Main line rail industry news – Page 1037
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NewsQishuyan completes first locally-built China Mainline Locomotive
CHINA: GE Transportation and its Chinese partner Qishuyan Locomotive rolled out the first China Mainline Locomotive to be assembled in China at a ceremony on November 25. The Ministry of Railways placed a US$450m order for 300 of the CML diesel locos in October 2005. The first two ...
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NewsAfrican track laying venture launched
SOUTH AFRICA: Tracklaying and maintenance joint venture Isithimela Rail Services was officially launched on November 21 by Bombardier Transportation and Strategic Partners Group, an empowerment organisation formed by 12 organisations and individuals representing the interests of 'a large spectrum of previously disadvantaged individuals'. Isithimela will be responsible for tracklaying ...
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NewsKeep the railway affordable
PRICING: Whilst the rail sector was trying not to talk itself into recession, the underlying message from industry leaders at InnoTrans 2008 was the need to keep tight control on costs and prices. Peter Badcock reports from Berlin.
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NewsFreight maglev study
USA: Despite a conspicuous lack of progress in developing maglev for the passenger sector, it seems that North America remains fixated with the concept. We hear that Union Pacific has commissioned Skytech Transportation and American Maglev Technology to develop a feasibility study for an 8 km maglev line to ...
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NewsKnorr-Bremse and Kyosan sign agreement
JAPAN: On November 24 Knorr-Bremse announced an exclusive co-operation agreement under which Kyosan Electric Manufacturing Co will sell Westinghouse Platform Screen Door equipment in the Japanese market. In return, certain Kyosan products will be marketed outside Japan by Knorr-Bremse under the WPSD brand, including a gap-filler which ...
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NewsHaenel seeks another compromise
FRANCE: Creation of a separate network operating unit is being proposed to address the dysfunctional relationship between RFF and SNCF, reports Jean-Paul Masse.
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News'Little Bang' work underway
UK: Work has begun to extend Greater Manchester's Metrolink network under the ‘Little Bang' programme. Bridge inspections have begun along the railway from Manchester Victoria to Oldham and Rochdale and utility surveys and diversions are in progress along the new route to Droylsden. Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority Chair Councillor ...
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NewsBybanen signalling contract
NORWAY: The city of Bergen has awarded Thales a contract to supply signalling, communications and security equipment for the initial 9·8 km section of its Bybanen Light Rail project. Thales will implement the contract in partnership with YIT, a Scandinavian company responsible for the telecommunications infrastructure and on-site commissioning, ...
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NewsUIC cleared of training fraud
INTERNATIONAL: Proposals to revise the statutes of the International Union of Railways were circulated for consultation by Provisional Administrator Béatrice Dunogué-Gaffié last month. Appointed by a Paris court earlier this year (RG 6.08 p361), Dunogué-Gaffié was able to write to UIC Chief Executive Luc Aliadière on September 19 to assure ...
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NewsSeven tram suppliers seek out a market
POLAND: Thanks to EU grants and other funding, the number of trams on order for Polish cities is rising fast as operators replace ageing fleets. Up to 350 cars could be ordered by 2012, reports Stefan von Mach.
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NewsShinkansen prototype launched
JAPAN: West Japan Railway and JR Kyushu have unveiled the first of 29 eight-car Shinkansen trainsets which will operate through services between Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima-Chuo when the second phase of the Kyushu Shinkansen has been completed. Unit S1 is expected to undergo extensive testing before the remainder of the fleet ...
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NewsFreight merger still stuck in the sidings
EUROPE: Delegates attending Terrapinn's CEE Rail conference in Budapest on October 28 were given a clear warning that reinforcing rail's share of the freight market through mergers and acquisitions would be far from straightforward.
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NewsLoan targets western China development
CHINA: The Asian Development Bank has announced a US$300m loan towards the US$8·6bn cost of building a 820 km railway from Lanzhou in Gansu province, through Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces to the manufacturing city of Chongqing. Intended to bolster economic growth in poorer areas of western China where nearly 17 ...
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NewsWorld infrastructure market November 2008
Australia: This month QR and Van Elk Contracting will begin work on a A$30m rail replacement contract in Tasmania. The state government said it is committed to ensuring rail freight remains viable, despite Pacific National’s decision to sell its Tasmanian operation (RG 7.08 p422). Belgium: CSC Tech has won ...
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NewsCounting the kilos
CHILE: Metro de Santiago is to install three additional Railweight APC4000 automatic passenger-counting systems alongside seven already fitted. The equipment works by weighing and identifying individual carriages to calculate the number of passengers on board. An initial survey was carried out to calculate a passenger’s average weight, and this is ...
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NewsLondon agrees new Oyster smart card contract
UK: Transport for London announced on November 14 that it had agreed a new contract for the management of the Oyster smart card ticketing system. In August TfL gave the required two years' notice that it was exercising a break option in the 17-year Prestige Private Finance Initiative contract ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - November 2008
Praha city council approved the extension of metro Line A to Ruzyne Airport on September 18. Construction of the 13 km route from Dejvicka to Ruzyne, which will have nine stations, is due to begin next year and be completed by 2018, at a cost of KC20bn. Metro Transportation Solutions, ...
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NewsArriva acquires LNWR
UK: Transport operator Arriva announced on November 18 that it had acquired train maintenance company LNWR for £2·4m, including repayment of a shareholder loan and the assumption of approximately £2m of debt. Founded in 1993 by music producer and entrepreneur Pete Waterman, LNWR operates a maintenance depot at Crewe ...
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NewsHurdles ahead in the race to rescue European freight
PARIS: A high-level conference on October 29 sought to assess progress towards a European freight-oriented network, but numerous obstacles lie ahead. Murray Hughes reports.