All Railway Gazette International articles in February 2012 – Page 4
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NewsAwards encourage European railway integration
EUROPE: ‘We must create a European railway area, where railway operators are able to provide their services across borders’, insisted European Commission Vice-President for Transport Siim Kallas, speaking at the 2012 European Railway Awards in Brussels on February 8. Kallas is concerned that ‘today, many of Europe's railways are not ...
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NewsZonguldak line upgrading contract awarded
TURKEY: The Central Finance & Contracts Unit has awarded a €220m contract for modernisation of the 415 km line running from Irmak, east of Ankara, to the Black Sea port of Zonguldak. A consortium of Yapi Merkezi and MÖN Insaat ve Ticaret will undertake infrastructure rehabilitation and track renewals, with ...
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NewsAmtrak accelerates in Michigan
USA: On February 7 the Federal Railroad Administration gave Amtrak approval to raise speeds on its passenger services in western Michigan from 152 km/h to 177 km/h. The agreement covers an Amtrak-owned 155 route-km section between Kalamazoo, Michigan and Porter, Indiana which has been equipped with the Incremental Train Control ...
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NewsFreightliner eyes Middle Eastern rail market
INTERNATIONAL: UK-based freight operator Freightliner Group is looking for opportunities to expand its activities to include the Middle East, according to Corporate Development Director Dom McKenna. Speaking to Railway Gazette International at Terrapinn's Middle East Rail 2012 conference in Dubai, McKenna said Freightliner is seeking markets where it could work ...
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NewsFirst Leo Express train handed over
CZECH REPUBLIC: The first of five Flirt electric multiple-units ordered by Leo Express to launch open access services was handed over in a ceremony at Stadler Rail's Bussnang plant in Switzerland on February 5. Leo Express, originally known as Rapid Express, was set up in 2010, backed by Aakon Capital. ...
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NewsNew South Wales government to buy out Waratah PPP
AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales state government has reached agreement with the shareholders in Reliance Rail, its 'financial guarantors and other parties' to restructure the finances of the troubled PPP concession to supply 626 Waratah double-deck EMU cars for the Sydney suburban network. State Treasurer Mike Baird announced on February ...
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NewsWind Chaser urban maglev unveiled
CHINA: A prototype maglev trainset for medium-capacity urban transport applications has been unveiled by CSR Zhuzhou. The manufacturer envisages the 'Wind Chaser' design being used in cities of less than 2 million people, where a full metro might not be required. The company has confirmed that negotiations are underway with ...
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NewsBasel signs its ‘biggest tram order in 116 years’
SWITZERLAND: Preferred bidder Bombardier Transportation signed the contract to supply the city of Basel with 60 Flexity trams on January 31, in a deal described as Basel transport authority’s biggest order in its 116-year history. The €184m contract awarded by BVB will see the first two trams arrive in 2013 ...
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NewsAECOM wins Honolulu airport elevated metro design contract
USA: AECOM has won a $38∙8m contract to design the 8∙3 km section of the Honolulu Rail Transit elevated metro from Aloha Stadium to the Middle Street Transit Center, via Honolulu International Airport. AECOM is expected to finish the design work by the spring of 2013. There will be a ...
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NewsFirst Chinese DMU for Tunisia unveiled
TUNISIA: CSR Nanjing Puzhen has begun delivery of a fleet of diesel multiple-units ordered by state railway SNCFT. Announcing the shipping of the first unit from Shanghai during January, the manufacturer said the development of the diesel-hydraulic multiple-units for export 'marks a great breakthrough of China's technology', making use of ...
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NewsSJ 3000 inter-city train enters service
SWEDEN: National inter-city operator SJ AB put its next generation of train into commercial service on February 6, after the first of the 20 four-car EMUs was formally handed over on January 26. Designated X55 by SJ, the Bombardier Regina Alfa EMUs are marketed as SJ 3000 to follow the ...
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NewsClassroom in a tank wagon
ROMANIA: A tank wagon is being used as a training vehicle by open access freight operator Grup Feroviar Roman and oil company Petrom. Converted at a cost of €40 000, the wagon is stabled at GFR’s Brazi depot, where it is used to train drivers, shunters, terminal staff and the ...
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NewsIndustry News in Brief
With the backing of German rail industry association VBG, a ‘milestone’ agreement to standardise signalling and safety equipment interfaces was signed in December by infrastructure manager DB Netz and Alstom Transport, Ansaldo STS, Bombardier Transportation, Funkwerk, PintschBamag, Scheidt & Bachmann, Siemens and Thales. Guangzhou CSR Times Electric opened a ...
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NewsLonger platforms in Guadalajara
MEXICO: Work will begin this year on a programme to extend platforms on Line 1 of the Guadalajara light rail network from 60 m to 90 m, in order to accommodate three-car trains. According to Jalisco Governor Emilio González, studies for Line 3 to Zapopan, Tlaquepaque and ...
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NewsProgress Rail closes EMD plant in London
CANADA: Caterpillar subsidiary Progress Rail announced on February 3 that it was closing the Electro-Motive Diesel locomotive assembly plant at London, Ontario, with immediate effect. Approximately 450 employees represented by the Canadian Auto Workers union will be affected, along with non-union management grades. Staff at Electro-Motive Canada had been locked ...
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NewsAlister bound for Bremerhaven
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has awarded a contract to Funkwerk IT for resignalling its Bremen – Bremerhaven line using electronic interlockings. Partly double-track, the 63 km mixed traffic line with a maximum speed of 160 km/h is being upgraded to accommodate a projected doubling of traffic by 2015. Valued at around ...
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NewsSingapore chooses Alstom for metro upgrades
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority has awarded a €240m contract to Alstom covering the supply of 34 driverless Metropolis trainsets for the Circle and North East lines, as well as signalling upgrades for both routes.NEL will receive 18 six-car trainsets and another 16 three-car sets will be supplied to CCL. ...
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NewsContracts signed for Danish national ETCS deployment
DENMARK: Infrastructure manager Banedanmark signed two contracts on January 31 covering the installation of ETCS infrastructure across its entire main line network as part of its DKr18bn Signalling Programme. The Fjernbane West and East contracts have a total value of DKr5·8bn. Banedanmark had announced in December the preferred bidders for ...
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NewsAfghan railway starts commercial traffic
AFGHANISTAN: Celebrations were held at Naibabad freight terminal at 12.00 on February 3, when ‘a substantial reception party’ greeted the arrival of the first train carrying commercial traffic on the 75 km rail link between Hairatan and Mazar-i-Sharif. The inaugural load comprised nine wagons of flour from Kazakhstan and ...
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NewsManaus monorail contract signed
BRAZIL: The Infrastructure Secretariat of Amazonas signed a contract with a consortium of Scomi Engineering, CR Almedia, Mendes Junior and Serveng, on January 20 to build a 20 km straddle monorail in the city of Manaus. Total value of the contract is put at R$1∙45bn. Scomi Engineering’s share is worth ...