All Railway Gazette International articles in February 2014 – Page 5
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NewsMacedonian railway reinstatement contract
MACEDONIA: Work is set to start in March to reinstate the 31 km Kumanovo – Beljakovce line as the initial phase of a long-planned railway between Kumanovo and Deve Bair on the Bulgarian border, after infrastructure manager MZ Infra and Wiebe signed a €39·8m contract during December. The route forms ...
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NewsGreenbrier plans safer tank car design
USA: Responding to growing concern over the safety of crude oil movements by rail in North America, rolling stock builder The Greenbrier Companies announced on February 5 that it is to develop a new-generation ‘Tank Car of the Future’ for the transport of hazardous freight, including crude oil and ethanol. ...
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NewsBombardier wins Crossrail train contract
UK: Bombardier Transportation has beaten bids from Hitachi and CAF to be selected for the contract to supply and maintain trains and a depot for London's Crossrail project, the Department for Transport and Transport for London announced on February 6. With a capital value of £1bn, the 32-year contract is ...
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NewsPriority rail investment projects identified
PORTUGAL: Eight rail projects have been included in a list of 30 investment schemes identified as priorities to encourage economic development as the country seeks to recover from its financial problems. Expected to be completed by 2020, these schemes represent a total investment of €5·1bn, of which between 54% ...
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NewsHeathrow Airport western rail link could be completed by 2021
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail announced on February 5 that it had developed proposals for a rail link from Reading and Slough on the Great Western Main Line to London Heathrow airport. This will enable public consultation to begin. The Western Rail Access to Heathrow study was undertaken in response ...
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NewsHoek van Holland light rail vehicle order placed
NETHERLANDS: Rotterdam transport authority RET has exercised a €66m option with Bombardier Transportation for a further 16 Flexity Swift light rail vehicles. These are to be delivered in 2016 for use on the Schiedam Centrum - Hoek van Holland Strand route which is to be converted from heavy rail ...
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NewsBNSF announces record capital investment plan
USA: BNSF Railway announced a 'single-year record capital commitment plan' on February 4. The total value is $5bn, up almost $1bn on its 2013 capital spend. The 2014 plan includes: $2·3bn for infrastructure works on the 52 000 route-km network in 28 US states and two Canadian provinces; $1·6bn ...
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NewsSJ2000 doors to be converted from pneumatic to electric
SWEDEN: National passenger operator SJ has awarded Faiveley Transport a €10m contract to overhaul and upgrade doors on the 36 SJ2000 trainsets as part a SKr3·5bn major refurbishment programme. Electrical cylinders are to be installed to upgrade the doors from pneumatic to electric, while keeping the existing frames and ...
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NewsCarsten Hinne
Previously responsible for logistics and intermodal traffic at DB Schenker Rail UK, Carsten Hinne took over as head of the freight operator’s European chemicals business on January 1.
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NewsHigher axleloads planned to boost iron ore capacity
NORWAY: Infrastructure manager Jernbaneverket is studying a proposal to upgrade the 35 km Dunderlandsbane section of the Trondheim - Bodø route to increase the maximum axleload from 24 to 30 tonnes. The plan has been put forward by mining company Rana Gruber, which contracts Cargolink to haul iron ore on ...
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NewsRailway supply industry news in brief
Investor KKR has committed C$250m to fund growth at Torq Energy Logistics, which provides ‘wellsite to railcar‘ oil handling services in Canada. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp has acquired US wagon leasing business Flagship Rail Services from Perella Weinberg Partners. FRS will now operate as SMBC Rail Services. ...
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NewsKTMB concession plan rejected
MALAYSIA: A plan to contract out national railway KTMB’s train operating activities to a consortium of local firms MMC and Gamuda has been cancelled by the government. The two groups, which have interests in engineering, logistics and shipping, are understood to have been in discussions with the government for more ...
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NewsNetwork Rail announces electrification framework agreements
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail has awarded Balfour Beatty, AmeyInabensa, CarillionPowerlines and ABC Electrification a total of six geographical framework contracts for its £2bn electrification programme. The agreements announced on February 4 run for seven years, with the potential for three one-year extensions. Network Rail electrification framework agreements ...
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NewsOpen access in Africa
AFRICA: Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority and major customer Impala Warehousing & Logistics International signed a memorandum of understanding on January 21 which could lead to the private company running its own trains. The planned track access agreement would mark the beginning of private sector participation in the operations of Tazara, reflecting ...
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NewsZambian Copperbelt railway agreement
ZAMBIA: An agreement to complete a bankable feasibility study for the construction of a 590 km railway to serve the Copperbelt area of northern Zambia and the Angolan border was signed by project promoter Northwest Rail Co and South African logistics company Grindrod on February 3. Road infrastructure in the ...
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NewsExtra platform opened at Gatwick Airport station
UK: The seventh platform at Gatwick Airport station was officially opened by Transport Minister Baroness Kramer on February 3. The platform forms part of a £53m project designed to improve capacity and flexibility on the Brighton Main Line, supported by £7·5m from Gatwick Airport Ltd. The work was undertaken ...
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NewsCIT expands into Europe with acquisition of Nacco
EUROPE: US asset financing company CIT Group Inc announced its acquisition of European wagon leasing business Nacco SAS for undisclosed terms on February 3. Nacco has its headquarters in Paris and subsidiaries in Hamburg and Crewe. It owns more than 9 500 wagons, which are leased to more than 150 ...
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NewsNew section of Moscow metro Line 8 opens
RUSSIA: A section of Moscow metro Line 8 opened on January 31 from Delovoy Centr to Park Pobedy. The 3·5 km section is not yet connected to the rest of the line; the section between the current western terminus of Tretyakovskaya and Delovoy Centr is due to open next ...
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NewsMumbai monorail opens
INDIA: The Mumbai monorail was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on February 1, with passenger service starting the following day. The first phase is an 8·9 km section from Wadala to Chembur with seven stations and an end-to-end journey time of 20 min. Construction, undertaken by a ...
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NewsSwitzerland to fund Italian gauge enhancement
EUROPE: An agreement for Switzerland to fund gauge enhancement works to provide clearance for 4 m high semitrailer traffic from freight terminals in northern Italy to the Swiss border was signed by the two countries' transport ministers on January 28. Switzerland is aiming to encourage road freight to switch to ...