Latest news – Page 1102
-
NewsHong Kong awards SCL Phase 1 signalling contract
CHINA: MTR Corp has awarded Thales a HK$642·5m contract to install communications-based train control on the first phase of the Shatin – Central Link. ‘Extending and upgrading a heavily-used network without impacting on our customer service is a challenging task. We look forward to having Thales’s team with their ...
-
NewsLine 2 opens in Alacant
SPAIN: Line 2 of the Alacant tramway opened on September 4, connecting Sant Vicent del Raspeig with the rest of the network. Speaking at the opening ceremony, President of Valencia Generalitat Alberto Fabra said that the new route ‘makes the city much more sustainable, ecological and comfortable for its citizens’. ...
-
NewsRed Line funded in Maryland’s $1·5bn transport package
USA: Construction of Baltimore’s east-west Red Line light rail route is expected to get underway in 2015, following the announcement of a $1·5bn transport investment programme by Maryland’s Governor Martin O’Malley on September 4. This is intended to support schemes totalling $4·4bn included in Maryland Department of Transportation’s draft six-year ...
-
NewsSiemens to supply mobile reactive power compensation systems
SWITZERLAND: In what Siemens says is a world first, Swiss Federal Railways has awarded Siemens’ Smart Grid Division a SFr9·3m contract to design and supply mobile 15 MVAr reactive power compensation systems which can be deployed by rail. These will be used to stabilise the traction voltage and improve ...
-
NewsGB Railfreight expands Class 66 fleet
UK: Eurotunnel subsidiary GB Railfreight announced on September 3 that it had ordered a further eight Class 66 locomotives from Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. The manufacture and supply agreement was signed at Rannoch station on the route between Glasgow and Fort William by GB Railfreight Managing Director John Smith and Paul ...
-
NewsEFE orders more Alstom EMUs
CHILE: State railway EFE has ordered a further 12 X’Trapolis Modular EMUs from Alstom, exercising an option within a €54m contract for 12 units announced in October 2012. Each capable of accommodating 376 passengers, the new two-car EMUs are due to enter service during the first half of 2014 on ...
-
NewsSee-through station planned for Bydgoszcz
POLAND: Railway holding company PKP SA has unveiled proposals for the modernisation of Bydgoszcz Główna station. This follows a feasibility study undertaken by Ernst & Young and Atkins. Instead of demolishing and replacing the historic island platform building, a new structure is to be built outside the tracks. This would ...
-
NewsAlstom to refurbish Baltimore light rail vehicles
USA: Maryland Transit Administration has selected Alstom to overhaul the fleet of light rail vehicles operated in Baltimore. The signature of the $150m contract was announced on September 3. Alstom is to renew propulsion systems, automatic train control, CCTV, air-conditioning units, doors, seating and carpets to each of the ...
-
NewsMaglev testing extended
JAPAN: Trials resumed on August 29 at the magnetic levitation test facility in Yamanashi prefecture following completion of work to extend the guideway. Transport Minister Akihiro Ota and JR Central Chairman Yoshiyuki Kasai were on board a demonstration run that day which attained a speed of 505 km/h. Tests on ...
-
NewsCompetition concerns spark traction energy price changes
GERMANY: The European Commission is seeking comments on Deutsche Bahn’s proposals to change its 15 kV 16·7 Hz traction current pricing system in response to concerns that the existing model restricts competition in the freight and long-distance passenger markets. If the consultation confirms that the changes would remedy the European ...
-
NewsTri-Rail operating contract extended
USA: South Florida Regional Transportation Authority has exercised an option for Veolia Transportation to operate Tri-Rail passenger services for a further three years. The operating contract began in July 2007 and will now run to June 2017. Tri-Rail serves a 116 km corridor between West Palm Beach and Miami, including ...
-
NewsStrukton Rail wins Citybanan fit-out
SWEDEN: National infrastructure authority Trafikverket has awarded a SKr207m contract to Strukton Rail for fitting out the 6 km Citybanan line now under construction under the centre of Stockholm. The contract announced on September 2 covers the entire double-track route between the existing stations at Tomteboda and Stockholms Södra, including ...
-
NewsTurkish steelmaker orders wheel production line
TURKEY: German metalworking equipment supplier Schuler has announced the largest single order in its history, a €90m contract to supply Kardemir Iron Steel Industry & Trade Co with a wheel production line with a capacity of 200 000 wheels/year. This is the second order for Schuler's recently developed rolling machine, ...
-
NewsCFR Marfa sale agreement signed
ROMANIA: A contract for the privatisation of a 51% stake in state-owned rail freight operator CFR Marfa was formally signed on September 2 by Transport Secretary Cristian Gribu and Sorin Chinde, Chief Executive of Grup Feroviar Român. The event attended was by Transport Minister Ramona Manescu and GFR’s co-owner Gruia ...
-
NewsVossloh to open US rail fastening factory
USA: Vossloh announced plans to establish a rail fastening factory in Waco, Texas, on August 28. Production is scheduled to begin in mid-2014, creating 50 jobs. The company said opening a manufacturing plant in the USA would enable it to meet the Buy America domestic production requirements of US public ...
-
NewsRail focus in Gauteng’s 25-year transport strategy
SOUTH AFRICA: A major investment in upgrading rail services around Johannesburg is envisaged in Gauteng province’s draft 25-year Integrated Transport Master Plan, which has been published for consultation. Developed by an inter-disciplinary team led by Gautrain CEO Jack van der Merwe, ITMP25 sets out a strategic multi-modal framework which is ...
-
NewsFeature articles in the September 2013 issue of Railway Gazette International
Comment A single point of failure News Main Line Urban Rail Market Industry Innovations Analysis Safety principles under review Standard gauge vision in East Africa Rift Valley Railways upgrades Private funding welcome in China Sale envisaged as MM&A goes bankrupt Network Rail trials Traffic Management Systems Brazilian ...
-
NewsTours Line A gets underway
FRANCE: Celebrations were held in Tours on August 31 to mark the inauguration of the country’s 25th modern tram network. The city’s Mayor Jean Germain was joined for the inauguration by Minister of the Interior Manuel Valls and Heath & Social Affairs Minister Marisol Touraine, as well as representatives from ...
-
NewsHigh-output electrification train ready to roll
UK: Windhoff has completed a £40m High-Output Plant System 'factory train' ordered by UK infrastructure manager Network Rail, which will use it to install 25 kV 50 Hz electrification on 380 route-km on the Great Western Main Line from London to Swansea in 2014-18. OPS consists of 23 vehicles with ...
-
NewsLong load on the road
BELGIUM: Specialist heavy and abnormal load transport company Van der Vlist is delivering new trams to Brussels from Bombardier Transportation's Brugge plant. The seven-section Flexity Outlook T4000 trams for city transport operator STIB are almost 44 m long and 2 300 mm wide. For transport from the factory they ...