All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 685
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NewsOdakyu Electric Railway to test all-SiC power module
JAPAN: Odakyu Electric Railway has placed the first order for Mitsubishi Electric Corp’s all-silicon carbide traction inverter designed for 1 500V DC overhead supplies. The 3·3 kV, 1 500 A inverter will be installed in a Series 1000 four-car urban EMU in December. Along with four high-efficiency motors the new ...
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NewsMelbourne Rail Link in A$14·5bn rail funding announcement
AUSTRALIA: 'The largest investment in transport infrastructure in Victoria's history' was announced by the state's coalition government in its 2014-15 budget on May 6. The A$24bn of planned road and rail infrastructure spending includes A$14·5bn for rail, with the biggest rail projects being the Melbourne Rail Link and the Cranbourne ...
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NewsŁódź tramway contractor selected
POLAND: Łódź’s road and transport division has selected Mosty Infrastruktura to undertake Phase 2 of the east-west tram line modernisation and expansion project. The 239m złoty contract covers the replacement of 6 km of double track tram line from ul Kilińskiego to the terminating loop at ul Augustów, and ...
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NewsNew York commuter railways introduce mobile ticketing
USA: New York MTA has selected Masabi to provide mobile ticketing for its Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road commuter rail businesses. Masabi’s JustRide technology, also used on the MBTA commuter network in Boston, allows purchase and validation of tickets, including season tickets, through smartphones. The back-end infrastructure ...
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NewsMainzelbahn construction begins
GERMANY: Construction of the Mainzelbahn tram extension from Mainz Hauptbahnhof West to Lerchenberg was officially launched on May 3. The 9·2 km metre-gauge line with 15 stops is expected to carry 1 million passengers per year when it opens in 2016. Of the €83·6m cost, Stadtwerke Mainz is ...
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Pamplona Capital Management buys Beacon Rail for $450m
EUROPE: Pamplona Capital Management announced a definitive agreement to acquire Beacon Rail Leasing from the BTMU Capital Corp subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group on May 6. The deal is worth US$450m including commitments for firm future deliveries of locomotives. With its headquarters in London and offices in Boston and ...
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NewsMini high speed rail grinder to cut tram noise
GERMANY: Düsseldorf light rail operator Rheinbahn has taken delivery of a Vossloh Rail Services HSG-city mini high speed rail grinder, which it will uses to undertake preventive grinding to extend rail life and reduce noise on its 350 km network. HSG-city is the latest version of Vossloh’s HSG-2 machine, specifically ...
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NewsKonya orders trams for catenary-free operation
TURKEY: Konya has ordered 12 trams capable of catenary-free operation from Škoda Transportation as a follow-on order for the 60 ForCity Classic 28T trams currently being delivered. They are to be delivered next year, and bring the total order value for 72 trams to KC3·4bn. Following certification in January, ...
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NewsHeavier haul in China
CHINA: CNR has rolled out a high-power electric locomotive designed for heavy haul trains comprising 100 tonne wagons with axleloads up to 30 tonnes. CNR says its 9·6 MW ‘Super Hercules’ locomotives can pull 20% heavier loads than previous models. Meanwhile, China Railway Corp, China Academy of Railway Sciences ...
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NewsAtlas Railroad Construction reorganises to grow
USA: Genesee & Wyoming Inc's Atlas Railroad Construction subsidiary is to be reorganised into a region-based commercial and operating structure, intended to facilitate expansion into the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest of the country. As part of this reorganisation, Atlas is relocating its headquarters from Bridgeville, Pennsylvania to Jacksonville, Florida. ‘Moving ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - May 2014
Mumbai metro is auctioning naming rights for the 12 stations on the city’s first metro line. A 4·2 km extension of the Alger tram line was opened on April 16, running east from Bordj El Kiffan to Café Chergui with six stops. The Malaysian government has approved ...
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NewsStadler overhauls TEE trainset
SWITZERLAND: Stadler Rail has replaced the wheel-slip protection and anti-slide devices and restored the multi-system capability of SBB Historic’s preserved RAe TEE II 1035 six-car electric multiple-unit, enabling it to once again operate under 1·5 kV DC, 3 kV DC, 15 kV AC and 25 kV AC electrification. Five RAe ...
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NewsFeature articles in the May 2014 issue of Railway Gazette International
Comment Ripples on the surface News Main Line Urban Rail Market Industry Innovations Pointers Analysis It’s time to deploy: As railways around the world continue to install ERTMS, interoperable specifications are paving the way for further applications in Europe. Chris Jackson reports from the ...
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NewsTolstoy on Tolstoy
EUROPE: Passengers are promised the ‘atmosphere of Russia’s cultural environment at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries’ when Russian Railways’ Federal Passenger Co makes changes to the Leo Tolstoy overnight service between Moscow and Helsinki from June 1. This is linked to the ...
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NewsFugro buys specialist rail mapping company
NETHERLANDS: Surveying and geotechnical data company Fugro announced an agreement to acquire RailData on May 1. This includes the RailData International subsidiary which is looking to expand the business outside the Netherlands. With 12 staff and revenue of €1·2m in 2013, RailData specialises in the measurement of the absolute and ...
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NewsBombardier expands Rail Control Solutions business
BOMBARDIER: Bombardier Transportation announced its acquisition of Australian company Rail Signalling Services on May 1, saying the deal would strengthen its Rail Control Solutions business in a market where large investments are planned. Formed in 2003 when GE sold its Australian interests, RSS has more than a decade of ...
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NewsRail.One opens Iowa sleeper factory
USA: Lieutenant Governor of Iowa Kim Reynolds inaugurated Rail.One’s concrete sleeper factory in Clinton on April 29. The company has invested $22m in building the plant, which was completed in under 12 months and is expected to produce 600 000 sleepers a year for the North American market. ‘The plant ...
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NewsDeploying artificial intelligence to spot fare dodgers
SPAIN: The use of a system 'based on artificial intelligence' to spot passengers attempting to avoid payment by following other users through ticket barriers is being tested by Catalan regional operator FGC and Barcelona-based Awaait Artificial Intelligence. Named Detector, the system uses a camera to watch the gate area, and ...
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NewsSunRail rises in Orlando
USA: The SunRail commuter rail route serving Orlando was officially opened on April 30, with two weeks of free travel starting the following day. The 50 km first phase from DeBary to Sand Lake Road in Orange County serves 12 stations. Construction began January 2012 and included double-tracking the ...
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NewsSchaltbau takes stake in Albatros
SPAIN: German transport technology group Schaltbau Holding finalised the acquisition of a 5·6% stake in Spanish onboard equipment supplier Albatros on April 21, and has agreed purchase options which would enable it to gain a majority stake within the next five years. Schaltbau expects to hold 40% by the end ...