All Railway Gazette International articles in July 2007
All articles published this month.
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NewsHybrid technology enters the real world
Fuel savings of up to 20% are anticipated during tests of a power car and three DMUs fitted with a prototype hybrid battery-diesel system which reuses braking energy for acceleration
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News
Middle Eastern awakening
WHEN THE Saudi Arabian government began work on that country's ambitious north-south railway now under construc-tion, it suggested that the passenger line from Riyadh to the northwestern border might one day host international trains to and from Jordan. On May 23 that dream came a step closer, as Jordanian Transport ...
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NewsVariotrams chosen for Bergen
STADLER Pankow has been selected to supply 12 low-floor Variotrams for the 10 km Bybanen light rail line in Bergen, which is scheduled to open in 2010. The initial contract covers technical and cosmetic design of the vehicles, as well as the acceptance process with the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate. The ...
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News
Auckland electrification funded
ELECTRIFICATION of the Auckland suburban network and capacity enhancements around Wellington have been sanctioned by the New Zealand government in its 2007 budget. Unveiled on May 17, the investment package is worth more than NZ$1bn in total, with the government providing NZ$600m over six years for the Wellington and Auckland ...
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Buenos Aires Line H almost there
HEAD of the Buenos Aires city government Jorge Telerman formally opened the first section of metro Line H from Once to Caseros on May 31. With intermediate stations at Venezuela, Humberto I and Inclán, the 3·4 km route cost US$286m to build, which was provided entirely by the city. With ...
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Tel Aviv signs LRT concession
A concession agreement to design, build and operate the first light rail line in Tel Aviv was signed on May 28. The MTS consortium led by Africa-Israel Investments Ltd was told in December 2006 that its tender had been accepted, but the signing had to wait until the Finance Committee ...
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Delhi awards metro contracts
TWO significant contracts have been awarded by Delhi Metro Rail Corp as part of the rapid expansion of its network. Delhi opened its first line in 2002 and now has three lines in operation totalling 65 km and 59 stations. ABB India will deliver a turnkey electrification package worth Rs2·9bn ...
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Stockholm Citybanen survives
FUNDING for the projected €1·8bn Citybanan project in Stockholm appears secure again following an agreement between the Swedish government, the city authority and the neighbouring regions. City council elections in the autumn of last year saw control shift to a right wing grouping that vowed to cancel the city centre ...
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Cabinet authorises Bangkok Red Line
ON MAY 22 the Thai cabinet authorised State Railway of Thailand to call tenders for construction for the 14·7 km Taling Chan to Bang Sue first phase of the planned Red Line in the suburbs of Bangkok. Tenders will be called in the next few weeks, a contractor will be ...
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Hong Kong merger bill approved
THE PLANNED merger of Hong Kong’s metro operator MTR Corp and the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp moved a step closer on June 8, when the Rail Merger Bill was approved by the region’s Legislative Council. The bill puts in place the legal framework needed to implement the merger of the state-owned ...
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Channel Tunnel freight deal follows crucial vote
EUROTUNNEL confirmed on June 1 that shareholders holding 87·3% of the 2·55 billion twinned shares in Eurotunnel SA and Eurotunnel plc had voted to accept the Exchange Tender Offer which forms the next step in the company's complex financial restructuring process. Eurotunnel Chairman & Chief Executive Jacques Gounon said ...
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News in Brief
On June 15 a ceremony took place at Frutigen to mark the opening of the 34·6 km Lötschberg base tunnel. A long stretch of single track remains at the northern end, and tunnel operator BLS stipulates that any train running more than 6 min late will forfeit its path and ...
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UK franchise remapping bears fruit
NEW OPERATORS have been named to take over two of the three franchises in central England which are to start on November 11 (RG 11.05 p666). The Department for Transport announced on June 21 that Govia will run the re-mapped West Midlands network, and the following day confirmed that ...
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News
News in Brief
CAPTION: The prototype for 27 MPXpress locos ordered from MotivePower Industries was unveiled by Toronto transport authority GO Transit on June 14. The 3 600 hp diesels have a higher top speed than the existing fleet, and will allow trains to be lengthened from 10 to 12 cars. GO has ...
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Turkish LRT turnkey award
ANTALYA Metropolitan Municipality has awarded Alarco and CAF a €110m contract to design, build and commission an 11·1 km light rail route for the Turkish city. The contract includes the construction of 16 stops and a rolling stock maintenance depot. CAF will be responsible for electrification at 750 V DC, ...
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Repairs start on Luzon main line
THE AWARD of a US$50m contract on June 1 should see the section of Philippine National Railways' north - south main line on the island of Luzon rehabilitated, and 21 air-conditioned DMU cars placed in service. A Korean consortium comprising Daewoo, Hanjin Engineering & Construction and train builder Rotem won ...
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China backs Cambodian link
A FEASIBILITY study into the construction of a 128 km line costing US$438m between Ho Chi Minh City and the Cambodian border was submitted last month to Vietnam's transport ministry by China's Railway Construction Corp and the China Machinery Import & Export Corp. Starting from the southern edge of the ...
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MTR Laing wins London Overground
MAYOR of London Ken Livingstone announced on June 19 that 50:50 joint venture MTR Laing had been selected to operate a 107 km network of inner suburban lines under a contract to be signed on July 2. The contract will last for seven years from November 11 2007, with an ...