Main line rail industry news – Page 1125
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News
Carex backs Cargo TGVs
THE PROSPECT of high speed freight trains linking France and neighbouring countries took a step forward on December 8 with publication of a feasibility study by Cargo Rail Express. Carex brings together representatives from Air France, Aeroports de Paris, La Poste, the French government and local authorities with FedEx, TNT ...
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Ottawa off again
FOLLOWING AN emotional debate, Ottawa city council voted 13:11 on December 14 to scrap its 29?7?km north-south light rail scheme, risking a legal challenge by the Ottawa LRT Corp consortium.The council had approved the C$880m link between Barrhaven and the University of Ottawa on July 12, and signed a DBOM ...
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Open and shut case
TEETHING TROUBLES continue to afflict the RandstadRail network in Den Haag.Delays in installing the train control system put back the planned opening on September 3, but a provisional metro service between Rotterdam Hofplein and Nootdorp began on September 10. HTM started light rail route 4 between Zoetermeer Javalaan and Monstersestraat ...
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Railway Directory 2007
TRACKING the twists and turns of the world railway industry month after month remains a constant challenge. One publication that we find invaluable in this task is Railway Directory. This month sees the publication of the 112th edition, with more than 4 000 entries covering railway, metro and light rail ...
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Level 2 switchover delayed to April
SWISS Federal Railways confirmed on November 28 that it would not, after all, switch the operation of all trains on the Mattstetten - Rothrist line to ETCS Level 2 in December. Target date is now April.Another step towards the changeover came on December 10, when freight trains running on the ...
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Overground shortlist
TRANSPORT for London announced on December 15 that it had shortlisted two consortia to submit ’best and final offers’ for the contract to operate London Overground services on the North and East London lines.Four groups were invited to tender in June. Govia and MTR Laing have been chosen to go ...
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Manila capacity expanded
ON DECEMBER 10 Philippines President Gloria Arroyo and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formally inaugurated the first of 12 new four-car trains being supplied as part of a 8?9bn pesos upgrade of Manila light rail Line 1.After cutting a ribbon at Pasay depot, the VIPs took a ride in one ...
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Phoenix LRVs arrive
PHOENIX LIGHT rail promoter Valley Metro Rail took delivery of the first of 50 low-floor LRVs from Kinki Sharyo on December 5. The 27?4?m long vehicles are being shipped to Phoenix from the Japanese manufacturer’s Osaka plant for final assembly at Metro’s facility near Sky Harbor Airport.Three vehicles are due ...
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Barrot tackles cross-acceptance red tape
A SERIES of measures to support the revitalisation of the railway sector’ was announced by European Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot on December 13.Insisting that ’we need to streamline and reduce the amount of rules that railway undertakings have to comply with before they are allowed to use the railway networks ...
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Eddington report is music in Treasury ears
AS GNER’s ambitious InterCity East Coast franchise starts to fall apart (p6), Virgin Rail Group’s West Coast business is getting up and running again. On December 13, UK Secretary of State for Transport Douglas Alexander announced the end of the so-called ’Letter Agreement’ which has seen Virgin run West Coast ...
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Japanese invest in US wagons
MARUBENI Corp and its US affiliate Marubeni America have acquired Illinois-based wagon lessor Midwest Railcar Corp, the Japanese firm announced on December 4. MRC was established in 1999, and now leases around 3 000 wagons to railways and freight shippers, provides a brokerage service and manages vehicles owned by third ...
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Rail giant takes shape
A COMPANY described as the world’s leading rail producer is to be created with the US$2?3bn purchase of Oregon Steel Mills by the specially-formed Oscar Acquisition Merger subsidiary of Evraz Group, one of Russia’s largest vertically-integrated steelmakers.The Russian steel and mining company commenced a cash tender offer to purchase the ...
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Market January 2007
Argentina: Tenders are to be called for the supply of four locomotives and 100 wagons for the Río Turbio - Río Gallegos route operated by mining company YCRT, and the refurbishment of 190 existing wagons. This follows the award of a 108·2m pesos track renewals contract (RG 2.06 p65) which ...
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Metros January 2007
Canada: Greater Vancouver transport authority TransLink has awarded Bombardier a US$99m contract for 34 MkII SkyTrain light metro cars, with options for a further 38 cars totalling US$92m. The linear induction trainsets will be manufactured in Sahagun, Mexico, and assembled in Thunder Bay for delivery in the first half of ...
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Pointers January 2007
Responsible for developing transport infrastructure in El Salvador, port authority CEPA has presented the legislative assembly with a pilot scheme for reviving the national rail network. Commuter services could be introduced this year over the 12·5 km between San Salvador and Apopa, requiring investment of 208 000 colones in track ...
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Change needed
Sir - I thought there were some valid points in ’Policy changes are urgently needed in Eastern Europe’ (RG 11.06 p697). However, a few pages later the headline ’Weibel’s last task’ (RG11.06 p710) sounded almost mournful, and underlines the urgent need for policy changes in Western Europe also. Despite ...
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Coal branch planned
BOTSWANA RAILWAYS CEO Andrew Lunga announced on November 17 that the railway is planning to build a rail connection from Erasmus on its main line to serve the Mmamabula coalfield, which is being developed by Toronto-based CIC Energy Corp and its local subsidiary Meepong Resources.Construction of the new line is ...
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Czech electrification progress
DECEMBER 8 saw the start of 3?kV DC electric services on the 27?km single-track route between Ostrava-Svinov and Opava-V?chod in the Czech Republic, marking the completion of a KC1?73bn upgrading for 100?km/h operation, which has cut journey times by 15 to 20?min.It was the second Czech wiring scheme completed in ...
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Evergreen II completed on time
A CEREMONY at London’s Marylebone station on December 12 marked the completion of Chiltern Railways’ ?70m Evergreen II capacity expansion project. UK Transport Minister Tom Harris was joined for the ribbon-cutting by Laing Rail and Chiltern Chairman Adrian Shooter.Chiltern has largely completed a programme of improvements worth ?371m to which ...