All Railway Gazette International articles in January 2006 – Page 2
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News
High speed go-ahead
FORMAL approval for construction of two high speed lines in Portugal was announced on December 13. Prime Minister José Sócrates said they would help to bind the country closer into the European Union and the Iberian peninsula.Detailed design is already well advanced, and civil works are expected to get underway ...
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Scunthorpe gets ready to roll
WORK is underway on a £130m project to build a mill at the Scunthorpe site of steelmaker Corus, capable of producing rails up 120m long. The company’s existing 40m mill at Workington will close in July, with production at Scunthorpe underway by the end of 2006.Existing Medium Section Mill buildings ...
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News
Valparaíso gets a metro
ON NOVEMBER 23 Metro Valparaíso was formally inaugurated by President Ricardo Lagos of Chile, marking the completion of a US$332m programme to upgrade the Puerto - Limache suburban route operated by EFE subsidiary Merval. As part of the upgrade, Alstom Transport has supplied a fleet of two-car X’Trapolis EMUs, each ...
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Freight operators see good prospects if the market is truly open
Formation of the European Bulls alliance in January 2005 has helped its five partners to expand their open-access freight operations, but many political and technical barriers remain to be broken down before Europe can reap the benefits of a liberalised rail freight market
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Fleet renewal plans
SWISS FEDERAL Railways unveiled its first RABe514 EMU at Zürich on December 2 (RG 12.05 p770), presaging the launch of the 35 Siemens-built double-deck sets on the city’s growing S-Bahn network.Following commissioning trials, the units are expected to start entering service in April. SBB is planning to exercise an option ...
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News
Finance
Argentina: Neuquén provincial legislature has approved a programme to issue up to US$250m of bonds to finance infrastructure projects, including the southern rail crossing of the Andes (RG 2.05 p61) where the first 7 km from Zapala towards the Chilean border has been completed.Brazil: President Lula has authorised the release ...
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Loco event recorder
CUSTOMISED digital event recorders are now available as an option on Cattron remote controls for industrial locomotives.Derived from main line data recorders, they have reporting formats more suitable for operators of industrial locos. The event recorders monitor up to 200 channels for 96 h, synchronising information from the radio controls ...
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News
Talgo ends Finnish wagon production
K INDUSTRIER has reached an agreement to take over Talgo Oy’s freight rolling stock products. Financial details were not disclosed for the deal, under which wagon sales and production will be moved from Finland to Malm
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News
Emirates rail study
A 700 km line connecting the United Arab Emirates will form a key element in the planned Gulf rail network, according to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi General Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed al Nahyan. Speaking at the UAE’s 34th anniversary celebrations on December 6, the Crown Prince sanctioned funding ...
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News
Government to fund EDSA upgrade
SEVERE OVERCROWDING on Manila’s privately-operated light rail Line 3 is to be relieved under a proposal being drawn up by the Philippines Department of Transportation & Communications. Built under a 25-year BOT concession, Line 3 from Taft Avenue to North Avenue follows the EDSA orbital ring road on the east ...
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Faster by design
FRENCH consultancy Systra announced on December 12 that it had won a contract to assist with the construction of the Beijing - Tianjin high speed line.Working in partnership with the China Academy of Railway Sciences, Systra will review the design of the 117 km route, which is the first line ...
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North-South Railway project management deal
AN INTERNATIONAL consortium led by the US-based Louis Berger Group is to undertake detailed design and manage the construction of a 1800 km heavy haul network serving mineral reserves in northern Saudi Arabia. Other members of the consortium are Systra, Canarail and the Saudi Consolidated Engineering Co. Worth 512m riyals ...
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DB expansion under fire
THERECENT change in government looks certain to revive pressure to privatise all or part of German Railway. With DB forecasting a 2005 operating profit of €400m on December 7, there are suggestions that steps may be taken this year.DB continues to expand aggressively. On November 16 it announced the acquisition ...
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Cross-city line will transform Praha
Now in full swing, construction of a high-capacity line joining the main stations in Praha promises major improvements for local and long-distance services
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Safely covered
CURVED covers have been custom designed to match subfloor platform ducting and services at London Paddington station. The stainless steel covers mirror the curve of the platform edge, providing access to services beneath without creating a trip hazard.They are 110mm deep, ensuring studded anti-slip slabs remain flush with the platform ...
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News
Córdoba - Málaga contracts
SPANISH construction authority GIF has awarded a consortium of Alcatel España, Alcatel Integración y Servicios and Dimetronic a €210m contract to install and maintain signalling and telecommunications on the Córdoba - Málaga high speed line. Including provision of GSM-R, the contract has been divided into three route sections, the largest ...
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Contracts renegotiated
ON NOVEMBER 29 the Renfe board approved the last three of six contracts for new rolling stock that have been renegotiated since they were awarded in 2004. Renegotiation of the first three contracts was completed in July 2005 (RG 8.05 p461), and Renfe will now acquire a total of 126 ...
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Plant contracts
AS PART of its cost-reduction programme, Network Rail has revised its policy on leasing on-track plant.At present NR leases on-track machines such as tampers for maintenance, and its renewals contractors either own or hire their machines separately. Awarding common contracts is expected to boost productivity by 50% and bring major ...