Infrastructure news – Page 150
-
NewsDen Haag – Rotterdam upgrade to support a train every 5 min
NETHERLANDS: A €300m infrastructure investment plan which is designed to facilitate the operation of a train every 5 min between Den Haag and Rotterdam from the 2025 timetable change was announced by the Ministry of Infrastructure on February 5. The plan includes quadrupling the section of the route between Rijswijk ...
-
NewsCSX committed to Harrison’s vision
USA ‘I’m excited about the progress we are making and am confident we have the right team in place to achieve our goal of becoming the best railroad in North America’, said CSX Transportation President & Chief Executive Officer James M Foote, briefing investors on the company’s 2017 results. According ...
-
NewsBydgoszcz – Gdynia included in electrification studies
POLAND: Infrastructure manager PKP PLK has awarded TPF a 5·8m złoty contract to study the feasibility of upgrading the Bydgoszcz – Kościerzyna – Gdynia route to handle significantly more freight traffic. This would free capacity on the main line via Gdańsk for use by passenger services. The Bydgoszcz – Kościerzyna ...
-
Metro Report InternationalGraz tram project funding agreement signed
AUSTRIA: Graz Mayor Siegfried Nagl and Steiermark Infrastructure Minister Anton Lang signed an agreement on February 5 for financing of six tram projects in the city. The Land of Steiermark will provide €43·8m of the €117·4m total in 15 yearly instalments, with the city council providing a further €44·1m. ...
-
NewsUP optimistic in 2018 forecasts
USA: Union Pacific is ‘optimistic that the economy will favour a number of our market segments, leading to another year of positive volume growth’, said Lance Fritz, Chairman, President & CEO, announcing the company’s 2017 results on January 25. UP reported net income of $10·7bn for the year, an increase ...
-
NewsBNSF announces $3·3bn capital plan
USA: BNSF is planning to invest $3·3bn under its 2018 capital plan unveiled on January 31. This the same level of spending as 2017, and brings the total investment to more than $60bn since 2000. Within the total figure, $2·4bn has been allocated for maintenance and renewal of both infrastructure ...
-
NewsCapacity enhancement at hubs is spending priority, says infrastructure council
FRANCE: Enhancing capacity at key rail hubs is one of several priority measures outlined by the Conseil d’Orientation des Infrastructures on February 1. The council was established in September 2017 by Transport Secretary Elisabeth Borne, and its work builds on the conclusions of the Mobilité 21 commission issued in 2014. ...
-
NewsNew line to Nitra proposed
SLOVAKIA: The Ministry of Transport and infrastructure manager ŽSR are studying the feasibility of building what would be the country’s first significant new rail line in more than three decades. The proposed 19·6 km link between Horné Krškany and Trnovec nad Váhom would considerably reduce the distance from Nitra to ...
-
NewsHS2 station design and development partners announced
UK: The design and development partners selected to undertake detailed design for the ‘landmark’ Birmingham Curzon Street, Birmingham Interchange and Old Oak Common stations and the rebuilding of London Euston station were announced by High Speed 2 project promoter HS2 Ltd on February 2. They are: Birmingham Curzon Street: WSP ...
-
NewsIndian budget trebles railway investment
INDIA: A major increase in Indian Railways’ capital expenditure to Rs1 485bn in the 2018-19 financial year was announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as part of the national budget unveiled on February 1. This is almost three times the Rs540m allocated for capital works in 2013-14. Jaitley said improvements ...
-
Metro Report InternationalTracklaying starts on Manchester’s Trafford Park tram extension
UK: Tracklaying on the Trafford Park extension of the Manchester Metrolink light rail network began on February 1 at Parkway Circle. Civil works on the 5·5 km mostly segregated route with six stops began in late 2016 and is being undertaken by the MPact Thales consortium of Laing O’Rourke, ...
-
NewsHaramain High Speed Rail opening date in jeopardy
SAUDI ARABIA: The planned launch in March of commercial services on the Haramain high speed line between Makkah and Madinah is in doubt following further delays in completing three of the line’s five stations. Announcing on January 30 that he would be visiting Saudi Arabia in the near future to ...
-
Metro Report InternationalSardinia transport funding approved
ITALY: Sardinia regional government approved the allocation of €117·6m from EU funds for four public transport projects on January 23. The proposals must now be approved by the country’s Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport. The largest investment would be €60·1m to build a light rail line in Cagliari from ...
-
NewsRotterdam Centraal station to be modified for Eurostar services
NETHERLANDS: Work to adapt Rotterdam Centraal station to accommodate Eurostar’s future Amsterdam – London services has begun, VolkerRail announced on January 31. The work is being undertaken by VolkerRail and Arcadis on behalf of infrastructure manager ProRail. During a nine-week possession tracks will be realigned and a platform which currently ...
-
NewsRail Baltica detailed design tenders called
EUROPE: Tenders have now been called for the detailed technical design of sections of the Rail Baltica standard gauge railway project in all three Baltic States. A tender announced by tri-national project promoter RB Rail on January 26 covers the Upeslejas – Riga Central station, Tornkalns – Imanta and Riga ...
-
NewsEIB backs upgrade of Polish broad gauge line
POLAND: Broad gauge freight line manager PKP LHS signed a 121m złoty loan agreement with the European Investment Bank on January 25 to part-finance a 263m złoty investment plan. The plan allocates 184m złoty for the installation of modern signalling to improve capacity and for the provision of optic fibre ...
-
NewsHS2 slab track, electrification and tunnel equipment contacts tendered
UK: The process of appointing contractors to supply slab track, electrification and tunnel ventilation systems for the Phase 1 London – Birmingham and Phase 2a Birmingham – Crewe sections of High Speed 2 was formally launched by project promoter HS2 Ltd on January 30. The Lot 1 Track & Overhead ...
-
NewsInnovative traction and electrification in Bayern plan to reduce diesel dependency
GERMANY: Proposals to significantly reduce the use of diesel traction in favour of low-emission alternatives have been presented to the Bayern cabinet by Land Transport Minister Joachim Herrmann. The Bayerische Elektromobilitäts-Strategie Schiene (BESS) is intended to support the federal government’s 2050 climate targets, and to make rail a more attractive ...
-
NewsYeongdeok – Pohang line opens
SOUTH KOREA: The 44·1 km Pohang – Yeongdeok section of the Donghae Line which is being developed to run from south to north parallel to the east coast was opened with a ceremony on January 25. The single-track extension is designed for 150 km/h operation. It is initially being used ...
-
NewsWork starts on Infrabel Academy
BELGIUM: Infrastructure manager Infrabel announced on January 25 that it had started work on a new national training centre, due for completion by the end of 2020 at a cost of €20m. Located next to Brussels Ouest station, the centre will bring together activities currently undertaken across Belgium, including initial ...