Infrastructure news – Page 163
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NewsBaoji – Lanzhou opening completes high speed corridor to western China
CHINA: The 401 km high speed line between Baoji in Shaanxi province and Lanzhou in Gansu province opened on July 9, following a period of test running which had begun in May. The latest section of the national high speed network links the existing high speed line from eastern China ...
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NewsPrime Minister inaugurates Stockholm Citybanan
SWEDEN: Revenue services began operating through the new Stockholm Citybanan tunnels at 05.00 on July 10, following formal inauguration by Prime Minister Stefan Löfven the previous day. He was joined for the ceremonies at Odenplan by Minister of Infrastructure Anna Johansson, Trafikverket Director General Lena Erixon and the head of ...
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NewsXRL trainset arrives in Hong Kong by rail
CHINA: The signalling and communications systems on the Hong Kong and Mainland sections of the Guangzhou – Shenzhen – Hong Kong Express Rail Link high speed line were connected on July 5, enabling the third of the nine trainsets for the future service to be delivered from CRRC Qingdao ...
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NewsArianna slab track selected for Marlengo tunnel
ITALY: South Tirol infrastructure manager STA has awarded Wegh Group a contract to install its Arianna slab track system through the Marlengo tunnel on the Merano – Malles Venosta line. The lower rail height compared to the existing ballasted track will provide the additional clearance necessary for the installation of ...
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NewsBelgrano Sur heads for Constitución
ARGENTINA: On July 6 the Ministry of Transport announced the start of work on a new elevated alignment for the 1 000 mm gauge Belgrano Sur commuter route in Buenos Aires. Running for 5∙6 km, it will enable Belgrano services to run into the Plaza Constitución terminus of the 1 ...
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Metro Report InternationalLondon Luton Airport peoplemover approved
UK: Luton Borough Council, the owner of London Luton Airport, has approved the construction of a 2·3 km automated peoplemover linking the terminal building with Luton Airport Parkway station. The cost is put at £200m, with the peoplemover due to open by the end of 2020. Replacing the current ...
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NewsKuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed rail tender to be called this year
ASIA: Almost 400 participants from 165 supply, consultancy, finance and operating organisations attended an industry briefing organised by Kuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed line project promoters MyHSR Corp and Land Transport Authority on July 5. The event in Singapore was held to provide information and seek feedback on the ...
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Metro Report InternationalAll civil works awarded for Grand Paris Express Line 15 South
FRANCE: Project promoter Société du Grand Paris announced on July 3 that it had awarded the final two civil works contracts for Line 15 South, the 33 km driverless metro line that will run from Pont-de-Sèvres to Noisy-Champs. Under a contract worth €513m, a joint venture led by Bouygues Travaux ...
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NewsNapoli – Bari double-tracking commissioned
ITALY: As part of the project to create a high speed, high capacity route between Napoli and Bari, a 21 km section of double-track on the Foggia – Benevento – Caserta line was commissioned on June 28. A special train worked by an ETR485 tilting trainset conveyed Transport Minister Graziano ...
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Metro Report InternationalTram-train pilot scheme infrastructure costs up 401%
UK: Significant cost increases and delays to the UK’s pilot tram-train project are detailed in a report published by the National Audit Office on July 4. NAO found that while the Department for Transport and Network Rail have established new technical standards and shared the lessons learned with other tram-train ...
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NewsBern station expansion gets underway
SWITZERLAND: A long-discussed project to expand the main station in Bern was officially launched on July 3, following completion of the planning approval process on June 26. The Zukunft Bahnhof Bern project is intended to provide much-needed capacity increases in several areas, as both the SBB through station and the ...
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NewsNetwork Rail orders Harsco Stoneblowers
UK: Harsco Rail has won a contract to supply infrastructure manager Network Rail with seven Stoneblower track maintenance machines. The deal announced on June 29 includes a long-term spare parts and software support agreement. The Stoneblowers are scheduled to be delivered over two years from late 2019, and will replace ...
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NewsAuckland City Rail Link project company established
NEW ZEALAND: Dedicated company City Rail Link Ltd assumed responsibility for delivering Auckland’s cross-city rail project with effect from July 1, the day after agreements were signed by Finance Minister Steven Joyce, Transport Minister Simon Bridges and Mayor of Auckland Phil Goff. ‘City Rail Link Limited is a new company ...
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NewsSNCF opens two high speed lines in one day
FRANCE: More than 500 km of new high speed line were officially opened on July 1, when SNCF operated special trains on LGV Sud Europe Atlantique and LGV Bretagne – Pays de la Loire, ahead of the start of commercial services the following day. Taking part in the events were ...
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NewsBelgrano upgrade enters third phase
ARGENTINA: Transport Minister Guillermo Dietrich has announced the start of tendering for the third phase of the programme to upgrade the 1 000 mm gauge Belgrano network. Bids are being invited to undertake track renewals on 558 km in the provinces of Tucumán, Salta and Jujuy, including route C8 from ...
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NewsSwiss signalling commissioned on French metre-gauge line
FRANCE: A project to install automatic signalling on the French section of the metre-gauge line linking St Gervais and Vallorcine in France with Martigny in Switzerland has been completed, with a full passenger service restarting on June 24. The 37 km between St Gervais and Vallorcine has been equipped ...
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NewsTest running on next Ethiopian line to start in August
ETHIOPIA: Test running on the first phase of the Awash – Woldiya/Hara Gebeya Railway is on course to begin by the end of August, Ethiopian Railways Corp has announced. In June 2012 ERC signed a US$1·7bn turnkey contract for Turkish firm Yapı Merkezi to build the 389 route-km electrified ...
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NewsAnsaldo STS awarded €100m RFI framework contract
ITALY: Infrastructure manager RFI has awarded Ansaldo STS a two-year framework agreement worth €100m for the provision of technical assistance, maintenance and upgrading services. The contract announced on June 27 covers all existing Ansaldo STS systems on RFI’s conventional and high speed lines, along with the reconfiguration and upgrading of ...
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NewsMurray Basin gauge conversion contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: A contract for regauging and upgrading more than 1 000 route-km of railway serving the Murray Basin region was announced on June 26 by Federal Minister for Infrastructure & Transport Darren Chester and Victoria’s Acting Minister for Public Transport Luke Donnellan. A joint venture of McConnell Dowell and Martinus ...
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NewsCharles-de-Gaulle Airport rail link funding model approved
FRANCE: The proposed financing mechanism for the construction of the CDG Express dedicated rail link between Paris Est station and Charles-de-Gaulle Airport has been approved by the European Commission. Under the current proposals, the 32 km link is to be built and operated by a 50:50 joint venture between SNCF ...