All Railway Gazette International articles in January 2009
All articles published this month.
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NewsKraków tram tunnel opened
POLAND: Trams began regular Route 50 services through a 1 538 m pre-metro tunnel beneath Kraków’s main station on December 12. The tunnel was planned in the 1960s as part of a proposed east–west metro line, which was subsequently dropped in favour of a north–south pre-metro. Construction was undertaken intermittently ...
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NewsSanto Domingo metro enters service
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: President Leonel Fernández officially inaugurated the first metro line in Santo Domingo at 17.40 on January 29, in a ceremony held at Centro de Los Héroes station. Full public service started at 06.00 on January 30. Speaking at the launch, Diandino Peña, MD of OPRET (the organisation responsible ...
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NewsDB Schenker buys into Polish freight market
POLAND: Deutsche Bahn announced on January 30 that it had reached agreement to purchase PCC Logistics, the largest private-sector rail freight operator in Poland. The deal was signed in Warszawa by DB Chairman Hartmut Mehdorn, Board Member, Logistics, Norbert Bensel and the founder of PCC Group Waldemar Preussner, and is ...
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NewsLight rail pioneer secures a long-term future
UK: A £300m government financing package has been agreed for Metro Re-invigoration, a two-stage investment programme to overhaul the Tyne & Wear Metro. The pre-qualification process to create a shortlist for a seven-year operating concession is due to be completed this month, marking the start of a decade of change. ...
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NewsAlstom awarded ERTMS service contract
SWITZERLAND: Alstom has signed its first service contract with Swiss Federal Railways. The €22m deals covers the maintenance of Alstom ATLAS ETCS Level 2 equipment fitted to trains using the Mattstetten - Rothrist section of the Bern - Zürich route, for which Alstom also supplied trackside equipment. The company's ...
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NewsCabinet approves Chennai metro phase 1
INDIA: The government announced cabinet approval for the 45 km first phase of the Chennai metro on January 29. Two lines will be built in the first phase. One will run from Washermanpet to Saidapet and Chennai Airport, with 14·3 km of the 23·1 km route being underground. The ...
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NewsHeiterBlick to assemble Bielefeld trams
GERMANY: Bielefeld city transport operator MoBiel announced a €47m order for 16 high-floor light rail vehicles with options for a further 25 on January 26. Consortium leader Vossloh Kiepe will supply the electrical equipment for the cars, which are to be delivered from January 2011 to July 2012. They ...
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NewsUK Transport Minister to speak at Railway Gazette capacity conference
UK: Minister of State for Transport Lord Andrew Adonis will make the opening address at the Growth & the Capacity Challenge conference in London on March 10. The minister will present a keynote speech at the first session of the conference after opening the Railtex 2009 exhibition at Earl’s Court. ...
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NewsCSR wins further orders
CHINA: CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co has been selected to supply rolling stock for the 30·7 km 11-station northern extension of Guangzhou Metro Line 3 to the airport. The contract is worth around 1·2bn yuan, and deliveries will run from February 2010 to February 2011, with 18 cars to be ...
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NewsFederal funding package
USA: A full funding grant agreement was signed on January 9 between the Utah Transit Authority and the Federal Transit Administration which, for the first time, effectively provides a single financial contribution for a group of rail projects. The $428·3m agreement covers four TRAX light rail extensions and the FrontRunner ...
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NewsSiemens awarded £24m cab GSM-R contract
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail has awarded Siemens a £24m contract to supply and install GSM-R cab radios for the majority of train cabs over the next three years. The Railway Communications System digital network will replace analogue Cab Secure Radio and National Radio Network equipment. Siemens, Network ...
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NewsHangzhou metro PPP agreed
CHINA: MTR Corp signed an agreement in principle on January 16 with the Hangzhou Municipal Government and Hangzhou Metro Group for the financing, construction and operation of Line 1 of the metro under a PPP model. The agreement allows MTR to enter into further discussion with the city government over ...
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NewsManchester tram assembly underway
UK: The bodyshell of the first of 40 additional high-floor light rail vehicles on order for Manchester Metrolink has been completed at Bombardier's Wien plant, and interior fittings and Vossloh Kiepe electrics are now being installed. The 28·4 m Flexity Swift cars for Manchester are based on the Köln ...
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NewsSteer Davies Gleave acquires CRA consultancy team
USA: Steer Davies Gleave has acquired the transport planning practice of Boston-based international consultancy Charles River Associates. The CRA team led by Jon Bottom specialises in demand, revenue, planning and policy studies for the rail, urban transport and aviation sectors as well as tunnel and bridge projects. Bottom said ...
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NewsEBRD loan for wagon replacement
UKRAINE: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development has announced a US$62·5m loan to fund the purchase of wagons under UZ's rolling stock renewal programme. EBRD said the loan is part of the bank's response to the global economic crisis, as the fleet modernisation could not be funded from other ...
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NewsLine A extended to Flores
ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri opened the new Puán and Carabobo stations on Line A of the Buenos Aires metro on December 22. Work on the extension started in 2004 and formed part of a wider programme to refurbish and modernise the infrastructure of Line A, the oldest line ...
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NewsEVR split takes effect
ESTONIA: Renationalised railway operator AS Eesti Raudtee has been restructured with effect from January 14, becoming a small holding company with two wholly-owned subsidiaries responsible for infrastructure management and freight train operations. The move brings Estonia into line with EU railway policy which mandates managerial and financial separation between ...
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NewsCo-operate and compete
ASIA: Recognising that the main area of growth in the urban rail sector for the next few years is likely to be the Far East, Veolia Transport and RATP Développement announced on January 21 that they were forming a joint venture company to bid for metro and public transport operating ...