All Railway Gazette International articles in April 2012 – Page 4
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NewsNTV prepares to launch
ITALY: With just one week to go before the launch of its first commercial services on April 28, open access operator NTV ran its first preview trips carrying press and VIPs between Roma and Napoli on April 20. The run gave invited guests an opportunity to sample the AGV trainsets ...
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NewsZaragoza Goya station opens
SPAIN: Development Minister Ana Pastor officially opened the new station at Zaragoza Goya on April 3. The station has been built at a cost of €44m and is served by the RENFE suburban route from Casetas to Miraflores. Regional services to Castejón de Ebro, Arcos de Jalón, Huesca and Lleida ...
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NewsFreight recovery helps growth
KNORR-BREMSE: A 'strong global position' in the rail and commercial vehicle sectors brought a 14% increase in sales in 2011, the braking system manufacturer announced on March 27. The Rail Vehicle Systems division contributed 51% of revenues, with improved sales attributed to recovery in the North American freight ...
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NewsRailway could tap Québec's northern wealth
CANADA: Proposals for an 800 km railway to enable the exploitation of natural resources in the Labrador Trough are being drawn up by Canadian National and pension fund manager Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec. A railway north from the port of Sept-Îles forms part of the government of ...
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NewsChinese locos prepare for service
AUSTRALIA: Following successful testing that has included operation at up to 130 km/h and hauling ‘one of the biggest iron ore trains’ between Port Augusta and Adelaide last month, SCT Logistics expects its full fleet of CSR Ziyang diesel locomotives to be ‘up and running’ by June. SCT says that ...
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NewsTenders called for US passenger cars
USA: US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced on April 20 that manufacturers had been invited to bid for a contract worth $551m to supply 130 double-deck cars for Amtrak services, under ‘a groundbreaking multi-state effort to jointly purchase standardised rail equipment’. With funding from the Federal Railroad Administration’s High Speed ...
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NewsMetrorail fleet renewal begins
SOUTH AFRICA: Bid documents are now being made available by Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa as it seeks to let two 10-year contracts for the design, manufacture and maintenance of electric multiple-units. PRASA expects to order an estimated 7 224 cars over the next 20 years ...
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NewsPassenger information upgrade
TAIWAN: A replacement passenger information system has been fitted to 20 multiple-units used by Taiwan Railway Administration to provide a shuttle service on the Shalun branch which connects TRA's station on the conventional line in Tainan with Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp's station. The information system uses LCD screens ...
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NewsBombardier preferred bidder for BART contract
USA: At its meeting on April 26, the Bay Area Rapid Transit District board is due to consider a recommendation to select Bombardier Transportation as the preferred bidder to supply its new fleet of metro cars. Because the Bombardier bid represents such ‘good value’, according to BART, the board will ...
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NewsWork starts on Gilon tunnel
ISRAEL: On April 23 the joint venture of local construction company Danya Cebus and China Civil Engineering Construction Corp began work on a 4·6 km twin-bore tunnel that will carry the new ‘Akko - Karmi’el line under Gilon mountain. The ceremony was attended by the Chinese Ambassador ...
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NewsLondon Underground selects Bank bidders
UK: Four bidders have been shortlisted to undertake ‘one of London Underground’s biggest and most complex projects’, LU announced on April 24, a package of works to increase capacity at Bank station including a new southbound running tunnel for the Northern Line. The prequalified bidders are: BFK Joint Venture ...
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NewsSBB invests SFr40m in ticket vending machines
SWITZERLAND: Reflecting a growing trend towards automated retail, Swiss Federal Railways has ordered 1 000 ticket vending machines from German supplier Scheidt & Bachmann. Worth around SFr40m, the order will see the first machines installed at Swiss stations in September this year, with deliveries continuing for approximately ...
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NewsGE Transportation enters the ERTMS market
INTERNATIONAL: GE Transportation has announced its intention to enter the global ERTMS market, launching its first products at the UIC's 10th ERTMS World Congress in Stockholm on April 25. A GE PowerHaul diesel locomotive is to be used as a European onboard equipment demonstrator from 2013. GE Transportation has invested ...
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NewsNetwork Rail agrees new High Speed 1 management deal
UK: Network Rail's contract to manage and maintain the high speed line between London and the Channel Tunnel on behalf of infrastructure concessionaire HS1 Ltd has been revised and will now run until at least 2025. Announcing the new agreement on April 25, Network Rail said it would align 'incentives ...
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NewsBayer develops lightweight engine enclosure
EUROPE: Bayer Material-Science has developed a prototype enclosure for underfloor engines on diesel multiple-units which it says is 35% lighter and 30% cheaper than steel and aluminium equivalents. The prototype is designed for a Bombardier Itino DMU. Engine enclosures must be able to withstand high mechanical loads from ballast impacts, ...
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NewsKnorr-Bremse to supply brakes for Japanese high speed trains
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has awarded Knorr-Bremse a contract to supply braking systems for the 23 Series E6 high speed trainsets which are scheduled to enter service between Tokyo and Akita in early 2013. The 'major order' announced by Knorr-Bremse on April 26 includes brake discs, pads and compact ...
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NewsNorth-South Railway on course to open in July
SAUDI ARABIA: The 2 400 km North-South Railway being developed by Saudi Railway Co is on course for a formal opening for mineral operations in July, with full operation scheduled for July 2013 and the start of passenger services in July 2014. Limited test trains have been running since ...
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NewsDen Haag tram refubishment launches PanLed lighting
NETHERLANDS: Den Haag tram operator HTM is the launch customer for the PanLed LED lights developed by Belgian firm KST Lighting. PanLed is designed for both new build vehicles and as a direct replacement for fluorescent lights on existing stock. The lights offer uniform lighting across their surface, high reliability, ...
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NewsDB and Hamburger Hafen agree intermodal freight restructuring
EUROPE: On April 27 Deutsche Bahn and port and logistics group Hamburger Hafen und Logistik announced an agreement to restructure their subsidiaries providing intermodal freight services from German ports. Subject to regulatory approval, DB Schenker Rail is to take over HHLA's 50% stake in TFG Transfracht, which moves containers from ...