Infrastructure news – Page 53
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In depthAustria: Mobile milling supports preventive rail maintenance
Wiener Linien has been exploring how a combination of mobile milling and investment in premium rail steels can help to optimise its maintenance costs and move from reactive to preventive interventions on its metro lines.
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NewsFederal funding to support Caltrain electrification
USA: Bay Area commuter rail operator Caltrain has been allocated a further $43m in federal funding for its ongoing electrification programme. Work on the project to install 25 kV 60 Hz overhead line equipment between San Francisco and San Jose is well advanced, and the first ...
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NewsThales to maintain signalling on ‘demanding’ section of high speed line
SPAIN: Infrastructure manager ADIF Alta Velocidad has awarded Thales a contract to maintain signalling and traffic management systems on the Lleida – Barcelona Sants – Figueras section of the Madrid – Figueras high speed line. Thales said the reliability requirements and traffic density on this route, ...
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NewsEBRD finances maintenance equipment replacement
MONTENEGRO: Infrastructure manager ŽICG and the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development have signed a €11m loan agreement to finance the purchase of modern maintenance equipment to replace obsolete and energy-inefficient machinery by 2025. The financing will also support ŽICG in improving corporate governance and developing ...
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NewsHuron Central Railway infrastructure funding announced
CANADA: Funding has been announced for infrastructure life extension works to support Huron Central Railway in sustaining a viable freight service on the 280 km line between Sault Ste Marie and Sudbury.
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Rail Business UKThree Bridges ROC automated route setting commissioned
UK: Network Rail, Siemens Mobility and Hitachi Information Control Systems commissioned automated route setting at the Three Bridges Rail Operations Centre during December. ‘We are excited to confirm this next step of technology development which will improve train performance by automating route regulation for signallers, reducing ...
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In depthTrack Technology: Modular elements could offer cheaper and more flexible slab trackform
Field trials are expected to start near Marseille in the coming months of a lower-cost modular slab trackform developed by Systra and construction group Stradal as a potential replacement for conventional ballasted track. Technical consultant Jean-Claude Zabée explains the concept to Nick Kingsley.
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NewsMarcopolo Rail to supply DMUs to rebuilt Chilean narrow-gauge line
CHILE: National operator EFE Trenes de Chile has signed a contract for Marcopolo Rail to supply three two-car Prosper VLT diesel multiple-units for the recently modernised metre-gauge Talca – Constitución line. Brazilian bus manufacturer Marcopolo announced at the NT Expo trade fair in São Paulo in ...
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NewsContract agreed to build standard gauge railway to Lake Tanganyika
TANZANIA: A contract has been signed for the construction of a 1 435 mm gauge line running west from Tabora to the port of Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika. The US$2·21bn contract was signed by Tanzania Railway Corp and a joint venture of China Civil Engineering Construction ...
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NewsXingguo – Quanzhou line completed
CHINA: The 464 km railway serving the coastal town of Quanzhou in Fujian province was completed on December 28. The mixed-traffic route linking Quanzhou with Xingguo, south of Ji’an on the Beijing – Hong Kong corridor, has been designed for operation at up to 160 km/h. ...
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Rail Business UKManchester International depot modernised to house EMUs
UK: Spencer Group has completed a £1·8m refurbishment of Manchester International depot to enable it to be used to service and stable Northern’s Class 323 electric multiple-units. The depot was built in the early 1990s as part of the abortive plan to operate Eurostar services from ...
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NewsBrno area route modernisation underway
CZECH REPUBLIC: Subterra, OHLA ŽS and EŽ Praha have begun work to complete double tracking and 25 kV 50 Hz electrification of the Brno – Zastávka u Brna line. The first 8·5 km from Brno-Horní Heršpice to Střelice was completed in September 2021. Work is now ...
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NewsBeijing – Tangshan 350 km/h line opened
CHINA: National operator China Railway launched 350 km/h passenger services on a 173 km route between Beijing and Tangshan on December 30, following the completion of 149 km of new line. The faster route has brought end-to-end journey times down to 60 min, even though trains ...
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In depthTrack Maintenance: Alleviating suffering on the metre gauge
Following severe wheel-rail interaction problems on Swiss metre-gauge networks, the RailPlus association has launched a technical study to investigate and address the issue, as Technical Manager Markus Barth explains to Reinhard Christeller.
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NewsChengdu – Kunming capacity enhancement programme completed
CHINA: A major programme of modernisation, track doubling and construction of new alignments to increase speeds and capacity on the Chengdu – Kunming axis was completed with the departure of the first train over the upgraded Emei – Miyi section on December 26. The programme is ...
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Rail Business UKHS2 contractors claim world’s longest bridge slide near Birmingham
UK: HS2 Ltd and contractor Balfour Beatty Vinci completed a milestone in construction of the high speed line on December 24-26 when the Marston Box bridge over the M42 motorway was slid into position northeast of Birmingham.
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NewsRobel MMS provides a safe environment for DB Netz track maintenance
GERMANY: Infrastructure operator DB Netz has taken delivery of the country’s first Robel-built Mobile Maintenance System for use on specialist track maintenance work. Branded by DB Netz as FIZ (Fahrbahninstandhaltungszug), the three-vehicle MMS is formed of a traction and supply unit with crew accommodation, toilet facilities ...
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NewsBolloré completes African logistics sale
AFRICA: French industrial conglomerate Bolloré has completed the sale of its Bolloré Africa Logistics business, including three railway concessions in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Bénin and Niger.
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NewsMarguerite enters service on Mont-Blanc mountain railway
FRANCE: The last of the four metre-gauge electric multiple-units supplied by Stadler to re-equip the Tramway du Mont-Blanc mountain railway entered service on December 21.
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NewsMobile mapping system certified by Deutsche Bahn
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has approved the use of Trimble’s MX9 mobile mapping system for surveying track, clearances and infrastructure. The MX9 hardware can be mounted on a vehicle to rapidly capture panoramic and multi-angle laser scans and images at speed up to 100 km/h, avoiding the ...