The DH60C has been developed as a flexible design available with a range of options to suit individual customer needs. Hunslet can supply the locomotive with a complete maintenance package, which it sees as an attractive proposition for operators currently using second-hand locomotives which are technically obsolete and expensive to maintain.

The DH60C is powered by a 354 kW Caterpillar C15 Acert engine complying with European Stage IIIA and US Tier 3 requirements, with a SAN Engineering hydro-dynamic transmission.

The top speed is 16 km/h running light, with over-speed protection limiting loaded trains to 12 km/h. There is a driver vigilance device as well as an emergency stop button. The locomotive is designed for one-person operation, with duplicated left and right side controls with separate seats. Up to four other people can be accommodated in the cab, which also has a bench seat.

Broad steps for shunting are provided at each corner, and the heavy buffer beams reach to within 140 mm of the rail to act as skid beams to prevent damage to frame-mounted equipment in the event of derailment. The offset cab provides a safety shell for the driver.

A four-wheel version is currently under development, and Hunslet has plans to seek Network Rail approval for use on the UK's national rail network.

The restructuring has seen the unincorporated tri-national partnership under which Eurostar was created replaced by Eurostar International, a conventional three-way joint venture with its own staff and accounting procedures. Eurostar International is majority-owned by SNCF with a 55% stake, whilst the UK government currently holds 40%. SNCB retains a ‘sleeper’ share of 5%.

The idea of creating a single corporate entity for the business was first proposed in 2003 under ‘Project Jupiter’, but the prospect of on-rail competition for international services to London has given the process greater urgency.

Eurostar also announced plans in March this year to accelerate the restructuring as a means of improving managerial effectiveness in the wake of the failures that saw five heavily-loaded Eurostar services fail in the Channel Tunnel during the night of December 18-19 2009.

A Eurostar spokesman said that the completion of the legal process to create Eurostar International was ‘very much an internal milestone’, and the company was keen to stress that it was ‘business as usual’ for its passengers.

Meanwhile, Eurostar Chief Executive Nicolas Petrovic told French newspaper Les Echos on September 1 that ‘from tomorrow, we will be able to attack other markets … we can push the brand further into Europe.’

Based in Goldsboro, North Carolina, Reuel is a specialist manufacturer of electrical components and power supply equipment. The Traction Power business unit focuses on producing equipment for the mass transit industry, including custom power control units, circuit breakers, substations, and AC and DC switchgear.

‘The acquisition fulfils an important goal for Balfour Beatty Rail — to strengthen our transit capabilities and become a one-stop provider of rail services, whether it is track, communications, signals, power or even civil construction’, said BBRI’s Transit Division Vice President Joe Reed.

Russian firm NPO Mostovik provided two bridges, a Chinese consortium of Cntic and EEB supplied the overhead electrical equipment, InterEng Messtechnik and ZTE of Germany signalling and telecoms, and Latvian firm Belam the Scada equipment.

UTY says completing its programme to electrify the Toshkent regional network will cut operating costs and offer environmental benefits.

Walsh Construction was awarded a $205m contract to construct the 11 km St Paul segment in June.

The dynamometer uses pneumatic cylinders to force friction materials onto a wheel under simulated operating conditions, to ensure compliance with European standards. Thorite supplied new cylinders and a master control panel to allow the collection of accurate performance data.

TMD Friction supplies Cosid-branded products to customers in countries including the UK, Germany and China.

The retendering follows termination earlier this year of the previous contract, known as CR1, ‘with little construction work having been completed’, according to the Ministry of Transportation’s General Directorate of Railways, Harbours & Airports. The CR1 contract had been awarded in March 2007 to the AMD Consortium consisting of Alstom, Marubeni and local partner Dogus.

The new contract, designated CR3, covers upgrading of the suburban railways on both sides of the Bosporus. The existing double-track alignments on each side of the main tunnel are to be replaced by three tracks.

Also in the contract are construction or rebuilding works at 36 station sites, replacement or construction of 130 bridges, and construction of stabling yards, workshops and maintenance facilities for commuter and inter-city rolling stock. Two new substations are required, together with upgrading of four existing substations and supply of overhead line equipment, signalling and telecommunications, two control centres, a SCADA system and automated fare collection. Maintenance for two years and training and support functions are also listed in the contract requirements.

A pre-bid information meeting is scheduled for September 15, and contract implementation is expected ‘from April 2011’. The Directorate states that phased implementation is required from the end of 2013 to the end of 2014.

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The council's decision paves the way for construction to begin before the end of the year. The $128m project is being managed on a design-build-operate-maintain basis.

Officials have yet to decide between two possible alignments between Over-the-Rhine and Uptown. Both options have sharp curves and steep gradients. Planners are seeking technical advice from vehicle manufacturers and consulting local residents.