All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 862
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NewsBusiness leaders push for faster liberalisation
FRANCE: Business leaders in Nord-Pas de Calais have expressed frustration at the slow rate of progress in expanding the European high speed rail network. Speaking to Railway Gazette International on May 3, Thierry Mabille de Poncheville, Managing Director of the Lille business promotion agency APIM, said that he was ‘very ...
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NewsKøbenhavn metro to be upgraded
DENMARK: København metro authority Metroselskabet has signed a framework agreement with Ansaldo STS to upgrade equipment supplied when the city’s metro network was built.The €33m upgrade forms part of Metroselskabet’s Capital Asset Replacement Programme to ensure that levels of service availability are maintained. The work involves replacement of ageing and ...
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NewsDeveloping markets drive Alstom rebound
ALSTOM: A 'strong commercial rebound' was seen in the last financial year, Alstom Chairman & CEO Patrick Kron announced on May 4. Demand is being driven by developing markets, which accounted for 60% of booked orders and 'demand is expected to continue to grow' in these areas, opening 'a new ...
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NewsHeathrow PRT pod passenger trials underway
UK: The ULTra personal rapid transit system serving business car parking areas at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 has begun carrying air passengers on a limited trial basis, following a period of live testing with airport staff. 'Testing is going very well', a spokesman told Railway Gazette International on May ...
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NewsSecond cross-city line goes ahead
GERMANY: Preliminary works for construction of a second S-Bahn cross-city line in München are to start this year. This follows signature of an agreement on April 8 to fund the €1·77bn project which is due for completion in 2017 in time for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, should München be ...
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NewsStadler Rail forms US subsidiary
USA: Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail has established subsidiary company Stadler US Inc in Westfield, New Jersey, to provide sales and support services for the North American passenger rail market. Announcing the formation of the subsidiary on April 29, Stadler Rail said its 'long-term commitment' is to enable 'rail ...
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NewsRelay rebranding
UK: Mors Smitt is to rebrand STS Rail Ltd as Mors Smitt UK Ltd, having acquired the Cradley Heath-based manufacturer of relays and train protection systems from Key Technologies plc with effect from April 28. STS Rail is now part of the MSN BV group. Mors Smitt produces N.S1 signalling ...
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VR-Group names Chairman
Finnish state-owned company VR-Group, which encompasses passenger and freight operations as well as infrastructure maintenance, has appointed Hannu Syrjänen as Chairman, succeeding Lauri Ratia who was holding the post on a temporary basis. Syrjänen was formerly CEO of media group Sanoma.Riku Aalto, head of Finland’s largest trade union Metalli, has ...
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NewsLombardia regional operator Trenord launched with €250m train tender
ITALY: The Trenitalia-LeNord joint venture created to run regional passenger services in Lombardia was officially branded as Trenord on April 29, marking the end of the 'experimental' phase which has seen the Lombardia division of national passenger operator Trenitalia merged with the LeNord services of long-established regional operator FNM. The ...
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NewsWork progresses on Edmonton light rail extension
CANADA: May 2 marked the start of major construction work on the 3·3 km, three-station light rail extension in Edmonton, running from Churchill to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. The tracks will be at grade except for a 700 m long, 18 m deep tunnel between Churchill and MacEwan. ...
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NewsWuhan metro continues to expand
CHINA: On April 21 the feasibility study for the second phase of Wuhan metro Line 4 was approved by a panel of experts in China. The Line 4 project involves construction of a 33·2 km east-west route with 28 stations connecting the districts of Hanyang and Wuchang. Total cost ...
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NewsBanedanmark awards track renewal contract
DENMARK: Infrastructure manager Banedanmark has awarded a joint venture of Strukton Rail and Aarsleff a contract to renew 38 km of track on the Bramming - Tønder route in southwest Denmark. The work to be undertaken from June to mid-August includes ballast cleaning and the renewal of 13 turnouts, which ...
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NewsMagnetic separation
SAFETY: The use of temporary fences to protect worksites is becoming more common, as railways come under pressure to keep busy lines open during maintenance and upgrading work. Such fences are typically secured to spikes driven into the ground or clipped to adjacent tracks. The RSS magnetic safety fence is ...
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NewsProducts & Technology in Brief
The German Federal Ministry for Economics & Technology has approved funding for a 42-month research project into the use of composite materials to reduce noise caused by wagon brakes. TMD Friction and four other suppliers are to investigate the cost-effectiveness of retrofitting existing wagons with composite blocks, which can reduce ...
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NewsFTA signs agreement to fund Central Corridor
USA: Representatives of the Federal Transit Administration and the Metropolitan Council signed a full funding grant agreement worth $478m in St Paul on April 26. The federal government is now committed to provide half of the $957m needed to build the 18 km Central Corridor light rail project linking Minneapolis ...
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NewsIndustry News in Brief
Rolling stock manufacturer CAF has announced a profit of €129·6m for the 2010 calendar year, up 4·3% on 2009. Net turnover was up 25% at €1576m, while EBITDA was up 19% at €194m. As of December 31 the company had an order backlog of €4519m, more than 55% of ...
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NewsChennai metro trackwork ordered
INDIA: Chennai Metro Rail Ltd has signed a €73m contract with the consortium of Alstom and Larsen & Toubro to supply trackwork for the 45 km two-line double-track metro network now under construction in the city.The scope of the contract includes design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of 105 km ...
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NewsLima metro operator chooses Alstom Metropolis trains
PERU: Alstom has been awarded a €130m contract to supply 19 five-car Metropolis trainsets to operating concessionaire Tren Lima – Línea 1 for the Tren Eléctrico metro project in Lima. Proinversión, an agency promoting private investment in Peru, awarded a 30-year concession for the operation and maintenance of Line ...
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NewsPeculiar Knob contract signed
AUSTRALIA: Genesee & Wyoming Australia has ordered nine 4 400 hp locomotives and plans to order rolling stock and other facilities taking its total investment to A$67m after signing a contract to haul iron ore from the Peculiar Knob mine which is being developed by WPG Resources in central South ...
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Price to join ORR
Former UK Home Office Chief Economist Richard Price, currently Chief Economist & Director of Performance at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, is to join the Office of Rail Regulation as Chief Executive. He will succeed Bill Emery, who steps down in June.The ORR has also announced the ...