All Railway Gazette International articles in February 2013 – Page 2
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NewsDetroit light rail project gets grant
USA: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a $25m Tiger grant for the M-1 light rail project in Detroit on January 18. The 5·3 km line along Woodward Avenue with 11 stops is to be built and operated by the non-profit M-1 Rail Corp consortium, which has committed more than $100m ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market February 2013
Australia: CNR Qiqihar has begun delivering 120 Series Q stainless steel wagons ordered by Rio Tinto to carry 139·5 tonnes of iron ore within a 40 tonne axleload. Wabtec has supplied ECP braking equipment. Belarus: In December Belarussian Railways signed a firm order for a further six ...
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NewsGrade separation to save 1 500 h/day
USA: Illinois Governor Pat Quinn attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a $67m grade separation project at Bensenville near Chicago on February 19. Lowering of Irving Park Road and construction of a bridge to carry Canadian Pacific tracks is intended to speed up the flow of rail and road traffic on ...
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NewsJICA signs Dhaka metro project loan
BANGLADESH: Funding for the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project is included in a ¥70·693bn official development assistance loan package signed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the government of Bangladesh on February 20. Development of a metro network forms part of the 20-year Dhaka Strategic Transport Plan approved ...
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NewsLuhanskteplovoz DMU enters service
UKRAINE: A three-car diesel multiple-unit supplied by Luhanskteplovoz at cost of 41m hryvnia entered service on routes around Kolomyia and Chernivtsi during January. The unit has two cars powered by MTU engines and one trailer car, with a total capacity of 336 passengers in a single class of accommodation with ...
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NewsSaale-Elster Viaduct beams in place
GERMANY: The final pair of 38 tonne prefabricated components for a 110 m long, 1 420 tonne steel arch span forming part of the 8·5 km Saale-Elster Viaduct were installed on February 15. The viaduct stands up to 21 m above a flood plain south of Halle, and includes an ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news in brief
Werner Stohler has transferred his shares in Swiss railway systems planning consultancy and software supplier SMA und Partner to a group of long-standing employees under a management buyout, 25 years after he founded the company. This increases the number of partners from three to 11. SMA employs more than 60 ...
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NewsSNCF unveils Ouigo low-cost TGV service
FRANCE: SNCF President Guillaume Pepy and Director of the long-distance passenger business Barbara Dalibard unveiled details of the national operator's 'Ouigo' branded low-cost TGV service on February 19. From April 2 Ouigo services will run from Marne-la-Vallée Chessy station on the eastern outskirts of Paris to Marseille and Montpellier. ...
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NewsPolish rail closure proposals announced
POLAND: PKP PLK has announced plans to close 2 000 route-km of railway. The decision comes after a six-month study of 458 sections of the network totalling nearly 7 300 route-km, out of a total of 21 600 route-km. Of the three scenarios proposed in the study, the ‘mild’ ...
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NewsNewRail introduces Rail Freight & Logistics course
UK: Following surveys undertaken under the EU-funded RiFLE project, NewRail, the railway research centre at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, has identified a looming skills gap in the rail freight and logistics market as the range of specialist academic courses fails to keep pace with recruitment levels in the sector. NewRail ...
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NewsCAF trams for Besançon take shape
FRANCE: Officials from Bescançon visited the CFD Bagnères plant in Bagnères-de-Bigorre on February 12 and 13 to view progress with the fleet of 19 cars that are being supplied to the city by Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF. One completed tram was undergoing static testing as a further two cars ...
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NewsKuala Lumpur - Singapore high speed railway agreement
ASIA: An agreement to build a high speed railway between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore is included in the joint statement issued by the Prime Ministers of Malaysia and Singapore following their annual retreat on February 19. The Joint Ministerial Committee has been tasked with looking into 'the details and modalities' ...
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NewsUntere Edertalbahn reopening works begin
GERMANY: Work to reopen the out-of-use 30 km Untere Edertalbahn between Korbach and Frankenberg was launched when Hesse Transport Minister Florian Rentsch attended the start of vegetation clearance at Korbach on February 15. The project aims to improve access to tourist destinations around the Edersee, providing a direct route between ...
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market February 2013
Australia: Transport for NSW has awarded Downer EDI and Robson Civil Projects a A$90m contract to undertake infrastructure works for the Gosford Passing Loops Project, one of four packages under the Northern Sydney Freight Corridor programme. Germany: DB Netz has awarded Jäger Bau a €3·4m contract to modernise the ...
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NewsInRail begins operating in Slovenia
EUROPE: InRail has begun operating cross-border freight services between Nova Gorica in Slovenia and destinations in Italy, making it the second Italian rail company approved to operate in Slovenia after Trenitalia. InRail was formed in 2009 and now operates around 80 trains/week, mainly carrying metals, timber and coal. Its ...
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NewsPKP Cargo takes modernisation work in-house
POLAND: PKP Cargo is to bring its locomotive and wagon modernisation activities in-house with effect from April 1, with the aim of increasing productivity, reducing the company’s dependence on outside contractors and eliminating the time it spends undertaking tendering procedures. Two years ago the state-owned freight operator decided to bring ...
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NewsMeasurement and testing technology
RESISTANCE: Cropico’s DO4000 range of rugged portable digital milli-ohmmeters includes features to provide accurate measurements of track joint resistance and check the accuracy of power distribution joints. The meters are also suitable for quick checking of signal wire integrity. The DO4000 enables forward and reverse current measurement with auto averaging ...
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NewsNews in Brief - February 2013
Seven investors have shown interest in the privatisation of Bulgarian national railway BDZ's freight business. Six purchased tender documents, and the seventh requested an extension of the bid submission deadline. The Lagos - Kano line in Nigeria reopened on December 22 after being suspended for several years. NRC ...
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NewsAlstom signs Baghdad urban rail contract
IRAQ: A US$40m agreement for Alstom to undertake detailed design studies for the first phase of an elevated metro was signed by Governor of Baghdad Dr Salah Abdul-Razzaq on February 11. The line is planned to relieve traffic congestion and help to accommodate population growth in the capital. Abdul-Razzaq ...
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NewsVeolia Transport awarded Swedish contract
SWEDEN: The Blekinge, Kalmar, Kronoberg and Skåne transport authorities have jointly awarded Veolia Transport a contract to operate three local rail services for five years from December 2013, with an option for a further three years. The contract covers the Emmaboda to Karlskrona and Kalmar and Hässleholm - Växjö routes, ...