Infrastructure news – Page 263
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NewsAmbitious investment plans face cash shortfall
UK: The announcement on July 23 by Secretary of State for Transport Lord Adonis that the Great Western Main Line linking London, Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea is to be electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz comes almost exactly 25 years after the go-ahead for the UK’s last main line electrification. ...
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NewsChina Gateway construction launched
KAZAKHSTAN: President Nazarbayev formally launched construction of the China Gateway Railway with a ceremony in Zhetigen on August 3. Providing a second rail link to China, the 293 km broad-gauge line will run from Zhetigen to Korgas where there will be facilities for transhipping freight to and from a 295 ...
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NewsCork - Midleton commuter line open for business
IRELAND: A full commuter service between Midleton and Cork began on August 4, following the inauguration of an introductory service on the re-opened line by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey on July 30. The minister had launched the €75m rehabilitation of the 10 km Glounthaune - Midleton section of ...
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NewsVenezuela rail construction contract agreed
VENEZUELA: China Railway Engineering Corp's Venezuelan subsidiary is to build the planned railway between Anaco and Tinaco under an agreement reached with state railway IFE and the Ministry of Public Works & Housing on July 30. The deal is worth US$7·5bn, making it one of the largest overseas contracts ...
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NewsRotterdam Centraal rebuilding begins
NETHERLANDS: Work has begun to transform Rotterdam Centraal station, with the aim of creating a showpiece facility equalling major stations in Paris, Madrid and London. The completion of Randstadrail and HSL Zuid is expected to lead to a tripling of traffic to 323 000 passengers a day by 2025, requiring ...
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NewsFar north heavy haul study
EUROPE: The development of iron ore mines around Pajala in Sweden and Kolari in Finland has spurred the re-evaluation of proposals for the Ishavsbanen, a 312 km line linking Kolari to Skibotn on the Norwegian Sea. A feasibility study by Sweco was presented by a grouping of local authorities in ...
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NewsMadrid airport rail link advances
SPAIN: A joint venture of Ferrovial Agromán and Azvi had been awarded a €47·4m contract for tracklaying, electrification and railway systems installation on the 6·9 km new-build component of the rail link between Madrid Charmartín and Terminal 4 at Barajas Airport, the Ministry of Development announced on July 16. ...
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NewsBuilding on growth
ISRAEL: According to current projections, Israel Railways expects to carry more than 37 million passengers this year, a 5% increase on the 35·1 million handled in 2008, and more than eight times the 4·3 million recorded in 1994. Whilst the economic downturn has slowed the rate of ...
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NewsSoutheastern rehearses Olympic shuttle
UK: Former Olympic athlete Daley Thompson took the controls of a Class 395 EMU on July 27 for a special ‘time trial’ to rehearse the intensive ‘Javelin’ service that will operate between London St Pancras and Stratford International during the 2012 London Olympics. The shuttle is intended ...
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NewsInter-city electrification planning to start immediately
UK: An immediate start of detailed planning for electrification of the Great Western Main Line and Manchester Victoria - Liverpool route were announced by Secretary of State for Transport Lord Andrew Adonis on July 23. The Great Western route will be electrified from London to Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea ...
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NewsAnsaldo STS wins huge Libyan signalling contract
LIBYA: Ansaldo STS signed its largest ever contract on July 22, covering the supply of signalling, telecoms and power supply equipment for two rail projects now underway in Libya. The €541m contract covers the 625 km coastal line which China Railway Construction Corp is building to link Ras Ejder ...
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NewsCoastal route for LGV-PACA
FRANCE: After studying a range of options, Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo has confirmed the preferred route for the proposed LGV Provence - Alpes - Côte d'Azur to Nice. This will follow the existing coastal railway through Marseille and Toulon rather than taking a shorter direct route east from Aix-en-Provence. ...
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NewsSky Harbor airport peoplemover contracts signed
USA: The City of Phoenix and Bombardier Transportation have signed contracts for the construction of an automated peoplemover at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The agreement announced on July 14 consists of a US$186m design and build contract, plus a separate 10-year operations and maintenance contract worth US$69m. ...
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NewsWorld infrastructure market July 2009
Argentina: The federal government has awarded a contract worth 30m pesos for track renewals in Entre Ríos, covering the routes from Paraná to Concepción del Uruguay and Concordia. Provincial rail agency Uefer is refurbishing five cars for passenger service. Australia: ARTC has awarded John Holland and GHD a $250m contract ...
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NewsSaudi Landbridge PFI to be reviewed
SAUDI ARABIA: Discussions which are now underway regarding the possible transfer of management oversight of the delayed Saudi Landbridge project could see the 945 km Riyadh - Jeddah line built by the public sector. The project is currently being managed by Saudi Railways Organisation, which runs the existing railway between ...
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Trans-Hudson ceremony
USA: The start of construction on the first element of the $8·7bn commuter rail tunnel linking northern New Jersey with central New York was marked on June 8 by a groundbreaking ceremony in North Bergen, New Jersey. An Early System Work Agreement provides $1·35bn in funding for the initial stages ...
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NewsConsultants appointed for København capacity increase
DENMARK: Infrastructure manager Banedanmark has appointed Atkins and Grontmij Carl Bro as design and engineering consultants for a DKr800m project to increase capacity on the western approach to København's main station. A 5 km double track line designed for 120 km/h running will be built from Vigerslev to København ...
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NewsThree shortlisted for LGV Bretagne
FRANCE: Réseau Ferré de France President Hubert du Mesnil announced on June 22 that three groups had been shortlisted to bid for construction of LGV Bretagne - Pays de la Loire, following scrutiny of the prequalification offers. The three candidates retained for the second round of the PPP competition are: ...
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NewsEuropean Railway Agency headquarters inaugurated
FRANCE: The new headquarters for the European Railway Agency was officially inaugurated by Valenciennes Métropole on June 22. By the end of July the building will be occupied by around 120 ERA staff drawn from 20 countries. Following the December 2003 decision to base the ERA in Valenciennes and Lille, ...
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NewsLine 3 completes high speed network
BELGIUM: Line 3 between Liège and the German border was inaugurated on June 12, completing the last link in the star-shaped national high speed network and making Belgium the first European country to have a network of high speed lines linking its borders. Line 3 became available to ...