All Railway Gazette International articles in April 2003 – Page 2

  • News

    RSSB launched

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    AMENDMENTS to the UK’s railway safety case regulations were laid before Parliament on March 10, paving the way for the establishment of a new Rail Safety & Standards Board with effect from April 1. RSSB will replace the existing Railway Safety organisation, which was a subsidiary of Railtrack acting on ...

  • News

    Refurbished HST unveiled

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    THE first of 16 High Speed Train sets being refurbished for UK operator Midland Main Line was handed over by David Astill, Managing Director of Maintrain Ltd, to MML Deputy Managing Director Malcolm Brown in Derby on March 5. The £18·7m refurbishment programme is scheduled to finish by mid-2004, with ...

  • News

    ÖBB takes a hard look at intermodal

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    ANXIOUS TO ensure the long-term future of its intermodal business, Austrian Federal Railways has instigated a research and development programme aimed at cutting the costs of terminal handling. Much of the potential for savings resides in moving containers more efficiently through terminals, eliminating delays and reducing the cost of transferring ...

  • News

    Project groups

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    CAN in Automation, an international body for manufacturers and users of Controller Area Network standards in embedded networking, has reorganised its CANopen Special Interest Group for Railways. Two project groups have been established, which will both be co-ordinated by the CANopen Railway Special Interest Group.The diesel project group is developing ...

  • News

    Improved results at Greenbrier

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    GREENBRIER has announced improved European operating results, and progress towards recapitalisation of Greenbrier Europe. Following a restructuring announced in 2002, European financial results have improved and market share has increased. The company has received a US$15m tax refund for 2002, and expects to complete the recapitalisation of Greenbrier Europe in ...

  • News

    Scottish rail projects funded

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    THE FIRST of three light rail lines in Edinburgh is on course to open by 2009. Insisting that ’a first-class transport infrastructure for Scotland’s capital’ was a top priority, Iain Gray, Scotland’s Minister for Enterprise, Transport & Lifelong Learning, announced on March 4 that £375m would be made available to ...

  • News

    Restoring rails by friction

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    THE Welding Institute is working with UK rail safety and standards authority Railway Safety to study the use of friction transformation hardening to repair rails containing shallow surface defects caused by rolling contact fatigue.The concept is related to the friction stir welding technique, which uses friction to generate heat for ...

  • News

    Seeking a high speed freight market

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: The growth in premium express parcels business offers the potential for high speed trains to win traffic from air and road. But despite repeated proposals, logistical issues and the high investment required have so far conspired to prevent progressBYLINE: Dr Eckhard KuhlaManaging DirectorEKonsult GmbHEVERY MORNING, a windowless TGV pulls ...

  • News

    Tehran - Mashhad finished

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    IRANIAN Railways announced on March 5 that it had commissioned the second track on its 926 km main line between Tehran and Mashhad. The route has become a key corridor between the Persian Gulf and the Central Asian states following the opening of the Mashhad - Sarakhs link. The line ...

  • News

    Finance

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    Canada: CN has announced a US$400m debt offering of 4·4% 10-year loan notes. The proceeds will repay US$250m of 10-year higher interest notes issued by CN and Illinois Central due on May 15.Ottawa’s O-Train is to receive C$2·2m of city and provincial funding to install welded rails and improve station ...

  • News

    Prismatica programme shares expertise

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    ON MARCH 12 drivers on Paris metro Line 4 were taking industrial action following a staff assault incident the previous evening. Referring to this in her opening speech at the Security in Public Transport conference held in Paris on March 12-13, RATP President & Director General Anne-Marie Idrac was easily ...

  • News

    Highspeed Train Europe takes shape

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: Ralf Roman Rossberg reports from a seminar in Berlin on plans to develop a common design for tomorrow’s high speed rolling stock, but fundamental design decisions have yet to be madeWITH THE EXCEPTION of the Thalys and Eurostar fleets, nearly all of Europe’s high speed trains were designed and ...

  • News

    Engineers report profits

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    A PRE-TAX profit of £105·2m was reported by Amec plc for the year ended December 31 2002, on a total turnover of £4·3bn. This was down from the 2001 profit of £130·5m on turnover of £4·5bn. Transport contributed £1bn to turnover during 2002, with rail the leading growth element in ...

  • News

    High speed to El Ferrol

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    SPANISH high speed construction authority GIF has invited bids for four contracts to undertake preliminary studies for a new 450 km route along the northern coast, between El Ferrol and Bilbao via Oviedo and Santander. Three contracts cover the route in Galicia (budgeted at €1·8m), Asturias (k3m), and Cantabria and ...

  • News

    Dual gauge link

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    UNDER A programme to upgrade the Zaragoza - Huesca route for high speed services, the 20·7 km section between Tardienta and Huesca has been relaid to dual 1435mm and 1668mm gauge at a cost of €19m. Work has been undertaken during overnight possessions by Tecsa, using components developed by high ...

  • News

    Detecting derailments

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    SPANISH narrow-gauge operator Feve has equipped a proportion of its wagon fleet with the 3DyFAT derailment detector developed by All Rail Systems. The mechanical device is installed on the wagon bogies, applying the brakes in the event of a derailment. The vertical and horizontal position of the bogie is tracked ...

  • News

    Dubai design deal

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    SYSTRA has been awarded a contract to undertake engineering design and draw up tender documents for the planned 50 km two-line metro in Dubai (RG 2.02 p66). The east-west Green line will link the airport with the port, and the north-south Red line will run parallel to the coast. The ...

  • News

    No date set to open Madrid - Lleida

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    FACED WITH MOUNTING delays, the Spanish Ministry of Development has been forced to abandon its timetable for opening the Madrid - Lleida high speed line (RG 3.03 p117), which will not now be carrying fare-paying passengers until it is deemed to be completely ready. Commissioning is being piloted by a ...

  • News

    Switching data

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    BERLIN’s Lichterfelde West and Botanischer Garten S-Bahn stations have been equipped with SmartSwitch data network switching nodes from Thales Communications and H

  • News

    Keeping control

    2003-04-01T10:00:00Z

    ABB has developed a protection and control terminal for 50 and 60Hz power applications, derived from a 162/3 Hz design. Protection, control and monitoring functions are integrated to save space. The REO 517 can be used as a stand-alone multifunction unit, or integrated into an automated substation.ABB, SwedenReader Enquiry Number ...