http://www.railwaygazette.com/ Latest News en http://www.railwaygazette.com/typo3conf/ext/tt_news/ext_icon.gif http://www.railwaygazette.com/ 18 16 Latest News TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:34:00 +0100 http://www.railwaygazette.com/index.php?id=44&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=14720&cHash=3290c38d8812e84dfcb7756a079f10ed CANADA: Caterpillar subsidiary Progress Rail announced on February 3 that it was closing the Electro-Motive Diesel locomotive assembly plant at London, Ontario, with immediate effect. Approximately 450 employees represented by the Canadian Auto Workers union will be affected, along with non-union management grades. Staff at Electro-Motive Canada had been locked out since January 1 in an increasingly bitter dispute over pay and conditions. According to the company, ‘all facilities within EMC, EMD and Progress Rail Services must achieve competitive costs, quality and operating flexibility to compete and win in the global marketplace. 'The collective agreement and cost structure of the London operation did not position EMC to be flexible and cost-competitive in the global marketplace, placing the plant at a competitive disadvantage. While the company’s final offer addressed those competitive disadvantages, the gulf between the company and the union was too wide to resolve and as such, market conditions dictate that the company take this step.’ Assembly of locomotives will be shifted from the London facility to the company’s other assembly plants in North and South America, ‘which will ensure that delivery schedules are not impacted by the closing of the London facility’. Much of the work is expected to transfer to Progress Rail’s recently opened US assembly plant at Muncie, Indiana. Some work is likely to move to Sahagún in Mexico, where Bombardier has been assembling locomotives under contract to EMD for several years. Industry + Technology Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:34:00 +0100 http://www.railwaygazette.com/index.php?id=44&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=14716&cHash=4672307051c7c153bf5227e9dda14c7c GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has awarded a contract to Funkwerk IT for resignalling its Bremen – Bremerhaven line using electronic interlockings. Partly double-track, the 63 km mixed traffic line with a maximum speed of 160 km/h is being upgraded to accommodate a projected doubling of traffic by 2015. Valued at around €5m, the deal announced by Funkwerk IT on February 3 forms part of an existing framework agreement with DB Netz. The line will be the second DB route to be equipped with Funkwerk IT’s Alister computer-based interlockings, which have been designed to meet Cenelec SIL4 standards with a scalable modular architecture approved by EBA and TÜV. Two interlockings are to be installed at Oldenbüttel and Lübberstedt, controlling 60 signals, 12 turnouts and 12 level crossings, together with 47 sets of axle-counters and a speed-checking facility. Both interlockings will be operated remotely from DB’s regional control centre at Stubben using an optic fibre communications link. Six additional signals are to be installed between Bremen-Burg and Bremerhaven-Wolsdorf to shorten block lengths and increase line capacity. The new signalling is due to be commissioned in October 2013. Projects + Infrastructure Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:18:00 +0100 http://www.railwaygazette.com/index.php?id=44&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=14714&cHash=49c5a8c419cc3703b6a123858cb2f3f0 SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority has awarded a €240m contract to Alstom covering the supply of 34 driverless Metropolis trainsets for the Circle and North East lines, as well as signalling upgrades for both routes.NEL will receive 18 six-car trainsets and another 16 three-car sets will be supplied to CCL. They will be updated versions of the Metropolis fleets is already in service on both lines.The first trainset is due to be delivered in 2015 with final dispatch in 2016.The extra trains will boost capacity across the network where daily public transport ridership has gone from 1∙78 million in 2009 to over 2 million in 2010.Alstom will design the Metropolis trainsets in Europe and produce them through two subsidiaries based in China: Shanghai Alstom Transport Co Ltd and Shanghai Alstom Electrical Equipment Co Ltd.‘These projects show Alstom’s expertise in interfacing our technology with existing infrastructure and meeting customer expectations’, said Alstom President Henri Poupart Lafarge. ‘We are very proud to be part of these projects as they will provide greater transportation convenience to many passengers in Singapore’.
NEL will receive 18 six-car trainsets and another 16 three-car sets will be supplied to CCL. They will be updated versions of the Metropolis fleets is already in service on both lines.

The first trainset is due to be delivered in 2015 with final dispatch in 2016.The extra trains will boost capacity across the network where daily public transport ridership has gone from 1∙78 million in 2009 to over 2 million in 2010.

Alstom will design the Metropolis trainsets in Europe and produce them through two subsidiaries based in China: Shanghai Alstom Transport Co Ltd and Shanghai Alstom Electrical Equipment Co Ltd.

‘These projects show Alstom’s expertise in interfacing our technology with existing infrastructure and meeting customer expectations’, said Alstom President Henri Poupart Lafarge. ‘We are very proud to be part of these projects as they will provide greater transportation convenience to many passengers in Singapore’.

]]> Urban Rail Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:10:00 +0100 http://www.railwaygazette.com/index.php?id=44&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=14712&cHash=33274160279e26974488754c9246ece5 DENMARK: Infrastructure manager Banedanmark signed two contracts on January 31 covering the installation of ETCS infrastructure across its entire main line network as part of its DKr18bn Signalling Programme. The Fjernbane West and East contracts have a total value of DKr5·8bn. Banedanmark had announced in December the preferred bidders for both contracts, following a competitive procurement process which attracted six bids from major suppliers. A consortium of Thales and Balfour Beatty Rail will undertake the western contract covering Jylland, whilst Alstom will equip the eastern half of the network. Both groups have signed agreements to step in and take over the other contract if one of the suppliers were unable to complete its task. Alstom has subsequently been selected as preferred bidder for the ETCS onboard systems contract as well. Last year Siemens was awarded the fourth main contract covering the supply and installation of a complete CBTC package for the København S-bane network. ‘Banedanmark’s choice of suppliers for the signalling on the Fjernbane marks an important step towards a modern railway in Denmark’, said Transport Minister, Henrik Dam Kristensen. ‘The replacement of the old signals will reduce the number of delayed trains, permit higher speeds and bring shorter travel times for passengers. At the same time it will pave the way for electrification of the railway, which is a high priority for the coming years’. The programme will see all legacy signalling on the main line network replaced with ETCS Level 2 by 2021. The two Fjernbane contracts both envisage pilot routes being converted by 2018. These pilots on the Frederikshavn - Langa route in Jylland and Roskilde – Næstved – Køge in Sjaelland would precede a phased rollout over the following three years. The S-bane CBTC is now also expected to go live in 2018, two years ahead of the original schedule. Projects + Infrastructure Industry + Technology Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:53:00 +0100 http://www.railwaygazette.com/index.php?id=44&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=14710&cHash=6e07df0d460d4827811eb04483eefe70 AFGHANISTAN: Celebrations were held at Naibabad freight terminal at 12.00 on February 3, when ‘a substantial reception party’ greeted the arrival of the first train carrying commercial traffic on the 75 km rail link between Hairatan and Mazar-i-Sharif. The inaugural load comprised nine wagons of flour from Kazakhstan and three of timber from Siberia. Unloading began shortly after the train arrived at Naibabad, which lies just east of Mazar-i-Sharif airport. Nominally operational since mid-2011, the line saw its first test trains reach Mazar-i-Sharif in late December, following further work to reinforce the trackbed and improve security. The line is being operated by Uzbekistan’s state railway under a three year concession signed on August 4, but UTY had been waiting for formal safety approval before starting commercial operation. Forming an end-on extension of UTY’s cross-border spur via the Friendship Bridge over the Amu Darya River at Hairatan, the line to Mazar-i-Sharif was built by UTY under a deal with the Asian Development Bank signed in 2009. ADB contributed US$165m towards the estimated cost, with the rest raised locally. The Afghan parliament voted in October 2011 to provide a local contribution of US$20m. Freight Projects + Infrastructure Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:14:00 +0100 http://www.railwaygazette.com/index.php?id=44&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=14718&cHash=967bded50e28ab8b2d3a640a97ef76b2 BRAZIL: The Infrastructure Secretariat of Amazonas signed a contract with a consortium of Scomi Engineering, CR Almedia, Mendes Junior and Serveng, on January 20 to build a 20 km straddle monorail in the city of Manaus. Total value of the contract is put at R$1∙45bn. Scomi Engineering’s share is worth R$339∙9m. It includes the supply of 10 six-car SUTRA trainsets and depot equipment, as well as track switches, a maintenance vehicle, system integration and project management. Announced in August 2012, the line will run from Largo da Matriz to Jorge Teixeira, serving nine stations; it is designed to carry up to 35 000 passengers/h per direction. Completion is scheduled for 2014.Scomi was awarded its first Brazilian monorail project on June 2 2011 as part of the Monotrilho Intergração consortium which is to build the 18 km elevated Line 17 with 18 stations in São Paulo.
Total value of the contract is put at R$1∙45bn. Scomi Engineering’s share is worth R$339∙9m. It includes the supply of 10 six-car SUTRA trainsets and depot equipment, as well as track switches, a maintenance vehicle, system integration and project management. 

Announced in August 2012, the line will run from Largo da Matriz to Jorge Teixeira, serving nine stations; it is designed to carry up to 35 000 passengers/h per direction. Completion is scheduled for 2014.

Scomi was awarded its first Brazilian monorail project on June 2 2011 as part of the Monotrilho Intergração consortium which is to build the 18 km elevated Line 17 with 18 stations in São Paulo.

]]> Urban Rail Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:17:00 +0100 http://www.railwaygazette.com/index.php?id=44&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=14660&cHash=7517ed2bee0888ebc2cfdc6000dc5182 USA: The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded a grant worth $250000 to commuter rail operator Veolia Transportation to fund a study into the causes of train driver distraction. The study is to be conducted at the Volpe Institute of Transportation Studies in Massachusetts. It will be co-ordinated by George Elsmore, who is being seconded from Veolia, where he was Vice-President of Rail Safety & Compliance. He will be assisted by academic specialist Dr Raja Parasuraman, a professor of psychology at George Mason University. The two-part study is intended to 'find ways the industry can, in all modes of transportation, reduce accidents and violations related to distracted drivers'. Under the first phase, a team of drivers from the Boston area will undergo assessment on a simulator at the Volpe Institute's Cab Technology Integration Laboratory. Various potential hazards and distractions, including poor weather and other unusual operating conditions, will be introduced during the assessment, and the drivers' response, overall performance and physical condition during the session will be recorded. The results of the first phase will be used to draft a training programme, before the drivers are again put through an assessment process including various hazards that should allow the benefits of the training to be evaluated. Following a final analysis of the test results by Dr Parasuraman's team, a final report will then be submitted to FRA. Driver distraction has been a major issue in the US passenger market since a fatal accident at Chatsworth, California, in September 2008. The driver of a Metrolink commuter service was found to have sent a text message from his mobile phone 22 sec before his train collided with a Union Pacific freight, killing 25 people. News Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:00:00 +0100 http://www.railwaygazette.com/index.php?id=44&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=14708&cHash=c461009fc1471c8ffdca598f784e068a RUSSIA: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin officially launched production of wagons at the Tikhvin Railway Car Building Plant in Leningrad oblast on January 30. Industrial investment business ICT Group has designed the TVSZ factory around the latest production processes from the automotive, aerospace and rail sectors. According to ICT, it is the first Russian factory for half a century to combine foundry production and vehicle assembly on a single site. This is expected to offer flexibility and productivity rates 'several times' in excess of established domestic wagon plants, with TVSZ able to produce a wheelset every 4½ min and complete a wagon every 24 min. TVSZ currently employs 1 500 people, and this could grow to 4 500, with annual production reaching 13 000 wagons, 65 000 wheelsets and 90 000 tonnes of castings. Automated equipment and robots from Danobat, Eisenmann, KUKA Systems, Heinrich Wagner Sinto and Siemens-VAI are similar to equipment used by Volkswagen, General Motors, BMW, Ford and Airbus, while ICT says the only comparable casting machinery is used by Daimler. Resource planning is adapted from systems used by Boeing. ICT expects wagons from TVSZ to be 50% cheaper to maintain than established Russian designs, and more track friendly thanks to the development of a Standard Car Truck (now Wabtec) Barber bogie for the 1520 market. Investment in the plant has totalled 36bn roubles, plus 6bn roubles for employee housing, with ICT being supported by state development institutes Vnesheconombank and Eurasian Development Bank. Industry + Technology Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:01:00 +0100 http://www.railwaygazette.com/index.php?id=44&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=14706&cHash=6678dcae23b5f0de80a27622eea3f194 UK: Having received bids submitted from 'all over the world, not just Europe', on February 2 West Midlands transport authority Centro named CAF as preferred bidder to supply new trams to replace the existing Midland Metro fleet and provide additional capacity on the 21 km light rail route linking Birmingham and Wolverhampton. The contract for 19 five-section Urbos 3 trams with options for up to six more is expected to be signed within six weeks, and will be worth 'in the region of £40m'. The new vehicles will replace the 16 Ansaldo cars supplied for the opening of the line in 1999, and will provide additional capacity to meet the predicted increase in demand when the 1·3 km extension to New Street station in central Birmingham opens in 2015. Scheduled to enter service from late 2014, the five-section air-conditioned cars will have a capacity of around 200 passengers, compared with 156 on the current fleet. There will be two wheelchair spaces. Similar Urbos 3 cars are in use in Zaragoza, where they are built by CAF, and also in Sevilla and Beograd. Centro Chief Executive Geoff Inskip outlines his vision for rail investment in the West Midlands in the February 2012 issue of Railway Gazette International, which is available to subscribers via our digital archive.

Centro Chief Executive Geoff Inskip outlines his vision for rail investment in the West Midlands in the February 2012 issue of Railway Gazette International, which is available to subscribers via our digital archive.

]]> Urban Rail Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:16:00 +0100 http://www.railwaygazette.com/index.php?id=44&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=14704&cHash=47193c3e3aef774766f3da8e8e925146 TURKEY: National railway TCDD has awarded Thales a €20m contract to install ETCS Level 2 and GSM-R communications on the existing 251 km high speed section of the Ankara - Istanbul route. Deployment of Level 2 in place of the present Level 1 supervision is expected to increase capacity on the section between Sincan and Eskisehir, which opened in March 2009 as Turkey's first 250 km/h route. Announcing the contract on February 1, Thales said that it had previously won ETCS Level 1 contracts covering more than 400 km of the Ankara - Istanbul corridor. A dedicated high speed line is currently under construction between Eskisehir and Gebze for opening by the end of 2014. Projects + Infrastructure Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:46:00 +0100