Main line rail industry news – Page 1008
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NewsWorld rail market June 2009
Australia: Macarthur Coal has awarded Pacific National a long-term contract to haul export coal in Queensland. Running trains on the Goonyella and Blackwater systems from April made PN the first competitor to QR in the state’s export coal market. Czech Republic: Private freight operator OKD Doprava has bought ...
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NewsBaku metro expansion study
AZERBAIJAN: A consortium headed by Systra and including Mott MacDonald's Praha office and Saman of Korea has been selected to draw up plans for the expansion of the Baku metro by a further 60 km with 50 stations. A study will be undertaken to identify the needs of public ...
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NewsCambodian rail concession signed
CAMBODIA: The government and a joint venture led by Toll Group signed a 30-year concession agreement covering Royal Cambodian Railways on June 12. The metre gauge rail network is to be operated by a joint venture in which the Australian group has a 55% stake, with the ...
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NewsHigh-performance diesels start to enter service
CHINA: Following the successful completion of cold weather trials, the first HXn3 diesel locos are entering service with Chinese Railways.
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NewsTrans-Asian Railway Network Agreement comes into force
ASIA: A ceremony in Bangkok on June 11 marked the entry into force of the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network. Drawn up under the auspices of the United Nations Economic & Social Commission for Asia & the Pacific, the agreement aims to facilitate a co-ordinated regional approach to ...
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NewsMontréal may electrify
CANADA: Agence Métropolitaine de Transport and Hydro-Québec agreed on May 5 to invite proposals for a study to determine the feasibility of electrifying four of Montréal’s commuter rail routes totalling 250 km. Only one line, the Deux-Montagnes, is now operated by electric traction. Converting the Dorion, Blainville and Delson routes ...
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NewsBlackpool tram funding confirmed
UK: Transport Minister Sadiq Khan confirmed the award of £68·3m of government and £33·4m of local council funding for an upgrade of the Blackpool tramway on June 10. Work to provide a modern commuter service on the traditional tramway will include replacing 8 km of track, accessibility improvements, tram priority ...
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NewsMacau LRT project launched
CHINA: Detailed planning is getting underway for the first phase of an automated light metro in the Macau. The Special Administrative Region’s Transport Infrastructure Office (GIT) hopes to invite tenders for civil works and rolling stock later this year. Officially known as Macau LRT, the fully-automated line ...
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NewsTrioTRAIN interoperability project launched
EUROPE: The TrioTRAIN cluster of interoperability development projects was officially launched in Brussels on June 4. Three 'Total Regulatory Acceptance for the Interoperable Network' projects will develop methods for the virtual certification of new vehicles, aiming to reduce certification costs and time-to-market. TrioTRAIN brings together 30 partners co-ordinated ...
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NewsAlexandria tram renovation
EGYPT: This month Czech supplier AZD Praha will begin work on a €10m contract to provide modern signalling and interlocking equipment for a tram route in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. AZD will be responsible for installing new traffic signals, CCTV and specially modified level-crossing equipment on the city’s double-track ...
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NewsGovernment takes control of London & Continental Railways
UK: The government has taken direct ownership of London & Continental Railways Ltd for a nominal price, Secretary of State for Transport Andrew Adonis announced on June 8, and LCR's financial subsidiaries have also been transferred to the government. This follows last month's clearance by the European Commission of state ...
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NewsGovia retains South Central franchise
UK: The Department for Transport has awarded the next South Central passenger franchise to incumbent Govia, a joint venture of Go-Ahead (65%) and Keolis (35%). The other shortlisted bidders were National Express Group, NedRailways and Stagecoach. The new franchise will retain the name Southern. It runs for five years ...
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NewsBusiest network sees costs rise
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways’ 3 011 route-km network is the busiest in the world, with each km of track carrying an average of 92·7 trains a day during 2008, up from 90·8 in 2007. Total train-path km sold by SBB’s infrastructure division reached 158·7 million, up by 2·5% on the ...
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NewsPilbara miners to combine heavy haul assets
AUSTRALIA: Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton have signed a non-binding agreement to combine their mining, heavy haul rail, port and other iron ore production assets in Western Australia. The June 5 agreement sets out plans to establish an equally-owned joint venture to manage the assets, with 'substantial synergies' expected ...
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NewsDB Schenker to review British Piggyback freight options
UK: DB Schenker Rail (UK) Ltd announced a review of options for Piggyback rail freight services in Britain in June 8, following independent enquiries from a number of freight customers seeing to cut distribution costs. The freight operator said ongoing work to increase clearances is opening up more rail ...
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NewsCasablanca tram project manager appointed
MOROCCO: Casablanca tram development company Casa Transports has appointed a consortium of Systra and Moroccan firm CID Engineering & Development Consultants as project manager for the city's light rail scheme. Systra drew up preliminary designs in 2008. As consortium leader it will now be responsible for management of the ...
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NewsMerMec to supply high-speed measuring equipment
TURKEY: TCDD has awarded MerMec contracts totalling €9m for the supply and installation of track and overhead line measuring equipment on a CAF trainset operating on the 250 km/h Ankara - Eskisehir line. The line was opened in March as the first phase of a national high speed rail network. ...
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NewsAll change in Ulaanbataar
MONGOLIA: With German and Chinese interests already promoting new railways to tap Mongolia’s extensive mineral reserves, the Russians are now moving to strengthen their influence over the national rail network. Russia’s Ministry of Transport has held a 50% stake in the Ulaanbaatar Railway (UBTZ) since the restructuring of the ...
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NewsGold rush
AUSTRALIA: Expressions of interest are due to be called later this year for the Gold Coast light rail project. Promised A$365m in federal funding, Queensland state and the local government must now identify sources of finance for the remainder. The federal funding is targeted at Stages II and III of ...
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NewsPointers June 2009
Australian Rail Track Corp has released the first stage of a federally-funded study into the proposed Inland Railway between Melbourne and Brisbane. The 1 900 km route would follow existing lines via Albury to North Star, from where new track would be laid to Toowoomba and Brisbane. Capital cost would ...