Infrastructure news – Page 205
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NewsChinese-backed Tehran – Mashhad electrification contract signed
IRAN: A consortium bringing together Chinese companies CMC and SU Power with subsidiaries of local industrial group MAPNA has been awarded a contract to install and maintain overhead electrification equipment on the 926 km Tehran – Mashhad line, and procure 70 electric locomotives. The engineering, procurement, construction and finance contract ...
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NewsSouth Coast Rail project management contract awarded
USA: The $2·3bn South Coast Rail project to provide electrified commuter services from Fall River and New Bedford to Boston has moved ‘decisively from planning to design and construction’ Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary & CEO Richard A Davey announced on June 18, when MassDOT awarded Vanesse Hangen Brustlin and ...
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NewsDouble-tracking progress in Sumatra
INDONESIA: Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Dahlan Iskan attended celebrations on the island of Sumatra on June 10 to mark completion of 22 km of double-tracking between Niru and Prabumulih on the 370 km Palembang – Bandar Lampung line. In addition, 11 stations have been opened along the route, five in ...
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NewsKatra line opens with pride of place on the railway map
INDIA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the first train to inaugurate the Udhampur – Katra section of the rail link to Jammu & Kashmir on July 4, saying it represented ‘a triumph of every Indian spirit to overcome the arduous hurdles of nature for reaching the people in this ...
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NewsUganda and Rwanda award standard gauge study contract
AFRICA: The governments of Uganda and Rwanda have jointly awarded German firm Gauff Ingenieure a contract to provide consultancy for the preliminary engineering design of a proposed standard gauge railway from Kampala in Uganda to Kigali in Rwanda. The route would parallel the existing metre-gauge Kampala – Kasese line as ...
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NewsTaiyuan – Xi'an high speed line opens
CHINA: The 570 km Taiyuan – Xi'an high speed line opened with a national timetable change on July 1. The Passenger-Dedicated Line cuts journey times between the cities from 10 h to 3 h, and will eventually form part of a 900 km route from Datong to Xi'an designed for ...
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NewsHarsco to supply catenary maintenance vehicles to SBB
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has awarded Harsco a contract to supply 59 catenary construction, maintenance and repair vehicles between March 2016 and September 2017. These will replace existing vehicles and expand the fleet, enabling maintenance and repairs to be undertaken more quickly to minimise disruption on the network. ...
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NewsProgress buys Australian track business
AUSTRALIA: The Progress Rail Services subsidiary of Caterpillar finalised the purchase of Pacific Rail Engineering’s track business on June 17. ‘The acquisition of PRE is another step in expanding our global footprint to meet our customers’ needs,’ said Billy Ainsworth, Progress Rail President & CEO. ‘With nearly 25 years of ...
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NewsHualien – Taitung electrification inaugurated
TAIWAN: Electric train services began running between Hualien and Taitung on June 28, completing the electrification of Taiwan Railways Administration’s East Coast main line. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, President of Taiwan Ma Ying-jeou said the construction period had been cut from seven to five years, despite difficult geological and ...
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NewsFirst Toluca works contract awarded
MEXICO: The Secretariat of Communications & Transport has selected a consortium of Constructora de Proyectos Viales de México and La Peninsular Compañía Constructora as preferred bidder to undertake civil works on the first section of the 57∙7 km electrified passenger railway from Mexico City to Toluca. With a winning bid ...
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NewsAlstom to focus on transport after GE deal
ALSTOM: The board of Alstom has unanimously recommended that shareholders accept a deal with GE which would see the French company sell its energy activities and focus on transport, with the acquisition of GE’s signalling business and international collaboration with GE in the rail sector. The deal is subject to ...
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NewsPresident Aquino renews PNR charter
PHILIPPINES: The corporate charter of national operator Philippine National Railways was extended by a further 50 years on June 18, when President Benigno Aquino signed into law Republic Act 10638. PNR was established as the state railway in 1964, tasked with managing the 1 067 mm gauge main line network ...
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NewsTacna – Arica reopening studies
PERU: Government investment agency ProInversión has invited bids for a contract to undertake studies for reopening the 60 km railway that connects the city of Tacna with the port of Arica in Chile. Out of service since May 2012 due to poor track condition, the 1 435 mm gauge Tacna ...
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NewsMechi - Mahakali Electric Railway construction launched
NEPAL: Minister for Physical Planning & Transport Bimalendra Nidhi laid a foundation stone to officially launch construction of the Mechi – Mahakali Electric Railway Project on June 15. The 108 km first phase of the planned 945 km east–west line will run from Simara to Bardibas. Agreement to build ...
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NewsTunnel technique
INDIA: The first class of 10 engineers from Delhi Metro Rail Corp was due to arrive in Kuala Lumpur last month as part of a tunnelling training programme to support construction of Phase 3 of the Delhi metro network. Jointly operated by engineering groups MMC and Gamuda, the Kuala Lumpur ...
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News‘Cap-and-trade’ revenues to support Californian high speed programme
USA: The California state budget for 2014-15 includes a commitment to provide a further $250m for the planned San Francisco – Los Angeles high speed rail project.The contribution would be provided using revenues accrued by the state’s emissions trading scheme. More significantly, the budget, backed by Governor Jerry Brown and ...
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NewsÖBB to switch long-distance trains to Wien Hauptbahnhof
AUSTRIA: From December 14 Austrian Federal Railways will route many of its long-distance passenger services through Wien Hauptbahnhof, which currently nearing completion. The station is already served by local and regional express trains, including those to and from Bratislava. ÖBB confirmed on June 10 that inter-city trains from Graz, Villach, ...
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NewsUK and China sign railway co-operation memorandum of understanding
UK: The UK and Chinese governments signed a bilateral agreement for their rail industries to work together 'to boost economic growth, jobs and skills' during an official visit to Britain by China's Premier Li Keqiang on June 17. The Department for Transport said the agreement would pave the way for ...
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NewsCross-city tunnel opening increases capacity in Zürich
SWITZERLAND: Passenger services on the Durchmesserlinie cross-city line though Zürich began on June 15. Around 200 000 people attended celebratory events the previous day, and 10 000 travelled on free preview services. Described by Swiss Federal Railways as biggest development in the history of the Zürich S-Bahn, the 9·6 ...
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NewsSynthetic wood sleepers installed
SWITZERLAND: BLS is installing FFU synthetic wood sleepers supplied by Japanese firm Sekisui at three sites for trials. The first installation was at Frutigen station, where FFU turnout bearers are being tested. The fibre-reinforced foam urethane sleepers were supplied pre-drilled to SBB's Hägendorf workshop, where the turnouts were ...