All Railway Gazette International articles in August 2005 – Page 3
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News
Thameslink refreshes London commuter EMUs
COMMUTER operator Thameslink has begun a train refurbishment programme, timed to follow the resumption in May of through running on its route across central London. Services had been suspended since last September to allow work on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.The refurbishment will give ’a quick impact’ which passengers will ...
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News
Managing metro communications
INTEGRATED management and operations data for the automated metro in Brescia will be provided using the Alcatel Metro Operations System. With 17 stations served by a fleet of 18 trains, the 14 km line is expected to open in 2011. AMOS is being designed as a comprehensive communications ...
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Renegotiation draws to a close
A PUBLIC HEARING was due to be held on July 29 or during the first week of August to consider new terms for the two freight concessions held in Argentina by América Latina Logística, operated as ALL-Central and ALL-Mesopot
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News
Seats cleaned and protected
DEEP CLEANING is the speciality of Solutions E2, which has carried out work for Eurostar, Thalys and Arriva. ’Our deep-cleaning process can rapidly restore a carriage’s interior to virtually as-new condition, while simultaneously offering protection against further build-up of daily grime’, according to Managing Director Chris Debrick.The company has introduced ...
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Manslaughter charges dropped
SIX MONTHS after the Hatfield trial commenced in January, and almost five years after the fatal derailment on October 17 2000, Mr Justice Mackay instructed the jury hearing charges of manslaughter against track maintenance contractor Balfour Beatty and five individuals to find all the defendants not guilty.His decision came on ...
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News
Change of course
PRIVATE-SECTOR companies interested in operating freight or passenger services are invited to attend a ’pre-bid’ conference at Pakistan Railways’ headquarters in Lahore on August 2. Quite what is on offer is not clear, but the move comes hot on the heels of an earlier announcement that PR was to become ...
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News
Ceneri tunnel start
THE SWISS parliament has released an initial SFr1·3bn tranche of funding for the Ceneri base tunnel, which forms part of the AlpTransit Gotthard project. Proposals for the 15·4 km tunnel between Bellinzona and Lugano were approved in 2003, and the final stage of the planning authorisation is due to be ...
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US fuel cell prototype takes shape
COLORADO-based Vehicle Projects Ltd has completed the first two years of a project to develop a prototype fuel cell locomotive, and hopes to start construction in 2006. Launched in May 2003, the project is being sponsored by the US Department of Defense, and administered by the US Army Research Development ...
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News
Smart card deal
VICTORIA Premier Steve Bracks announced on July 12 that the Kamco consortium had been selected by the Transport Ticketing Authority for a A$494m contract to supply and operate a state-wide smart card fare collection system.Led by US information technology group Keane Corp, the consortium includes ticket machine manufacturer Ascom, Perth-based ...
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News
Campaign pays off
FRESH impetus will be given to research and development in Nord-Pas-de-Calais with the French government’s decision on July 12 to approve i-Trans as a centre for railway technology under the p
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News
Tram cameras
SUCCESSFUL trials of CCTV onboard a Nottingham tram have led to a contract to fit the entire fleet of 15 vehicles with equipment from Vision Techniques. Six cameras cover the vehicle interior, with a further two looking forwards and back. Each camera records three colour frames per second, and the ...
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Buying seats
SEAT MAKER Compin has been acquired from Balloffet Group and a private investor by former Alstom Rolling Stock Director Marc Granger and a financial partner, the company announced on June 17.Based in Normandy, Compin’s 250 staff produce around 130000 seats per year. The majority are for trains, but there are ...
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ICF business looks eastwards
Intercontainer-Interfrigo launched a restructured servicepattern in July, concentrating on ’promising intermodal traffic flows between western Europe and central, eastern and southeast Europe’ and shuttle services to Switzerland. Following a drop in volumes and sales, services between Belgium and France, Spain and Italy were withdrawn from July 16; 40 jobs have ...
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Fitted out for the refurbishment business
THE REFURBISHMENT Centre at Bombardier Transportation's Derby works was officially opened by UK Transport Minister Derek Twigg on June 29. Although the company has undertaken passenger car refurbishment at its workshops in Wakefield, Ilford and Ashford, this was 'the first time we've had a purpose-built facility at Derby', said ...
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Depot plan tops WMATA budget
WORK is due to start this month on a $141·4m project to expand capacity at three maintenance and servicing depots on the Washington DC metro network. The package was scheduled for approval by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board on July 21. Due to be completed by ...
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Trams to have a wash and brush up
INSTALLATION and commissioning of a tram washing plant for the new Valenciennes light rail network (MR 05 p45) is due to be completed in October. Ordered three years ago, the washing plant is being built by Ceccato of Italy. Each plant is specifically designed for local conditions, although in practice ...
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News
Passenger News in Brief
The Canadian government is to provide C$2·5m to ensure the continuation of Ontario Northland passenger services between Toronto and North Bay until March 31 2005.Almost all Swiss trains, buses and ferries will be non-smoking with effect from the December 11 timetable change. UK operator GNER will withdraw its smoking accommodation ...
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Roma in Brief
Italian door specialist Bode Sud SpA has developed an electrically-operated retractable wheelchair ramp which can be interlocked with train doors. A manual version is also available. The company is now using the same technology to develop a retractable step to bridge the gap between train and platform edge.Bode Sud SpAFrati ...
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Products in Brief
Fahrenheit 50200MT low toxicity fire resistant cables are being used to connect substations and tracks on the Oslo metro, extending Aristoncavi’s range of cables into medium voltage applications. Gisette Atox NPI cables are being used in high-risk areas on Caracas metro lines 3 and 4, along with Fahrenheit 50200-22 cables ...