All Railway Gazette International articles in January 2002 – Page 3
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News
Rolling stock woes threaten industry turnround
NEWS REACHES us that German Railway’s Class VT611 tilting DMUs were once again withdrawn during December following a series of technical problems with the two-car sets in Rheinland-Pfalz. We have commented previously on the unfortunate tale of the VT611, which has seen the 50-strong fleet pulled in and out of ...
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News
Pearl line inaugurated
CEREMONIES were held in Shanghai on December 26 to mark the the start of revenue services on metro Line 3. The 25 km route, known as the Pearl line, runs around the western side of the city centre, connecting Jiang Wan Zhen in the northeast with the main station and ...
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News
Pendolinos handed over
THE FIRST fully-equipped Pendolino trainset for West Coast Main Line services linking London Euston with the West Midlands, North West and Scotland was handed over to Virgin Trains on November 26. In fact, Alstom managed to hand over two of the 25 kV 50Hz tilting trains rather than the single ...
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News
Geotextile site
ENGINEERS and contractors can now obtain impartial information about geosynthetic textiles, which are used to stabilise embankments, for subgrade soil separation and drainage. The Vinci-Quality website offers international access to a panel of 30 independent geotextile experts. Questions about geosythetics can be sent to the panel, who provide free advice ...
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News
Geosynthetic grid reinforcement
A £6m project to install a concrete deck slab over 150m of abandoned coal mine workings has been completed near Edinburgh. Donaldson Associates designed an innovative slab with transition zones of Vibro stone columns and Tensar polymer geogrid reinforced stone platforms for the project. Subsidence of the undocumented shallow mine ...
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News
Freight initiatives still lacking
’IF LONG-DISTANCE freight on Europe’s motorways grinds to a halt, then the European economy is finished, at least in the transit land of Germany.’ Speaking at WCRR 2001, Germany’s Secretary of State for Research Dr-Ing Uwe Thomas threw down a challenge to the railway community to develop ’a new long-distance ...
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News
SNCF tries silent freight train
IN HIS CLOSING speech to WCRR 2001, SNCF President Louis Gallois urged delegates to develop a freight train with quiet brakes, as he was ’constantly harrassed’ by complaints from people living near marshalling yards.Indeed, SNCF’s own research budget includes funds for a project to reduce the noise of freight trains ...
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News
Innovators study rail freight potential
FIVE YEARS AGO rail freight in the Netherlands was almost dead. NS had a market share of less than 2%, and journey lengths in the small country were far shorter than conventional wisdom dictated as the practical minimum. So it was of little surprise when the newly-commercialised NS decided to ...
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News
IR seeks food plaza operators
INDIAN Railway Catering & Tourism Corp has been set up to manage catering provision on trains and stations. The railway subsidiary will provide space, power and water for ’food plazas’ at 19 stations, but the catering outlets are to be built and operated by private companies.Companies interested in bidding to ...
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News
Foil sensors foil vandals
German Railway is using strain gauges from measurement technologist HBM to protect touch screen ticket machines from vandalism. The vandal-proof touch screens are formed by placing unbreakable glass in front of a normal computer VDU. At each corner of the frame is an HBM DBB01 sensor, consisting of an aluminium ...
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News
‘We need to find a more stable solution’
INTRO: Legislation before the Netherlands parliament will pave the way for the formation of a state-owned infrastructure company and the award of long-term operating and infrastructure management concessionsTHIS MONTH the Dutch parliament is due to debate a new law which will fundamentally alter the structure of the country’s rail network. ...
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Finance
Australia: New South Wales Premier Bob Carr announced on November 14 that A$80m would be allocated for track and bridge upgrading on rural lines in the north and west of the state, from money budgeted but not spent on the Olympic Games.Estonia: International Finance Corp has approved a US$50m loan ...
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Finance
Brazil: BNDES is lending R$231·9m to Ferronorte, to fund construction of 290 route-km between Alto Taquari and Rodonópolis and a bulk freight terminal.China: CR was due to issue last month three-year bonds totalling 2bn yuan to fund the construction of new railways.On January 8 Beijing Subway Co and Eximbank agreed ...
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News
Perpignan - Figueres shortlist
ON NOVEMBER 30 the French and Spanish governments agreed to shortlist all six bidders who had expressed an interest in the contract to build and operate the proposed cross-border link between Perpignan and Figueres (RG 11.01 p731). The shortlisted consortia now have until March 31 2002 to submit their bids, ...
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News
The Prima family
Forming part of Alstom’s Optionic Design programme, the Prima family launched at Belfort on December 1 2000 is intended to reinforce the company’s position as a major builder of locomotives. With the passenger focus increasingly turning to multiple-units and fixed-formation high-speed trains, Alstom sees considerable scope for new loco designs ...
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News
Great expectations placed on rail research
SUMMING UP three days of technical papers and wide-ranging debate on railway research, Transportation Technology Center Inc President Roy Allen had some advice for delegates attending the closing session of the 2001 World Congress on Railway Research in Köln on November 26-28: ’either contribute to the solution, or be part ...
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News
European standards
Crashworthiness requirements for rail vehicles have been proposed in a draft for Part 2 of European standard prEN12663. Based on common accidents and associated risks, the draft provides a framework for determining the crash conditions that bodyshells should be designed to withstand and defines passive safety features to meet the ...
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News
Ethiopia outlines international network
LANDLOCKED Ethiopia has launched plans for new rail links to ports on the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, to reduce its dependence on the existing rail corridor to Djibouti. Details of the Railway Development Initiative were announced on January 9 by Transport & Communications Minister Dirrir Mohammed. Two routes are ...
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News
ERRAC launched
THE EUROPEAN Rail Research Advisory Council was launched on November 26 at the 5th World Congress on Railway Research in Köln. Philippe Busquin, the European Commissioner responsible for research, said ERRAC would have representatives from the Commission, EU member states, and major stakeholders in the rail industry. These include manufacturers, ...
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News
Lyon trams enter service
LAST MONTH saw the start of revenue services on the two light rail lines in the French city of Lyon. Inauguration ceremonies for the 18·7 km network were held on December 18, with Transport Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot participating, but public operation did not begin until January 2.Costing Fr2·6bn, the light ...