All Railway Gazette International articles in January 2005
All articles published this month.
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News
Winter warmer works on water
OIL-FIRED heaters designed to preheat diesel locomotive engines and protect them from damage in cold weather have been adapted for use as low-maintenance water heaters on passenger coaches.Manufacturer AST has modified the heaters so they can operate independently for periods of several weeks at extremely low temperatures. Air is taken ...
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News
More tilt traumas
YET AGAIN we are obliged to return to the sorry saga of German Railway’s tilting train fleets. In August last year a routine inspection revealed a crack in one axle of a VT612 two-car diesel trainset, prompting temporary withdrawal from service while urgent checks were made on all 192 units ...
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News
Sydney still suffering
’BLOODY ATROCIOUS’ were the words chosen by New South Wales Premier Bob Carr to describe suburban rail services in Sydney on November 22. On that day, Carr had been goaded into arranging a day of free travel on the extensive CityRail network, in an attempt to mollify commuters enraged by ...
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News
Sidetrack
Time to crossMOTORISTS in South Sioux City, Iowa, will soon be able to learn how long they will have to wait for passing freight trains to clear a level crossing on the busy Dakota Avenue. The federally-funded National Intelligent Transportation System is planning to study the behaviour patterns of waiting ...
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News
Publications
The Subterranean Railwayby Christian WolmarLONDON has the oldest underground railways in the world, developed in a piecemeal fashion by numerous companies. The growth of the network and the effect it had on the development of London are described in this book.The author looks at the history of the Underground from ...
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News
Pointers
Toll NZ is considering plans to assemble locomotives in New Zealand and to develop its wagon construction business there. Local assembly of motive power would be cheaper and cut lead times, according to Chairman Mark Rowsthorn. Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki announced on December 12 that the Nepad alliance had agreed ...
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News
NS spending rises
NORFOLK SOUTHERN announced on December 2 that it planned to invest $938m during 2005, compared to $810m in 2004 and $798m the year before. The biggest single element, $438m, will fund track renewals and bridge maintenance. Another $23m will go on signalling and communications, $22m on track maintenance equipment and ...
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News
Market
Australia: EDI Rail has signed a contract to supply BHP Billiton Iron Ore with 13 GM-EMD SD70ACe diesel-electric locomotives of 4300hp, spares and support, with options for more. Delivery will be in late 2005. Bulgaria: On December 7 BDZ announced it had selected Siemens for supply of 25 DMUs. Two ...
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News
THSRC needs more than luck
ON November 26 Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp finally agreed to pay US$65m to the Eurotrain consortium formed to bid for the electrical and mechanical equipment on Taiwan’s 346 km high speed line between Taipei and Kaohsiung.Eurotrain, consisting of Alstom and Siemens, was given a letter of intent in 1997, ...
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News
UIC redefines its role
CHANGE is sweeping through the corridors of Europe's railway organisations, not least at the International Union of Railways. Since its birth in 1922, UIC has worked to devise and define technical norms that allow trains to run across Europe's frontiers. Its practices and standards have also been adopted in many ...
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News
Intelligence
Australia: Queensland has amended its rail safety investigation laws to match national standards, retrospectively dated to cover the diesel tilt train derailment north of Bundaberg on November 16 (p16).QR has increased capacity on its Cairns - Melbourne intermodal services by 50% with the introduction of new rolling stock, and the ...
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News
Passenger information news
DURING refurbishment of the 75 D78 trainsets used on London Underground's District Line, passenger information displays from Focon will be fitted to the six-car units. The company will also supply displays for use on the 47 eight-car trains to be built by Bombardier for the Victoria Line. On the D78 ...
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News
Report highlights signalling renewal
THE UK’s Office of Rail Regulation published on November 29 its first annual report on how Network Rail is meeting the stewardship requirements of its licence, ORR’s targets, and those set in its own Business Plan. Covering the year to March 31 2004, it includes subsequent developments judged to be ...
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News
Lloyd’s registers growth
RAIL business at Lloyd’s Register ’grew very strongly’ in the 12 months to June 30, Executive Chairman David G Moorhouse announced on November 24.The group’s Energy & Transportation division income was up 4% on the previous year. Within the division Oil & Gas income grew 5%, Industry fell 5%, and ...
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News
Infrastructure fund launched
FRENCH transport infrastructure finance agency AFITF is to be fully operational on January 1 2005, following the publication on December 1 of its establishing decree. AFITF’s 12-strong board will have six members nominated by the government, one MP, one senator, two local politicians and two ’qualified persons’.Drawing on the dividends ...
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News
RATP to run Firenze light rail
ON DECEMBER 8 Paris Transport Authority announced that its international subsidiary RATP Développement had won the concession to design, build and operate the light rail network in Firenze. The three-line network serving Firenze and the neighbouring municipality of Scandicci will eventually total 29·5 km. Construction work is already underway on ...
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News
Finance
Angola: Finance Minister Andre Luí Brandão has announced plans to spend US$4bn rehabilitating 2722 km of track in four phases over the next 11 years. The US$78m first phase is nearing completion, the second will see US$90m of modernisation work, and the third and fourth would involve extensions to neighbouring ...
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News
Moscow opens Expo monorail
DEMONSTRATION services began running on Russia's first monorail on November 20, following the award of an operating certificate earlier in the month. According to Moscow Deputy Mayor Petr Aksenov, revenue service on the 8·6 km elevated line will start early in 2005. Connecting Timiryazevskaya metro station in the north of ...
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News
Koralm tunnel exploration
CONSTRUCTION of Austrian Federal Railways’ planned Klagenfurt - Graz high speed line moved a step closer on December 4, when work began on pilot bores for the 32·8 km Koralm tunnel.New line authority HL-AG has been developing plans for the 130 km Koralmbahn since 1995, and a preferred route was ...