announced on May 6. The order is to be financed Ile-de-France transport authority STIF. The Francilien single-deck eight-car commuter EMUs have a capacity of 1 000 passengers, with wide gangways and doors to facilitate ...
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NewsAlstom announces record orders as GE deal nears approval
ALSTOM: ‘Alstom delivered a very strong commercial performance in its Transport activity during the fiscal year, booking a record level of orders’, said Chairman & CEO Patrick Kron on May 6 when he presented results for the year to March 31 2015. At €10·0bn the order intake was up by ...
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NewsMerMec awarded Macedonian ETCS contract
MACEDONIA: German engineering company Wiebe has awarded MerMec a contract to design, supply and commission signalling and telecoms for the rehabilitation of the 32 km Kumanovo – Beljakovtse line. The contract announced on April 24 includes the supply of electronic interlockings, centralised train control and ETCS Level 1 trackside equipment, ...
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NewsMalaysia – Singapore high speed line opening date put back
ASIA: The planned opening date for the proposed 330 km high speed line between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore is to be put back from 2020 to a more realistic date, the prime ministers of Malaysia and Singapore jointly announced after their annual leader’s retreat on May 5. The location for ...
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NewsECP brakes mandated as tank car standards are tightened
NORTH AMERICA: Electronically-controlled pneumatic braking will be required on unit trains carrying high-hazard flammable materials after January 2021, under a new rule announced in Washington DC on May 1 by US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt. Other measures to improve safety include enhanced construction standards ...
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NewsChicago O'Hare Airport peoplemover upgrading contract
USA: Chicago Department of Aviation has awarded Parsons Construction and Bombardier Transportation a contract to upgrade the 4·3 km Airport Transit System automated peoplemover at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Bombardier's share of the contract announced on May 5 is worth $180m, and includes the supply of 36 Innovia APM ...
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NewsCryogenic LNG tank wagon unveiled
EUROPE: Wagon leasing company VTG and US-based cryogenic transport specialist Chart Industries unveiled what is claimed to be the first purpose-built tank wagon for liquefied natural gas on May 5. Having been developed over the past three years by the two companies and VTG’s Waggonbau Graaff business, the wagon unveiled ...
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NewsVictoria budget kicks off 10-year rolling stock spend
AUSTRALIA: The Victoria state government has allocated more than A$6bn for rail investment in its 2015-16 budget, announced by Treasurer Tim Pallas on May 5. The headline element is A$2bn for rolling stock investment as the first tranche of a 10-year programme to strengthen local public transport and revitalise the ...
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NewsDaegu opens third metro line
SOUTH KOREA: Daegu metro operator Daegu Metropolitan Transit Corp opened Line 3 on April 23. The 24 km line is the city’s first monorail. The north-south route connects KNU Medical Centre to Yongji with 28 intermediate stations. Interchange is provided at Sinnam with metro Line 2 and Myeongdeok with ...
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NewsAxle earthing units
EARTHING: Morgan Advanced Materials has launched a new design of axle earthing unit, which it says reduces movement between the brush box and shaft, improves brush-shaft contact and offers better system performance and lower maintenance costs. The company says the problems caused by electrical currents damaging axlebox roller bearings ...
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NewsHopperPopper helps unload wagons
FREIGHT: The HopperPopper from Pneumat Systems assists in the unloading of dried grains and meal products from wagons by combining compressed air blast technology with precise hydraulic controls. The wirelessly controlled HopperPopper allows operators to position a hydraulically- driven blast probe in the hopper compartment, blasting out bulk ...
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NewsHybrid drive demonstrates 15% fuel saving
ENGINE: A 15% reduction in fuel consumption compared to a conventional diesel multiple-unit was achieved by Deutsche Bahn’s VT642 test DMU when MTU undertook trials with a hybrid version of its PowerPack. MTU’s PowerPacks combine a DMU engine with electric, mechanical or hydraulic transmission, after-treatment, auxiliaries and cooling systems into ...
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NewsHigh speed line maintenance software
FRANCE: CARL Software has won a contract to supply its CARL Source asset management software to the Mesea joint venture which will maintain the track, signalling and electrification on the 300 km Tours – Bordeaux LGV Sud Europe Atlantique high speed line which is under construction for opening in 2017. ...
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NewsAutonomous platform screen doors on Citybanan
SWEDEN: The two new underground stations being built as part of Stockholm’s Citybanan project are to be equipped with Gilgen Door Systems platform screen doors with ClearSy’s Coppilot autonomous control system. This uses sensors installed on the platform rather than equipment on the train, which ClearSy says is ideal ...
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NewsGrindrod locos delivered to Douala
CAMEROON: Railway concessionaire Camrail, owned by Bolloré Africa Logistics, has taken delivery of two CC 3300 locomotives at the port of Douala. Representing an investment of FrCFA3bn each, the locomotives were supplied by South African manufacturer Grindrod as part of an initial batch of eight diesel heavy freight locos which ...
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NewsSino-Russian consortium to design Moscow – Kazan line
RUSSIA: On May 1 Russian Railways announced that a Sino-Russian consortium led by Mosgiprotrans would undertake design work for the planned 770 route-km Moscow – Kazan high speed line. Covering engineering surveys, project development planning, surveying and the development of design documentation, the contract is to be undertaken within a ...
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NewsDalian metro Line 2 opens
CHINA: Trial passenger operation on the first phase of Dalian metro Line 2 started on April 30. Free services are limited to 5 000 passengers during a 2 h period in the morning and another in the afternoon of each day until May 8, and 10 000 ...
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NewsSBB prepares for Gotthard base tunnel opening
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways is embarking on a major programme to modify long-distance rolling stock for operation through the Gotthard base tunnel, the company announced on April 30. In addition, it is launching an extensive staff training programme to prepare for the start of operations on December 11 2016. Announcing ...
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NewsLast Jakarta Line 1 contract awarded
INDONESIA: MRT Jakarta has awarded the last of eight contracts for the first Jakarta metro line. The ¥25bn railway systems and trackwork contract, announced on April 30, has been awarded to a consortium led by Mitsui & Co and including Toyo Engineering Corp, Kobe Steel, and local firm PT Inti ...
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NewsBahrain progresses rail plans
BAHRAIN: The government expects to call bids in June for detailed design of a rail link to Saudi Arabia, as part of the proposed GCC rail network. The 87 km line would be built in conjunction with a second causeway connecting the two countries, to be known as the ...