Asia – Page 130
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NewsJakarta - Bandung fast line study
INDONESIA: A Japanese consortium is to undertake a pre-feasibility study into a proposed 144 route-km fast passenger line between Jakarta and Bandung for opening by 2018. Following a co-operation agreement between the Indonesian government and the Japanese Ministry of Land, Transportation & Tourism, the study will be ...
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NewsADB and JICA sign Uzbekistan electrification loans
UZBEKISTAN: The government has signed two international loans which will be used to complete 25 kV electrification of the 831·5 km north - south route between Toshkent and Termez by July 2017. On February 16 Asian Development Bank signed a US$100m loan to fund work on the 140·8 km section ...
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NewsPakistan pins hopes on private sector
PAKISTAN: Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani inaugurated the first privately-managed Business Express service between Lahore and Karachi on February 3. The train is operated under an agreement between Pakistan Railways and Four Brothers International, which sells the premium-priced tickets aimed at business travellers and provides the onboard services including bedding, catering ...
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NewsSiemens signs Kazakh electrification agreement
KAZAKHSTAN: A €230m framework for Siemens to supply electrification equipment and assist with the modernisation of more than 40 traction substations was included in a series of trade agreements signed when President Nazarbayev visited Germany in February. Siemens signed the agreement with Kazakh national railway KTZ and the TemirZhol Electrification ...
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NewsAfghan railway starts commercial traffic
AFGHANISTAN: Celebrations were held at Naibabad freight terminal at 12.00 on February 3, when ‘a substantial reception party’ greeted the arrival of the first train carrying commercial traffic on the 75 km rail link between Hairatan and Mazar-i-Sharif. The inaugural load comprised nine wagons of flour from Kazakhstan and ...
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NewsHo Chi Minh City metro design and supervision contract
VIETNAM: Ho Chi Minh City's Management Authority for Urban Railways has awarded the design, tender documentation and site supervision services contract for metro Line 2 to a consortium of Pöyry, ILF Beratende Ingenieure, Obermeyer Planen + Beraten and local partner Tedi South. The design and documentation phase is scheduled to ...
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NewsCoach plant is milestone in Kazakhstan's industrial history
KAZAKHSTAN: National railway KTZ and Spanish rolling stock manufacturer Patentes Talgo have opened their joint production facility in Astana. On December 8 the plant was visited by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who inspected the first completed cars for KTZ. Talgo and KTZ agreed in 2010 to set up the Tulpar Talgo ...
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NewsChinese locomotives exported to Mongolia
MONGOLIA: CNR Dalian has completed five 1520 mm gauge diesel locomotives for export to Mongolia, its second delivery to the country. They have 16V240ZJD engines rated at 2940 kW, and feature air-conditioning and a toilet for crew comfort.
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NewsAlmaty metro opens and Phase 2 funded
KAZAKHSTAN: President Nursultan Nazarbayev opened the first section of the Almaty metro on December 1, and the Ministry of Transport & Communications has announced that funding has been secured to construct the second phase. The 8·5 km Phase 1 from Alatau to Rayimbeka has seven stations. Phase 2 will extend ...
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NewsInvestment spurs Kazakh rolling stock industry
KAZAKHSTAN: Freight operator Kaztemirtrans has taken delivery of the first 119 of 615 open wagons funded by ATF Bank and manufactured by Kazakhstan Rail Car Building Co with 40% domestic content. State Development Bank of Kazakhstan is providing Kazakhstan Rail Car with US$56m to fund production facilities including robots ...
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NewsAmbitious railway plans in Kathmandu
NEPAL: The Department of Railways expects to appoint consultants this month to undertake detailed studies for an electrified east-west railway in the central valley and a Kathmandu metro. Chungsuk Engineering, Scott Wilson and Systra have reportedly been shortlisted to prepare a detailed project report for the first phase of the ...
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NewsAfghan railway ambitions awarded funding
AFGHANISTAN: Plans for east–west and north–south railways are making progress, with Asian Development Bank approving a US$754m multi-tranche package of transport assistance in September. As well as road rehabilitation this includes around US$300m for the extension of the recently-completed 75 km Hayratan – Mazar-i-Sharif railway 225 km west to Andkhvoy. ...
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NewsElectrification and extension to boost Central Asian connections
ASIA: The Asian Development Bank has approved funding for electrification in Uzbekistan and construction of a 225 km line in northern Afghanistan. On September 28 the ADB board agreed a US$100m loan towards a US$176m modernisation of Uzbek national railway UTY's 140 km route between Marakand near Samarkand and Qarshi. ...
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NewsPoint machines joint venture
KAZAKHSTAN: Alstom and the Kamkor subsidiary of national railway KTZ signed a memorandum of understanding on September 19 setting out plans to establish an equally-owned joint venture to produce point machines for Kazakhstan and the wider 1520 mm gauge market. Alstom says its designs offer reduced maintenance costs and improved ...
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NewsFirst major Afghan railway completed
AFGHANISTAN: Freight services reportedly began running on Afghanistan's first major railway on August 20-21. This followed the signing on August 4 of a three-year agreement for Uzbek national railway UTY to operate the 75 km 1 520 mm gauge line, which it built at a cost of US$165m using Asian ...
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NewsTalgo 250 arrives in Toshkent
UZBEKISTAN: The first of two Talgo 250 trainsets ordered to cut journey times on the 344 km Toshkent - Samarkand route from 3½ h to 2 h arrived in Toshkent on July 22, with the second due to follow in September. The trainsets have been given the name 'Afrosiyob'. Each ...
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NewsEuropean Union and Armenia join OTIF
INTERNATIONAL: On July 1 the European Union and Armenia acceded to the COTIF convention, which sets out a legal framework for international rail transport. Both automatically joined OTIF, the intergovernmental organisation which manages the convention. The European Commission said accession as the first supranational body will provide legal security for ...
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NewsChina starts work on line to Myanmar
ASIA: A foundation laying ceremony in the border town of Ruili on May 30 marked the official launch of construction on a railway from Kunming in China to Myanmar. The 330 km double-track line will join the CR network at Dali in Yunnan province. Construction is being undertaken in two ...
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NewsLaos cross-border freight hopes
ASIA: A senior official at State Railway of Thailand has raised hopes that freight services may be introduced later this year over the Friendship Bridge to the Laotian railhead at Tha Na Laeng. 'Hopefully this year we can run the first freight service', Voravuth Mala, Director of Marketing at SRT ...
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NewsFaster to Samarkand
UZBEKISTAN: An ¥18·1bn Japan Bank for International Co-operation loan to fund electrification of the 389 km Marakand – Qarshi – Qumqo’rgo’n – Termez line was among the agreements reached when President Karimov made an official visit to Japan in February. President Karimov has also signed a decree financing modernisation ...