Central & South America – Page 26
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NewsJamaica rail revival plan completed
JAMAICA: A report detailing plans for reviving the disused national rail network has been finalised, Transport & Works Minister Michael Henry announced last week. ‘As soon as I have the response of the Ministry of Finance, it will be going to cabinet for them to accept my ...
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NewsIndependence day inauguration of Santo Domingo metro
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: President Leonel Fernández joined representatives of the government and local businesses to ride a ceremonial 'first train' on the Santo Domingo Metro on February 27. After his independence day address to the national assembly, President Fernández walked to Centro de los Héroes metro station to board one of ...
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NewsSanto Domingo trains arrive
THE FIRST three-car Metropolis trainset built at Alstom's Barcelona plant for the 14 km metro line currently under construction in Santo Domingo arrived in the Dominican Republic last month. Transport authority Opret had announced the €92·5m contract for 19 three-car trains in June 2006. The standard-gauge units have air-conditioning, CCTV ...
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Santo Domingo metro delivery
THE FIRST three-car Metropolis trainset for the metro line under construction in Santo Domingo left Alstom's factory in Barcelona on December 14. The ship delivering the train is expected to dock in the Dominican Republic in early January. Transport authority OPRET announced the award of a €92·5m contract for ...
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Bidders line up for Uruguay's PPPs
FOUR BIDDERS are seeking to prequalify for the contest to acquire a majority stake in a new freight operating joint venture with Uruguayan state operator AFE (RG 1.07 p7). To be selected within three months according to AFE President Antonio Galicchio, the preferred bidder would provide some US$50m for investment ...
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Grain giant targets cross-border logistics
Several of Brazil’s freight railway concessionaires have flourished since the federal railway network was broken up in 1996. John Kolodziejski looks at progress at two of them
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Progress in Venezuela
VENEZUELAN state railway IAFE announced on April 11 that civil works had been completed on 30 km of the 108·8 km Puerto Cabello - La Encrucijada route, now expected to open in 2011. Of the route's 15 tunnels, five totalling 23·7 km have been completed as well as 2·67 km ...
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Uruguay launches parallel PPPs
URUGUAY’S MINISTRY of Transport & Public Works was due to open on December 18 for a period of one month a data room for companies preparing to bid for contracts to upgrade and maintain 962?km of the national rail network.Bidders will be expected to price for receiving 67% of the ...
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Dominican Republic metro fit-out
ON OCTOBER 31 the Dominican Republic's Oficina para la Reorganización del Transporte confirmed a €99m contract for electrical and mechanical works on the metro line now under construction in Santo Domingo. The contract has been awarded to a consortium of Siemens and Thales, which will share the revenue 72:27. ...
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Los Teques on course for October start
DURING a worksite visit on August 14, Venezuela’s Minister of Infrastructure José David Cabello Rondón confirmed that Metro Los Teques from Las Adjuntas to El Tambor (MR 05 p28) was on course to open on October 22, and that the route would be extended to the centre of Los Teques. ...
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Maracaibo metro on show
RESIDENTS in the second-largest Caribbean city had their first look at their new metro network when the first trainset for the Maracaibo metro was unveiled to the public on August 2.Siemens is supplying seven three-car sets derived from the latest Praha design, but equipped with air-conditioning and overhead power supply ...
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NewsVenezuela plans US$2·2bn spend
A CONSORTIUM OF Italian companies Astaldi, Impregilo and Ghella has been selected by the Venezuelan government to build two new lines following the signature of a co-operation agreement between Italy and Venezuela. Once contracts worth a total of US$2·2bn have been signed, work on the 252 km San Juan ...
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Fleet tendering underway in Santo Domingo
THE DOMINICAN Republic’s transport agency Opret announced on January 25 that bids to supply rolling stock for the Santo Domingo metro (RG 12.05 p754) had been received from Alstom, CAF and Siemens. Ansaldobreda and Bombardier were also expected to submit offers.A fleet of 53 cars formed as 17 trainsets is ...
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Alternative fuels on test
LAST MONTH, three railways unveiled projects intended to reduce the rail industry’s dependence on diesel fuel. On June 14, Brazilian industrial giant Companhia Vale do Rio Doce announced in Rio de Janiero that it will use biological fuel on its Vitória a Minas Railway, following positive tests with two locomotives ...
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$350m loans for Venezuela projects
ON NOVEMBER 30 the Andean Development Corp announced that it had approved three loans worth a total of US$350m to fund rail and metro projects in Venezuela. The suburban railway under construction between Caracas and Tuy Medio (RG 9.04 p544) is to receive the largest single allocation, with US$200m to ...
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Electrification starts in Venezuela
INTRO: After much delay, work on the final stages of Venezuela’s suburban railway linking Tuy Medio with Caracas is in handLAST MONTH was due to see electrification work start on the 43 km Tuy Medio suburban railway being built between Caracas and Cúa in Venezuela.Contracts to build the double-track standard-gauge ...
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Two bids for Uruguayan upgrade
Director of Railways Juan Echeverz.While the private sector will tackle the core network, Echeverz said that upgrading work would begin within the next few months on a further 500 km, comprising the route ’that connects Salto with Paysandú and Fray Bentos’. This would be undertaken by former AFE personnel transferred ...
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Caribbean luxury on two decks
ST KITTS Scenic Railway has put into service five custom-built double-deck luxury coaches. Probably amongst the largest 762mm gauge vehicles ever built, the Island Series cars are 12m long, 2·4m wide and 5·3m high measured over the canvas canopies. Each coach weighs 22 tonnes, and has four-wheel fully-sprung bogies. The ...
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Railway closure error recognised
JAMAICA’S government in 1992 suspended all rail services on its 147 year old network. At the time only 206 of the 330 route-km was in use, and that was suffering badly from neglect and lack of maintenance. Inevitably, this was the cue for vandals to damage or destroy many of ...