All Railway Gazette International articles in April 2015
All articles published this month.
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NewsBahrain progresses rail plans
BAHRAIN: The government expects to call bids in June for detailed design of a rail link to Saudi Arabia, as part of the proposed GCC rail network. The 87 km line would be built in conjunction with a second causeway connecting the two countries, to be known as the ...
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NewsNorthern Line fleet upgrade complete
UK: Alstom has completed the modernisation of London Underground’s Northern Line train fleet. The two-year mid-life refurbishment programme saw the interior and exterior renovation of 106 six-car trains, of which 96 are required for peak services. The work took place at the Morden and Golders Green depots, which ...
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NewsIsrael Railways hosts electrification conference
ISRAEL: With final bids for the contract to electrify the national rail network due to be submitted by July 23, Israel Railways hosted a three-day conference for shortlisted bidders on April 27-29 to discuss key elements of the programme. Seven consortia had submitted bids during the prequalification stage in June ...
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NewsTank wagon coating trial
USA: Industrial Solutions USA has completed a 12-month trial of Nanovere Technologies’s Nano-Clear Industrial coating on GATX tank wagons. NCI is designed to penetrate into the pores of the paint, enhancing the underlying colour and improving UV, abrasion, corrosion and chemical resistance to extend the interval between repainting. NCI ...
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NewsProcurement office halts S-Bahn Nürnberg contract award
GERMANY: On April 28 the Südbayern procurement office of the Oberbayern regional authority cancelled the award of an operating contract for the S-Bahn Nürnberg suburban network to National Express Group. Incumbent DB Regio lodged an appeal following the decision on February 2 by Bayern railway authority BEG to name National ...
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NewsLos Teques Metropolis trainset shipped
VENEZUELA: The first Alstom Metropolis trainset for the Los Teques metro has been shipped from the port of Le Havre in France. It is expected to arrive in Los Teques in three weeks. In 2011 the Consorcio Linea 2 consortium of Odebrecht and Vinccler awarded the Grupo de Empresas ...
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NewsConstruction Act brings Fehmarn tunnel civil works closer
DENMARK: Construction of the Fehmarn Belt fixed link road and railway tunnel moved a step closer on April 28 when the Danish parliament adopted the proposed Construction Act for the project. The fixed link will comprise an 18 km immersed tube tunnel between Rødbyhavn on Lolland and Puttgarden on the ...
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NewsSiemens opens signalling research centre
SPAIN: On April 27 King Felipe VI officially opened a signalling research and development centre at the headquarters of Siemens España, located in Tres Cantos to the north of Madrid. Employing 350 staff, the new global centre of competence for signalling and train control will channel an annual investment budget ...
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NewsNS uncovers tendering irregularities
NETHERLANDS: National passenger operator NS announced on April 28 that it had discovered ‘serious irregularities’ during an internal compliance investigation at its Qbuzz subsidiary. This followed the award of a 15-year concession to operate a range of regional passenger services in the Limburg region. After an international tendering competition, the ...
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NewsSecond-generation depot personnel protection system launched
DEPOTS: Zonegreen has launched a second generation of its SMART Depot Personnel Protection System, which combines powered derailers, road-end control panels, train detection equipment, warning signals and personal datakeys to protect staff and infrastructure. DPSS is now widely used in the UK, and the second generation has been designed with ...
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NewsBelgrano upgrading funded
ARGENTINA: Regional development agency Fonplata has agreed to provide 59% of the US$60m cost of upgrading 80 km of the Belgrano network between Perico in Jujuy province and Pocitos in Salta. The remaining 41% is to be provided by local sources. Aiming to restore the rail link between northern Argentina ...
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NewsDisused Tube station to be leased
UK: Transport for London has announced that it will lease part of a disused Underground station to businesses ‘who have the ability to use the space to create something exceptional and establish the next chapter in the station’s history’. TfL announced on April 28 that it is seeking businesses ...
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NewsTram trials begin in Santos
BRAZIL: Trial passenger operation began between Mascarenhas de Moraes and João Ribeiro on the Santos light rail line on April 27. Two vehicles are providing free travel Monday to Friday between 13.00 and 16.00. When fully operational, the 11 km first phase of the VLT network will link Barreiros ...
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NewsModertrans sole bidder in revised tram procurement
POLAND: Modertrans was the sole bidder to supply six trams to Wrocław in a tender that closed on April 23. The base order is worth 23m złoty, with an option for a further 16 trams. The Poznań-based manufacturer plans to supply partially low-floor vehicles of its Moderus Beta design. ...
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NewsMelbourne Metro Rail advisers appointed
AUSTRALIA: A joint venture of Aurecon, Jacobs and Mott MacDonald has been appointed as the technical, planning and engagement adviser for the Melbourne Metro Rail cross-city tunnel. Project delivery organisation Melbourne Metro Rail Authority has been allocated an initial A$40m to develop proposals for the 9 km link, which ...
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NewsABB wins Swiss substation contracts
SWITZERLAND: ABB has received turnkey contracts worth US$30m from Swiss Federal Railways and private operator Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn to supply three traction substations by 2018. The manufacturer says that this will help the operators to increase capacity by strengthening and stabilising their power supplies. The SBB order covers 132/66/15/11 ...
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NewsWire ropes as platform screens
SWEDEN: South Korean firm SKD-Hitec has demonstrated a platform screen door made from wire ropes at Stockholm’s Åkeshov metro station. Rather than sliding doors, Rope Screen Door uses lightweight panels made of self-tensioned wire ropes which move down to screen the platform edge. The manufacturer says the system could be ...
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NewsSAR’s first passenger train arrives
SAUDI ARABIA: The first of five passenger trainsets for the North-South Railway has arrived in the Kingdom, Saudi Railway Co announced on April 27. Designed for 200 km/h operation in temperatures up to 55°C, the diesel push-pull trainsets are being supplied by CAF under a 533m riyal contract signed in ...
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NewsCuban freight wagon joint venture agreement
CUBA: The UVZ-Logistik subsidiary of Russia’s Uralvagonzavod is to establish a transport logistics joint venture in Cuba, in partnership with Cuban metallurgy and engineering firm GESIME and national operator Unión Ferrocarriles de Cuba. Under an agreement signed at the 13th Russian-Cuban Intergovernmental Commission on Trade in Kazan, the joint ...
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NewsEnlarged Rail Hub Milano opens
ITALY: An opening ceremony for the enlarged Rail Hub Milano was held in Melzo, to the east of Milano, on April 23. The rail yard has been enlarged from 160 000 m2 to 260 000 m2 and four new 750 m long tracks have increased the internal rail length ...