Infrastructure news – Page 193
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NewsBanedanmark selects electrification contractor
DENMARK: Infrastructure manager Banedanmark announced on May 18 that it had selected a joint venture of Per Aarsleff A/S, Siemens A/S and Siemens AG as preferred bidder to undertake the first phase of its national 25 kV 50 Hz electrification programme. Final negotiations are now underway, with a view ...
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NewsADB to assist south Luzon PPP programme
PHILIPPINES: Tenders are expected to be called within the next three months seeking a concessionaire to manage and maintain the Main Line South infrastructure linking Manila with the south of the island of Luzon for a period of 30 years. The Asian Development Bank and Development Bank of the ...
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NewsPTC installation by December ‘not possible’, warns APTA
USA: The requirement to install Positive Train Control on all commuter routes by December 31 2015 under the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 ‘was never a realistic deadline set by Congress’ and ‘is not possible’, American Public Transportation Association President & CEO Michael Melaniphy said in a statement issued ...
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NewsFeature articles in the May 2015 issue of Railway Gazette International
Feature articles in the latest issue of Railway Gazette International magazine, the leading business journal for railway operators and suppliers, read in 140 countries. Subscribe to Railway Gazette International today. Comment Making the most of tomorrow’s railways News Main Line Urban Rail Market Industry Innovations ...
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NewsNorway sets out plans for railway reform
NORWAY: Proposals for reform of the railway sector have been announced by Minister of Transport & Communications Ketil Solvik-Olsen and representatives from the government parties Høyre and Fremskrittspartiet and their parliamentary support parties Venstre and Kristelig Folkeparti. A white paper was published on May 12 and is to be presented ...
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NewsOgun State Intercity Rail Mass Transit agreement signed
NIGERIA: A contract for the construction of a 334 km rail network in the southwestern state of Ogun was signed by the state government and China Railway Construction Corp’s China Civil Engineering Construction Co Nigeria subsidiary of on April 27. The cost of the Nigeria Ogun State Intercity Rail ...
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NewsBrookfield Rail rolls out radio network
AUSTRALIA: The A$16·5m installation of a radio communications network covering the 385 track-km Kalgoorlie – Esperance route has been completed by Brookfield Rail, which manages Western Australia’s 5 500 km open access, multi-user freight network. Maintenance staff and train crew had previously relied on fixed landline telephones and mobile or ...
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NewsLeica Geosystems acquires mobile mapping technology firm
EUROPE: Leica Geosystems has acquired Technet-Rail 2010, a Berlin-based firm which develops ‘big data’ geospatial software applications for the rail industry. These use a ‘highly-mathematical and probability-perception approach’ to analyse large 3D datasets for tasks such as dynamically extracting clearances and gauges over rail networks. Leica Geosystems said the ...
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NewsNew York PTC programme gets $967m FRA loan
USA: A $967·1m Federal Railroad Administration loan to fund Positive Train Control installation on New York MTA’s Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road commuter networks reached financial close on May 6. It is the largest loan to date under the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing programme. MTA will ...
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NewsTurkish rail market opening coming this year
TURKEY: Legislation outlining the legal framework for liberalisation of the railway sector was published in the government’s official journal on May 2. Publication of the Law on Capacity Allocation & Network Access paves the way for market opening to be introduced by the end of this year, with state railway ...
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NewsLighthouse railway research projects launched
EUROPE: The first three railway research and development projects to be funded from the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme were officially launched in Brussels on May 7. Selected by the European Commission following the first 'Mobility for Growth' call for proposals, the so-called lighthouse projects are intended to bridge the ...
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NewsOman Rail seeks operating partner
OMAN: National railway project promoter Oman Rail is seeking an international rail operator with ‘extensive technical and commercial experience combined with local market knowledge’ to form a long-term partnership to operate and maintain the future 2 135 km network. Oman Rail’s partner would initially support the development of skills ...
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NewsMerMec awarded Macedonian ETCS contract
MACEDONIA: German engineering company Wiebe has awarded MerMec a contract to design, supply and commission signalling and telecoms for the rehabilitation of the 32 km Kumanovo – Beljakovtse line. The contract announced on April 24 includes the supply of electronic interlockings, centralised train control and ETCS Level 1 trackside equipment, ...
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NewsMalaysia – Singapore high speed line opening date put back
ASIA: The planned opening date for the proposed 330 km high speed line between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore is to be put back from 2020 to a more realistic date, the prime ministers of Malaysia and Singapore jointly announced after their annual leader’s retreat on May 5. The location for ...
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NewsVictoria budget kicks off 10-year rolling stock spend
AUSTRALIA: The Victoria state government has allocated more than A$6bn for rail investment in its 2015-16 budget, announced by Treasurer Tim Pallas on May 5. The headline element is A$2bn for rolling stock investment as the first tranche of a 10-year programme to strengthen local public transport and revitalise the ...
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NewsHigh speed line maintenance software
FRANCE: CARL Software has won a contract to supply its CARL Source asset management software to the Mesea joint venture which will maintain the track, signalling and electrification on the 300 km Tours – Bordeaux LGV Sud Europe Atlantique high speed line which is under construction for opening in 2017. ...
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NewsSino-Russian consortium to design Moscow – Kazan line
RUSSIA: On May 1 Russian Railways announced that a Sino-Russian consortium led by Mosgiprotrans would undertake design work for the planned 770 route-km Moscow – Kazan high speed line. Covering engineering surveys, project development planning, surveying and the development of design documentation, the contract is to be undertaken within a ...
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NewsSBB prepares for Gotthard base tunnel opening
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways is embarking on a major programme to modify long-distance rolling stock for operation through the Gotthard base tunnel, the company announced on April 30. In addition, it is launching an extensive staff training programme to prepare for the start of operations on December 11 2016. Announcing ...
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NewsBahrain progresses rail plans
BAHRAIN: The government expects to call bids in June for detailed design of a rail link to Saudi Arabia, as part of the proposed GCC rail network. The 87 km line would be built in conjunction with a second causeway connecting the two countries, to be known as the ...
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NewsIsrael Railways hosts electrification conference
ISRAEL: With final bids for the contract to electrify the national rail network due to be submitted by July 23, Israel Railways hosted a three-day conference for shortlisted bidders on April 27-29 to discuss key elements of the programme. Seven consortia had submitted bids during the prequalification stage in June ...