Infrastructure news – Page 210
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NewsQatar long distance rail network design contract awarded
QATAR: A joint venture of Parsons and Systra has been awarded a design consultancy services contract for the Qatar Long Distance Railway Network. The planned 400 km rail network would have seven passenger stations, six freight facilities and a depot. It would provide freight and passenger services within Qatar, and ...
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NewsRoute selected for Mexico City - Querétaro high speed line
MEXICO: The Secretariat of Transport & Communications has published the environmental impact statement for the proposed high speed line between Mexico City and Querétaro, which is expected to cost 40·8bn pesos to build. Engineered for 300 km/h operation, the preferred route would run for 212·18 km from a refurbished ...
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NewsSpecial rail fastenings for Mongolian heavy haul coal line
MONGOLIA: Samsung C&T Engineering Construction Mongolia has awarded Vossloh Fastening Systems a contract to supply specially-developed MNG 30 rail fastenings for 270 km of 1 520 mm gauge track it is laying for a 217 km heavy haul railway which will link the Tavan Tolgoi coal mines to the Chinese ...
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NewsOptimism returns but skills gap a worry, survey finds
INTERNATIONAL: Optimism is returning to the global rail industry following the economic downturn, according to the results of the fifth Way Ahead survey of the transport industry conducted by legal practice Norton Rose Fulbright. The survey, which was launched at an event in London on February 26, received 850 responses ...
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market February 2014
Australia: Aurizon has awarded Leighton Contractors an A$100m contract to build a train maintenance and stabling facility at Hexham in the Hunter Valley by March 2015. Austria: ÖBB has awarded the ATF consortium of Implenia and Swietelsky the €623m Lot 2.1 contract to build the 13 km central section ...
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NewsPoints inspection enhanced
FRANCE: SNCF and RFF have launched Vigirail, a three-year programme to improve the inspection and maintenance of switches and crossings. Vigirail has a budget of €410m, of which €300m is earmarked to increase the rate of pointwork renewals from 300 to 500 per year. According to the two parties, the ...
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NewsMetrolink PTC goes into operation
USA: Southern California Regional Rail Authority became the first US commuter rail operator to begin using Positive Train Control in revenue service on February 17. Metrolink has started operating with PTC on selected trains using the BNSF tracks between Los Angeles and Riverside. On February 20, Metrolink demonstrated the technology ...
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NewsSimplon tunnel safety contract signed
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has awarded a contract to Rhomberg Bahntechnik to install, test and commission safety equipment in the two single-track bores of the 20 km Simplon tunnel between Brig and Iselle in Italy. The SFr7·1m contract covers the installation of illuminated handrails, alarm equipment, emergency signage and lighting ...
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NewsEnergy meters support traction electricity supply contract
POLAND: Having become the first Polish operator to equip its fleet with energy meters, Mazowieckie voivodship's regional passenger operator Koleje Mazowieckie has awarded PKP Energetyka a 47m z?oty contract for the supply of traction electricity. Four bids were received for the contract, which runs for one year from April. A ...
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NewsDouble-tracking progress in southern Java
INDONESIA: Japan Transportation Consultants has been awarded a US$15m contract by the Directorate-General of Railways to supervise the double-tracking of 76 km of the southern trans-Java main line. The award of the marks a further stage of work to enhance capacity and reduce journey times on the main line between ...
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NewsKraków Główny station concourse opened
POLAND: A new concourse beneath Kraków Główny station was inaugurated by PKP SA on February 15, completing a project to rebuild the city's main rail, bus and local transport gateway to modern European standards. Built at cost of 130m złoty co-funded by the EU, the 12 630 m² concourse offers ...
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NewsPajares base tunnel electrification contract awarded
SPAIN: Infrastructure manager ADIF has awarded a consortium of Alstom and Isolux Corsán a €28m contract to design, supply and maintain 25 kV electrification including the traction substation and overhead line equipment for the 44·3 km route under construction between La Robla and Pola de Lena. The new line includes ...
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News24 h power
POWER: Primus Wind Power offers small wind turbines for off-grid applications such as powering line-side equipment. Designed for winds speeds as low as 10 km/h, the turbines costing around US$1 000 can be combined with solar panels on new or existing trackside installations, generating solar power during the day and ...
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NewsTEN-T funding approved for Brussels link works
BELGIUM: The European Union's Innovation & Networks Executive Agency announced on February 12 that it had approved a grant of €34m to support railway development works in Brussels, under the 2012 TEN-T Multi-Annual Call. Allocated to the so-called EuroCap route linking Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg, which forms TEN-T Priority Project ...
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NewsHigh speed line planning continues
THAILAND: Work on the first of four planned high speed lines is continuing amid the ongoing political instability, the Office of Transport & Traffic Policy & Planning has confirmed. OTTPP Director Chula Sukmanop said that efforts to finalise the route alignment and consult with local people for a 750 km ...
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NewsOman railway contracts signed
OMAN: Three contracts for the development of the planned 2 244 km national railway network were signed by Minister of Transport & Communications Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Futaisi on February 5. The state budget has allocated 1bn rial for works this year, with the entire network linking six cities to ...
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NewsSwiss voters back long-term rail funding plan
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has welcomed the result of a referendum on February 9 which saw voters approve a long-term strategy to finance and upgrade rail infrastructure. SBB said the Finanzierung und Ausbau der Bahninfrastruktur strategy which was supported 62:38 on a 55% turnout would provide a solid foundation ...
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NewsColombian railway revival gets underway
COLOMBIA: As part of a strategy to remove damaging heavy freight traffic from the roads, the government has awarded contracts for rehabilitation of two sections of the 914 mm gauge rail network which have been out of use since the 1980s. Work by local contractors to return the lines to ...
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NewsMacedonian railway reinstatement contract
MACEDONIA: Work is set to start in March to reinstate the 31 km Kumanovo – Beljakovce line as the initial phase of a long-planned railway between Kumanovo and Deve Bair on the Bulgarian border, after infrastructure manager MZ Infra and Wiebe signed a €39·8m contract during December. The route forms ...
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NewsPriority rail investment projects identified
PORTUGAL: Eight rail projects have been included in a list of 30 investment schemes identified as priorities to encourage economic development as the country seeks to recover from its financial problems. Expected to be completed by 2020, these schemes represent a total investment of €5·1bn, of which between 54% ...