All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 851
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NewsDual-voltage rebuild
CZECH REPUBLIC:The first two of 30 Class 163 electric locomotives being rebuilt by Škoda's Pars Nova Sumperk subsidiary were returned to CD Cargo at the end of May. The KC1·8bn rebuilding programme was launched in 2009 and runs to 2014, with the aim of extending the life of the 26-year ...
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NewsMetro projects underway in Changsha, Xi'an, Wuhan and Xiamen
CHINA: Work on the first phase of Changsha metro lines 3 and 4 is expected to get underway by the end of the year. The southwest-northeast Line 3 would be 33·4 km long with 24 stations and Line 4 would run northwest-southeast for 29·1 km with 21 ...
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NewsStadler to supply drivelines for Russian DMUs
RUSSIA: Speaking at the opening of the Swissrail Forum in Moscow on July 12, Swiss Federal Councillor and Head of the Economic Affairs Department Johann Schneider-Ammann announced that Stadler Rail had won its first order from Russia. Under a deal valued at SFr240m, Stadler is to supply 100 four-axle diesel ...
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NewsDB submits Channel Tunnel ICE safety case
EUROPE: Deutsche Bahn submitted safety documentation for the operation of Velaro D high speed trainsets through the Channel Tunnel to the Intergovernmental Commission on July 11. This will allow the IGC to clarify any outstanding matters before DB formally applies for a safety certificate to operate the Siemens-built trains at ...
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NewsSonar spots rail breaks
SOUTH AFRICA: Underwater sonar has been adapted for remote rail defect detection by South Africa's Council for Scientific & Industrial Research and the Institute for Maritime Technology. A transducer bolted to the rail creates ultrasonic vibrations which propagate up to 1·5 km, and an electronic sensor sends alerts to the ...
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NewsCFS develops 2025 expansion plan
SYRIA: State railway CFS has announced details of a strategic plan running to 2025 which it is discussing with the Ministry of Transport. Proposals include construction of new lines to develop domestic and international traffic, upgrading existing lines to allow faster speeds and higher freight volumes, staff training and higher ...
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NewsSanto Domingo puts Line 2 financing in place
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: The national Congress has approved an international financing package covering the railway systems elements for the 11·5 km first phase of Santo Domingo's east-west metro Line 2. Civil works are already underway on the initial stage of Line 2, between Los Alcarrizos and J P Duarte; this will ...
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NewsSuppliers agree 'step change' research and development initiative
EUROPE: On July 1 the heads of 11 major rail sector suppliers signed a declaration of intent to establish a Joint Technology Initiative to bring about a 'step change' in industry-driven research and development. To run during the European Commission's next Framework Programme for Research & Innovation, which starts in ...
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NewsWellington suburban rail upgrading package agreed
NEW ZEALAND: A package of infrastructure upgrades on Wellington’s Tranz Metro suburban rail network and transfer of the train fleet from KiwiRail to Greater Wellington Regional Council was approved on July 5. GWRC has assumed ownership of the stations (other than Wellington), stabling and depot facilities. It ...
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NewsKøbenhavn councils agree Ring 3 tram project
DENMARK: A framework agreement for the development of a tram line paralleling the busy Ring 3 ring road in western København was signed by the Transport Ministry, capital region and 11 local councils on June 29. Planned for opening in 2020, the 28 km line would run from Lundtofte in ...
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NewsBerlin S-Bahn groundbreaking
GERMANY: A groundbreaking ceremony in Berlin on June 6 marked the start of work on tram and S-Bahn connections to the Hauptbahnhof. A 2·3 km tram route will be built along Invalidenstrasse linking Nord-bahnhof with Hauptbahnhof by 2015, while a new north-south S-Bahn line designated S21 would connect Potsdamer Platz ...
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NewsAthens metro line reopens
GREECE: Attiko Metro reopened the underground section of Line 1 between Attiki and Monastiraki on June 7 following completion of track renewal work (MR 3.11 p48). However, the discovery of archaeological remains has halted work on the section between Omonia and Thissio, which is currently limited to single-track operation. As ...
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NewsInvensys Rail awarded London Bridge resignalling contract
UK: Network Rail has selected Invensys Rail for a framework contract to resignal the London Bridge station area under what the infrastructure manager's Director of Investment Projects, Simon Kirby, said would be 'one of the most complex station, track and signalling projects being undertaken on the railway network in a ...
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NewsFirst line opens under £1·4bn Manchester tram expansion
UK: Revenue service on the 2·7 km Metrolink branch from Trafford Bar to St Werburgh’s Road in Chorlton began on July 7.‘It is both an historic occasion and a sign of the exciting future in store for the network, as we continue our £1·4 billion expansion — the single biggest ...
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NewsSun helps to cool burning Phoenix
USA: Push-button operated on-demand cooling has been installed in the seating area of Phoenix Metro's 3rd Street/Washington light rail stop. Developed and funded by NRG Thermal, the system uses solar power to operate overhead cool air blowers linked to the district cooling network. It was launched on July 6, when ...
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NewsFlushed with success
TOILETS: To support the design of Coradia Polyvalent trains for France, Alstom has developed a train toilet test bench which enables testing of elements including the suction system, cabin doors and tanks. The test bench is installed at Alstom's Barcelona plant. 'Toilet cabins, unlike other facilities, are not standardised, which ...
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NewsRapid transit plan agreed as last train leaves Singapore
SINGAPORE: The final KTMB train left Tanjung Pagar station for Johor Bahru in Malaysia at 23.00 on June 30, driven by the Sultan of Johar and watched by a crowd of onlookers. At midnight ownership of the 26 km rail corridor south of Woodlands Train Checkpoint on the Singapore ...
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NewsAlstom agrees job cuts at Salzgitter
GERMANY: On July 7 the IG Metall trade union announced that it had agreed terms with Alstom over planned workforce reductions at its plant in Salzgitter. The company had announced in March that it intended to cut 700 jobs at Saltzgitter, as part of a wider reduction which would also ...
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NewsDB Regio awarded RE-Netz Südwest operating contract
GERMANY: On July 5 the Rheinland-Pfalz Nord and Süd, Rhein-Main, Baden-Württemberg and Saarland transport authorities announced the selection of DB Regio Südwest for a 15-year contract to operate RE-Netz Südwest services from December 2014. The contract covers two groups of services to be operated under the planned Rheinland-Pfalz-Takt 2015 timetable. ...
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NewsSiemens to supply ETCS for High Plateau line
ALGERIA: Railway development agency ANESRIF has awarded a consortium including the ESTEL joint venture of national railway SNTF and Siemens a contract to supply ETCS Level 1 signalling and telecoms for 290 km of the High Plateau line between M'Sila, the new town of Boughzoul and Tissemsilt (9.08 p699). Siemens ...