Infrastructure news – Page 162
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Metro Report InternationalWork begins to electrify Caltrain
USA: California Governor Jerry Brown was among those present at a ceremony at Millbrae station on June 21 to mark the start of work on the Caltrain Electrification Project. ‘Today marks the beginning of a faster, cleaner, better Caltrain, a Caltrain that will allow tens of thousands of people ...
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NewsFirst train on Turkish section of Kars – Tbilisi railway
TURKEY: A ceremonial first train ran on the Turkish section of the Baku – Tbilisi – Kars railway corridor on July 19, carrying Minister of Transport, Maritime & Communication Ahmet Arslan as well as Georgia’s Minister of Economy and the CEOs of the national railways of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. ...
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NewsMore high speed in the Mediterranean Corridor
SPAIN: Tendering is to start in 2019 for a high speed line between Valencia and Castelló, according to Development Minister Íñigo de la Serna. Expected to cost €1·2bn, the 62 km double-track alignment is to be designed for operation at up to 350 km/h. Under the Mediterranean Corridor programme, a ...
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NewsHigh Level Output Specification for Control Period 6 published
UK: On July 20 Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling published the High Level Output Specification setting out what the government wants the railway to achieve in Control Period 6, which runs from April 1 2019 to March 31 2024, as well as the initial Statement of Funds Available. ...
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NewsSheffield, Swansea and Windermere electrification cancelled
UK: The government confirmed on July 19 that it had cancelled the planned 25 kV 50 Hz electrification of the Midland Main Line between Kettering, Nottingham and Sheffield, the Cardiff – Swansea route and the Oxenholme – Windermere branch. ‘Rapid delivery of passenger benefits, minimising disruption and engineering work should ...
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NewsInland Rail consultation starts
AUSTRALIA: Another milestone for the long-planned Inland Rail corridor was reached on July 19, when the New South Wales state government released the Environmental Impact Statement for the Parkes – Narromine upgrading project in New South Wales. Project promoter ARTC says public consultation on the EIS will run until August ...
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NewsBi-mode trains in prospect as HS2 northern routes confirmed
UK: Transport Secretary Chris Grayling issued a Command Paper on July 17 confirming the planned routes for the northern sections of High Speed 2, which would link London and Birmingham with Leeds and Manchester, including connections to the existing East Coast and West Coast main lines.The ‘majority’ of the route ...
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NewsHigh speed infrastructure manager issues €600m dark green bond
SPAIN: High speed rail infrastructure manager ADIF Alta Velocidad has issued a €600m ‘green bond’ via a syndicate of banks BBVA, BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole and Santander. The bond has a six-year term at a 0·8% rate of interest. Green bonds must be used to finance or refinance environmentally ...
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Metro Report InternationalMelbourne Metro tunnel contractors selected
AUSTRALIA: The government of Victoria has selected preferred bidders for the civil works and railway systems packages of the Melbourne Metro tunnel project. The Tunnels & Stations works package is to be awarded to the Cross Yarra Partnership consortium of Lendlease Engineering, John Holland, Bouygues Construction and Capella Capital. ...
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NewsHS1 concession sold on
UK: A consortium including South Korea’s National Pension Service has agreed a £3bn deal to purchase the 30-year concession to manage High Speed 1 from the two Canadian pension funds which have managed the line since November 2010. The concession covers the operation and maintenance of the 109 km rail ...
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NewsBrookfield Rail becomes Arc Infrastructure
AUSTRALIA: Western Australia’s infrastructure management concessionaire Brookfield Rail announced on July 17 that the company was changing its name to Arc Infrastructure. CEO Paul Larsen said the move was ‘an exciting time for our business. While we remain a Brookfield company, we’re looking forward to creating our own unique identity’. ...
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NewsHS2 Phase 1 civil works preferred bidders named
UK: The preferred bidders for two-stage contracts to design and build the civil works including bridges, tunnels, embankments and viaducts for High Speed 2 Phase 1 from London Euston to Birmingham and a junction with the West Coast Main Line near Handsacre were announced on July 17. The contracts are ...
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NewsEU funding for Skopje – Sofia link
EUROPE: Two international rail projects in the Western Balkans region are to benefit from European Union funding as part of a package of transport investment agreed at a summit in Trieste on July 12. Under the Transport Community Treaty, the EU has agreed to co-fund seven projects with a combined ...
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Metro Report InternationalNJ Transit adopts budget after ‘laser-like look’ at business
USA: ‘NJ Transit is moving forward with a balanced budget that reflects a laser-like look at individual business lines in order to maximise efficiencies and maintain a safe transportation system’, said Executive Director Steven H Santoro when the board adopted the $2·22bn operating budget and a $1·37bn capital programme for ...
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NewsEnvironmental survey marks Northeast Corridor progress
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration on July 12 released a Record of Decision marking completion of a Tier 1 environmental review of the Northeast Corridor under the National Environmental Policy Act.This establishes a long-term planning framework for the 735 km corridor linking Boston with Washington DC, along which a series ...
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NewsFS Group signs Iranian co-operation agreements
IRAN: Three co-operation agreements were signed in Tehran on July 11 by CEO of Italy’s national railway group FS Renato Mazzoncini and Islamic Republic of Iran Railways President Saeed Mohammadzadeh. The first agreement is potentially worth €1·2bn and covers the provision of design and construction services for the planned Qom ...
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Metro Report InternationalTaylor Woodrow to rebuild White Hart Lane station
UK: Transport for London announced on July 12 that it had selected Taylor Woodrow for a £17·8m contract to design and undertake the rebuilding of White Hart Lane station, which is served by London Overground suburban trains and used by 1·3m passengers a year. The rebuilding is intended to support ...
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NewsThales awarded Ankara resignalling contract
TURKEY: Thales has been awarded a contract to resignal the 36 km Başkentray route which runs east–west through Ankara from Kayaş to Sincan. The corridor is used by suburban, inter-city and high speed services, and is being upgraded by a joint venture of Gülermak and Kolin under a TCDD project ...
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Metro Report InternationalMetrolink Trafford Park extension construction contract signed
UK: Transport for Greater Manchester confirmed on July 11 that it had signed the £200m contract for its delivery partner WSP and the MPact Thales consortium of Laing O’Rourke, VolkerRail and Thales to design and build the Trafford Park extension of the Metrolink light rail network. Trafford Park is the ...
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NewsSNCF selects Alstom traffic management system
FRANCE: SNCF Réseau announced on July 10 that, following a call for tenders, it had selected Alstom to develop a traffic management system that is to be rolled out from 2019, initially on the Paris — Lyon — Marseille route. Alstom will be supplying its Iconis product, which it says ...