All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 760
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NewsEl Salvador looks to rail for logistics future
EL SALVADOR: Port and infrastructure authority CEPA has signed an agreement with Spanish consultancy Tramrail, which is to assist with the revival of the country’s 914 mm gauge rail network. As well as resuming freight operations, new passenger services are planned from the capital San Salvador to Sitio del Niño ...
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NewsBombardier and Technical University of Dresden extend partnership
GERMANY: Bombardier Transportation’s German business has extended its partnership agreement with the Technical University of Dresden for a further five years. First launched in 2007, the co-operation agreement has already fostered a number of technical innovations. These include a video monitoring tool to assess passenger loadings on unattended metro vehicles ...
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NewsRevenue and investment down in Indian Railways budget
INDIA: Revenue shortfalls and lower investment were the main themes of the Indian Railways budget, presented by Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on February 26. The year ending March 2013 saw freight and passenger revenue both fall short of target. Freight revenue was Rs859·76bn, compared with the budgeted Rs893·39bn, ...
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NewsExports provide 82% of CAF turnover
CAF: Export markets accounted for 82⋅3% of group turnover at Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF in the year to December 31 2012, according to results announced on February 27. At €1 721⋅2m, turnover was slightly down on the 2011 figure of€1 725⋅1m. EBITA in 2012 was €181⋅9m, down 21% from ...
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NewsNeo Ikonio freight line inaugurated
GREECE: A 17 km freight line connecting the Neo Ikonio container port near Piraeus with Thriasio on the Athens – Kiato route was inaugurated on February 28. The project was announced in 2000 but subsequently delayed by two years due to financial problems. The total cost was €156⋅6m, split equally ...
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NewsFirst CSR cars arrive in Buenos Aires
ARGENTINA: An initial batch of 41 coaches built by CSR of China for the San Martín commuter route was unloaded in Buenos Aires on February 28. The shipment also included a further two CSR Qishuyan diesel locomotives for the San Martín route. Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo ...
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NewsGovernment backs 113 km Budapest freight bypass
HUNGARY: The government has given its backing to a proposed 113 km freight-only bypass around the south of Budapest, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs & External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó announced on February 27. The V0 proposal developed by logistics association MLSZKSZ is intended to significantly accelerate east-west freight movements ...
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NewsPure construction alliance for Stafford upgrade
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail announced on February 25 that it had formed its first 'pure construction alliance' to deliver the £250m Stafford Area Improvement Programme of upgrades on the West Coast Main Line. Under an alliance model which originates in Australia, NR is to act as both principal client ...
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NewsDB approves longer ICx trainsets
GERMANY: On March 5 Deutsche Bahn's supervisory board approved plans for its future ICx inter-city trainsets to be up to 12 rather than up to 10 cars long, increasing the number of seats from 724 to 830. DB said this reflects an 'encouraging increase' in the number of long-distance passengers, ...
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NewsMechelen bypass contracts awarded
BELGIUM: Infrastructure manager Infrabel has awarded a joint venture of Royal BAM Group subsidiary CEI-De Meyer and Jan de Nul two civil works contracts totalling €85m for the Mechelen bypass project. The €254·7m bypass is intended to increase rail capacity through the city, raise line speeds for through trains from ...
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NewsAlstom/Kamkor joint venture to produce 10 000 point machines
KAZAKHSTAN: National railway KTZ has awarded the KazElectroPrivod joint venture of Alstom and local partner Kamkor a €90m contract to supply 10 000 point machines over the next 10 years. Alstom's share of the contract is worth €65m. The equally-owned point machine production joint venture was formed in January by ...
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NewsGood but not completely satisfactory year for Siemens
SIEMENS: 'Fiscal 2012 was a good year but not a completely satisfactory year for us', President & CEO Peter Löscher told the Siemens AG annual general meeting on January 23. The company suffered from uncertainties in the global economy, substantial charges in the Energy sector and problems with specific projects. ...
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NewsŠkoda Transportation wins Konya tram contract
TURKEY: Škoda Transportation announced a €104·7m contract to supply 60 trams to Konya on March 4. The five-section air-conditioned Type 28T trams will be 100% low-floor bidirectional vehicles based on 31 trams ordered by Miskolc in Hungary. Konya municipality is planning to expand the city's 21 km tram line, which ...
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NewsAutomated metro opens in Brescia
ITALY: Linking Prealpino in the north of the city with S. Eufemia Buffalora in the southeast, the 13·7 km Brescia metro opened to the public on March 2 with a weekend of free travel. The automated metro has been built by a consortium of Ansaldo STS (railway systems, train control, ...
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NewsStadler awarded Beograd suburban train contract
SERBIA: A contract for Stadler Rail to supply 21 Flirt electric multiple-units for use on Beograd suburban services was signed by national railway ŽS on March 4. The €100m order is being funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development. The first of the EMUs is scheduled for delivery ...
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NewsŁódz tramway modernisation contract
POLAND: City transport authority ZDiT Łódz has awarded PRM Mosty Łódz a 308·4m złoty contract to modernise part of the metre-gauge tram network in Łódz. The route from Retkinia in the west of the city to Widzew in the east is to undergo a complete modernisation, and will be extended ...
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NewsTransnet research partnership
SOUTH AFRICA: Railway infrastructure design, energy efficiency, traction power re-use and alternative fuel technologies are among the rail-specific elements of a wide-ranging research agreement signed between Transnet and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research on February 11. Transnet's rail freight operation is investing R52bn in rail assets under its ...
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NewsParis T7 tram rolled out
FRANCE: Alstom presented the first of 19 Citadis 302 trams for Paris Line T7 at its plant in La Rochelle on January 12. This forms part of a framework contract placed in January 2011 for 70 trams to work lines T7 and T8. The second tranche will cover 20 ...
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NewsNo private finance for Crossrail train fleet
UK: Plans for private finance to meet the majority of the estimated £1bn cost of procuring around 600 electric multiple-unit cars and associated maintenance facilities for Crossrail have been dropped, Transport for London announced on March 1. The largest single contract to be awarded under the Crossrail project is now ...
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NewsFrancilien arrives at Paris Est
FRANCE: President of the Ile-de-France regional council and Paris transport authority STIF Jean-Paul Huchon joined SNCF Transilien Director General Bénédicte Tilloy and RFF Ile-de-France Regional Director François Régus Orizet on February 27 to mark the entry into service of the first of 35 Francilien EMUs for the suburban network serving ...