Infrastructure news – Page 269
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NewsSoftware tools ease planning headaches
SOFTWARE: A range of approaches is available for planners seeking to model timetables and assess the capacity of a railway. Three case studies from Europe illustrate the variations between them.
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NewsAmbitious GCC rail plans start to firm up
MIDDLE EAST: Development of a 1 940 route-km rail network linking the six member states of the Gulf Co-operation Council is moving closer to fruition, with a feasibility study to be completed by March. At a meeting of finance and economics ministers held in Dubai on November ...
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NewsNetwork expansion is in full swing
IRAN: Railway development is continuing apace, the intention being to provide rail connections between all major cities as soon as possible. The ultimate objective is to double the size of the current 8 300 route-km network, reports David Brice.
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NewsEurotunnel seeks safety changes
EUROPE: Three months after the devastating fire on September 11 that burned out every lorry on a shuttle train in the Channel Tunnel, we were able to inspect on December 10 the full extent of the damage to 610 m of the concrete lining as repairs continue around the clock. ...
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NewsUS seeks high speed PPP proposals
USA: On December 15 the federal Department of Transportation invited statements of interest from the private sector for the design, finance, construction, operation and maintenance of high speed rail services in 11 inter-city corridors, beginning with the route between New York City and Washington DC. The programme, which will include ...
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NewsETCS Level 2 for entire Danish network
DENMARK: Banedanmark has announced plans to replace all signalling on the country's national rail network by ERTMS over the next 12 years. Much of the existing equipment is obsolete or nearing life-expiry, and the infrastructure manager has been working for two years to develop an optimum renewal strategy for both ...
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NewsWorld infrastructure market December 2008
China: China Railway Group has been awarded a 4·7bn yuan contract for Section 1 of the Shijiazhuang - Wuhan line, a 2·9bn yuan contract for Section 1 of the Changdu - Dujiangyan line, and a 1·8bn yuan contract for works on the Wuhan - Guangzhou project and in Shenzhen. The ...
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NewsGetting ERTMS into service quicker
ITALY: Experience gained from the installation of ERTMS on two high speed lines has enabled infrastructure manager RFI to accelerate the commissioning of the Milano - Bologna line, which will carry its first passengers this month.
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NewsAlstom to modernise Hanoi - Vinh signalling
VIETNAM: On December 5 state railway DSVN signed a €38·3m contract with Alstom Transport for the modernisation of signalling at 34 stations on the 319 km Hanoi - Vinh line by the second quarter of 2012. Alstom will supply a control centre, electronic interlockings and trackside equipment including point ...
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NewsDrowning in data and seeking a solution
MAINTENANCE: Train-mounted measurement systems and condition monitoring equipment are generating large quantities of data, posing a challenge for railways to collate and interpret the information in a meaningful way. Software which can harness this data more effectively will help to inform infrastructure maintenance decisions.
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NewsTrack geometry car
CANADA: A self-propelled track geometry vehicle formed by installing state-of-the-art electronic inspection equipment in a Budd RDC has been delivered to Canadian National. This car was rebuilt for CN by US firm Gateway Rail Services, and now contains equipment produced by Ensco for the monitoring of curvature, alignment and ...
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NewsDB Netz uses satellites to locate track in three dimensions
GEOMETRY: Satellite surveying enhanced by reference points on the ground is now so accurate that it can be used to define the absolute position of track to± 10 mm accuracy, allowing contractors’ tamping and lining machines to produce track geometry within ±1 mm of optimised calculated values.
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NewsGetting to the point
RENEWALS: Faced with poor asset condition, cramped working conditions and limited access time, Tube Lines has adopted a new strategy for maintaining and upgrading turnouts on three of London Underground’s busiest lines.
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NewsLux launches Luxembourg lines
LUXEMBOURG: Plans for the construction of two new lines serving the southern part of the Grand Duchy were officially announced by Transport Minister Lucien Lux on October 15. The ministry has launched public consultation over alignment options for the two routes, which together with the reconstruction of three stations are ...
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Perpignan - Figueres makes progress
EUROPE: Tracklaying is well advanced on the 44·4 km standard -gauge cross-border line linking Perpignan in France with Figueres in Spain. Intended to link the French and Spanish high speed networks, the line includes an 8·2 km twin-bore tunnel under the Pyrenees at Le Perthus. The line is being developed ...
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NewsTEN-T rail funding signed
EUROPE: Major rail projects in Italy, Austria, France, Germany, Slovenia and Hungary are to receive a total of €1·7bn under 11 Trans-European Transport Networks financing decisions signed by European Commissioner for Transport Antonio Tajani on December 5. The money is being allocated under the TEN-T programme for 2007-13. ...
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NewsCrossrail agreements signed
UK: A series of core funding and governance agreements paving the way for construction of the long-planned Crossrail route under London were signed on December 4 by Transport Minister Andrew Adonis and Mayor of London Boris Johnson. A parallel deal was finalised with the City of London Corporation which will ...
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NewsNorwegian infrastructure budget up
NORWAY: The government’s 2009 budget allocates NKr8·84bn for rail spending, an increase of NKr1·3bn on 2008. There is a particular focus on maintenance and renewals. Funding for infrastructure manager Jernbaneverket is up 22% to NKr7·07bn, allowing spending on maintenance to be increased by 25%. This will improve reliability and capacity, ...
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NewsTrans-Laos railway survey agreed
LAOS: Investment company Giant Group is to undertake surveys for a railway running 220 km across southern Laos from the Thai to the Vietnamese borders. A memorandum of understanding for the project was signed with the Ministry of Public Works & Transport on November 10. The proposed electrified line ...
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NewsViaduct pushed into place
FRANCE: As part of a €250m modernisation of the Paris - Rouen - Le Havre line, infrastructure manager RFF has replaced the Oissel viaduct at a cost of €18m. Spanning the Seine near Rouen, the viaduct carries around 250 trains a day. On November 8-11 the new 185 m metal ...