All Railway Gazette International articles in July 1997
All articles published this month.
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News
Sidetrack
Last month Sidetrack reported on the various ways which the activities of birds have caused problems for railways. Now we have photographic proof to show how Hondekop and stork can live in harmony in the NetherlandsCAPTION: Dieter offers an alternative to plans to link cities in south and east Australia ...
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News
Stuttgart special report
INTRO: We present a selection of the numerous new products for the rail industry on show at the UITP’s City Transport 97 exhibition in Stuttgart last monthLess wheel squealTRACK component specialist Ortec has developed a number of new products designed to help railways in their efforts to cut wheel-rail noise. ...
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News
Reform under scrutiny
APPOINTMENT of Communist transport minister Jean-Claude Gayssot (p438) under a left-wing government elected on June 1 is likely to require some intellectual and political acrobatics in French transport policy. The previous right-wing government put Claude Martinand at the head of the infrastructure company Réseau Ferré de France, whose board was ...
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News
QR woos passengers with tilting trains
INTRO: Radical concepts in engineering and interior design are being applied to the tilting trains due to take over Brisbane - Rockhampton services next yearBYLINE: Don Heumiller and Jerry Jirasek*BYLINE: * Don Heumiller is an independent rolling stock design engineer advising Walkers Ltd. Jerry Jirasek is Senior Design Manager for ...
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News
Public transport needs political will
FOR MANY YEARS suburban rail services in the Brazilian city of São Paulo suffered serious neglect. The metro, in sharp contrast, offers a high quality service. It has attracted considerable investment, allowing it to grow into a 44 km network, with extensions and new lines under construction. After years of ...
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News
Metros
France: On June 1 RATP began non-stop services on RER Line B between Paris Nord and Aéroport Charles-de-Gaulle, running every 15min outside peak hours.Germany: Adtranz has unveiled a family of modular low-floor trams between 19 and 45m long developed at a cost of DM10m. ’CityCat’ will compete against Siemens’ ...
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Market
Algeria: SNTF is negotiating to buy signalling equipment for 33 stations between El Affroun and Oued Tlelat from Siemens Austria for Sch1bn.Australia: Queensland Rail has awarded two contracts worth A$217 to Walkers-Adtranz Pty Ltd for 90 EMU cars for Brisbane. Westrail has ordered 10 EMU cars from Walkers-Adtranz for the ...
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News
Queen opens Storebaelt link
JUNE 1 saw the formal opening of the fixed rail link across Denmark’s Great Belt. The ceremonies were held at the Halsskov portal on Sjaelland, to which around 400 guests were taken from København by a special train formed of IC3 DMUs. Transport Minister Bjørn Westh (right) made a ...
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Sydney light rail ready to start
THIS MONTH is due to see the start of services on Sydney’s A$65m Ultimo - Pyrmont light rail line. The first Adtranz-built Variotram to reach the city arrived on May 31 and the second on June 5, enabling test running to start on the reserved alignment behind the Darling Harbour ...
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Reserve Le Shuttle
Eurotunnel’s Le Shuttle car-carrying service has been relaunched following the repair of fire damage to the Channel Tunnel (RG 1.97 p21), starting with several weeks of special events under the ’Happy Summer’ banner. Managing Director Bill Dix announced on June 10 that 60 to 65% of capacity would henceforth be ...
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News
Lakeside lines upgraded
ON JUNE 9 Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf formally opened Banverket’s reconstructed Svealandsbanan regional main line between S
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News
Railtrack investment up
FINANCIAL results announced on June 5 show that Railtrack is keeping its promise to boost investment following privatisation in May 1996. For the year to March 31 1997, spending on maintenance and renewal of Britain’s rail infrastructure exceeded £1·6bn, which is regarded as the ’steady-state’ figure.Operating profit rose by 15% ...
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News
Interior refurbishment sets the mood
Switzerland’s South Eastern Railway (SOB) has taken delivery of the first of 10 coaches refurbished by Schindler Waggon AG using its Revvivo method (PP 8.96 p7). The interior assembled from prefabricated modules offers a bright and modern climate-controlled ambience, for around half the cost of a new vehicle.Vignelli Associates has ...
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Industry
Australia: GE Transportation Systems and A Goninan & Co have signed a technical assistance and licensing agreement giving Goninan access to GE’s AC traction technology.China: MVA Group has set up MVA Beijing Transport Consultants Co Ltd as a joint venture with the Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning & Design.Great ...
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News
Hollands Spoor refurbished
May 23 saw the completion of a key stage in an ongoing rebuilding programme undertaken by Netherlands Railways and the city authorities at Den Haag Hollands Spoor, as the station’s main hall and passenger subway were officially re-opened following comprehensive refurbishment. This phase of the Hollands Spoor programme has cost ...
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Swazis prepare to go west
SWAZILAND Railways has unveiled plans to build a western link into South Africa, to provide a direct route to Johannesburg and the Gauteng region. Chief Executive Officer Gideon Mahlalela said in Mbabane on May 29 that he hoped the line would be open within five years.The new link would use ...
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News
Finance
Canada: Short line operator RaiLink Ltd plans a C$25m share offering, and is due to be listed on the Toronto stock market this month.Estonia: The European Investment Bank is providing half of the estimated US$35·5m cost of track repairs on 70 km of EVR main line between Tallinn and the ...
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News
Renfe fares restructured
June 16 saw the start of 220 km/h Euromed service on the Barcelona - Alicante corridor (p447) and the introduction of a new fares structure by Renfe’s Long Distance business unit, to be extended to sleeping car and couchette travel in September. The previous pricing regime based on a calendar ...
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News
States stay execution
The Boston segment of the Lake Shore Limited has been rescued by a complex deal between Amtrak and the state of Massachusetts which is designed to expand the operator’s non-passenger revenue. The train had been scheduled to be discontinued on May 10 owing to Amtrak’s on-going financial crisis (RG 5.97 ...
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News
Kyoto hub opens its doors
RAILWAY facilities at a JR West’s rebuilt Kyoto station complex are scheduled to open on July 12, providing interchange between the Tokaido shinkansen, Nara, Kintetsu and Kyoto routes. Within the 16-storey complex, which has some 238000m2 of floor space, a 925-seat festival theatre and two cinemas are due to open ...