Infrastructure news – Page 91
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NewsMorley – Ellenbrook line construction contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: The MELconnx Consortium has been awarded the contract to design and build the 21 km Morley – Ellenbrook line to serve the northeast suburbs of Perth. The A$700m contract was signed on October 18 by the Western Australia government and the Laing O’Rourke Australia Construction-led consortium ...
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NewsETCS onboard testing begins
NORWAY: Trial running has started with the first diesel locomotive to be equipped with Alstom’s latest ETCS onboard equipment as part of the national ERTMS programme.
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NewsNigerian standard gauge network takes shape
NIGERIA: The 1 435 mm gauge north-south railway linking Itakpe, Ajaokuta and Warri has been formally opened for commercial operation, following an inauguration ceremony at Agbor in Delta state.
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NewsL&T low-bidder to build Mumbai – Ahmedabad high speed line
INDIA: Larsen & Toubro has been confirmed as low-bidder for the largest civil works contract on the planned Mumbai – Ahmedabad high speed line, the National High-Speed Rail Corp announced on October 19.
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NewsVäylä to test synthetic sleepers
FINLAND: Transport infrastructure agency Väylä has started testing FFU synthetic sleepers from Sekisui on the 1 524 mm gauge national network, to assess their suitability for use in very low temperatures.
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NewsFull electrification in record infrastructure spend
AUSTRIA: ‘More than €17bn is being spent on railway projects across the whole country’, said Federal Minister for Climate Protection Leonore Gewessler on October 16, announcing with Austrian Federal Railways CEO Andreas Matthä ‘the biggest railway investment package that the Republic has ever seen’.
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NewsCP to acquire full ownership of Detroit River rail tunnel
NORTH AMERICA: Canadian Pacific has entered into an agreement to acquire full ownership of the Detroit River Tunnel Partnership, which owns the 2·6 km immersed tube tunnel that has linked Windsor in Canada with Detroit in the USA since 1910. CP currently holds a 16·5% stake the ...
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NewsEppenberg tunnel opens for traffic
SWITZERLAND: As part of its project to four-track the 13·4 km Olten – Aarau line, SBB formally inaugurated its new Eppenberg tunnel on October 12.
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NewsEU track access rebates approved
EUROPE: A regulation permitting European Union member states to waive or defer track access charges in order to support the rail sector through the coronavirus pandemic has been formally adopted by the EU Council and European Parliament.
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NewsSouthern Java double-tracking inaugurated
INDONESIA: The completion of double-tracking work on the majority of PT KAI’s 1 067 mm gauge southern Java main line was marked by a ‘soft launch’ ceremony at Solo Balapan on October 8, attended by Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi. Work began in 2015 on upgrading ...
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NewsLatvia and Estonia join Rail Freight Corridor 8
EUROPE: Latvia and Estonia have formally joined the North Sea-Baltic Rail Freight Corridor with effect from October 12, almost five years after the corridor was originally established in November 2015.
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NewsChicago – Minneapolis enhancements funded
USA: Plans to launch a second daily inter-city service between Chicago and Minneapolis-St Paul are set to move forward following the award of federal funding under the Consolidated Railroad Infrastructure & Safety Improvement grant programme.
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NewsJR East to speed up Tohoku Shinkansen
JAPAN: East Japan Railway is to raise the line speed limits on key sections of the Tohoku Shinkansen in order to make its train services between Tokyo and northeast Honshu more competitive with airlines.
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NewsBang Sue hub opening pushed back to 2021
THAILAND: Opening of Bangkok’s Bang Sue Grand Station has been delayed until late 2021, with State Railway of Thailand saying this is largely a result of the Covid-19 pandemic which has prevented Japanese contractors from visiting the site for several months.
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NewsAuckland awards P2P electrification contract
NEW ZEALAND: KiwiRail has awarded the eTRACS joint venture of John Holland and McConnell Dowell an early contractor involvement contract to develop the southern extension of Auckland’s suburban electrification from Papakura to Pukekohe. The NZ$371m P2P Electrification Project will see the installation of 25 kV 50 Hz ...
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NewsRZD completes replacement Kola bridge
RUSSIA: Trains have started using a replacement bridge across the River Kola near Murmansk, following an opening ceremony attended by RZD Chairman & CEO Oleg Belozerov, Deputy Transport Minister Vladimir Tokarev and the Governor of Murmansk region Andrey Chibis. Construction of the 158·2 ...
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NewsBattery-powered railway maintenance machine unveiled
SWEDEN: Railcare has unveiled a battery-powered multi-purpose vehicle for railway maintenance work, which, as well as eliminating emissions at the point of use, also offers operators reduced noise levels. The MPV is intended to complement the company’s vacuum excavator and snow melter, and can haul wagons within ...
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Rail Business UKHS2 slab track contract awarded
UK: Project promoter High Speed 2 Ltd has awarded a consortium of Porr UK and Aggregate Industries UK the contract to design and manufacture modular slab track for HS2. The £260m contract announced on October 5 covers all track for the London – West Midlands Phase 1 ...
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NewsDual-mode tamper approved in Germany
GERMANY: The Federal Railway Office has authorised unrestricted use of a dual-mode continuous-action tamping machine. Operated by Krebs Gleisbau, the Unimat 09-32/4S Dynamic E3 universal tamper from Plasser & Theurer was previously approved for operation in Austria and Switzerland. It can now be used in either electric ...
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Rail Business UKCrossrail governance transferred to Transport for London
UK: Responsibility for governance of the Crossrail programme formally transferred from the independent Crossrail board to Transport for London with effect from October 1, as the project to build an east–west commuter line across London transitions from the current construction phase to operations and maintenance. ...