All Railway Gazette International articles in April 2009
All articles published this month.
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NewsTraining in a virtual world
SIMULATORS: The latest driver training programmes offered by Orca Railway Systems include fuel saving and train-handling strategies to cut operating costs; remote diagnostics allow software maintenance and upgrading via the internet. Mary Anne Throop reports from Vancouver.
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NewsPacific National for sale
AUSTRALIA: Asciano confirmed on March 16 that it was putting up for sale two of the country’s most recognised transport and logistics brands: Patrick Stevedores and Pacific National. In the face of the global financial crisis, the company plans to sell either the container port business or its rail freight ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - April 2009
St Petersburg metro Line 4 was diverted to a newly-opened terminus at Spasskaya on March 7, with the Sadovaya – Komendantskiy Prospekt section of Line 4 transferred to Line 5. A consortium comprising Alstom, Gea21, Inabensa, Mipelsa and Pavimentaciones Morales has been awarded a €74·8m turnkey contract to build Jaén’s ...
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News
Dallas commuter line grant
USA: Construction could get underway in April on the Denton County Transportation Authority’s A-Train commuter rail project now that a $250m grant has been received from the Texas Department of Transportation. The 33·8 km, five-station line will connect Denton to Carrollton, a transfer point to Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s ...
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News
CAF trams on test in Antalya
TURKEY: Test running has started with 14 CAF light rail vehicles for the 11 km Antalya tramway being built by Alarko, which is due for completion on June 14. The line will have 16 stops, including two cut-and-cover stations, and a depot at the northern terminus of Fatih. From ...
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News
Budget slashed
ARGENTINA: Jorge Irigoin, President of Buenos Aires metro construction authority Sbase, has resigned two weeks after the city’s Minister of Urban Development Daniel Chain announced a 75% reduction in the budget for metro development. The figure of 447m pesos approved by the city government last December has now been cut ...
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News
Boon Lay extension open
SINGAPORE: The S$436m extension of the East–West Line by 3·8 km from Boon Lay to Pioneer and Joo Koon opened on February 28. A date has now been set for the inauguration of the Circle Line. Phase 1 will commence operations on May 30, when five stations at Bartley, Serangoon, ...
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News
Warszawa Line 2 bids under review
POLAND: Five offers have been submitted by international consortia competing to build the 6 km central section of Warszawa Metro Line 2. The committee evaluating the tenders is expected to make a decision by the end of March. This must then be ratified by the City of Warszawa. The ...
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News
Grant concluded
USA: A US$900m full funding grant agreement for Washington’s Dulles Metrorail extension was signed by US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on March 9, clearing the way for work to start. The FFGA covers Phase 1 of the $5·2bn, 37 km project from East Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue ...
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News
Kolkata projects launched
INDIA: The Kolkata Mass Rapid Transit SPV, a consortium of Srei Infrastructure, West Bengal Transport Infrastructure Development Corp and Czech-based Amex International, was launched by West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on February 18 to implement a Rs60bn light rail project in Kolkata. The 40 km north-south route from ...
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NewsAmtrak plans fleet refurbishment
USA: A programme for the repair and return to service of stored passenger coaches and locomotives was presented to the Federal Railroad Administration by Amtrak at the end of March, all to be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which has $1*middot;3bn set aside for the passenger operator. ...
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NewsCrossrail selects Bechtel as Project Delivery Partner
UK: Crossrail Ltd announced on April 1 that it intends to appoint a team of Bechtel, Halcrow and Systra as project delivery partner for the construction of the central section of the east-west route across London. Under the terms of the £400m contract they will be responsible for overseeing ...
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NewsThe bloodbath is coming
EUROPE: Liberalisation of international passenger services is intended to boost customer choice, but fierce competition between rail and air could result in consolidation, says Christian Rossi.
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NewsRDC in French freight venture
FRANCE:?Transport minister Dominique Bussereau announced on March 31 the creation of a joint venture to promote local and wagonload freight services. The company is intended to provide expertise, financial and project planning assistance and operational input to encourage small businesses to transport freight over short distances by rail - the ...
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NewsBombardier signs Stansted airport train order
UK: Preferred bidder Bombardier Transportation has signed a £173m contract to supply and maintain a fleet of 120 EMU cars for services between London and Stansted Airport, the company announced on April 2. The trains are worth £155m, and will be built at Derby for delivery between March and ...
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NewsGrube nominated to replace Mehdorn
GERMANY:?Rüdiger Grube has been nominated by the federal government to replace Deutsche Bahn’s Chairman & Chief Executive Hartmut Mehdorn, who tendered his resignation on March 30 in the wake of further revelations about the covert surveillance of DB staff. Grube is currently Director of Corporate Development at car manufacturer Daimler, ...
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NewsThree-stage programme to update RZD’s fleet
RUSSIA: Plans to give Russian Railways a fleet of modern diesel and electric locomotives are being implemented as part of a two-phase network expansion strategy. Boris Lukov reports.
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NewsAlex orders double-deck coaches
GERMANY: Bombardier Transportation has received a €10m order to supply seven double-deck coaches to Regentalbahn. Announcing the order on April 3, the manufacturer said the Arriva Deutschland subsidiary is first private operator in Germany to order its double-deck coaches. They will be delivered from the Görlitz plant in the ...
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Metro Report InternationalKeolis to operate Bergen light rail line
NORWAY: The Fjord1 Partner AS consortium led by Keolis has been awarded a seven-year contract with a two-year extension to operate the 9?8 km Bybanen light rail line in Bergen. The operating contract is valued at NKr400m, although this does not take into account the value of ...
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NewsRestructured Brussels metro network launched
BELGIUM: The final section of Brussels Metro's inner ring between Delacroix and Gare de l'Ouest was officially opened on April 2 by Pascal Smet, Brussels Minister for Mobility. The event was held in the presence of King Albert II and Laurette Onkelinx, Deputy Prime Minister and President of Beliris ...