All Railway Gazette International articles in April 2009 – Page 4
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NewsPermanent Way industry makes tracks to Münster
INFRASTRUCTURE: More than 150 companies representing all aspects of the permanent way industry will be present in Münster for the 25th International Exhibition of Track Technology taking place on April 21-23.
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NewsVeolia to run Hong Kong trams
CHINA: Veolia Transport has signed an agreement with Wharf Holdings to buy a 50% stake in Hong Kong Tramways. Veolia will assume responsibility for operating and managing the network, which opened in 1904 and now carries 240 000 passengers a day on 163 tramcars, the only entirely double-deck fleet remaining. ...
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NewsExhibits inside and out
IAF: Swiss group Speno International will have products on display both indoors and outside in Münster.
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NewsHitachi drops out of Thameslink competition
UK: Hitachi Europe Rail Group confirmed on April 22 that it was pulling out of the bidding to supply commuter trains for Thameslink services through London. 'By doing so, the company is able to continue its focus on current and future commitments', said a statement from Hitachi. In July ...
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NewsBraking joint venture formed in Iran
IRAN: Faiveley Transport has announced the formation of a braking equipment joint venture with Iranian energy, transport and petrochemicals conglomerate MAPNA. Around 20 people will produce locomotive and rolling stock brakes at a site in Karaj. Faiveley Transport said the joint venture will provide the basis for offering spares, ...
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NewsTrack renewals closer
URUGUAY: State railway AFE was due to begin track renewals between Tacuarembó and Rivera last month, having begun to move rail for the project from a site near Peñarol using wagons supplied by Italian State Railways. Manufactured in Russia, the rail had been in storage since 1999. Meanwhile, infrastructure authority ...
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NewsConfidence in a buoyant market
MATISA: Swiss track equipment specialist Matisa shows little sign of suffering in the global recession as orders continue to arrive from railways across the world.
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NewsWindhoff multi-purpose vehicle handed over to SBB
SWITZERLAND: The first of five Combi multi-purpose infrastructure maintenance vehicles being supplied to Swiss Federal Railways by Windhoff was officially handed over at the IAF track technology exhibition in Münster on April 22. The 20 m long machine is one of three variants based on a common platform and ...
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NewsElectrification to cut Zürich – München times
GERMANY: An agreement for electrification and infrastructure upgrades between München and Lindau in Bayern was signed in Memmingen on April 17. Tilting trains will be able to run at 160 km/h, cutting München – Zürich journeys from 4 h 10 min to 3 h 15 m by 2015. Services will ...
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NewsExtensions to ease Paris saturation
FRANCE: Funding for a 14·5 km extension of Paris tram route T3 around the east of the city from Porte d'Ivry to Porte de la Chapelle was approved on April 16. T3 will gain 26 stations when the extension opens at the end of 2012, providing interchanges with 11 metro ...
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NewsVossloh to buy KolTram
KOLTRAM: On April 23 Vossloh AG announced it was strengthening its Switch Systems business unit by acquiring a 100% stake in KolTram for €21·8m. KolTram manufactures rail switches and components. Based at Zawadzkie in southwest Poland, its sales in 2008 totalled €20m. 'We are bolstering our core ...
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NewsHigh speed stations for a high speed railway
SAUDI ARABIA: A joint venture of Foster + Partners and Buro Happold has been appointed to design four stations for the 444 km Haramain High Speed Railway project. The rapid three-year construction timescale has led to a modular approach to the design of the Makkah, Jeddah, King Abdullah Economic ...
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NewsLevel 2 rolls out across the Danish network
DENMARK: Politicians approved funding for Banedanmark to resignal the entire national rail network with ETCS and CBTC in January. Tendering is expected to get underway immediately, with the whole project to be completed by 2021.
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NewsMoscow - St Petersburg at the height of luxury
RUSSIA: Tickets have gone on sale for the Alexander Nevsky luxury train which is to be launched between St Petersburg and Moscow on April 26. Rolling stock for the service has been refurbished by Oktyabrsky Electric Car Repair Plant. The 'first VIP' car has four convertible compartments, which can ...
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NewsWorld infrastructure market April 2009
Angola: Chinese firms reconstructing the 903 km CFN line between Moçâmedes and Menongue as part of the government’s National Reconstruction Programme have handed back the 89 km section between Matala and Dongo. A further 505 km is to be completed by July 2010. Argentina: On March 3 the federal government ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market April 2009
Argentina: The federal government has given its approval for 10 ex-RENFE Class 593 DMUs to be refurbished for use by TBA on the Mitre and Sarmiento commuter networks in Buenos Aires. Australia: The Victoria state government has awarded Bombardier a €75m contract to supply a further 32 ...
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NewsA vision of the intelligent railway
AUTOMATION: Communications-based train control is putting more intelligence on board trains, along with high capacity data links that can be harnessed to carry other systems. Invensys Rail Group CEO James Drummond tells Chris Jackson that rail is starting to copy the convergence of technologies seen in other industries.
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NewsToronto picks Flexity Outlook
CANADA: Toronto Transit Commission voted unanimously on April 27 to confirm the selection of Bombardier's Flexity Outlook low-floor tram design as the base model for its next generation fleet, following a recommendation by officials the previous week. Toronto is planning to purchase 204 articulated trams to replace its 248 Canadian ...
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NewsParis – Caen in 90 min by 2020
FRANCE: Secretary of State for Transport Dominique Bussereau has announced the go-ahead for plans to for improve rail services between Paris and Normandie, with €4bn to be invested in the Paris – Caen – Cherbourg route by 2020. A key element is a cut-off between Mantes and Nanterre in the ...
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NewsInfrarail brings logistics expertise to major projects
FRANCE: Through the creation of Infrarail, SNCF is giving its infrastructure services business a more commercial focus as the sector becomes increasingly competitive. Laurent Charlier reports.