All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 774
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NewsTiming relay designed for rolling stock
RELAY: LTZE Transportation has launched a timing relay specially designed for rolling stock applications. It offers simple configuration options via a serial interface, built-in diagnostic functions and a 24 to 110 V DC power supply range. The devices have a slim and compact housing for DIN rail mounting, and in ...
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NewsDB Schenker Polska places largest Vectron order
POLAND: Siemens announced on December 5 that it had received an order to supply 23 Vectron electric locomotives to freight operator DB Schenker Rail Polska SA. According to the manufacturer, ‘this is the largest order that Siemens has received so far’ for its modular Vectron family. ‘This is already the ...
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NewsGE agrees engine joint venture
KAZAKHSTAN: On December 4 GE Transportation announced that it had signed an agreement with Transmashdiesel and the JSC Remlokomotive subsidiary of national railway KTZ to create a joint venture to produce diesel engines at a new plant in Astana. Subject to government and regulatory approval, the partners plan to invest ...
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NewsKatzenberg cut-off inaugurated
GERMANY: Federal Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer joined the celebrations at Efringen-Kirchen on December 4 to mark the formal opening of a 17·6 km cut-off at the southern end of Deutsche Bahn’s Rhein Valley line in Baden-Württemberg. He was accompanied by DB Chairman Rüdiger Grube, Baden-Württemberg’s Transport Minister Winfried Hermann and ...
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NewsRescuers trained by year end
NETHERLANDS: National operator NS is on course to complete evacuation training of all 6000 drivers and conductors by the end of 2012. NS was mandated to introduce updated tunnel safety training in the wake of a fire on the line running beneath Amsterdam Schiphol airport in July 2009. NS ...
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NewsCP seeks DM&E exit
USA: Canadian Pacific announced on December 4 that it was inviting expressions of interest from prospective partners as it explored ‘strategic options’ for the future of 1 056 km of the former Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad. Running west from Tracy, Minnesota, to Rapid City, South Dakota, and including branches ...
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NewsEKZ inaugurates Astana locomotive plant
KAZAKHSTAN: The EKZ joint venture of national railway KTZ, Alstom Transport and Transmashholding held an inauguration ceremony for its locomotive production plant in Astana attended by the country’s President Nursultan Nazarbaev on December 4. As part of a technology transfer agreement with the French supplier, EKZ will ...
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Carlos Alberto Gómez
Carlos Alberto Gómez has been appointed President of Tren Patagónico SA, the passenger operator owned by the province of Río Negro in Argentina. He succeeds Fernando Vaca Narvaja, now Minister of Works & Public Services in the provincial government.
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NewsEurostar to trial London – Aix-en-Provence service
EUROPE: International high speed operator Eurostar is to operate a new service between London and the south of France on a trial basis in May and June 2013. Building on its long-standing seasonal service between London St Pancras International and Avignon-Centre which has operated on Saturdays in ...
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NewsPresident backs passenger projects
MEXICO: A package of urban and inter-city rail projects formed one of the 13 policy initiatives announced by President Enrique Peña Nieto immediately after being sworn in on December 1. Projects to be taken forward by the federal Secretariat of Transport & Communications include Line 3 of the Monterrey metro, ...
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NewsPirna depot topped out
GERMANY: Captrain Deutschland subsidiary ITL Eisenbahngesellschaft held a topping-out ceremony for a new depot at Pirna near Dresden on November 23. The 38 000 m2 facility will have a four-track workshop, spare parts stores, offices, 3 000 m of sidings and facilities for testing locomotives under different electrification systems. ...
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NewsDART extends two light rail lines
USA: Dallas Area Rapid Transit began revenue service on two more sections of its expanding light rail network on December 3. The opening of extensions to the Blue and Orange lines brings the total length of the network to more than 135 route-km. A ribbon-cutting ceremony had been held in ...
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NewsEuropean Commission backs regenerative braking R&D
ITALY: The European Commission's LIFE+ programme is to meet 50% of the cost of pilot installation of Alstom's HESOP regenerative energy recovery system on Milano metro Line 3. HESOP is expected to recover almost all of the braking energy, equivalent to about 15% of total traction energy usage, enabling it ...
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NewsInter-regional coach approved
RUSSIA: Transmashholding's Tver Carriage Works has received federal vehicle approval for an improved version of its Type 61-4458 passenger coaches. Designed for inter-regional daytime services running at up to 160 km/h, Type 61-4458 cars have stainless steel bodyshells and two interior layout options. First class cars have 40 passenger seats ...
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NewsAlstom to build new Rio de Janeiro fleet
BRAZIL: On December 3 Alstom signed a contract with Rio de Janeiro commuter concessionaire SuperVia covering the supply of 20 four-car Metropolis EMUs. Representing a total investment of R$300m, the contract will see Alstom undertake final assembly and testing at new plant to be built on a 32 000 m2 ...
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NewsHarbin – Dalian PDL opens
CHINA: The 921 km Passenger-Dedicated Line between Harbin and Dalian opened to traffic on December 1, connecting the capital of Heilongjiang province with Changchun, Shenyang and Dalian, the largest port in northeast China. Designed for a maximum speed of 350 km/h, the route serves a total of 22 stations, including ...
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NewsX-Train to revive Los Angeles – Las Vegas service
USA: Inter-city passenger trains between Southern California and Las Vegas are set to resume in January 2014, following an inaugural run planned for December 31 2013. Trial running is expected to begin in October, 16 years after Amtrak’s Los Angeles – Salt Lake City – Chicago Desert Wind was withdrawn ...
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NewsDual-voltage loco to serve the Seikan Tunnel
JAPAN: The first of 20 dual-system electric locomotives being built by Toshiba for national rail freight operator JR Freight was unveiled at the manufacturer’s Fuchu factory in Tokyo on November 27. The Series EH800 Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo locomotives are intended to haul 1 067 mm gauge freight services between Honshu and Hokkaido ...
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NewsCommuter co-operation in Costa Rica
COSTA RICA: President Laura Chinchilla ratified an agreement with Spanish Development Minister Ana Pastor in Madrid on November 15, which will see the two countries working together to develop the rail network serving the Costa Rican capital San José. Under the terms of the three-year agreement, Spanish companies would be ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - December 2012
Mid-America Regional Council has approved the allocation of $17·7m of US federal funding to the planned $100m Downtown Streetcar starter line in Kansas City, Missouri. Lyon tram route T5 was inaugurated on November 17. It uses an existing section of Line T2, plus a new 3·8 km extension from ...