All Railway Gazette International articles in August 2005

All articles published this month.

  • News

    Zimbabwe split

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    THIS MONTH is due to see the Zimbabwe government take over responsibility for ownership and financing of rail infrastructure, with the implementation of the Railways Amendment Act 1997.The Act provides for the transfer of NRZ-owned infrastructure and land to the state, leaving National Railways of Zimbabwe to focus on its ...

  • News

    Small transmission

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    VOITH TURBO has developed the L311 reV2 transmission for use on specialist rail construction and maintenance vehicles and small locomotives with input power ratings up to 600 kW.The L311 reV2 is specifically designed for use in very confined installation spaces. It offers eight power take-offs suitable for a wide variety ...

  • News

    Substation signing

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    SECHERON and Rowe Hankins Components have announced an agreement for the development of DC substations in the UK.The deal marks an expansion into the trackside equipment market for the British supplier of on-train speed monitoring, circuit protection and event recording technology.Swiss-based Sécheron has supplied substation equipment to London Underground and ...

  • News

    Smart services

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    EAST JAPAN Railway passengers can now use Suica smart card tickets (RG 2.04 p103) to pay for an extensive range of services at stations in the Tokyo area. Currently accepted at around 1000 outlets, the card payment facility is being rolled out sequentially at all 36 stations along the Yamanote ...

  • News

    Roanoake revival

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    FREIGHTCAR America Inc inaugurated a new wagon manufacturing facility in Roanoke, Virginia, on June 9. The East End Shops have been leased from Norfolk Southern and extensively upgraded at a cost of $5·5m to handle the assembly of various different types of wagons.Virginia Governor Mark R Warner and NS Chairman ...

  • News

    Renfe restructures

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    UNDER ITS new strategy to meet competition from other operators and achieve break-even by 2009, Renfe’s Freight business unit is to cut its workforce by 20%. Of the 500 posts, 400 will be transferred to other business units.At the same time, the loco fleet is to be reduced from 443 ...

  • News

    Pointers

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    Tenders for Cargo Slovakia were due to be submitted by July 29 (RG 5.05 p241). Amongst the expected bidders is ÖBB subsidiary Rail Cargo Austria, which would become the third biggest carrier in Europe by volume after Railion and PKP Cargo if it added the Slovak company’s 50 million tonnes ...

  • News

    PNR study

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    REHABILITATION of Philippine National Railways’ Main Line South from Calamba to Legaspi moved a step closer with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on July 6.Watched by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and visiting Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka, PNR General Manager Jose Sarasola signed an accord with the President of ...

  • News

    people

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    On June 28 the UIC General Assembly ratified the appointment of Luc Aliadière as Chief Executive. He took over from Philippe Roumeguère on July 1.At the general meeting on June 16 Wilhelm Patzner was elected to the board of UIRR, the International Union of Combined Road-Rail Transport Companies, following the ...

  • News

    Mexico suburban to be re-tendered

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    THE MEXICAN government has reaffirmed its commitment to the capital’s proposed suburban rail link after both bidders were disqualified from the tendering process. Communications & Transports Secretary Pedro Cerisola insisted on July 11 that the project would not be cancelled, and said that new tenders would be called Civil engineering ...

  • News

    Metros

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    Canada:On June 27 Calgary city council approved the 3 km Northeast light rail extension from Whitehorn to Westwinds-McKnight (RG 1.05 p10). The C$75m route will open in 2007. The 3 km Northwest extension from Dalhousie to Crowfoot with one station will follow in 2008.On June 30 Ottawa municipality announced plans ...

  • News

    Mobile ticketing in Malaysia

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    MALAYAN Railway, mobile communications company Celcom and New Technology & Innovation Sdn Bhd launched My Info Train on June 2. The SMS mobile ticketing service allows passengers to obtain timetables and fares, then reserve and cancel inter-city tickets. A range of games and entertainment services is also available.’Not only is ...

  • News

    Refined refinery locos

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    THE LIFE of three U26C Class 34-400 locos used at the Sasol Synfuels refinery in Secunda, South Africa, is being extended in an upgrading contract awarded to DCD Dorbyl's Rolling Stock Division. An extra 15 to 20 years use is now expected from the refurbished locos, which were completed in ...

  • tn_ca-Toronto-tram_02.jpg
    News

    TTC to invest in trams and metro

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    ON JUNE 22 Toronto Transit Commission voted to buy a new fleet of up to 242 low-floor trams, as part of major upgrading of the city's ageing tram network. Commissioner Jope Milhevc said the project would give the city 'a first-class streetcar system'. TTC wants to see the first cars ...

  • News

    Intelligence

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    Australia:On June 24 QR announced the purchase of Melbourne-based container and logistics firm CRT Group, which specialises in plastics and food products. FreightLink began a container service between Melbourne and Adelaide on July 4, connecting with services to Darwin.Belgium:SNCB-Holding announced on June 24 that it had signed a memorandum of ...

  • News

    Italian innovation at Roma show

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: Local firms had plenty to display at the Mobility & City Transport exhibition which accompanied the 56th UITP Congress in Roma

  • News

    Information on the line

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    IMPROVED CO-ORDINATION of customer information and communications systems is offered by the RailCom Manager system now being installed in New York by Siemens Transportation Systems. A pilot project involving 10 stations in the Netherlands is also underway.Following the terrorist attacks in September 2001, New York City Transit has started a ...

  • News

    High speed trainsets take shape

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    Chinese Railways has ordered three fleets of high speed trains for operation of 200 km/h regional inter-city services

  • News

    Haut-Bugey revival will speed TGVs

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    With aim of cutting the journey time by TGV between Paris and Genève, work is now underway to upgrade the 65 km between Bourg-en-Bresse and Bellegarde, including electrification and the re-opening of a 29 km section closed to traffic since 1992. Brian Perren reports

  • News

    Green Line joins the Trolley network

    2005-08-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: Julian Wolinsky reports from San DiegoONE OF the final pieces of San Diego’s light rail network as envisaged nearly 30 years ago was dedicated on July 8, when an S70 low-floor LRV burst through a banner at San Diego State University station. Built at a cost of $506m, the ...