All Railway Gazette International articles in June 2008 – Page 3

  • News

    Amman - Zarqa light rail back on

    2008-06-16T08:58:00Z

    JORDAN: A new contract has been awarded for the construction and operation of the long-planned inter-urban light rail line between Amman and Zarqa. The US$332m 30-year build-operate-transfer concession with Spain's Ineco-Tifsa and a Kuwaiti partner replaces a US$240m contract with a consortium of Jordanian, Pakistani and Chinese firms which was ...

  • News

    Melbourne to re-let franchises

    2008-06-17T05:18:00Z

    AUSTRALIA: The Victorian state government has called for expressions of interest to operate its urban rail services from 2009. The suburban trains are presently run by Connex Melbourne, and the Yarra Trams network is operated by the Metrolink joint venture of Transdev and Transfield Services Ltd. Both franchises expire next ...

  • News

    Africa miners in the railway market

    2008-06-17T05:53:00Z

    AFRICA: As two European companies start work on short-term contracts to rescue the existing railway networks in the Democractic Republic of Congo, word reaches us of ambitious plans to build more than 3 000 km of new railway in that country, together with further spending on roads, hospitals and hydro-electric ...

  • Tram-train in Germany.
    News

    Cádiz tram-train contract

    2008-06-18T05:19:00Z

    SPAIN: The Andalucía regional government has awarded Sacyr and Prinur a contract worth €52·8m to undertake civil and track work on the 5·8 km San Fernando - Caño Zurraque section of the tram-train route linking Cádiz with Chiclana de la Frontera. Work on this section with eight stops is due ...

  • News

    Ambitious vision in East Africa

    2008-06-19T05:03:00Z

    AFRICA: Following closely on the aborted multi-billion-dollar scheme to replace Nigeria's dilapidated 1 067 mm gauge railway with a new standard-gauge network, the East African Community has announced a 'master plan' to do something similar with the metre-gauge lines in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. According to Magaga Alot from the ...

  • The prototype refurbished tram has returned to traffic in Sofia.
    News

    Refurbished tram back in Sofia

    2008-06-19T05:29:00Z

    BULGARIA: The first of 18 Sofia trams to be modernised under a €13·6m contract with Inekon has returned to service in the Bulgarian capital. The 1 009 mm gauge three-section T8-700IT tram has been rebuilt from a twin-section T6M-700 with the insertion of a 360 mm entrance height centre section ...

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    News

    Mexico City metro Line 12 contract awarded

    2008-06-19T06:07:00Z

    MEXICO: A US$1·7bn contract to build metro Line 12 in Mexico City has been awarded to a consortium led by construction firm Empresas ICA and including Alstom and Carso Infraestructura y Construccion. Running entirely underground, the 24 km Line 12 will have 22 stations serving the southern portion of ...

  • News

    GE to resignal Rotterdam metro

    2008-06-19T09:02:00Z

    NETHERLANDS: Rotterdam transport operator RET has selected GE Transportation to undertake the resignalling of the city's 55 km two line metro network. GE said the €62m contract is the company's largest-ever rail signalling order and its first full-scale metro project in Europe. Work will begin in early 2009 to ...

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    News

    Rio Tinto to go driverless

    2008-06-19T09:37:00Z

    AUSTRALIA: Driverless trains will be operating on Rio Tinto's Pilbara heavy haul iron ore railway in Western Australia within five years, the mining company announced on June 16. The first automation trials began in early 2007, initially using segregated tracks at 7 Mile Yard. Following the successful completion of 126 ...

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    News

    UIC proposes intermodal growth agenda

    2008-06-20T05:55:00Z

    EUROPE: The International Union of Railways has published Agenda 2015 for Combined Transport in Europe, the concluding report of the Diomis study launched in January 2006 to investigate ways of growing intermodal services. Drawn up by Kombiconsult and K+P Transport Consultants with guidance from the UIC, the study puts forward ...

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    News

    Cuban diesels shipped from China

    2008-06-20T11:38:00Z

    CUBA: The first 11 of 40 type DF7G-C diesel-electric locomotives ordered from China Northern's February 7th Locomotive Works in Beijing were shipped from the Chinese port of Tianjin on June 12. The rest are due to be despatched from China during August, along with five DF7K-C Bo-Bo shunting ...

  • News

    People in the News - June 2008

    2008-06-21T15:26:00Z

    Francis Howhas been named Technical Director at the UK´s Railway Industry Association; he replaces Richard Gostling, who plans to retire later this year. Cyrille du Pelouxhas succeeded Olivier Brousse as Managing Director at Veolia Transport. Ian Prosseris to be Director of Railway Safety at the UK´s Office of Rail Regulation. ...

  • News

    Infrastructure services bid

    2008-06-23T10:37:00Z

    VOSSLOH: On June 18 Vossloh announced it had received an offer for the purchase of its Infrastructure Services business from Vinci Group company Eurovia. The offer for a 100% equity stake amounts to €150m, based on an enter­prise value of around €185m. Vossloh AG Chief Executive Werner Andree said the ...

  • UK high speed rail corridors
    News

    Network Rail team to study high speed corridors

    2008-06-23T12:26:00Z

    UK: Citing increasing capacity constraints and projections of strong growth in passenger and freight demand over the next 25 years, Network Rail announced on June 23 that it was launching a 'strategic review into the case for building new rail lines across the network of Great Britain'. A team ...

  • News

    Working towards a sustainable future

    2008-06-24T04:38:00Z

    ENVIRONMENT: Despite growing concerns about climate change and energy efficiency, imbalances in the pricing of different transport modes continue to distort the market across Europe. But CER Chairman Aad Veenman sees signs of progress at last.

  • 23 three-car DMUs have been ordered by Ferrovie del Sud Est.
    News

    PESA delivers DMUs

    2008-06-24T06:35:00Z

    EUROPE: This month Polish rolling stock manufacturer PESA will deliver the first of 23 three-car DMUs ordered by southern Italian regional railway Ferrovie del Sud Est for use on services from Bari. An initial order for 13 units signed in June 2006 was followed by an option for a further ...

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    News

    STAR is born

    2008-06-24T11:39:00Z

    SWITZERLAND: Stadler has handed over to Aare Seeland Mobil the first Schmalspur Triebzug für Attraktiven Regionalverkehr, or 'narrow gauge railcar for attractive regional transport'. ASM placed a SFr18·5m order for three low-floor three-car EMUs in 2005. They will be used on its 1·2 kV DC metre-gauge line from Solothurn to ...

  • The study will focus on strategic issues.
    News

    Bulgaria commissions strategic transport study

    2008-06-24T13:19:00Z

    BULGARIA: The Ministry of Transport has appointed consultancy Faber Maunsell to produce a national multi-modal transport masterplan. Much of Bulgaria's transport infrastructure is in a poor condition as a result of past underinvestment, but accession to the European Union in January 2007 has made significant funds available, with €2bn ...

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    News

    Rolling stock market - June 2008

    2008-06-25T06:37:00Z

    Bangladesh: Trelleborg Industrial has won a third contract to supply rubber-metal suspension components for the refurbishment of 20-year old wagon bogies. Brazil: Timken has been awarded a long-term contract to provide an on-site bearing reconditioning service for América Latina Logística at its Sorocaba works. Canada: Agricultural products firm Viterra has ...

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    News

    Essential renewals must pave the way for ambitious expansion strategy

    2008-06-25T07:32:00Z

    GHANA: Two concessions are under negotiation for privately-funded extensions to open up the north of the country, but Ghana Railways Corp is struggling to operate its residual freight and passenger services. Refurbishment of the Accra - Tema line reflects a welcome government commitment to restore the network to good order, ...