Infrastructure news – Page 220
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NewsRail boost in 2014-19 Nation Building investment plan
AUSTRALIA: Announcing its 2013-14 budget on May 14, the federal government set out a preliminary schedule for the major rail projects to be undertaken within the next Nation Building five-year investment programme, which will run from July 2014 to 2019. The biggest rail projects are A$3bn for the Melbourne Metro ...
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NewsCoal railway contracts awarded
MONGOLIA: Plans to construct new heavy haul railways are progressing, with the national railway authority awarding South Korean construction firm Samsung C&T a US$483m contract to build a 217 km line linking a coal mine at Tavan Tolgoi, 540 km south of Ulaanbaatar, with the Chinese border. Work is expected ...
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NewsBroad gauge for Pajares base tunnel
SPAIN: The new alignment between La Robla and Pola de Lena which includes the 25 km Pajares base tunnel is to open with track laid to 1 668 mm gauge, Secretary of State for Infrastructure, Transport & Housing Rafael Catalá announced during a site visit on May 17. Tenders are ...
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NewsPresident visits Arica - La Paz Railway
CHILE: President Sebastián Piñera visited the Chilean section of the Arica – La Paz Railway on May 13, travelling the 40 km from Arica to Poconchile accompanied by Transport & Telecommunications Minister Pedro Pablo Errázuriz and other dignitaries. ‘Today is a day of great historical significance’, said Piñera, ‘because 100 ...
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NewsPresidents open Kazakhstan to Turkmenistan rail link
ASIA: President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev wielded a pair of golden spanners to ceremonially tighten the final bolts to complete a rail link across the border between their countries on May 11. Built by Kazakh national railway KTZ and local contractors at a cost ...
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NewsBanedanmark awards upgrade design contracts
DENMARK: Infrastructure manager Banedanmark has awarded Grontmij a €1·1m contract to identify sections of the København - Odense route where speeds could be raised to 200 km/h, with the aim of giving an end-to-end journey time of 1 h. This could require new alignments to remove curves, and changes to ...
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NewsLoan to fund Egyptian resignalling
EGYPT: The government has signed two loan agreements to fund resignalling to increase capacity on the Benha - Zagazig - Ismailia - Port Said route. Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development is to lend US$100m, and the Arab Fund for Economic & Social Development is to lend US$150m Under ...
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NewsSvilengrad - Turkey upgrading completed
BULGARIA: Caretaker Prime Minister Marin Raykov and caretaker Minister of Transport Kristian Krastev inaugurated the upgraded 19 km section of Pan-European Corridor X between Svilengrad and the Turkish border on May 9. The project undertaken by Czech firm OHL ZS under a €84m contract awarded by National Railway Infrastructure Co ...
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NewsRoute selected for Roissy link
FRANCE: Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier announced on April 30 that he had selected the ‘centre-north’ route option for a 7 km connection between the Paris – Amiens main line and the LGV Interconnexion, the high speed bypass running to the east of the capital. It is expected that the new ...
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NewsMünchen airport regional railway funding deal
GERMANY: Construction of a 2·3 km east-to-north link between München airport and the München – Regensburg railway is set to begin this year, after an agreement for an equal split of the €83m cost was signed by the federal and Bayern governments last month. Two S-Bahn routes currently link the ...
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NewsTfL applies for Northern Line extension legal powers
UK: Transport for London submitted a Transport & Works Act Order application on April 30 seeking legal powers for the construction of a 3·3 km extension of London Underground's Northern Line from Kennington to Nine Elms and Battersea. As well as supporting regeneration of the Nine Elms area, TfL expects ...
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NewsLimfjorden bridge reopens following repairs
DENMARK: The Limfjorden bridge reopened on April 29, more than a year after it was hit by a container ship on March 28 2012, cutting off the northern part of the Danish rail network. A new lifting section has been installed, replacing the damaged lifting section which was removed on ...
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NewsKapsch CarrierCom awarded Polish GSM-R contract
POLAND: Infrastructure manager PKP PLK has awarded Kapsch CarrierCom a €9·2m contract to design and install GSM-R equipment for the roll-out of ERTMS on the 148 km Legnica - Wrocław - Opole section of corridor E30. Bombardier Transportation was previously awarded an €8m contract to supply Interflo 450 ETCS Level ...
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market April 2013
Belgium: Infrabel has awarded a joint venture of CEI-De Meyer and Jan de Nul two civil works contracts totalling €85m for tunnel and bridge construction and track remodelling as part of the €255m Mechelen bypass, which aims to increase capacity and line speeds and improve the wider urban environment. ...
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NewsInter-city investment in 2014-23 transport plan
NORWAY: The government has published its national transport strategy for 2014-23, setting out proposals to spend a total of NKr168bn on rail, up 49% from the current 10-year plan. Double-tracking the central section of the inter-city network radiating from Oslo to Tønsberg, Hamar and Fredrikstad is seen as a priority. ...
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NewsThree countries agree rail link co-ordination
ASIA: The first meeting of a working group to co-ordinate the construction of railway branches from Turkmenistan and Tajikistan into Afghanistan and a line linking them through northern Afghanistan was held on April 18. This follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding by the presidents of the three countries ...
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NewsSkanska signs NKr1·34bn Vestfold line contract
NORWAY: Infrastructure manager Jernbaneverket has awarded Skanska a NKr1·34bn contract to build a 9 km section of a new 23·5 km alignment between Farriseidet and Porsgrunn suitable for 250 km/h running. The double-track line will replace the existing 35 km line which is only suitable for low speeds. The project ...
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NewsProducts News in Brief
Liebherr Transportation Systems has delivered the first heating, ventilation and air-conditioning units for 135 Twindexx Vario double-deck inter-city coaches which Bombardier is building for Deutsche Bahn. Two types of HVAC unit are being supplied from Liebherr’s Radinovo plant in Bulgaria. One will be used for the passenger saloons, while a ...
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NewsConstruction starts on Borders Railway
UK: Network Rail and principal contractor BAM Nuttall began main construction works on the Borders Railway project on April 18, following six months of advance preparations. ‘The start of the construction works is a hugely exciting milestone and will allow those communities to witness the scheme coming to life,’ ...
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NewsHuman factors consultancy for London Bridge station rebuild
UK: The HyderWSP joint venture which main contractor Costain has appointed to undertake detailed design work for the rebuilding of Network Rail's London Bridge station has selected CCD Design & Ergonomics to provide human factors consultancy services. 'Our work will be to help create the optimum environment for all station ...