Infrastructure news – Page 189
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NewsHigh speed rail priority in 2016 budget
SPAIN: Appearing before a parliamentary committee on August 19, Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport & Housing Julio Gómez-Pomar provided details of the rail spending budgeted by the Ministry of Development for 2016. Next year, the ministry is planning to spend a total of €5∙46bn on rail, a 5% ...
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NewsBenin – Niger railway agreement signed
AFRICA: Bolloré Group has signed a concession agreement with the two governments for the construction and operation of a railway from Cotonou in Benin to Niamey in Niger. The project involves rehabilitation of the metre-gauge Cotonou – Parakou line, and the construction of a 574 km extension. ‘This is ...
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NewsFunding to upgrade Ottawa – Montréal passenger service
CANADA: The national government has announced an additional C$102m of funding for VIA Rail in 2015-17 to support upgrading works on the Ottawa – Montréal route. This includes work to enable VIA Rail’s Renaissance coaches to be used on the route instead of older rolling stock, thereby enhancing accessibility; track ...
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NewsToluca works underway
MEXICO: On August 14 Secretary of Communications & Transport Gerardo Ruiz Esparza inspected progress with works between Zinacantepec and Portal Poniente on the first section of the 57 km electrified passenger railway being built between Toluca and Mexico City. Civil works were 11% complete, with 550 workers deployed at 14 ...
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NewsBangladesh line rehabilitation consultancy contract signed
BANGLADESH: Bangladesh Railway has awarded Indian company Balaji Railroad Systems Ltd a Rs200m contract to provide detailed design and construction supervision services for the rehabilitation of the out-of-use line from Kulaura to Shahbazpur, close to the Indian border. The 51·3 km metre-gauge route is expected to reopen for passenger and ...
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NewsWestern DFC contracts awarded
INDIA: Dedicated Freight Corridor Corp of India has awarded two civil works and track contracts for the Western DFC to a consortium of Mitsui & Co, Ircon International and Tata Projects. The contracts announced on August 19 have a total value of ¥76bn, and cover the 186 km Vaitarana – ...
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NewsDublin commuter line upgrade launched
IRELAND: Work on a €13·7m project to upgrade the 4·4 km line through the Phoenix Park Tunnel in Dublin was officially launched by Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Paschal Donohoe on August 18. From autumn 2016 commuter services from Kildare west of Dublin will be able to use the ...
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market August 2015
Australia: GHD is to provide environment and engineering consultancy services for the Brisbane - Melbourne Inland Rail project. Aurecon Jacobs Mott MacDonald JV has been appointed as technical, planning and engagement advisor for the Melbourne Metro Rail Project. Roy Hill Infrastructure has ordered an Ensco track inspection vehicle ...
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NewsSulawesi railway works to start in October
INDONESIA: Civil works for construction of the first section of the planned trans-Sulawesi railway are expected to start in October with an inauguration ceremony to be attended by President Joko Widodo. A groundbreaking ceremony took place in Siawung in August 2014 to launch the 145 km Makassar – Pare Pare ...
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NewsOHL wins Follo Line contract
NORWAY: Obrascón Huarte Lain of Spain has signed a contract worth NKr2·3bn with infrastructure manager Jernbaneverket, under which OHL is to build the Langhus – Ski section of the Follo Line as well as a major public transport interchange at Ski. OHL is due to begin work immediately. According to ...
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NewsNorthern coal railway concession approved
MONGOLIA: The government has approved proposals for the Northern Railways infrastructure subsidiary of Aspire Mining to develop the 547 km Erdenet – Ovoot under a 35-year Build Operate Transfer concession. On August 10 the government authorised its Investment Agency to execute the concession agreement with NR, paving the way for ...
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NewsUK’s biggest TBM rebores Farnworth Tunnel
UK: On August 11 Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin visited the worksite at Farnworth Tunnel between Manchester and Bolton, where Network Rail has launched a 293 tonne tunnel boring machine to enlarge one bore and provide sufficient clearance for overhead electrification. With a cutting head 9 m in diameter, the TBM ...
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NewsMR invests in control equipment
MYANMAR: A contract to supply operational control centres and related safety equipment has been signed between Myanma Railways, Marubeni Corp and Mitsui & Co. The control equipment, which Marubeni is sourcing from Kyosan Electric Manufacturing Co, will support the modernisation of Yangon Central and Pazunduang stations. It is being funded ...
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NewsMost railroads ‘will miss PTC deadline’, FRA confirms
USA: The deadline of December 31 2015 mandated by Congress for the installation of Positive Train Control by US railroads will not be met, the Federal Railroad Administration confirmed on August 7. The Rail Safety Improvement Act passed by Congress in October 2008 requires all Class I freight railways and ...
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NewsPraha airport rail link option selected
CZECH REPUBLIC: Following a feasibility study undertaken by infrastructure manager SŽDC, the Ministry of Transport has selected its preferred option for the long-planned rail link from central Praha to Václav Havel Airport at Ruzyně. The chosen option involves double-tracking and 3 kV DC electrification of the existing line which ...
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NewsIrish public transport budget increased
IRELAND: National railway Iarnród Éireann is set to be benefit from an additional €60m which the government has allocated to the Ministry of Transport, Tourism & Sport’s public transport budget for 2015. The aim is to catch up with the backlog of work which resulted from country’s recession. Rolling stock ...
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NewsETCS Level 2 contract signed
BELGIUM: Infrastructure manager Infrabel has officially signed the €510m contract with Siemens Mobility and Cofely-Fabricom for installation of ETCS Level 2 on more than 2 200 track-km, together with the introduction of electronic interlockings across the network. According to Siemens, the work is due to be completed by the end ...
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NewsGovernment funds Phnom Penh – Sisophon rehabilitation
CAMBODIA: Work is expected to begin in September on initial repairs to the Northern line which links the capital Phnom Penh with Sisophon, 40 km from the border with Thailand. The government has agreed to provide US$33m to support what it terms ‘emergency repairs’ on the 386 km metre gauge ...
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NewsSaft supplies Haramain back-up batteries
SAUDI ARABIA: Back-up power for the 125 V DC signalling, security and telecom systems on the Haramain high speed line is to be provided by specialist batteries developed by Saft and electrical equipment supplier Tecnibat. The customised 510 Ah capacity nickel-based backup power systems are required to withstand the desert ...
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NewsHaramain High Speed Rail station track contract awarded
SAUDI ARABIA: Pandrol CDM Track has won a contract to supply its CDM-QTrack embedded track system for installation at the stations on the Haramain High Speed Rail line. Adopting this track form where the rail is continuously supported without fastenings will avoid the need for difficult tamping operations within ...