All Railway Gazette International articles in February 1999 – Page 2

  • News

    High-speed network starts to grow

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    INTRO: Financing and construction of the Belgian high-speed network has had to evolve to meet changing circumstances. But work is now under way on almost every element in the jigsaw, with completion of the northern and eastern branches envisaged by 2005BYLINE: Ir Johan MeynsChief ExecutiveTUC Rail SAALL ACROSS THE rolling ...

  • News

    Turf track for a greener ride

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    As part of the ongoing modernisation of tram routes in Dresden, turf track supplied by Sedra Asphalt Technik is being installed in several locations. The Sedra¨ Turf Track system is based on surrounding the rail with Sedrapur¨ filler blocks, made of a mixture of materials including polyurethane and recycled matter ...

  • News

    Finnish orders

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    ON JANUARY 12 Finnish Railways Ltd announced that it had ordered a further 20 Sr2 electric locos from Adtranz at a cost of FM450m. The last of the initial build of the Lok 2000-derived design was expected to enter service last month, and the new build will follow in 2001-03. ...

  • News

    Microfelt oil filters

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    BTR Environmental Ltd is supplying oil filters for 90 6DZC-1000/144A diesel engines being built by Anglo-Belgian Corp. The six-cylinder units each rated at 1150 kW are being supplied for diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotives ordered from Siemens by Belgian National Railways (RG 8.97 p499).Incorporating Vokes Microfelt cartridges in synthetic, positively spaced and ...

  • News

    ERTMS on Neubaustrecke

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    GERMAN RAILWAY’s Nürnberg - Ingolstadt Neubaustrecke will be the first high-speed line in Europe to be equipped from new with ERTMS/ETCS Level 3 transmission-based train control. On January 4 DB Netz AG announced that DB’s project management subsidiary Planungsgesellschaft Bahnbau Deutsche Einheit had awarded a DM120m contract for electrification, signalling ...

  • News

    Freight mergers herald the end of Europe’s national railway structures

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    INTRO: DB Cargo Director Dr Eberhard Sinnecker has a vision of European rail freight where multinational competing networks are fed by short lines in a pattern that mirrors the US railroads. Murray Hughes met Sinnecker in Mainz and found him determined to sweep away the national structures that he believes ...

  • News

    Scissor table eases engine handling

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    To handle 3m long combined engine and transmission units weighing 3 tonnes which power the Class 168 DMUs, Adtranz has installed a twin scissor lifting table from Wilmat Handling at Aylesbury depot. Adtranz built the trains for Chiltern Railways and is also responsible for maintenance.The electrically-powered lift runs on ...

  • News

    Dual-system network

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    THE GERMAN city of Braunschweig has unveiled proposals for two dual-system light rail routes, using existing DB tracks. One would link serve Gifhorn and Uelzen, whilst the other would run from Wipshausen to Salzgitter-Lebenstedt. Future extensions could see LRVs running over DB tracks as far as Helmstedt, Goslar and Bad ...

  • News

    Seat suppliers gear up to meet demand

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    WITH numerous builds of rolling stock reaching the delivery stage in Germany, Italy, Britain and elsewhere, it is a busy time for Europe’s seating manufacturers. All types of seat are in demand, the key issues being low weight and resistance to vandalism. Several suppliers have developed modular designs to suit ...

  • News

    Delusions of grandeur

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    Letter to the Editor

  • News

    Galicia cut-offs

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    A Pts2·6bn package of improvements for the Monforte - Orense - Vigo corridor was approved by the Spanish government at the end of December. It forms part of a Pts30bn strategy to improve speeds on the main rail links in Galicia in 1999-2002; under an accord signed last April, this ...

  • News

    Cross-London plans delay Underground sell-off

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    UK: A proposal to join up suburban services east and west of London through existing metro tunnels, which has been put forward by Railtrack, owner of Britain’s national rail network, has caused the process of privatising London Underground’s physical assets to be put on hold for several weeks. In March ...

  • News

    Cross-city doubling

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    THE BUSY cross-city tunnel under the heart of Madrid between Atocha and Chamartín stations is to be duplicated at a cost of Pts30bn. In January the Ministry of Development signed an agreement with the City of Madrid for construction of an 8 km tunnel parallel to the existing bore completed ...

  • News

    Wiring continues

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    ON DECEMBER 28 Russia’s Far Eastern Railway inaugurated electric operation on an 81 km section of the Trans-Siberian, between Kotikovo and Bikin. Only 350 route-km remains to be wired, between Bikin and Ussurisk. Speaking at the inauguration, Far East Railway President A Strelnik said the 150 km from Bikin should ...

  • News

    ‘We need competition - and co-operation too’

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    INTRO: Ed Smulders, Director of NS Cargo, tells Richard Hope how profitable rail companies can capture a much bigger share of Europe’s growing international freight marketBYLINE: Ed SmuldersDirectorNS Cargo IN THIS DECADE, the outlook for rail freight in the Netherlands has been transformed. Once virtually written off as hopelessly uncompetitive ...

  • News

    Compete and integrate

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    BIDS close on March 1 for a concession to operate Singapore’s Northeast metro line. Before rushing off to Singapore, bear in mind that tenders have only been invited from local companies Trans-Island Bus Services and Singapore Bus Service. The winner will also be asked to run the Sengkang and Punggol ...

  • News

    International group to move Stockholm commuters

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    STORSTOCKHOLMS Lokaltrafik has selected a tri-national private consortium to operate Pendeltåg commuter services in the Swedish capital. The CityPendeln consortium announced in December 16 that it will take over in January 2000, when SL’s agreement with Swedish State Railway expires. The five-year concession includes a five-year extension option.The consortium is ...

  • News

    Mumbai commuters see ray of hope

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    BETTER services are in prospect for the long-suffering commuters of Mumbai, 4600 of whom typically cram themselves into and onto nine-car trains during the 3h long morning peak. A programme to increase capacity was prepared in December 1994, and in October 1996 the Indian and Maharashtra state governments gave their ...

  • News

    Deal on coal

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    INTERNATIONAL Colombia Resources Corp (Intercor) is in line to benefit significantly from extra traffic over its 150 km standard gauge line from the Cerrejon coalfield to the deep-water port at Bahia Portete. Opened 10 years ago, the El Cerrejon Mine Railway carries around 15 million tonnes of coal a year.Intercor ...

  • News

    City NEWS

    1999-02-01T11:00:00Z

    CAPTION: The first two trainsets being built for the Tehran metro network by China’s Changchun Car Works were due to arrive in Iran at the end of January. A batch of 14 cars was shipped from China in December, under a contract for supply of 217 vehicles