Infrastructure news – Page 248
-
NewsWorld rail infrastructure market February 2011
Algeria: The Méditerrail consortium of Alstom and Etrhb handed over the initial 8·7 km of the 23 km Alger tram line to Entreprise du Métro d'Alger for commissioning in December. China: OTN Systems has won contracts to supply its OTN-X3M 10 Gbit/sec optic fibre telecommunications backbone equipment for ...
-
NewsCN announces capital investment
CANADA: Canadian National Railway Co announced a 2011 capital spending plan totalling C$1·7bn on February 9. Approximately C$1bn will be allocated to track, bridge and other infrastructure works, with improvements to be made to the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway which was acquired in 2009 to provide a 'missing ...
-
NewsAfter the deluge
POLAND: A new bridge over the Poprad river in Nowy Sacz on the Tarnów – Slovakia route was officially opened on January 15, replacing a structure swept away by flooding on June 4 last year. The replacement bridge was constructed by Intop Tarnobrzeg under a 13·2m złoty contract awarded by ...
-
NewsLess steep underneath
SWITZERLAND: The abbot of Engelberg Abbey opened the 4043 m long Grafenort – Engelberg tunnel on Switzerland’s metre-gauge Zentralbahn on December 11, with regular services starting the next day. The 10·5% gradient in the tunnel replaces the exceptionally steep 24·6% on the previous route, reducing uphill journey times by 14 ...
-
NewsGateway Project acceleration to replace ARC trans-Hudson tunnel
USA: Amtrak has proposed accelerating its Gateway Project as a replacement for the cancelled Access to the Region's Core trans-Hudson rail tunnel to increase capacity into Midtown Manhattan. Amtrak's plan would incorporate elements from ARC, including the 14·5 km route, a new and expanded Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River ...
-
NewsSix-year US high speed rail programme proposed
USA: Vice-President Joseph Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood unveiled an ambitious $53bn six-year high speed and inter-city passenger rail programme on February 8. Biden said that clarifying the role of federal funding would provide states and cities with the certainty needed to make long-term plans, however the proposal ...
-
NewsSouthern LGV projects make progress
FRANCE: Visiting Montpellier on February 7, Transport Secretary Thierry Mariani signed an agreement with local authority representatives covering the programme for construction of the planned Contournement Nîmes - Montpellier bypass line which will carry high speed and freight trains around the two cities as an extension to the Nîmes branch ...
-
NewsBNSF announces $3·5bn 2011 capital programme
USA: BNSF announced a $3·5bn capital programme for 2011 on February 7, with the largest element being $2bn allocated to investment in the core network and related assets. BNSF will spend $450m acquiring 227 locomotives and $350m on wagons and other equipment. The federally-mandated PTC programme will require $300m, and ...
-
NewsEurotunnel demonstrates €20m fire suppression system
Eurotunnel has completed installation of the first of two pairs of SAFE fire-fighting points designed to suppress fires on lorry shuttles. Richard Hope reports from inside the Channel Tunnel.
-
NewsBrenner Base Tunnel boring to start this year
AUSTRIA: Excavation of the main bores of the Brenner Base Tunnel is set to start this year, after the government gave the formal go-ahead as part of the 2011-16 railway investment framework approved on February 1. Work on the 55 km twin-bore tunnel will be launched from Innsbruck in the ...
-
NewsLGV Rhin-Rhône tracklaying completed
FRANCE: Prime Minister François Fillon marked the completion of tracklaying on the first phase of LGV Rhin-Rhône, with a symbolic final weld ceremony at Villiers-les-Pots on January 31. He was accompanied by Environment Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, Transport Sectretary Thierry Mariani, Minister of Co-operation Henri de Raincourt and Minister for ...
-
NewsGovernment commits to ÖBB infrastructure investment
AUSTRIA: The government approved a €12·8bn five-year investment framework for Austrian Federal Railways on February 1. Spending in 2011-16 will be targeted at the main West, South and Brenner corridors, as well as suburban transport, station modernisation and a programme to remove temporary speed restrictions by 2014. The government has ...
-
NewsFive-year programme to modernise Belarus network
BELARUS: The government approved a 2011-15 railway development programme at the end of December, setting out objectives for modernising national railway BC’s fleet, upgrading infrastructure, reducing energy consumption and ensuring safety. The cost is put at 14tr rubles, to be sourced from BC’s own resources, bank loans and national and ...
-
NewsPerpignan – Figueres link inaugurated
EUROPE: Ceremonies were held at the Franco-Spanish border on January 27 to mark the official inauguration of the 44·5 km cross-border rail link between Perpignan and Figueres. The 1 435 mm gauge line has been open to passenger and freight services since December 19. Participating in the official opening were ...
-
NewsFirst ETCS Level 2 contract awarded in Turkey
TURKEY: Lead contractor Yapı Merkezi has contracted Invensys Rail Dimetronic to install ERTMS Level 2 equipment on the 212 route-km Ankara – Konya high speed line.Invensys Rail will be responsible for the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of the ETCS Level 2 wayside and onboard equipment, plus the interface with ...
-
NewsUnion Railway to call civils tenders
UAE: Union Railway announced on January 23 that it planned to call tenders in March for the first civil engineering contracts on the proposed 1 200 km national rail network. The winning bidders will be named by mid-2011, allowing construction work to get underway in the second half of this ...
-
NewsOurense high speed infrastructure PPP out to tender
SPAIN: The Ministry of Development has launched tendering for a €65bn PPP to build 344 km of high speed infrastructure between Olmedo on the Madrid – Valladolid route and Ourense. As well as design and construction, the winner will be responsible for contributing to the funding and maintaining the ...
-
NewsHeavy haul expansion plan approved
AUSTRALIA: Investment of US$4·6bn in heavy haul rail and port facilities is included in a US$8·4bn expansion plan which has been approved by Fortescue Metals Group. The 30-month project will see FMG’s Pilbara ore production capacity increased from 55 to 155 million tonnes/year. Rail works include doubling 120 km ...
-
NewsNortheast high speed opening
CHINA: The 111 km Changchun - Jilin Passenger-Dedicated Line opened on January 10, connecting Jilin province's two most prominent conurbations and Changchun's airport at Longjia. Intermediate stations at Jixi and Jiutai South are to open shortly. The line has an annual capacity of 23 million passengers, with 20 services in ...
-
NewsCP announces 2011 capital investment plan
CANADA: Canadian Pacific Railway is to invest C$950m to C$1·05bn under its 2011 capital plan announced on January 12. The focus is on capacity to sustain efficiencies gained through its 'long train' strategy and depot and yard consolidations; projects to improve reliability and customer service; growth and market-based opportunities, ...