Infrastructure news – Page 261
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NewsEU allocates TEN-T infrastructure funds
EUROPE: The European Commission announced the first projects which are to receive a total of €500m of infrastructure grants under the Trans-European Transport Network programme on October 21. The TEN-T programme aims to build missing transport links in Europe and remove bottlenecks. The funding was originally to be spread ...
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NewsFinal section of Kashmir Valley railway inaugurated
INDIA: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh flagged off a train from Anantnag to Quazigund to inaugurate the final 18 km of the railway through the Kashmir Valley on October 28. The currently isolated line will eventually be joined to the Indian rail network at Udhampur, providing an all -weather ...
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NewsBangkok Airport Rail Link handover imminent
With trials of Bangkok's Airport Rail Link continuing on a daily basis, Railway Gazette International's Urban Editor Jane Pearce took a ride on an Airport Express train to Suvarnabhumi Airport on October 22.
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NewsKatowice airport link design underway
POLAND: A consortium of Pöyry and DB International has begun detailed design for a rail link between central Katowice and the city's international airport at Pyrzowice. The design phase runs to May 2011, with Pöyry's share of the contract awarded by rail infrastructure manager PKP PLK at the end ...
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NewsLow prices force change at Strukton Rail
NETHERLANDS: 'Prices in the market for renewals are under great pressure', said Strukton Rail on October 19, announcing a reorganisation under which the company's four regions will be reduced to two. Around 350 jobs are to go across the country, and Strukton has started negotiations with its staff and ...
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NewsPrivate coal line gets go-ahead
INDONESIA: On October 21 state-owned coal miner PTBA announced it had received government approval for a 307 km railway which will link its Banko Tengah mine in South Sumatra with a port at Srengsem in Lampung province. To be used solely by PTBA, the railway will have a capacity of ...
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NewsChina strengthens Russian ties
INTERNATIONAL: China’s Ministry of Railways has signed a memorandum of understanding to work with Russian Railways on the development and introduction of high speed trains in the Russian Federation. The MoU covers both the upgrading of existing lines for faster speeds and the construction of dedicated high speed lines. The ...
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NewsNormandie upgrading moves ahead
FRANCE: Plans for improving rail connections to and from Haute-Normandie were announced by Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau during a visit to Rouen on October 15. The long-term aim is to develop a new high speed line linking Paris, Mantes, Rouen and Le Havre, as announced by President Sarkozy on April ...
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NewsMineral line accord signed
MONGOLIA: Surveying and detailed design of a new railway to open up the mineral deposits in the South Gobi area is expected to get underway in November, following the signing of a formal accord between the Transport Ministry and Russian Railways on October 15. The memorandum of agreement was signed ...
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NewsMoatize coal link funded
MOZAMBIQUE: Construction of a second rail link into the Moatize coalfield is expected to get underway before the end of this year, following the announcement of a US$500m package of international funding put together by the government to support local investors. Transport Minister Paulo Zucula says funding from the Dutch ...
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NewsMaking tracks
ISRAEL: Tracklaying is underway on the 18 km double-track line being built south from Tel Aviv Hahagana to relieve heavy traffic on the roads to Bat-Yam, Holon, and Rishon Le-Ziyyon West. Eliminating the need to travel via Lod will cut Tel Aviv – Rishon Le-Ziyyon journey times ...
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NewsExpansion projects support Queensland growth
AUSTRALIA: Queensland Transport Minister Rachel Nolan announced the completion of a A$49m, 7 km track doubling project in the Central Bowen Basin on September 18. 'Commissioning of the Grantleigh to Tunnel section means nearly 200 km of track has been duplicated on the Blackwater System since 2006, providing additional ...
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NewsPolish ETCS programme continues
POLAND: Infrastructure manager PKP PLK has selected Bombardier Transportation as the preferred bidder for a contract to install ETCS Level 2 on the route from Legnica to Wgliniec and Bielewa Dolna on the German border. Part of corridor E-30, the route has been recently upgraded for operation at up to ...
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NewsWork starts on Manukau Rail Link
NEW ZEALAND: Transport Minister Steven Joyce turned the first sod on September 18 to launch construction of the first new passenger rail route in Auckland since the Eastern Line opened in 1930. The 2 km Manukau Rail Link will branch off from the Southern Line at Puhinui then run ...
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NewsAll aboard the I-Bullet
JAPAN: JR Central is stepping up efforts to sell Shinkansen technology to other countries. Announcing details of an export version of the Series N700 trainset called the N700-I Bullet at the HSR Summit in London last month, JR Central’s Senior Executive Director Tsutomu Morimura emphasised the need to consider Shinkansen ...
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NewsBridge opening completes link
TURKMENISTAN: President Yushchenko of Ukraine joined President Berdimuhamedov to open a 1414 m bridge over the Amu Darya river between Atamyrat and Kerkichi on September 16. The 14 spans were built by Ukranian firm Ukrtransstroy at a cost of US$123m, connecting the main rail network with lines on ...
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NewsFirst ETCS contract for French conventional network
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager RFF announced on September 28 that it had awarded its first contract to install ETCS Level 1 on conventional routes to Alstom. Due for completion by 2018, the project should see Level 1 installed on the 2 200 km that form the French sections of European ...
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NewsAfghan railway to go ahead with ADB funding
AFGHANISTAN: Construction of a rail link to Mazar-i-Sharif is set to go ahead following Asian Development Bank's announcement of an US$165m grant on September 30. The Afghan government will provide US$5m towards the US$170m project, which is to be undertaken by Uzbek Railways under the supervision of the Afghan ...
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NewsKrimml rebuilding underway
AUSTRIA: Rehabilitation work is underway on the Mittersill – Krimml section of the 760 mm gauge Pinzgauer Lokalbahn which was damaged by flooding in 2005. The line had faced closure, but the Land of Salzburg believed an attractive service could form a significant artery for local traffic. As a ...
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NewsArctic bridge ceremony marks Yamal progress
RUSSIA: A ceremony held on a remote flood plain on the Yamal Peninsula on September 24 marked completion of the longest bridge within the Arctic Circle. The 3∙9 km structure over the Yuribey River will carry the 572 km line from Obskaya to Karskaya which is currently being built by ...