All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 665
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NewsJump into a virtual world
TRAINING: Pennant has produced a prototype Goods Yard Shunter Trainer by combining virtual reality goggles with computer simulation technology originally developed for training military parachutists. Simulation is an established tool for driver training, says John Churchman, Senior Business Development Manager, but 'we now have the ability to place an individual ...
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NewsMetro station energy efficiency project
SPAIN: As part of the EU-backed Sustainable Energy Management for Underground Stations research project, Passeig de Gràcia station on Barcelona metro Line 3 has been fitted with 50 sensors to monitor the power consumption of subsystems including lighting, escalators, lifts and ventilation. The multinational Seam4us project partners envisage that ...
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NewsWashington Silver Line receives federal funding
USA: On August 20 Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced a $1·28bn Transportation Infrastructure Financial Innovation Act loan for the second phase of the Washington metro Silver Line extension. This is part of a $1·87bn combined commitment of TIFIA loans for the Silver Line Phase 2, which the Department of ...
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NewsWaterloo ION light rail breaks ground
CANADA: A groundbreaking ceremony was held on August 21 for Stage 1 of the ION Light Rail Transit project on Dutton Drive in Waterloo, the future site of the operations and maintenance facility. Stage 1 covers the 19 km of light rail from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to Fairview ...
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NewsAlstom selected for Algerian inter-city contract
ALGERIA: National railway SNTF has selected Alstom Transport as preferred bidder for a contract to supply 17 electro-diesel multiple-units for long-distance services. Award of the €200m contract announced on August 19 is subject to a 10-day standstill period. The trainsets would be based on the Coradia Liner design ordered by ...
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NewsTokyo Monorail plans to extend
JAPAN: Tokyo Monorail Co has confirmed that it plans to extend the Tokyo Monorail line by 3 km from Hamamatsucho to Tokyo main line station. The project is expected to cost ¥109·5bn and be completed in 10 years. The monorail line currently runs from Haneda International Airport to Hamamatsucho, ...
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NewsTrack recording, tamping, transport and training
PLASSER & THEURER: The GMTZ self-propelled track recording car for DB Netz will on show on the outdoor tracks at InnoTrans, along with a Unimat 09-4x4/4S universal tamper. The 140 km/h GMTZ offers an interior height of 2 000 mm while still fitting within the restricted clearances of the Berlin ...
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NewsAkiem orders more Traxx Locomotives
EUROPE: Bombardier Transportation has signed a contract to supply leasing company Akiem with 10 Traxx DC locomotives for use on freight services in Italy and Poland. The order announced on August 21 is worth €33m at list prices. An option for up to 10 more could take the total ...
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NewsNorthern Line extension contractor selected
UK: London Underground announced on August 21 that it had selected Ferrovial Agroman Laing O’Rourke to design and build the 3·3 km extension of the Northern Line from Kennington to Nine Elms and Battersea. The six-year contract covers the main construction works and is worth £500m. The £1bn project ...
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NewsTramRus tram running in Moscow
RUSSIA: The first tram produced by the TramRus joint venture of Alstom and Transmashholding for Moscow commenced ‘trial commercial operation’ on August 20. The 100% low-floor 1 524 mm gauge tram has been developed from Alstom’s Citadis family and adapted for local conditions, including very cold winters and hot ...
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NewsIndian-Czech railway co-operation agreement
INDIA: The Ministry of Railways, Czech national passenger operator ČD and Czech supply industry association ACRI signed a memorandum of understanding for technical co-operation on August 19. Potential areas of co-operation specified in the memorandum include the development of automotive traffic, raising the speeds of IR passenger trains to 200 ...
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NewsFirst Haramain high speed trainset revealed
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Railways Organization President Mohamed Khaled al Suwaiket visited the first trainset for the Haramain High Speed Rail project at the Talgo’s factory at Rivabellosa in Spain on August 11. The 450 km high speed line will link Makkah with Madinah, via Jeddah and King Abdul Aziz International ...
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NewsChina to Brazil by train and plane
INTERNATIONAL: DB Schenker combined its rail, lorry and air freight services to deliver a 21 tonne shipment of mobile phone components from China to Brazil for the first time, with a journey time of 24 days compared to between 50 and 55 days by sea. The components travelled 10 124 ...
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NewsRio metro expansion study
BRAZIL: The Rio de Janeiro state government has called bids for a study into three new metro lines in Rio. The winner will have 12 months to submit land use, demand and feasibility studies. The three planned lines are: Uruguai – Engenhão: 8·9 km with six stations and forecast ridership ...
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NewsTendering starts for high speed line to Querétaro
MEXICO: During a ceremony held in the city of Querétaro on August 15, federal Secretary of Communications & Transport Gerardo Ruiz and Querétaro state governor José Calzada formally signed off tendering documentation for the project to build a high speed line between Mexico City and Querétaro. Representing an investment in ...
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NewsGE builds metre gauge Evolution
BRAZIL: GE Transportation has announced the development of the Evolution ES43BBi design, an eight-axle diesel freight locomotive aimed at the 1 000 mm gauge railways which with a total length of 23 000 km form 80% of the national network. Featuring GE’s new AC traction motor for 1 000 mm ...
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NewsNorthern and TransPennine Express franchise shortlist announced
UK: On August 19 the Department for Transport announced the six bidders which have been prequalified to submit ‘innovative and ambitious proposals’ to operate two passenger franchises in northern England. Invitations to tender are expected to be issued in December, with the winners to be announced by October 2015. The ...
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NewsHeavier loads permitted over the Brenner
ITALY: Following a series of trials and technical studies, infrastructure manager RFI has approved the operation of 1 500 tonne trains on the Brenner route to Austria for a trial period of one year. The ability to operate long trains on the corridor is a ‘a real revolution for freight ...
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NewsBuenos Aires Line B upgraded for ex-Madrid fleet
ARGENTINA: Metro authority SBASE is spending a total of 1∙01bn pesos on upgrading Line B of the Buenos Aires network, in preparation for the introduction of a fleet of 86 CAF Series 6000 cars purchased from Metro de Madrid for US$57∙6m. Due to enter service during the first quarter of ...
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NewsDiesel-resistant sleeves in various colours
BRADY: Durable diesel-resistant wire identification sleeves for rolling stock applications will be displayed at InnoTrans by Brady. Available in various colours and supplied on rolls which enable double-sided printing, the sleeves are designed to maintain their integrity while exposed to organic fluids, oils and high temperatures. The ...