All Railway Gazette International articles in August 2015 – Page 4
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NewsDublin commuter line upgrade launched
IRELAND: Work on a €13·7m project to upgrade the 4·4 km line through the Phoenix Park Tunnel in Dublin was officially launched by Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Paschal Donohoe on August 18. From autumn 2016 commuter services from Kildare west of Dublin will be able to use the ...
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NewsVladimir Yakunin to stand down as head of Russian Railways
RUSSIA: Vladimir Yakunin confirmed his intention to stand down as President of Russian Railways and enter politics on August 17. The exclave of Kaliningrad is scheduled to hold an election for governor on September 13, and Yakunin has registered as a candidate to be appointed by the incoming governor as ...
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NewsAMP Capital takes majority stake in Angel Trains
ANGEL TRAINS: Arcus European Infrastructure Fund has sold its stake in UK rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains to Australian pension investor AMP Capital Investors, which has increased its stake in the company from 30% to 55%, and to Canadian pension investor PSP Investments, which has increased its stake from ...
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NewsWestern DFC contracts awarded
INDIA: Dedicated Freight Corridor Corp of India has awarded two civil works and track contracts for the Western DFC to a consortium of Mitsui & Co, Ircon International and Tata Projects. The contracts announced on August 19 have a total value of ¥76bn, and cover the 186 km Vaitarana – ...
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NewsAsciano board recommends acceptance of Brookfield offer
AUSTRALIA: The board of Asciano has unanimously recommended that shareholders accept Brookfield Infrastructure’s offer to acquire its entire issued capital, in a deal which gives the rail and port group an implied enterprise value of A$12bn. ‘After careful consideration of all the options available to the company, the Asciano ...
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NewsBangladesh line rehabilitation consultancy contract signed
BANGLADESH: Bangladesh Railway has awarded Indian company Balaji Railroad Systems Ltd a Rs200m contract to provide detailed design and construction supervision services for the rehabilitation of the out-of-use line from Kulaura to Shahbazpur, close to the Indian border. The 51·3 km metre-gauge route is expected to reopen for passenger and ...
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NewsRussian Traxx unveiled at Engels locomotive plant inauguration
RUSSIA: The prototype 1 520 mm gauge Bombardier Traxx F120MS locomotive was unveiled at a ceremony marking the inauguration of First Locomotive Co’s factory at Engels in Saratov oblast on August 19. The First Locomotive Co joint venture of Russian investors and Bombardier Transportation was established in 2012 ...
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NewsRio light rail receives BNDES funding
BRAZIL: Federal development bank BNDES announced on August 19 that it had agreed to provide 42% of the R$1∙77bn cost of the light rail network under construction in Rio de Janeiro, making R$746∙5m available to concessionaire VLT Carioca. The first section of the network is due to enter service ...
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NewsToluca works underway
MEXICO: On August 14 Secretary of Communications & Transport Gerardo Ruiz Esparza inspected progress with works between Zinacantepec and Portal Poniente on the first section of the 57 km electrified passenger railway being built between Toluca and Mexico City. Civil works were 11% complete, with 550 workers deployed at 14 ...
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NewsChemnitz receives electro-diesel tram-train
GERMANY: The first Vossloh CityLink electro-diesel tram-train for Chemnitz was presented to transport authority Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen on August 21. The second vehicle is currently at the Wildenrath test track. In 2012 Vossloh won a €42·3m contract to supply eight tram-trains for the network being developed around Chemnitz. This was ...
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NewsFunding to upgrade Ottawa – Montréal passenger service
CANADA: The national government has announced an additional C$102m of funding for VIA Rail in 2015-17 to support upgrading works on the Ottawa – Montréal route. This includes work to enable VIA Rail’s Renaissance coaches to be used on the route instead of older rolling stock, thereby enhancing accessibility; track ...
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NewsBenin – Niger railway agreement signed
AFRICA: Bolloré Group has signed a concession agreement with the two governments for the construction and operation of a railway from Cotonou in Benin to Niamey in Niger. The project involves rehabilitation of the metre-gauge Cotonou – Parakou line, and the construction of a 574 km extension. ‘This is ...
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NewsHigh speed rail priority in 2016 budget
SPAIN: Appearing before a parliamentary committee on August 19, Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport & Housing Julio Gómez-Pomar provided details of the rail spending budgeted by the Ministry of Development for 2016. Next year, the ministry is planning to spend a total of €5∙46bn on rail, a 5% ...
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NewsPhoenix opens Central Mesa light rail extension
USA: The Central Mesa extension of the Valley Metro light rail line in Phoenix was inaugurated on August 22, with events along the route to mark the opening. The 5 km extension is the first since the initial 32 km route was put into service at the end of ...
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NewsKharkiv metro inaugurates trainset
UKRAINE: The first new trainset to enter service on the Kharkiv metro since 2004 was inaugurated at Heroiv Pratsi station on Line 2 on August 21, marking 40 years since the opening of the city’s first metro line on August 23 1975. The five-car trainset was built by Kriukov Car ...
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NewsBudapest – Esztergom line reopens after modernisation
HUNGARY: National passenger operator MÁV-Start restarted services on the modernised Budapest – Esztergom line on August 20. Renovation of the 53 km route lasted more than three years and cost HF44·5bn, of which 85% was funded from EU sources. Electrification is around 18 months behind schedule and is expected ...
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NewsElectrification to Qarshi completed
UZBEKISTAN: A Talgo 250 Afrosiyob trainset ran from Toshkent to Qarshi on August 22 as part of celebrations marking the completion of work to electrify and upgrade the 140·8 km Marakand – Qarshi section of the 511 km Toshkent – Samarkand – Qarshi route. The project has raised the maximum ...
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NewsNottingham Express Transit Phase 2 opens
UK: The first passenger service on Nottingham Express Transit Phase 2 departed from Clifton South at 06.02 on August 25, marking the opening of two new branches on the city’s tram network. The routes to Clifton South and Toton Lane diverge at Nottingham station tram stop, the previous southern ...
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NewsSacramento inaugurates light rail extension
USA: Sacramento Regional Transit District held a ‘pre-opening celebration’ on August 23 ahead of the official opening ceremony for the Blue Line light rail extension from Meadowview Road to Cosumnes River College on August 24. Opening was originally planned for September, but the date was brought forward to coincide ...
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NewsARTC awards National Train Communications System contract
AUSTRALIA: Inter-state network manager Australian Rail Track Corp has awarded Telstra a ‘multi-million dollar’, 10-year contract to provide telecoms services through the National Train Communications System. NTCS was developed as a cost-effective and interoperable voice and data communications network for the 8 500 km inter-state and Hunter Valley networks, using ...