All Railway Gazette International articles in July 2003 – Page 2

  • News

    GIF tenders signalling work

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    SPANISH HIGH SPEED construction authority GIF is to call tenders for supply and maintenance of signalling and telecommunications equipment on the 183 km Puigverd de Lleida - Barcelona Sants section of the new line between Madrid and the French border. A budget of €302·3m has been set for the work, ...

  • News

    GO gets more

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    TWO MONTHS after the Canadian government allocated C$385m for expansion of the GO Transit commuter rail network in Toronto (RG 5.03 p251), the province of Ontario has agreed to provide another C$453m. Announced by Premier Ernie Eves on June 4, the money forms part of a C$645m transport spending package ...

  • News

    Projects hinge on funding gap

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    SPEAKING on June 3 during a debate on the ’audit’ of major transport infrastructure projects (RG 4.03 p179), French Minister of Transport Gilles de Robien identified a funding gap of at least €1·bn a year for the next 20 years if the government is to meet its commitments. Options include ...

  • News

    Finance

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    Australia: Queensland Rail is to spend A$20m upgrading the Rosewood - Helidon main line, and A$14m on the Toowomba - Goondiwindi route.China: Hong Kong MTR Corp has sold HK$500m of 10-year fixed rate bonds, and KCRC is selling the retail portion of its HK$1bn debt issue, intending to raise HK$500m ...

  • News

    Palmetto extension opens

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    THE FIRST extension of Miami’s heavy metro line since Metrorail began operations in 1984 was officially opened on May 30. Passengers were allowed to ride free on the 2·3 km Palmetto extension serving the town of Medley in northwest Dade County until June 29.Miami-Dade Transit began work on the $87·8m ...

  • News

    Eurotunnel eyes Europe

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    ACCORDING to Bill Dix, Managing Director of Eurotunnel Freight Solutions, by 2007 his company could be in partnerships running regular intermodal services between the UK and up to 10 European countries. Conventional rail freight through the Channel Tunnel has fallen far below expectations, in marked contrast to Eurotunnel’s lorry shuttles, ...

  • News

    EurailFreight restates the industry’s old problems

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: Ralf Roman Rossberg reports from the EurailFreight event in München on May 22-23ITALIAN Transport Minister Pietro Lunardi opened the EurailFreight 2003 congress in the German city of München on May 22, launching an event intended to achieve for the freight business what EurailSpeed has done for Europe’s high speed ...

  • News

    Energy saving transmission

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    NOW ON test on a refurbished IC3 DMU in Denmark is an innovative mechanical transmission developed by ZF Bahntechnik GmbH. The AS Rail auto-shift transmission is developed from an automotive version used in the lorry market for around five years. AS Rail is also being fitted to Danish State Railways’ ...

  • News

    Mail dumps rail

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    ON JUNE 6 Royal Mail shocked the UK rail industry by announcing that it was ending its 10-year contract with English Welsh & Scottish Railway signed in 1996. From April 2004 all mail will be carried by air or road. Managing Director, Logistics, Paul Bateson claimed this would result in ...

  • News

    Refurbishment drives demand for seats

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    CARRIAGE body shells can outlive their interior furnishings by many years, making refurbishment the key to providing a quality travelling environment throughout the life of the vehicle. Seating is one of the most noticeable interfaces between passengers and trains, and the selection of appropriate designs and materials is critical. Eurostar's ...

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    News

    Realities and costs drive Kazakhstan's railway reform

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    The Kazakh government has integrated the three distinct rail networks it inherited at independence, and is now introducing reforms to encourage private-sector investment and reduce the need for domestic services to cross international borders, explains Gordon Feller

  • News

    Merseyrail passes to PTE control

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    JULY 20 will see the control of Liverpool’s 750 VDC suburban lines passed from the UK Strategic Rail Authority to the local Passenger Transport Executive, Merseytravel. On the same day the Merseyrail Services consortium of Serco and NedRailways will take over the operation of the Merseyrail Electrics franchise from Arriva ...

  • News

    Newark contracts

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    ON JUNE 11 the NJ Transit board of directors awarded three contracts totalling US$90m for work on the 1·6 km extension of the Newark City Subway light rail line from Penn station to Broad Street, which is due to open in 2005. Executive Director George D Warrington said the decision ...

  • News

    Pajares tunnel contracts let

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    SPANISH high speed infrastructure authority GIF has now awarded all four contracts to build the 25 km Pajares base tunnel on the León - Oviedo route (RG 6.03 p345). Lot 1, covering both bores on the 10·5 km Pola de Gordón - Folledo section, has been awarded to FCC Construcción ...

  • News

    Management and research tackle rolling contact fatigue

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: Rolling contact fatigue is high up the agenda of Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail. A research policy has been established, and with knowledge shared internationally, ProRail has started to modify rail composition and head profiles, and adopted a regular grinding policyBYLINE: Jeroen SmuldersProject Manager, Rolling Contact Fatigue, ProRailINVESTIGATION of a ...

  • News

    Cattron sold

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    FOUNDER and Chairman of Cattron Group Inc Jim Cattron has retired after 56 years, selling his interest in the industrial remote control technology business to a group of senior managers and investors led by Weatherly Private Capital LLC. RFI Investment Partners and Argosy Investment Partners have also contributed significant capital ...

  • News

    Carillion enters Europe

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    RENEWAL and maintenance contractor Carillion Rail has purchased Swedish Rail Systems Enterprenad from Heidelberg Cement Northern Europe. SRSE is one of the largest private sector rail infrastructure contractors in Sweden and Norway, with net assets of £6·2m and around 250 employees. HCNE chose to dispose of its rail maintenance and ...

  • News

    Smart card network

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    STOCKHOLM public transport authority AB Storstockholms Lokaltrafik has awarded a SKr250m contract to ERG for the introduction of smart card ticketing across the city’s metro, suburban rail and bus network over the next two years. The Resekortet project involves upgrading the existing magnetic ticketing equipment and gates at 150 stations ...

  • News

    Cantabrian studies

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    GIF HAS AWARDED three contacts worth a total of €5m to undertake studies for a proposed 450 km high speed line along the northern coast of Spain between Ferrol and Bilbao (RG 4.03 p180). The section from Ferrol to the boundary between the Galicia and Asturias regions has been awarded ...

  • News

    Privatisation called off

    2003-07-01T10:00:00Z

    CANADIAN National has terminated negotiations to acquire Ontario Northland Railway, blaming the provincial government’s demands for seven-year job guarantees. Ontario had hoped to privatise ONRail, which serves Northern Ontario and northwest Québec, but wanted to ensure staff received employment assurances similar to those enjoyed by civil servants. Last October CN ...