All Railway Gazette International articles in July 2011 – Page 3
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NewsWellington suburban rail upgrading package agreed
NEW ZEALAND: A package of infrastructure upgrades on Wellington’s Tranz Metro suburban rail network and transfer of the train fleet from KiwiRail to Greater Wellington Regional Council was approved on July 5. GWRC has assumed ownership of the stations (other than Wellington), stabling and depot facilities. It ...
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NewsSuppliers agree 'step change' research and development initiative
EUROPE: On July 1 the heads of 11 major rail sector suppliers signed a declaration of intent to establish a Joint Technology Initiative to bring about a 'step change' in industry-driven research and development. To run during the European Commission's next Framework Programme for Research & Innovation, which starts in ...
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NewsSanto Domingo puts Line 2 financing in place
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: The national Congress has approved an international financing package covering the railway systems elements for the 11·5 km first phase of Santo Domingo's east-west metro Line 2. Civil works are already underway on the initial stage of Line 2, between Los Alcarrizos and J P Duarte; this will ...
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NewsCFS develops 2025 expansion plan
SYRIA: State railway CFS has announced details of a strategic plan running to 2025 which it is discussing with the Ministry of Transport. Proposals include construction of new lines to develop domestic and international traffic, upgrading existing lines to allow faster speeds and higher freight volumes, staff training and higher ...
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NewsSonar spots rail breaks
SOUTH AFRICA: Underwater sonar has been adapted for remote rail defect detection by South Africa's Council for Scientific & Industrial Research and the Institute for Maritime Technology. A transducer bolted to the rail creates ultrasonic vibrations which propagate up to 1·5 km, and an electronic sensor sends alerts to the ...
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NewsDB submits Channel Tunnel ICE safety case
EUROPE: Deutsche Bahn submitted safety documentation for the operation of Velaro D high speed trainsets through the Channel Tunnel to the Intergovernmental Commission on July 11. This will allow the IGC to clarify any outstanding matters before DB formally applies for a safety certificate to operate the Siemens-built trains at ...
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NewsStadler to supply drivelines for Russian DMUs
RUSSIA: Speaking at the opening of the Swissrail Forum in Moscow on July 12, Swiss Federal Councillor and Head of the Economic Affairs Department Johann Schneider-Ammann announced that Stadler Rail had won its first order from Russia. Under a deal valued at SFr240m, Stadler is to supply 100 four-axle diesel ...
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NewsMetro projects underway in Changsha, Xi'an, Wuhan and Xiamen
CHINA: Work on the first phase of Changsha metro lines 3 and 4 is expected to get underway by the end of the year. The southwest-northeast Line 3 would be 33·4 km long with 24 stations and Line 4 would run northwest-southeast for 29·1 km with 21 ...
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NewsDual-voltage rebuild
CZECH REPUBLIC:The first two of 30 Class 163 electric locomotives being rebuilt by Škoda's Pars Nova Sumperk subsidiary were returned to CD Cargo at the end of May. The KC1·8bn rebuilding programme was launched in 2009 and runs to 2014, with the aim of extending the life of the 26-year ...
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NewsHigh speed plan suspended
PORTUGAL: Presenting his programme for government on June 28, recently-elected Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho said that the project to build a high speed line between Lisboa and the Spanish border would be suspended. A review aimed at 'optimising costs' could see the scope and timescale of the project revised, ...
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NewsShenzhen metro keeps expanding
CHINA: Shenzhen metro continues to grow with four extensions planned and a new line inaugurated in June. Five more lines - 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11 - have been approved and construction will start this year, with openings envisaged from late 2015 to mid-2018. A 19·7 km 12-station extension ...
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NewsLGV Bretagne financing agreement signed
FRANCE: An agreement confirming the public financing package for LGV Bretagne - Pays de la Loire was signed in Rennes on July 12 by Transport Minister Thierry Mariani, RFF President Hubert du Mesnil and representatives from the Bretagne region, Pays de la Loire and the départements ...
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NewsPrime Minister launches MY Rapid Transit project
MALAYSIA: Prime Minister Najib Razak officially launched the MY Rapid Transit project on July 8, granting approval for the Sungai Buloh - Kajang Line. The 51 km metro line is the first of three totalling 156 km planned under the Greater Kuala Lumpur initiative which aims to put the ...
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NewsVossloh to supply Rotherham tram-trains
UK: Vossloh has been selected as ‘lead bidder’ for the supply of rolling stock for the Sheffield - Rotherham tram-train pilot project, Transport Minister Norman Baker told an event organised by the All Party Parliamentary Light Rail Group on July 12. The business case is still being ...
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NewsHammond launches £5bn Great Western Main Line upgrade
UK: Visiting London’s Paddington station on July 14 to mark the completion of work to refurbish the station roof, Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond officially launched a 10-year programme to upgrade the Great Western Main Line. Speaking at the launch, Network Rail Chief Executive David Higgins said the ...
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NewsWorld rail market July 2011
Africa: Mott MacDonald is to study implementation and finance options for the Cotonou – Niamey – Ouagadougou – Abidjan project under an African Union Commission contract (RG 6.11 p30). China: Tagmaster, Richor and FTRD are to trial an RFID tag system providing onboard warnings of temporary speed restrictions. ...
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NewsRailway construction starts in China
CHINA: Construction is scheduled to begin this month on a 168 km line linking Jingzhou in Hubei province with Yueyang in Hunan. The alignment is being designed for 160 km/h running, and construction is expected to take three years at a cost of 11·4bn yuan. Meanwhile, local approval has ...
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NewsThales wins Edmonton LRT signalling contract
CANADA: Thales announced on July 9 that it had been awarded a contract to provide signalling and train control technology for an extension of Edmonton's North LRT to Northern Alberta Institute of Technology which is due to open in April 2014. Under a C$45m package which includes upgrading work, Thales ...
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NewsIndustry News in Brief
The American Railway Car Institute reports that wagon manufacturers saw an upsurge in orders during the first quarter, at 36903 compared with 5078 in Q1 2010. The Financial Times has reported that Spanish train builder Patentes Talgo has appointed Nomura Holdings, Credit Suisse Group and Banco Santander to prepare an ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief
A 1·5 km extension of Istanbul metro line M2 from Darüssafaka to Haciosman opened on May 23, taking the line length to 18 km. The southern extension of M2 from Sishane to Yenikapi over the new Golden Horn Bridge is expected to open in 2014. Waterloo Regional Council approved ...