All Railway Gazette International articles in July 2001
All articles published this month.
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News
Marina line phase 2 go-ahead
SINGAPORE’S Land Transport Authority has awarded a €170m contract to a consortium of Alstom and ST Elec for mechanical and electrical work on the second phase of the medium-capacity Marina automated metro line.An initial 5·6 km section of the Marina line is now under construction between Dhoby Ghaut and Stadium ...
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News
Line 9 goes out to tender
The Catalunya regional government’s new construction authority Gestió d’Infraestructures has called tenders for civil works on the first sections of Barcelona metro Line 9, expected to open in 2004. The works have been divided into three packages. The first covers the section from Sagrera on Lines 1 and 5 east ...
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News
Interoperability accord signed
A MEMORANDUM of Understanding on interoperability was signed in Napoli on June 8 by representatives from the European Commission and four industry associations: Unife, UITP, UIC and CER. Intended ’to move Europe closer to a single European railway system’, the MoU paves the way for the development of Technical Specifications ...
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News
Sergeli accord
CONSTRUCTION of a fourth broad-gauge metro line in the Uzbekistan capital is expected to get under way in 2004-05, following the signing of an accord between Toshkent Metro and the China International Trust & Investment Corp at the beginning of June.To be known as the Sergeli line, Line 4 will ...
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NewsAcela Express heads Amtrak expansion drive
The initial success of Acela Express trains between Washington DC, New York and Boston is helping to swing US political opinion behind new legislation to fund investment in high-speed rail across the country
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News
Metros try moving adverts
MOTIONPOSTER has agreed terms with BKV to install four moving image advertising units in Budapest metro tunnels. An agreement has also been signed for two sites in Athens, and MotionPoster is negotiating with 14 other operators.Each unit has 168 A2-sized back-illuminated posters arranged along 100m of tunnel. Electronic controls automatically ...
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News
Sell-off goes ahead
SALE OF the Japanese government’s outstanding shares in the three mainland JR companies may start later this year. This follows the passage of a bill through the Diet on June 15 paving the way for full privatisation of JR Central, JR West and JR East.The bill had been opposed by ...
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News
Valencia funds airport link
THEREGIONAL government of Valencia is to spend Pts8bn on extending FGV metro Line 3 from Mislata to Manises Airport. The new tunnel section is expected to open by 2005 at the latest, putting the airport within 15min of the city centre.A new department has been created within FGV to manage ...
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News
Iceland studies airport link
PLANS have been unveiled for the construction of a 50 km rail link between Reykjavik and its international airport at Keflavik. State-owned power and water utility Reykjavik Energy has commissioned a feasibility study from a consortium led by AEA Technology Rail. Other participants are Icelandic construction firm Istak and Transport ...
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News
Renfe orders Alaris variant
SPANISH National Railways announced on May 25 that its Administrative Board had approved an order for 1435mm gauge regional high-speed trains from a consortium of Alstom and CAF. Designated I-250, the 20 trains will run at 250 to 270 km/h on routes up to 250 km long, such as Madrid ...
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News
Privatised CN is North America’s most successful railroad
INTRO: Before 1992 Canadian National was a bloated public corporation haemorrhaging cash. Successful privatisation in 1995 launched a major turnround, and shareholder value has since increased by 300%. Now CN has the best operating ratio of any North American railroadBYLINE: Paul M TellierPresident & Chief Executive Officer, Canadian National RailwayBY ...
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News
Amtrak on the Stygian shore
ENTHUSIASM expressed by Amtrak for high speed rail corridors across North America in the wake of the Acela Express launch is to be welcomed. On p460, Barbara Richardson suggests that there is considerable support for the concept at both federal and state level. But any amount of optimism cannot mask ...
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News
ARTC updates
MOVING TO overcome the legacy of its fragmented heritage, Australian Rail Track Corp implemented a new national code of practice for operations and safeworking on the interstate rail network on June 4. Track owners and operators from Queensland to Western Australia have agreed to implement the new code, which ...
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News
ScanRail sold to WS Atkins
CONDITIONAL contracts have been exchanged for WS Atkins to acquire ScanRail, the transport and engineering consultancy division of Danish rail infrastructure authority Banestyrelsen. The companies expect to complete the deal in July. The majority of ScanRail’s work is in Denmark, and its 300 staff are based in Århus and København. ...
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News
VAL Line B deal
ON MAY 9 Toulouse transport authority SMTC awarded a turnkey contract for construction of the city’s second VAL automated metro line. The €232m contract with Matra Transport International covers the long-planned 15·6 km north-south Line B linking Borderouge and Ramonville. With 20 stations, Line B will interchange with Line A ...
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News
Banks back Bosnia
ON JUNE 11 the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development approved a €21m loan to fund refurbish 395 route-km of pan-European Corridor Vc in Bosnia-Herzegovina. A further €40m will come from the European Investment Bank, and €4·4m in grants from Canada, Japan, Sweden and the USA.Corridor Vc forms the main ...
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News
Eskisehir bids shortlisted
FINAL NEGOTIATIONS for a concession to finance and build an 8 km light rail line in the Turkish city of Eskisehir were held on June 13. The municipality had previously shortlisted two groups following the opening of technical bids on May 9. One comprises Yapi Merkezi, Insaat Sanayi and Bombardier ...
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News
Software signal blocks
LAUNCHED at the UITP Mobility & City Transit exhibition in May, Seltrac FB communications-based train control from Alcatel can be used as a stand-alone or overlay system. It is aimed primarily at the urban market, and an initial demonstration on the Paris metro is planned for later this year.Expanding the ...
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News
Metrorail investment boost
SOUTH AFRICAN Transport Minister Dullah Omar has approved a R400m investment package for modernising the country’s urban rail networks over the next five years. Funding is being allocated to SA Rail Commuter Corp in the national budget for safety improvements including signalling and telecommunications upgrading.Later this year SARCC expects to ...
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News
Branch revival
RESTORATION of the railway to Kotipalli in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh began with the laying of a foundation stone on May 11. The route from Kakinada through the Godavari delta is primarily expected to handle agricultural traffic to and from the port at Kakinada which is being expanded.The ...