Infrastructure news – Page 157
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NewsPortal Bridge renewal launched
USA: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Amtrak Board Chairman Tony Coscia marked the start of work on the long-planned replacement of the Portal Bridge with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 13. The 110-year old two-track swing bridge over the Hackensack River between Kearny and Seacaucus has long been a ...
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Metro Report InternationalTransport for London plans new Overground stations
UK: Transport for London has begun a five-week public consultation on plans to build stations at Hythe Road and Old Oak Common Lane in west London. ‘These two potential new London Overground stations would improve connectivity to High Speed 2 and support the regeneration at Old Oak and Park Royal’, ...
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NewsKaliningrad – Lithuania border station commissioned
RUSSIA: Border facilities for passengers and freight crossing between Kaliningrad oblast and Kybartai in Lithuania were commissioned at Chernyshevskoye in the east of the Russian exclave on October 2. Border formalities were previously undertaken 10 km west in Nesterov. Construction of the 1·9bn rouble facility started in 2005, and the ...
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NewsFatigue crack detection system developed
UK: A prototype system for identifying fatigue cracks at switches and crossings has been developed by TWI Ltd with funding from RSSB and Network Rail. Based on technology used for the long-range testing of pipelines, it uses a low frequency ultrasonic method which is less affected by the cast ...
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NewsFocus on renewals in £47·9bn Network Rail funding plan for 2019-24
UK: The Statement of Funds Available for Network Rail’s infrastructure operations, maintenance and renewals in England and Wales during Control Period 6 from April 1 2019 to March 31 2024 was announced by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling on October 12. Scotland is covered under a separate process. The SoFA would ...
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Metro Report InternationalRanken wins Chinese metro construction contracts
CHINA: Sapphire Corp subsidiary Ranken Railway Construction Group Co has won construction contracts for two metro projects. A 561m yuan contract covers the Barracuda Bay – Shanhua Street section of the 24·5 km Dalian metro Line 5, which is due to open in November 2019. Ranken’s contract includes the ...
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NewsRail Baltica agreement ratified by all three parliaments
EUROPE: The intergovernmental agreement for the development of the Rail Baltica 1 435 mm gauge route has now been ratified by all three of the Baltic States, after the Lithuanian parliament voted 96 in favour and 0 against with one abstention on October 10. The agreement sets out principles including ...
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NewsVoters back second line to Slovenian port
SLOVENIA: A government proposal to build a second track on a new alignment to increase speeds and capacity on the route from the port of Koper to the main line at Divača has been backed by voters in a referendum. The existing single-track line is 44·3 km long, but the ...
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Metro Report InternationalLondon Underground capacity upgrade programme ‘paused’
UK: Planned upgrades to increase service frequencies on London Underground’s Jubilee and Northern lines, including the procurement of additional trainsets, have been temporarily ‘paused’, Transport for London has confirmed. TfL said the decision to pause the World Class Capacity project had been taken in the light of other ongoing upgrades ...
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NewsThales signs Saudi North–South Railway maintenance deal
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Railway Co has awarded Thales a two-year contract to maintain signalling, telecoms and electromechanical systems on the 2 400 km North–South Railway network. This follows from similar one-year contract which was awarded in 2016, building on the relationship formed during the installation and commissioning of the ...
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Metro Report InternationalBucurești metro M5 financing approved
ROMANIA: Financing worth €252m for the ongoing construction of București metro Line M5 was approved by the European Commission on October 3. ‘This will have a positive impact on the quality of the air in București, local companies, tourism and, of course, on the inhabitants of the neighbourhoods it serves’, ...
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NewsLanzhou – Chongqing mixed traffic artery completed
CHINA: The Minxian – Lanzhou railway was opened on September 29, completing a 862 km north–south artery between Lanzhou and Chongqing. Designed for 200 km/h passenger and 160 km/h freight services, the completion of the line has shortned the route between the two cities by about 650 km and ...
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Metro Report InternationalKeolis awarded Caen operating contract covering bus to tram conversion
FRANCE: The city of Caen has awarded incumbent Keolis a new public service contract covering the operation of its urban transport network under the Twisto brand.Keolis has managed the network since 2002. The next contract runs for six years from January 1 2018, and is expected to generate turnover of ...
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NewsLonger freight trains to go ahead
GERMANY: Planning for the introduction of 740 m long freight trains across the core national network is to be stepped up, following a favourable evaluation by the Federal Transport Ministry. Secretary of State for Transport Enak Ferlemann said on September 22 that efficient railway infrastructure was needed across the country, ...
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NewsMorogoro – Makutupora standard gauge line contract awarded
TANZANIA: State railway infrastructure authority Reli Assets Holding Co has awarded Turkish company Yapı Merkezi a US$1·92bn contract to build the 336 km Morogoro – Makutupora 1 435 mm gauge line. This is the second phase of a proposed 2 200 km standard gauge network which would connect Dar es ...
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Metro Report InternationalKharkiv metro extension tendering expected shortly
UKRAINE: Tendering is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2017 for the construction of a 3·5 km southern extension of Kharkiv metro Line 3. The scope of the works would include the construction of two stations, a depot and connecting tracks, and the supply of new rolling stock. ...
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Metro Report InternationalAlstom to supply Tel Aviv Red Line signalling
ISRAEL: Alstom has been selected as preferred bidder for a US$110m contract to supply signalling, control and automation systems for the 23 km Tel Aviv light metro Red Line, project promoter NTA announced on October 1 .Ansaldo STS had also submitted a bid.‘I congratulate Alstom on joining ...
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NewsDB Netz reopens main line through Rastatt
GERMANY: Following a hiatus of around seven weeks, trains began running through the town of Rastatt on the Rhein Valley main line between Karlsruhe and Basel at 01.00 on October 2.The busy freight and passenger artery had been blocked since August 12, when a tunnel beneath the alignment collapsed. The ...
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NewsRhätische Bahn commissions Trapeze communications system
SWITZERLAND: Trapeze has supplied Rhätische Bahn with a PA-R-I-Ty communication system to provide IP-based voice and data radio links across the metre gauge operator’s network. RhB’s services are managed from 13 workstations at a control centre in Landquart and three workstations at a remote facility in Klosters. PA-R-I-Ty provides 10 ...
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NewsMott MacDonald supports Thameslink TMS implementation
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail has appointed Mott MacDonald to support the implementation of Hitachi’s Tranista traffic management system on the Thameslink route through London. The consultancy is to advise Network Rail on the necessary changes to operational roles, processes and decision making. It will also look at the integration ...