All Railway Gazette International articles in June 2002 – Page 2

  • News

    Starlight express

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    We reported last month on the construction of the NASA ’space railroad’ on the International Space Station (RG 5.02 p236). Sidetrack is delighted to learn that the significance of this achievement has been recognised in official circles.On April 29 the US National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association awarded honorary membership ...

  • News

    Export orders offer prospects

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    ALTHOUGH turnover among members of the German Railway Industry Association fell from €8·1bn in 2000 to €7·7bn last year, President Dr Dieter Klumpp was able to present an encouraging picture in his annual review on April 17.In an analysis of developments last year, Klumpp drew attention to improved sales of ...

  • News

    International routes expand

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    ESTONIAN international passenger operator EVR Ekspress is to introduce direct Tallinn - St Petersburg and Tallinn - Minsk services with the summer timetable change on June 2. In the first quarter of this year EVR Ekspress reports a 10% increase in patronage on the existing Tallinn - Moscow service compared ...

  • News

    UK maps a rational ERTMS strategy

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: A study by 50 train control experts concludes that premature installation of ETCS Level 1 could cost up to £6bn as well as cutting network capacity. As Richard Hope reports, the preferred option is to develop Level 2 fully over the next six years, allowing most key routes to ...

  • News

    Mandurah EMUs

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    WESTERN Australia’s government has placed an A$437m order for 31 three-car 130 km/h EMUs with a joint venture of Bombardier and EDI Rail. Deliveries are scheduled for mid-2004 to 2006, and there is an option for a further 10 units. The commuter trains will be used on the southern leg ...

  • News

    Dual-mode radio

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    FRENCH National Railways has chosen a consortium of Alstom and H

  • News

    President digs in

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    NAMIBIAN President Sam Nujoma has decided to put his free time to good use, by helping to build the TransNamib Northern Railway Extension from Tsumeb to the Oshikango free trade zone and the Angolan border.’I have decided to use some of my spare time to go and voluntarily participate in ...

  • News

    Desiro UK on the test track

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: Chris Jackson reports from the Siemens test centre at WildenrathAYEAR to the day after Angel Trains ordered a fleet of Desiro UK EMUs for lease to Stagecoach’s SouthWest Trains franchise, Siemens Transportation Systems unveiled the first completed Class 450 at its Wildenrath test track. Among over 200 guests invited ...

  • News

    DB expands ICE-T fleet

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    GERMAN Railway announced on May 13 that it was ordering a further 28 ICE-T tilting high speed trainsets at a cost of €420m. Due for delivery between June 2004 and February 2006, the seven-car Class 411 units will join DB’s existing fleet of 43 sets, designed to operate at up ...

  • News

    DART heads north

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    ANOTHER 5·6 km of light rail line opened in the northeast suburbs of Dallas on May 6, bringing the network to 43·4 km. The Blue line extension from White Rock to LBJ/Skillman runs through White Rock Lake Park on a 1430m bridge. Services run every 15min, and every 10min at ...

  • News

    GIS crossing location

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    ENSCO has been selected by the Federal Railroad Administration to incorporate a Geographical Information System into the US level crossing Emergency Notification System. Road signs at crossings provide a unique inventory number and a free telephone number for the public to call if there is a problem or potential emergency. ...

  • News

    Cross-border revival starts

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    LEBANESE Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and his Syrian counterpart Mustafa Miro attended ceremonies at Riyaq on April 18 to mark the start of work to restore the 1050mm gauge railway between the two countries. Other participants included Lebanon’s Public Works & Transport Minister Najib Mikati - who has been advocating ...

  • News

    TSIs must cover safety too

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    DIRECTIVE 96/48 mandating interoperability on high speed lines in the European Union was transposed into British law on May 16. After a three-month grace period, Technical Specifications for Interoperability will apply to designated routes, even though they will not come into force until November at the earliest. In the meantime, ...

  • News

    Leasing companies gain foothold in Europe

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: One undoubted success stemming from Britain’s turbulent rail privatisation programme was the creation of a trio of Rolling Stock Companies. As all three expand into Europe, Roger Ford analyses their progressCOMPETITION was a key driver in the privatisation of British Rail. In the case of the passenger railway, this ...

  • News

    Coasting in Portugal

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    DELEGATES to a TradePartners UK seminar on May 15 were warned of a likely slowdown in major railway projects in Portugal. The government that took office in March has indicated that it is reassessing major schemes, and it now seems that the upgrading of track and signalling on the trunk ...

  • News

    La Robla reopening closer

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    SPANISH metre gauge operator FEVE has started work on the last phase of a programme to reopen the whole of its León - Bilbao route to passenger traffic. Under a €12·87m contract expected to take 11 months to complete, Tecsa is relaying the 42 km between Cordovilla and Arija with ...

  • News

    Phones chipped

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    EAST Japan Railway and NTT DoCoMo Inc are developing proposals to equip mobile telephones with Suica microchips, which are currently being used in the railway’s contactless smart cards (RG 2.02 p99). Passengers could then use a Suica-fitted telephone to reserve seats on trains, and to pass through ticket control barriers ...

  • News

    In-town check-in

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    SPANISH Prime Minister José María Aznar officially opened the latest addition to the Madrid Metro network on May 21, the 5·9 km extension of Line 8 from Mar de Cristal to Nuevos Ministerios. Serving one intermediate station at Colombia, the new line enables passengers to reach Barajas Airport in 12min ...

  • News

    CFCO concession

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    NEXT MONTH is due to see the completion of prequalification for a concession to operate the 1115 km Congo-Ocean Railway in the Republic of Congo. On May 13 CPCS Transcom confirmed that 23 groups had expressed interest following publication of prequalification documents in April. These include African, European and North ...

  • News

    Metro car orders

    2002-06-01T10:00:00Z

    NEW YORK’S Metropolitan Transportation Authority has exercised a further option with Bombardier for 352 M-7 EMU cars, valued at C$941m. MTA now has a total of 678 M-7s on order for the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North commuter networks. It will shortly commission the first cars of the initial ...