All Railway Gazette International articles in December 2013 – Page 3
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NewsCarl Ice
Carl Ice becomes President & CEO of BNSF Railway on January 1, taking over the Chief Executive’s role from Chairman & CEO Matthew Rose who becomes Executive Chairman. Ice was previously President & Chief Operating Officer at BNSF, having been named President in 1995 after managing the merger of Burlington ...
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NewsADIF to split into high speed and conventional businesses
SPAIN: Meeting on December 13, the Spanish cabinet approved legislation to split infrastructure manager ADIF into two companies, one responsible for the 1 435 mm gauge high speed network and the other for the 1 668 mm and 1 000 mm gauge routes used by conventional services. As well as ...
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NewsTransport Committee votes on Fourth Railway Package
EUROPE: Meeting in Brussels on December 17, the Transport & Tourism Committee of the European Parliament voted on a series of amendments to the six legislative proposals in the European Commission’s Fourth Railway Package. This paves the way for the amended package to be put to a plenary session of ...
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NewsHigh speed services between France and Spain launched
EUROPE: On December 15 French Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier joined Spanish Development Minister Ana Pastor to launch direct high speed services between the two countries. Through their Elipsos joint venture, RENFE and SNCF are now operating five trains a day each way, including two SNCF services from Paris to ...
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NewsJaipur metro to get ADB loan
INDIA: The Asian Development Bank announced on December 16 that it will provide a US$176m loan for the construction of Phase IB of the Jaipur metro as well as studies for a second line. The loan will cover most of the US$259m construction cost of Phase IB, ...
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NewsTrenitalia signs Pesa DMU order
ITALY: National passenger operator Trenitalia signed a €139·6m contract for Polish manufacturer Pesa to supply 40 ATR220 Atribo diesel multiple-units on December 12, after the rejection of an appeal by Stadler. The first of the DMUs is scheduled for delivery by November 2014, and there is an option for up ...
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NewsBase tunnel tests start the countdown to opening
SWITZERLAND: Transport Minister Doris Leuthard launched the first official test train through a completed section of the Gotthard Base Tunnel on December 16. Accompanied by Swiss Federal Railways CEO Andreas Meyer and AlpTransit Chairman Renzo Simoni, Leuthard took the opportunity to announce that the Base Tunnel would be inaugurated during ...
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NewsShift2Rail proposal published
EUROPE: The Shift2Rail joint technology initiative which is intended to form the backbone of European railway research over the next decade took a major step forward on December 16, when the European Commission published its formal proposal for the Council Regulation needed to establish the JTI as a Joint Undertaking. ...
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NewsVossloh España unveils Direct Rail Services Class 68
UK: Class 68 diesel locomotive 68002 was formally presented to Direct Rail Services Chief Executive Neil McNicholas on December 10. Harry Hondius reports from the Vossloh España plant in Albuixech.
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NewsFeature articles in the December 2013 issue of Metro Report International
Articles in the December 2013 issue of Metro Report International. Comment Lucky Montana of PRASA stresses the importance of South Africa's fleet renewal programme News Review Round-up of world metro, light rail and tram news Riyadh A six-line driverless network takes shape in the Saudi capital China Metro and tram ...
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NewsFirst long Flexity Berlin tram delivered
GERMANY: Bombardier Transportation delivered the first 40 m long bidirectional Flexity Berlin tram to the German capital from its Hennigsdorf plant on December 13. According to Bombardier, the trams have been styled specifically for Berlin and feature a ‘Bauhaus design’. The air-conditioned vehicles are equipped with regenerative braking. ...
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NewsTaskforce to study electrification in northern England
UK: The Department for Transport is to establish a joint taskforce with infrastructure manager Network Rail to study options for further electrification in northern England. Announcing the plan on December 13, DfT said the taskforce would work with train operators, local authorities including the Rail North consortium, the supply industry ...
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NewsNewag IPO
POLAND: Shares in Polish rolling stock manufacturer Newag began trading on the Warszawa stock exchange on December 5, after the initial public offering raised 398m złoty. Zbigniew Jakubas had held a 78·46% stake in the company, with the remaining shares held by the management team. Jakubas now has 43·47% and ...
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NewsValenciennes inaugurates second tram line
FRANCE: The second tram line in Valenciennes opened on December 13. The 15·5 km line with 22 stops links Valenciennes with Vieux Condé and will commence passenger service on February 24. Nine Alstom Citadis trams, ordered in 2010, will augment the existing fleet of 21 trams. Each 33 m ...
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NewsEIB provides £500m loan for Crossrail trains
UK: The European Investment Bank signed a corporate loan facility on December 13 which will provide Transport for London with up to £500m to finance the rolling stock fleet and depot for Crossrail. This follows a £1bn EIB loan for the construction of the Crossrail tunnels which was agreed in ...
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NewsMülheim orders Flexity Classic trams
GERMANY: Mülheim transport authority MVG has ordered 10 Bombardier Flexity Classic trams at a cost of €27m. The three-module bidirectional vehicles are identical to the 27 trams ordered by Essen transport authority EVAG in December 2011. They will be 30 m long and 2 300 mm wide, with a ...
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NewsApp to speed paper ticket to smart card conversion
UK: Ecebs has developed an app for off-the-shelf Android tablet computers which enables ticket office staff to transfer existing paper season tickets to smart cards quickly. The app was developed for Tyne & Wear transport authority Nexus to support the roll-out of its Pop smart card. A passenger's season ticket ...
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NewsFerrovia Circumetnea places Newag's first DMU export order
ITALY: Polish rolling stock manufacturer Newag has finalised its first diesel multiple-unit export order, a €14·8m contract to supply at least four 950 mm gauge DMUs for Ferrovia Circumetnea's 110 km line around the Mount Etna volcano in Sicily. Delivery is scheduled within 18 months, and Ferrovia Circumetnea has options ...
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NewsDoncaster concrete sleeper factory opened
UK: On December 9 Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin officially opened the new concrete sleeper factory that Trackwork Moll has built in Doncaster to supply infrastructure manager Network Rail over the next 10 years. Employing around 45 staff, the plant will produce around 400 000 concrete sleepers each ...
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NewsStrukton acquires Balfour Beatty's Scandinavian rail business
EUROPE: Strukton Rail announced the signing of an agreement to acquire Balfour Beatty Rail Scandinavia on December 10. The deal includes all current rail infrastructure maintenance, renewals and construction activities in Sweden and Denmark, which will now operate under the Strukton Rail brand. Financial close is expected at the beginning ...