All Railway Gazette International articles in April 2002
All articles published this month.
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News
Windhoff takeover
German railway equipment manufacturer Windhoff AG has been taken over by Georgsmarienhütte Holding GmbH. Windhoff slid into financial difficulties last year and applied for insolvency in December. The insolvency procedure opened on March 1, and Georgsmarienhütte acquired the assets of the Rheine-based company. Originally a steel maker, Georgsmarienhütte Holding is ...
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Randolph Street refurbishment
RANDOLPH Street station in Chicago is to undergo a $15m multi-phase refurbishment. Served by Metra Electric District and South Shore commuter trains, the station will be expanded by 1300m2, with improved lighting, larger passenger concourses, more convenient ticket sales, revamped toilets and modern information systems. Waiting areas will be air-conditioned, ...
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News
Publications
Telematics in Public Transport in GermanyTelematics is the combination of telecommunications and information technology, and has found applications with many German operators. In this 588-page book, 15 authors discuss current state-of-the-art applications, including mobile radio communications, locating vehicles, traffic management, passenger information systems, electronic payment, vehicle supervision and security, as ...
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News
Revival in prospect
THERE IS encouraging news for rail users in Nigeria. The Ministry of Transport has given details of plans to lease motive power from South Africa to haul freight, while 50 more locos are being acquired from China for passenger trains. Recent developments include the launch of a regular passenger service ...
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Pointers
n Chinese Railways Minister Fu Zhihuan confirmed in February that CR’s freight and passenger businesses will be reformed as separate companies over the next five years. Foreign companies will be permitted to form joint ventures with Chinese firms from 2003 to operate freight trains on selected routes, and as a ...
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PEOPLE
Amtrak President & Chief Executive Officer George D Warrington announced on March 7 that he was resigning; he is to return to New Jersey Transit, becoming Executive Director in succession to Jeffrey Warsh. John Robert Smith has been elected Chairman of Amtrak in place of Tommy Thompson, who stood down ...
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News
Roving staff on mini-metro
Michel Richardot, formerly a senior French police officer who worked for Interpol, has been appointed to oversee security with French-based contract operator Keolis. Speaking during a visit to the automated metro in Rennes on March 12, Richardot said his company’s policy was to provide a ’firm presence’ that deterred criminal ...
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News
Metros
France: The Ile-de-France transport authority has voted in favour of extending Paris metro Line 12 from Porte de la Chapelle to Mairie d’Aubervilliers. The 3·8 km route would have intermediate stations at Proudhon-Gardinoux and Pont-de-Stains.Hungary: Budapest city council has approved an HF5·2bn programme to modernise the city’s public transport network. ...
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Market
Brazil: Balfour Beatty Rail Power Systems has been awarded a R$21·7m contract to electrify the Recife - Cajueiro Seco route for Metrorec at 3 kV DC. The contract includes 14 km of double track and the construction of two substations.Cameroon: Nine General Motors GT18MC 1600hp Co-Co locos were sent to ...
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Letter
Zaragoza centreSir - The information regarding the control centre for the Madrid - Barcelona high speed line in February’s Intelligence (RG 2.02 p69) is not completely correct.The €10m contract for traction power supply, communications, station equipment and installation has been awarded to UTE TAVE, a joint venture between Sainco and ...
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News
MPV launched
ITALIAN construction equipment supplier Gallmac has expanded its range of rail construction equipment with the launch of its RMW 115 road-rail multi-purpose vehicle. This is derived from the company’s WMW 115 hydraulic excavator, fitted with retractable rail guide wheels 500mm in diameter.Capable of carrying a shovel, fork lift or other ...
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News
Killer thieves
We commented in RG 2.02 (p61), after a fatal collision in December 2001, on the deplorable state of commuter services operated by Metrorail, where the average age of EMU cars is 27 years and delays are endemic. While the EMUs are to be refurbished (p205), this will do nothing to ...
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News
INTELLIGENCE
Brazil: Tenders closed on March 5 for construction of a 57 km section of the North-South Railway between Ribeirão do Campo Alegre and Ribeirão do Coco. State construction authority Valec is evaluating bids for the work, expected to cost US$60m. Work began in January on the section between An
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News
Image storage
March Networks’ 4120 digital video recorder is designed for use in demanding transport environments. Mounted in a shock and vibration resistant, EMI, dust and waterproof housing, 4210 DVR can be linked to up to four cameras, with video accessed via a portable computer or wireless GSM link. Seven days of ...
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News
HSL-Zuid starts to take shape
INTRO: Civil engineering work is underway along the route of the Netherlands’ first 300 km/h line, although delays in awarding the E&M and operating concessions have pushed back the opening date to October 1 2006. Chris Jackson reportsIN A MUDDY POLDER just east of Leiden a temporary construction camp has ...
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News
Spoornet goes road-rail
ROAD-RAIL specialist Zagro and Nissan Diesel are supplying a fleet of 220 road-rail vehicles to Viamax Fleet Solutions (RG 9.01 p567). To be delivered by 2004, the vehicles will be leased by the infrastructure maintenance division of South African rail operator Spoornet. Zagro is supplying conversion kits for the Nissan ...
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Narrow gauge legacy
AS THE Shinkansen network expands into less densely populated regions, one difficulty that has arisen is the financial losses on parallel 1067mm gauge lines, which normally lose their limited express trains. This issue has been brought sharply into focus by the extension of the Tohoku Shinkansen north of Morioka to ...
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Manila gangway
SOUTH KOREAN rolling stock manufacturer Rotem (formerly known as Koros) has ordered inter-vehicle gangways from Woodville Polymer Engineering to equip the cars it is supplying to Manila heavy metro Line 2.The Metro Plus gangways have a double-skin polymer/fabric composite construction, providing fire resistance, insulation against noise and echo transmission, and ...
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News
Operators grasp state funds
EXTRA funding to keep Melbourne’s local rail and tram services going was announced by the Victorian government on February 26. The transport ministry said the ’interim agreement’ would bring ’greater certainty and stability’, with Transport Minister Peter Batchelor justifying the funds ’because of the financial problems facing the operators who ...
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Maglev projects may flop
TWO YEARS ago the German government decided to call time on plans to build a high speed magnetic levitation line between Berlin and Hamburg. It was, of course, out of the question to abandon 30 years of research and development paid for by the German taxpayer, so the government promised ...