Features & Analysis – Page 36
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NewsCasablanca – Kénitra upgrading starts
MOROCCO: A ceremony on September 25 attended by King Mohammed VI marked the start of modernisation of the Casablanca – Kénitra main line to increase capacity by around 50%. National railway ONCF has cited strong growth in passenger numbers on the Tanger – Marrakech axis in recent ...
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NewsHKX prepares to take on DB
GERMANY: Open access operator Hamburg-Köln Express expects to launch revenue services between the two cities on July 23, having opened its ticket sales channels on July 4. HKX will initially operate one train per day from Monday to Wednesday in competition with Deutsche Bahn, serving six intermediate ...
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NewsSochi’s swallow starts to fly
RUSSIA: Trial running has started in Sochi with the first of 38 Lastochka EMUs being supplied by Siemens in time for the 2014 Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games. The multiple-unit was due to be presented to RZD Vice-President Valentin Gapanovich and Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov by the ...
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NewsJakarta - Bandung fast line study
INDONESIA: A Japanese consortium is to undertake a pre-feasibility study into a proposed 144 route-km fast passenger line between Jakarta and Bandung for opening by 2018. Following a co-operation agreement between the Indonesian government and the Japanese Ministry of Land, Transportation & Tourism, the study will be ...
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NewsChiang Mai line included in infrastructure package
THAILAND: Construction of a 750 km standard gauge line from Bangkok to Chiang Mai is the largest single project included in a 400bn baht programme of infrastructure investment announced by the government on January 10. Comprising 128 different work packages for completion by 2016, the programme includes a range of ...
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NewsPPP model to fund Moscow – St Petersburg high speed line
RUSSIA: The Russian government has confirmed its support for a public-private partnership backed by Russian Railways to construct a 658 km high speed line between Moscow and St Petersburg. Speaking in London on October 20, Denis Muratov, Chief Executive of RZD’s high speed rail agency Skorostnye Magistrali, ...
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NewsBusiness leaders push for faster liberalisation
FRANCE: Business leaders in Nord-Pas de Calais have expressed frustration at the slow rate of progress in expanding the European high speed rail network. Speaking to Railway Gazette International on May 3, Thierry Mabille de Poncheville, Managing Director of the Lille business promotion agency APIM, said that he was ‘very ...
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NewsCarbon efficiency must be addressed
SUSTAINABILITY: Despite the impact of railway construction projects in terms of carbon emissions, new lines still offer significant advantages in terms of long-term sustainability where there is sufficient traffic. But the carbon impact of materials and working methods needs to be optimised in the planning of future projects.
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NewsGulf Railway could start next year
MIDDLE EAST: The Gulf Co-operation Council remains optimistic that a 1940 route-km regional network could be operational by 2017. Despite concerns that the ambitious railway network linking the six states in the Gulf Co-operation Council could be delayed by the global economic downturn, officials are insistent that ...
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NewsInvestigations continue at the critical interface
INTERNATIONAL: ‘We cannot ignore the management of the interface’, insisted Semih Kalay of TTCI. Addressing delegates at the Contact Mechanics 2009 conference in Firenze, he pointed out that a better understanding of the complex forces at play in the contact patch between wheel and rail translated directly into maintenance and ...
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NewsTGV Sud Est refurbishment deal
FRANCE: SNCF has selected Compin Group to supply interior fittings for the refurbishment of its original fleet of TGV Sud Est trainsets. Under a contract signed on October 6, the interiors specialist will supply complete kits for 60 trains, with options for a further 47. Each trainset has two power ...
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NewsIndustry must look at whole-life costs
WHEELSETS: Procurement managers must continue to look beyond initial capital cost when making purchasing decisions, despite the pressures of the global recession.
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NewsA long way to go
ASIA: Almost since the dawn of railways, far-sighted engineers and politicians have been talking about linking Europe and India by rail. The second half of the 19th century was an era of economic expansion and power politics, as evidenced by the construction of transcontinental railways across the USA, Canada and ...
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NewsTime to build for the future
EVOLUTION: Engineers with vision have an essential role to play in driving the revitalisation of Europe’s railways to meet the needs of a modern society.
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NewsDedicated to the traction motor
INDUSTRY: After a complex realignment of electrical suppliers across Europe, Traktionssysteme Austria has emerged as an independent manufacturer dedicated to the development and supply of traction motors. Dr Harry Hondius reports from Wiener Neudorf.
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NewsHigh-performance diesels start to enter service
CHINA: Following the successful completion of cold weather trials, the first HXn3 diesel locos are entering service with Chinese Railways.
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NewsMaking the right choices
MOBILITY: Investment in public transport provides the opportunity to tackle the global economic downturn, addressing environmental concerns and building a sustainable urban framework for the longer term.
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NewsReliability is more urgent than speed
USA: Incremental improvements to permit more frequent and reliable passenger services are more important in revitalising the inter-city rail sector than developing a national network of 320 km/h trains, according to Amtrak President & CEO Joseph Boardman. Testifying before the Illinois House Railroad Industry Committee on May 11, Boardman emphasised ...
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NewsDeveloping railways must fight for their interests
Freight Railways in the emerging economies of southeast Asia have for too long allowed their market share to be eroded by the road haulage sector. Dr Julison Arifin argues that the industry has often underestimated its role in the logistics mix, and the time has come to fight back.
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NewsHigh speed trains with a local flavour
SOUTH KOREA: The first of 19 KTX-II high speed trainsets built for national operator Korail by Hyundai Rotem is currently undergoing a six-month testing programme before entering service on the Seoul – Daegu line.