Main line rail industry news – Page 1132
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Hybrid wheelset cuts weight and noise
The EU-funded Hiperwheel research project explored the structural and fatigue life of wheelsets and developed a prototype composite design that offers a 25% weight saving and a reduction in radiated noise of around 6 dB(A)
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Access legislation now complete
WITH THE PUBLICATION of ministerial order FOM/2520/2006 in the official journal on August 2, the legal framework is now in place for new freight operators to gain access to the Spanish national network. Coming into force the following day, the order approved by Development Minister Magdalena Álvarez covers the licensing ...
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Fresh air under London
Powerful ventilation forms a key part of the safety systems in the Channel Tunnel Rail Link tunnels
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CAF scoops medium- distance MU order
SPANISH national operator Renfe has awarded CAF a €588·2m contract to supply 107 multiple-units for medium-distance services.Of these, 50 will be 160 km/h three-car DMUs each seating 187 passengers. These will be delivered for operation on 1668mm gauge but will be designed for conversion to 1435mm gauge at a later ...
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Madrid - Córdoba tendering
TENDERS have been called within a budget of €114m for a contract to upgrade the 46·7 km section of the Madrid - Córdoba main line between Alc
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Electronic brain aids the eye
INTELLIGENT video surveillance products for railway stations and other large public areas such as car parks and sports stadia are to be marketed jointly by Bull and Keeneo under a technical and commercial agreement signed in June.Keeneo is a spin-off company from Inria, the French National Institute for Research in ...
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Three chase high speed contract
ON JULY 25 the Argentinian government received bids from three consortia seeking to prequalify for a contract to build a high speed line from Buenos Aires to Rosario and Córdoba (RG 6.06 p305). The government is expecting the contractor to provide at least 50% of the estimated US$1bn ...
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Korea to develop 400 km/h train
SOUTH KOREA'S Ministry of Construction & Transport announced on July 27 that it intends to develop jointly with the Ministry of Science & Technology a high speed train capable of running in service at 400 km/h. The project to build a 'High-Speed Electric Multiple-Unit - 400 km/h' is expected to ...
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Port network to be rebuilt
PLANS are being drawn up to rebuild and modernise the 370 km rail network serving the German port of Hamburg.DB Netz and Hamburg Port Authority expect to complete a detailed document by the end of the year which is likely to propose construction of a new bridge over part of ...
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Namibia completes Northern extension
THOUSANDS OF Namibians gathered at Ondangwa on July 15 when President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Founding Father Dr Sam Mujoma officially opened the town’s new station, marking the completion of Phase 1 of the country’s northern extension railway. The 246·5 km line from Tsumeb has taken four years to build at ...
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NEWS
Chinese officials confirmed on August 9 that the recently-opened Golmud - Lhasa railway is to be extended to serve Tibet’s second-largest city. Work on the 270 km extension to Xigaze is due to start in 2007 for completion within three years.CAPTION: Now on test in Sydney are the first of ...
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OSE DMUs enter service
JULY 27 saw the entry into revenue service of the first of 15 Class 621 two-car DMUs being delivered to Greek railway operator OSE.Ordered in 1997 from a consortium of Hellenic Shipyards and Bombardier, the 125 km/h sets were originally intended to be delivered in time for the Athens Olympic ...
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Four-tracking nears completion
BELGIAN infrastructure authority Infrabel expects to put into operation the four-tracking between Leuven and Schaarbeek, with the December 10 timetable change, enabling SNCB to introduce a second hourly inter-city service linking Brussels and Liège in 51min. Opening of the Leuvenboog chord from the same date will permit direct trains from ...
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Private sector to run CDG Express
ANNOUNCING the start of the tendering process for CDG Express, French Transport Minister Dominique Perben promised on July 24 that the €640m project for a dedicated rail link to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle airport will be funded ’without any contribution from taxpayers’, with the traffic risk borne by the private sector.The project ...
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Eurotunnel wins protection from its creditors
HAVINGPOSTPONED a decision expected on July 25, the Tribunal de Commerce in Paris finally agreed on August 2 to grant Eurotunnel’s request made on July 11 for protection from holders of debt with a face value of £6·2bn. The Group, including 17 related entities, is now barred from paying interest ...
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Security fears bring opportunities
THE IMPOSITION of the highest ’critical’ terrorist threat warning at UK airports in the early hours of August 10 caused massive disruption. London Heathrow - one of the world’s busiest airports that handles the most international flights - suffered the worst cancellations and delays as security staff initially struggled to ...
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Hudson tunnel contract goes to joint venture
MEETING ON August 1, the New Jersey Transit board awarded an $82·5m contract to a joint venture of Parsons Brinckerhoff, STV and DMJM Harris/AECOM for preliminary engineering work on the Trans-Hudson Express tunnel. Over the next 18 months the consultants will look at tunnelling techniques, construction staging, property acquisition and ...
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Los Teques on course for October start
DURING a worksite visit on August 14, Venezuela’s Minister of Infrastructure José David Cabello Rondón confirmed that Metro Los Teques from Las Adjuntas to El Tambor (MR 05 p28) was on course to open on October 22, and that the route would be extended to the centre of Los Teques. ...
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Dubai Phase II awarded
ON JULY 26 the Dubai Rapid Link consortium confirmed that it had received the formal order from the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority for construction of the second phase of the municipality’s automated metro network. Valued at 4bn dirhams, the deal forms an option on the 12·45bn dirhams Phase I ...