All Railway Gazette International articles in June 2007 – Page 4
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News
Overcoming Spoornet's maintenance backlog
Spoornet has budgeted to spend R514m on infrastructure maintenance projects in the 2006-07 financial year. Much of this will be invested in the primary freight corridors used by the General Freight Business.R103m will be spent on tamping, screening and ballast renewal to improve the lateral stability of the track, reduce ...
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News
Master Plan will transform Nord-Pas de Calais network
AT LEAST €1535m is to be spent on improvements and modernisation of the rail network in Nord-Pas de Calais.Projects include a €650m regional high speed line stretching for around 70 km between Lille, Valenciennes and Aulnoye, for which a pre-feasibility study is currently in hand. Other short sections of new ...
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News
Spoornet focuses on improving its core freight operations
South Africa's state-owned railway Spoornet has embarked on a five-year programme to improve performance and profitability, which will help to support the government's Accelerated & Shared Growth Initiative. Chris Jackson asked Vice-President Molotwane Likhethe how this will be achieved 'OUR OBJECTIVE is to build a freight railway that meets the ...
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News
Series E331 takes ACT concept forward
Building upon experience with its Advanced Commuter Train prototype, East Japan Railway has decided to adopt articulation for its latest Tokyo suburban EMUsWHEN the cherry blossom blooms in Tokyo, local residents flock to the parks and green spaces to hold hanami parties under the cherry trees. This year the blossom ...
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NewsParis T3 forms a green corridor
Running along the boulevards from Pont du Garigliano to Porte d'Ivry, RATP's third light rail route is expected to bring about a 25% reduction in road traffic while doubling the capacity offered by existing bus services. An extensive tree planting programme aims to create a green corridor along busy streets
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News
Strasbourg light rail expansion resumes
With a series of legal challenges successfully resolved last year, preliminary works are now underway for the next phase of light rail development in Strasbourg. The 2007-08 programme will add 13·5 km to the CTS network, including Line E that will provide a new north-south link across the cityON NOVEMBER ...
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News
Contractors poised to hand over first section of HSL-Zuid
This month Infraspeed should receive a Certificate of Availability following completion of the southern section of HSL-Zuid. Trials at the line speed of 300 km/h were due to be completed last month, while testing on the northern section will finish in the autumnSWEEPING across the flat Dutch landscape between the ...
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News
Metro consulting in Shanghai and Shenzhen
DESPITE MORE than 100 years of railway construction, the rapid growth of China's rail and metro sectors means that the market is still in need of professionals to support the development of the industry in terms of a systems approach.Parsons Brinckerhoff has been actively involved in the Chinese metro sector, ...
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News
Integrating ETCS Level 2 with TVM430 on TGV Est
The Paris - Strasbourg TGV line is the first in France to be equipped with ETCS Level 2 for trains running through to Germany, but will also have the domestic TVM430 train control. Richard Hope explains how some complex system interface issues are being resolvedJUNE 2007 has been set for ...
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News
US safety in the spotlight
PROPOSALS for a radical reform of railway safety legislation were introduced into the US Congress on May 1 by James Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. The Railroad Safety Improvement Act envisages redesignating the FRA as the Federal Railroad Safety Adminstration, with a specific objective to reduce ...
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News
Regional tram-trains for SNCF
SNCF's long-standing plans for a sizeable fleet of tram-train cars have made further progress after the company placed an order for 31 Alstom Citadis Dualis dual-mode cars. The €100m order includes an option for a further 169 vehicles, which could ultimately take the value of the contract to €650m. Of ...
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News
Polish sell-off plans revived
PROSPECTS for the sale of PKP Cargo SA improved last month when reports surfaced that shares in the state-owned freight operator would go on sale in 2010. Rail freight in Poland is big business, with PKP Cargo handling around 150 million tonnes a year, much of it coal that moves ...
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News
National resignalling
ISRAEL Railways suspended all train services on May 11-12 to permit the commissioning of a new national signalling and train control system.ISR has adopted the Command 900 Safe Desk technology supplied by Thales from Germany. Formerly marketed by Alcatel as NetTrac 6653, this is a vital remote control system for ...
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News
Victorian lines
Sir - A small correction is needed to the report on the vertical separation and renationalisation of track in Victoria (RG 5.07 p260). The Melbourne - Adelaide route and the lines in western Victoria were converted from 1 600?mm to standard gauge in 1995. This interstate line and the standard ...
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News
Philippine Main Line South upgrade
WORK IS expected to start this month on upgrading of a 60?km section of Philippine National Railways’ Main Line South, permitting the expansion of suburban services to the south of Manila.PNR General Manager Jose Maria Sarasola announced on May 2 that track strengthening, bridge reconstruction, station works and the installation ...
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News
New line for Tenerife
PLANS TO BUILD an 80?km railway from Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Torvisca near Adeje were unanimously approved by a plenary session of the Tenerife island council on April 27. It is hoped that construction can begin in the second half of 2008 for completion in 2014-15.With 10% of the ...
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News
Inspecting the Subway
PLASSER & Theurer has developed a multi-purpose track inspection vehicle for use by MTA New York City Transit on the 371 km of subway route that it operates. The TGC-3 unit is tailored to NYCT's specific operating needs, with video inspection and lighting equipment designed to operate in the subway's ...
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News
Profits growing
MOVARES has reported consolidated operating revenue of k142m for 2006, slightly up on the 2005 figure of k140?8m. Pre-tax profit totalled k6?8m, up from k6?2m and demonstrating that new business is being found to replace the work on the Betuwe Route and HSL-Zuid which is now coming to an end. ...
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News
Green risk to residual value?
THIS MONTH German organisation Allianz Pro Schiene will unveil a project to develop a tool which will assist banks and other financial institutions in analysing the long-term risks associated with changing environmental rules governing rail vehicles.The project is being funded by the German Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation & Nuclear ...
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News
Northeast France joins the high speed network
STRIDING ACROSS the hills and valleys of northeast France for 300?km between Vaires and Baudrecourt, the Ligne ? Grande Vitesse Est Europ?en is a very visible commitment to the future prosperity of the region it serves. Representing an investment of k5?5bn by the national and local governments, RFF and SNCF, ...