Infrastructure news – Page 19
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NewsBi-mode tamper ordered
NORWAY: State-owned rail engineering contractor Baneservice has placed the first Scandinavian order for a Plasser & Theurer Unimat 09-2X-4x4/4S Dynamic E³ tamping machine equipped for electric and diesel operation. The tamper will use the 15 kV 16⅔ Hz overhead electrification to provide power for both movement ...
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Rail Business UKKingmoor resignalling contract awarded
UK: Network Rail has awarded Siemens Mobility a £41·4m contract to undertake the Kingmoor resignalling scheme covering a section of the West Coast Main Line to the north of Carlisle. Siemens is to supply its Trackguard Westlock computer-based interlocking and Westrace Trackside System, designed in York ...
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NewsBoston South Station track and signalling contract awarded
USA: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has awarded Middlesex Corp a $98m contract to renew track, turnouts and signals at Boston’s South Station. The upgrading programme is expected to improve the reliability and resilience of the nine MBTA commuter rail routes that use the station, which also ...
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NewsFirst tunnel completed for Bulgarian route upgrade
BULGARIA: Construction of a 1 km twin-bore tunnel has been completed as part of the upgrading of the 20 km Elin Pelin – Vakarel section of the Sofia – Plovdiv line. This section is the most complex part of a 498·8m lev EU-backed project to modernise ...
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In depthSweden: Investment volte-face exposes fragility of EU rail vision
The decision last December by the incoming Swedish government to scale back radically the national high speed rail programme and remove the routes from the pan-European TEN-T network has raised profound questions about the country’s commitment to EU rail ambitions, as Nick Kingsley explains.
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NewsMoldovan rail upgrades to handle Ukrainian export traffic
MOLDOVA: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development has approved a €23m crisis response loan which national railway CFM will use to part-finance the modernisation of two sections of railway for use by Ukrainian transit traffic. The total cost of the work to increase capacity and ...
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NewsConsortium selected to renovate Santiago suburban lines
CHILE: National railway EFE has selected a 50:50 consortium of Systra and domestic engineering company Zañartu to modernise the Santiago – Melipilla and Santiago – Batuco lines to enable the launch of dedicated suburban services.
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NewsGoiás seeks private investors in rail schemes
BRAZIL: Goinfra, the agency responsible for infrastructure and transport within the state of Goiás, has put forward legislation designed to facilitate the construction of rail projects by private sector companies. The draft bill was unveiled at a workshop on railways held on March 8 in Goiânia ...
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NewsBlockade plan confirmed to equip Wien cross-city core with ETCS
AUSTRIA: ÖBB Infra announced plans on March 17 to rebuild the infrastructure on Wien’s 11·3 km cross-city S-Bahn core that links Floridsdorf with Meidling through the heart of the city. The route is to be fitted with ETCS Level 2 and several stations are to be ...
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Metro Report InternationalVery Light Rail ultra-thin tram track installed for load testing
UK: A sensor-equipped section of track developed for the Coventry Very Light Rail project has been installed at a city council depot, where the movement of heavy goods vehicles will enable its performance to be tested under stress conditions. The track has been developed by ...
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In depthComment: Greek train crash highlights a tragic system failure
A horrific head-on collision at Evangelismos on the Athens – Thessaloniki main line raises many questions about investment in railway safety and the human factors implications facing front-line employees.
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NewsSotetsu-Tokyu Link enables through running to Tokyo
JAPAN: The 10 km Sotetsu-Tokyu Link connecting the Sotetsu and Tokyu railways was opened for revenue service on March 18.
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NewsBuenos Aires – Bahía Blanca services resume after bridge works completed
ARGENTINA: Passenger services on the Roca line that links Constitución terminus in Buenos Aires with Bahía Blanca in the southwest resumed on March 10. The 1 676 mm gauge line was closed on October 26 2022 due to the deterioration of the ...
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NewsGauge-changing GoldenPass Express restricted to metre gauge route
SWITZERLAND: Montreux-Oberland Bahn has suspended the gauge-changing GoldenPass Express through service between Montreux and Interlaken.
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NewsInland Rail to use solar powered signalling
AUSTRALIA: The use of solar powered signalling on the Inland Rail project has been approved by Australian Rail Track Corp following a trial on a passing loop at Coolleearlee in New South Wales. This will eliminate the need to use the local power supply infrastructure or ...
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NewsAuckland’s City Rail Link seeks more funding as pandemic drives up costs
NEW ZEALAND: Cross-Auckland rail tunnel project promoter City Rail Link Ltd has submitted a formal request for more funding from the government and Auckland Council, citing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on construction works, the supply chain, resourcing, materials and labour costs. The cost of ...
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NewsMRS Logística investment plan
BRAZIL: A government decree published on March 6 grants outline approval for MRS Logística to qualify for a tax incentive targeted at infrastructure investment. This paves the way for the concession holder to invest around R$1∙8bn in a range of infrastructure works and the purchase of ...
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NewsAmtrak begins work on B&P Tunnel replacement programme
USA: Amtrak has begun early construction activities as part of a programme to upgrade 6 km of the Northeast Corridor through central Baltimore and replace the national passenger operator’s oldest tunnel. The 2·3 km Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel dates from 1873 and is now suffering from ...
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NewsCentral Railway completes 100% electrification
INDIA: Mumbai-based Central Railway has completed the electrification of its entire 1 676 mm gauge network.
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In depthMorocco: High speed lines spearhead ONCF’s development programme
Christian Scasso assesses proposals to expand the Moroccan national network, including a further 1 300 km of high speed line.