All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 941
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NewsNo go on DB’s IPO
GERMANY: Despite recent suggestions by some political commentators that the postponed partial flotation of DB Mobility Logistics could be reactivated after the country’s federal elections this month, DB Chairman Rüdiger Grube has ruled out any sale for the foreseeable future. Last month he told Der Spiegel that ‘there will probably ...
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NewsStruggling concessions under review
EAST AFRICA: Frustrated by a lack of progress in revitalising the region’s railways, politicians are increasingly questioning the ability of the concessionaires and withdrawing their support in favour of ambitious proposals to develop new standard-gauge lines.
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NewsAlstom retains Luas infrastructure maintenace contract
IRELAND: The Railway Procurement Agency has awarded the infrastructure maintenance contract for Dublin’s Luas light rail network to Alstom after a competitive tender. The five-year contract, which will take effect on October 1, is worth more than €30m for Alstom and its partner Dalkia, with Alstom’s share being €24m. There ...
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NewsMelbourne's trains to get Metro brand
AUSTRALIA: 'Metro' was unveiled as the branding for Melbourne's suburban rail services on September 1, when the Victoria government signed the operating contract under which Metro Trains Melbourne will replace Veolia Transport. On the same day, Keolis Downer EDI signed the contract to operate the Yarra Trams network. ...
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NewsVeolia agrees sale of freight division
EUROPE: Veolia Environnement confirmed to the Paris stock exchange on September 3 that the sale of its rail freight business to SNCF and Groupe Eurotunnel had been agreed, subject to approval by competition authorities. Veolia Cargo’s operations in France, which include the Socorail, Veolia Cargo France, Veolia Cargo Link and ...
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NewsConstellation Software buys intelligent transport business
PUBLIC TRANSIT SOLUTIONS: Automotive component supplier Continental signed a contract to sell its Public Transit Solutions business to Toronto-based Constellation Software Inc on August 31, as part of a streamlining of its portfolio. The PT business develops control equipment, on-board computers and passenger information systems for trams and buses. ...
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NewsDutch tram-train trial to end
NETHERLANDS: The Dutch tram-train pilot project between Alphen-aan den Rijn and Gouda is expected to end with the December 2009 timetable change, when the current mix of trams and EMUs will be replaced by a strengthened train service. This follows the signing of an agreement between the province of ...
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NewsWestinghouse Rail Systems becomes Invensys Rail
INVENSYS: Renaming of Westinghouse Rail Systems Ltd to Invensys Rail with effect from September 1 marked the start of an international rebranding which will bring the companies within the Invensys Rail Group under the Invensys Rail banner over the next few months. This reflects ongoing co-operation between UK-based Westinghouse ...
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NewsLGV Est Phase 2 tendering gets underway
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager RFF invited tenders on September 2 for work on the second phase of Ligne à Grande Vitesse Est Européenne, with a view to starting construction in the spring of 2010. This follows the signing of the formal financing agreement for the project on September 1. Participating ...
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NewsCircle Line tunnelling completed
SINGAPORE: Tunnelling works for the Circle Line were completed on August 17, with the break-through of a tunnel boring machine into Farrer Road Station. Tunnelling on the last stretch, known as Stage 4, comprised four drives. Two drives from One-North to Haw Par Villa were completed in February 2008. ...
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NewsAECOM buys LAN Engineering
USA: AECOM Technology Corp has acquired Lim & Nascimento Engineering Corp, saying the deal announced on August 30 would strengthen AECOM's transport activities and increase the geographical reach of California-based LAN. Working mainly with public sector clients, LAN provides engineering design and management services for transport projects including rail ...
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NewsVoith wins Syntus train maintenance contract
NETHERLANDS: Passenger operator Syntus has selected Voith Railservices to maintain its fleet of DM90 and Alstom Coradia Lint diesel multiple-units for three years from mid-December. There were five bidders for the contract, which is currently held by Nedtrain. Voith already has similar agreements with Arriva and Veolia Transport. ...
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NewsVeolia and Transdev in talks
FRANCE: European legislation on the procurement of public services is starting to drive further consolidation between the major public transport operators. On July 22 state-owned investment body Caisse des Dépôts confirmed that it had decided to enter into exclusive negotiations with Veolia Environnement with a view to merging their Transdev ...
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NewsCisalpino II in service at last
EUROPE: While Dutch and Danish engineers continue to wrestle with the V250 and IC4 trainsets respectively, another challenging procurement saga appears to be drawing to a close. With a palpable sense of relief, the Cisalpino joint venture operator announced on July 20 that the first of its Class 610 tilting ...
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NewsPointers September 2009
Plans to develop high speed passenger services in Ukraine have been put back from 2015 to 2020 in the light of the economic climate. In the meantime, UZ is segregating passenger and freight services to permit the wider introduction of 160 km/h running. Russian Railways is developing a business plan ...
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NewsMetro Line 3 to Athens Airport reopens
GREECE: On August 31 the section of Attiko metro Line 3 between Ethniki Amyna and Athens airport went back into service, and Nomismatokopeio station was opened to the public for the first time. The new station has an underground car park and provides an interchange with several bus routes serving ...
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NewsChicago corridor cut
USA: Plans to re-configure five key rail corridors to improve the flow of traffic through the Chicago area are being scaled back owing to a lack of funding. The Chicago Region Environmental & Transportation Efficiency programme was launched in 2003 as a $1·5bn public-private partnership between the Department of ...
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NewsWeighed within 0·05%
WEIGHT: A vehicle weighing track installed at Bombardier’s Derby plant by Avery Weigh-Tronix can measure rolling stock weight distribution to within 0·05%, thanks to rail transponders and a controlled environment where wind, rain and rough terrain cannot affect results. The Weighline WI 1310 static rail weighing system was developed to ...
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NewsMonitoring passenger flows in stations
CHINA: China TransInfo Technology Corp has launched its TransPLE Passenger Flow Statistic, Detecting & Analysis System, which uses laser scanners and cameras to analyse pedestrian volume, speed and direction in busy stations. The results can be used to optimise layouts for pedestrian flow, as well as supporting crowd control, ...
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