Infrastructure news – Page 183
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NewsHigh speed station opens in Shenzhen
CHINA: A further 15 km section of the Guangzhou – Shenzhen – Hong Kong high speed line was opened for revenue service on December 29, when China Railway Corp extended its high speed services from Shenzhen North to Futian, close to Shenzhen’s central business district and the border with the ...
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NewsDetroit connection to speed passenger services
USA: Amtrak’s Wolverine passenger trains between Chicago and Detroit have begun using a new curve at West Detroit Junction, which has been built in conjunction with the upgrading and double-tracking of the former NS route now owned by Michigan Department of Transportation. Completed in late December, the US$15·8m curve was ...
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market December 2015
Australia: Thales is to supply communications and control systems for the Sydney Metro project. TasRail has awarded VEC Civil Engineering a contract for track renewals on the Melba and Western lines, the largest package of the A$119·6m Tasmanian Freight Rail Revitalisation Programme. Tas Heavy Haulage will transport the rails ...
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NewsAFE to install satellite train control
URUGUAY: State railway authority AFE has awarded a contract for the introduction of a satellite-based train control system, which is due to be rolled out across 1 600 route-km over the next four years. Under the contract signed on December 21 by AFE President Wilfredo Rodriguez and Minister of Transport ...
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NewsWindhoff designs high performance on-track machines for SBB
SWITZERLAND: Windhoff Bahn- und Anlagentechnik has announced details of the 35 self-propelled on-track machines which it is to supply to Swiss Federal Railways under the largest single contract which the company has won. Deliveries are scheduled from spring 2017 until 2021, with the first five vehicles to undergo six months ...
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NewsNew curve to speed up journeys to Zakopane
POLAND: Infrastructure manager PKP PLK announced on December 21 that it is to build a curve between Kraków Zabłocie and Kraków Krzemionki stations. According to PKP PLK, this will enable faster journeys between Kraków Główny and Zakopane, Skawina and Oświęcim. The work is to be carried out for 258m ...
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NewsOman Rail phase two approved
OMAN: A royal decree issued on December 20 declared the second phase of the planned 2 135 km national railway project to be a public utility project. The decree grants powers for land acquisition for Phase 2, which would run south to Fahud from a connection with the Al Aïn ...
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NewsLithuanian Railways signs Nordic Investment Bank loan
LITHUANIA: National railway LG signed a €50m, 15-year loan agreement with Nordic Investment Bank on December 14. This is the fifth NIB loan to LG since 2009, and takes the total value to €266m. The loan will be used along with EU funds to finance infrastructure projects from LG’s ...
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NewsGold Coast double-tracking contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland government announced on December 16 that it had awarded Golding Contractors a contract for civils works related to double-tracking of part of the Gold Coast – Brisbane line. Due to begin in March, the A$163m project would double 8·2 km of the 1 067 mm gauge ...
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NewsFaster to Salamanca and Zamora
SPAIN: On December 17 national operator RENFE introduced Alvia services from Madrid to Salamanca and Zamora, following the completion of high speed infrastructure between Olmedo near Medina del Campo and Zamora, as well as upgrading and electrification of the conventional route between Medina del Campo and Salamanca. The fastest journey ...
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NewsWaldenburgbahn to be regauged
SWITZERLAND: Plans to convert the 13·1 km Waldenburgbahn from 750 mm to 1 000 mm gauge by 2022 were approved by Basel’s construction and planning commission last month. The single-track line from Liestal to Waldenburg opened in 1880 and was electrified at 1·5 kV DC in 1953. It is ...
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NewsChinese consortium to complete Malaysian electric spine
MALAYSIA: Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai announced on December 11 that the contract for electrification and double-tracking of the Gemas – Johor Bahru route is to be awarded to a consortium led by China Railways Corp.Lai said that the award of the contract would accelerate the programme to enable a ...
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NewsElectrification contract awarded
ISRAEL: Israel Railways has awarded Sociedad Española de Montajes Industriales a 2bn shekel contract to build and maintain electrification infrastructure. The Spanish company beat bids from Siemens, Elecnor, Alstom and China Railways Construction Corp. The contract announced on December 6 covers 420 route-km across 13 lines and includes the ...
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NewsETCS Level 2 goes live in southwest Poland
POLAND: ETCS Level 2 signalling went live on the Legnica – Węgliniec – Bielawa Dolna line in Dolnośląskie voivodship on December 3. Bombardier has installed its Interflo 450 equipment, which is operating in parallel with the conventional signalling, under a 54m złoty contract awarded by infrastructure manager PKP PLK ...
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NewsContractors shortlisted for HS2 enabling works
UK: On December 10 project delivery company HS2 Ltd announced the contractors shortlisted to carry out enabling works on the London – Birmingham Phase 1 of High Speed 2. An invitation to tender is expected early next year, with contracts worth £900m to be awarded later in 2016. ‘Today’s ...
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NewsErfurt – Leipzig opening will cut journey times
GERMANY: With the parallel operation of two special trains, Deutsche Bahn officially inaugurated 123 km of new high speed line between Erfurt, Halle and Leipzig on December 9. DB expects to launch commercial services over the route with the timetable change on December 13. DB Chairman Rüdiger Grube and other ...
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NewsHallandsås Tunnel inaugurated at last
SWEDEN: The country’s longest railway tunnel was officially inaugurated on December 8, when Minister of Enterprise Mikael Damberg drove a special train carrying VIPs through the 8·7 km Hallandsås Tunnel, before participating in an opening ceremony at the northern portal. He was joined for the inauguration by the mayor of ...
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NewsRoca electrification reaches Quilmes
ARGENTINA: President Cristina Fernández joined Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo on December 5 to mark the start of electric operations between Buenos Aires and Quilmes, the latest phase to be completed under the programme to electrify the Roca commuter route to La Plata at 25 kV AC. ...
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NewsSiemens wins more Algerian signalling work
ALGERIA: The Estel joint venture of national railway SNTF and Siemens is to supply signalling, safety and train control for 140 km of lines around Alger, serving 18 stations. Worth €340m to Siemens, the package covers the installation of ETCS Level 1 to shorten headways and permit operation of ...
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NewsArad station refurbishment complete
ROMANIA: The modernised Arad station opened to the public on December 1 after more than three and a half years of work. A 334m lei project started in April 2012 saw the installation of a new footbridge, lifts and escalators, while maintaining the station’s original architectural features, which date from ...