All Railway Gazette International articles in June 1997
All articles published this month.
-
News
Sidetrack
Birds on the wiresIn the past green activists in Germany have pursued their cause by having steam trains banned, whilst expressing little opposition to new roads. Now, the French Transport Users Federation (FNAUT) has offered a three point punishment to a local section of the National Movement for the Environment ...
-
News
Rebels seize Sizarail
THE FUTURE for rail services that eke out a precarious existence in Zaire looks bleaker than ever following news early last month that Laurent Kabila’s opposition forces had shut down Sizarail, the operating company owned 51% by the Comazar consortium formed of South Africa’s Transnet and Belgium’s Transurb, and 49% ...
-
News
Publications
Practical Railway Engineeringby Clifford F BonnettThis 210 page hardback provides an introduction to basic engineering techniques as applied to railways. Designed as a textbook for Imperial College’s MSc course in Transport, it includes a foreword by Professor Tony Ridley. Brief but informative chapters cover all aspects of the railway ...
-
News
People
Mr John Prescott has been named Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions following Labour’s victory in the British general election. He is responsible for the overall direction of the Department of Transport. Dr Gavin Strang becomes Minister for Transport, a cabinet post. Ms ...
-
News
UP to take Pacifico-Norte
A CONSORTIUM of Union Pacific and two Mexican firms is likely to be sole bidder for a 50-year concession to manage and operate Mexico’s 6400 km Pacifico-Norte Railway. Jorge Silberstein, who is in charge of the FNM privatisation, said last month that no other tenders were expected by the June ...
-
News
Metros
France: On April 28 Lyon’s Maggaly fully-automated metro Line D was extended 1·6 km northeast to a park & ride and bus/metro interchange at Vaise.Germany: Berlin S-Bahn services were extended 2·1 km from Westend to Jungfernheide in April. The DM90m extension is the first stage of a programme to complete ...
-
News
Merger precedes privatisation
PERUVIAN President Alberto Fujimori has announced that the railway operations of Empresa Minera del Centro de Peru will be handed over to the state railway company Enafer. This will include the 212 km standard-gauge network and rolling stock, apart from yard operations servicing the smelters and foundry, which will remain ...
-
News
Market
Australia: Adtranz Australia and Walkers Ltd have won a joint contract to build five two-car EMUs for Westrail; they will be similar to the existing fleet, and first delivery is due in November 1998.Queensland’s Department of Transport has called tenders for a consultancy study to improve efficiency and best practice ...
-
News
Peoplemovers look to the millenium
BYLINE: Lawrence J Fabian *BYLINE: * Lawrence J Fabian is Director of Trans21, PO Box 249, Fields Corner Station Boston Massachusetts 02122, USA.Tel: +1 617 825 2318Fax: +1 617 482 7417e-mail: LFabian@ compuserve.comPROSPECTS of an exciting future for automated peoplemovers emerged at the American Society of Civil Engineers’s 6th international ...
-
News
Letters
Link up down underSir - Your report that Australian businessmen are planning a 4000 km 250 km/h Melbourne - Darwin line (RG 5.97 p282) will arouse a degree of scepticism among many of your readers.The most needed railway in Australia is from Alice to Tennant Creek, about which the politicians ...
-
News
South West Trains places Juniper order
UK: Contracts were exchanged on May 9 for GEC Alsthom to supply Porterbrook Leasing Co with 30 four-car electric multiple-units for lease to South West Trains - both SWT and Porterbrook are Stagecoach subsidiaries. First delivery will be in September next year, and five sets will be available for the ...
-
Metro Report International
Jerusalem settles LRT network
THE MUNICIPALITY of Jerusalem has unveiled plans for a 47 km four-line light rail network, to be built over the next five to 10 years at a cost of around US$800m. The government is reviewing the proposals, and the city hopes to receive approval in time to start construction at ...
-
News
Intelligence
CAPTION: Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Transportation Bureau (Toei) took delivery last month of the first second-generation trainset for its small-profile linear motored metro Line 12. An update on progress with the construction of this line can be found in Developing Metros 1997, which is sent free to subscribers with ...
-
News
Intelligence
Australia: Patrick Stevedores launched a thrice-weekly rail shuttle on April 29 to convey maritime containers between Melbourne and Adelaide; the wagons are hired from AN, which provides crews jointly with V/Line.Queensland Railways has launched a network of dedicated ’Cattletrain’ services to 40 key cattle producing areas, using a fleet of ...
-
News
Industry
France: Knorr Bremse subsidiary Freinrail has relocated its activities to Reims.Great Britain: On April 28 Cubic Ltd completed the purchase of Thorn Transit Systems International, which becomes part of the Cubic Automatic Revenue Collection Group that includes WCL, Scanpoint and Southern Cubic.GEC Alsthom Diesels has bought diesel engine manufacturer Mirrlees ...
-
News
RFF officially inaugurated
THREE decrees authorising the creation of the French railway infrastructure authority Réseau Ferré de France were published in the Journal Officiel on May 7, completing the legal process to launch the new body. Designated as an Etablissement Public Industriel et Commercial, RFF is a key part of the SNCF reform ...
-
News
Line H tender soon
THE MUNICIPALITY of Buenos Aires started public consultations at the end of May for the construction of the planned metro Line H. Secretary of Production & Communal Services Nicol
-
News
Intermodal spearheads the Freightways
INTRO: A fundamental switch from national networks to line-of-route management spanning frontiers is essential if rail is to absorb a much larger share of freight growth in Europe. Bryan Stone* and Richard Hope explain how major shipping companies are forcing open the door for others to followBYLINE: *Bryan Stone is ...
-
News
Practicality first
Lazzerini has developed a modular seat design for inter-city, regional and urban applications that aims to reduce whole-life costs through simplified maintenance. Seat and backrest cushions are attached to an aluminium frame using pins that can be easily removed in the workshop, allowing cushions to be exchanged in a matter ...
-
News
The finest hotel on wheels
INTRO: For its R70m Blue Train refurbishment, Spoornet has drawn on the expertise of designers, architects and hoteliers. Rollo Dickson reports On June 27 Spoornet is due to relaunch its luxury Pretoria - Cape Town Blue Train service with the first of two trainsets to undergo extensive refurbishment. Confident that ...