Main line rail industry news – Page 1140
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News
FrontRunner funding finalised
At a trackside ceremony on the site of the future Farmington station, US Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta formally signed the $489m Full Funding Grant Agreement for the first segment of Utah Transit Authority’s FrontRunner commuter rail project on June 16.The agreement will fund more than 80% of the $581m capital ...
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Comsa moves freight in Poland
SPANISH construction company Grupo Comsa announced on May 23 that its subsidiary PRKil had begun open access freight operations on the Polish national network. PRKil is currently moving construction materials in 24-wagon trains weighing 1200 tonnes, although it is expected that other traffic may be won in due course.According to ...
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EIB funds high speed routes
ON JUNE 15 European Investment Bank Vice-President Isabel Martín signed a loan contract to provide Spanish infrastructure authority ADIF with €400m over a 30-year term for construction of the high speed line between Madrid, Barcelona and Figueres, representing the final tranche of EIB funding for this project which now stands ...
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Merkel digs her heels in
GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel rode a Transrapid maglev vehicle over the 31 km between Shanghai and Pudong airport during an official visit to China in May, but not everything was running smoothly.The stage had been set for Merkel to sign a deal with Chinese authorities that would have seen German ...
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Nigeria concessioning starts
EXPRESSIONS of interest are due by the end of July for two concessions to operate sections of the Nigerian rail network, under a privatisation process that is expected to see preferred bidders announced in February 2007.Nigeria’s Bureau for Public Enterprises has appointed CPCS Transcom as Transaction Advisors. A shortlist of ...
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Alvia cuts Madrid - Barcelona to 4h 15min
THE FASTEST journey time between Madrid and Barcelona was cut to 4h 15min on May 17 when Renfe brought its fleet of 12 Class 120 EMUs into service under the Alvia brand. Equipped with CAF’s Brava system, the self-propelled trains pass through the new gauge-changing installation at Puigverd de Lleida ...
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Suburban consultation
ON MAY 26 Iarnród éireann began the formal consultation process for a Railway Order giving powers to re-open the disused Glounthaune - Midleton line as part as its embryonic Cork commuter network (RG 7.04 p390).Being funded from the Irish government’s Transport 21 investment programme, the work includes reinstatement of 10 ...
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BKV picks Metropolis
BUDAPEST transport operator BKV confirmed on May 22 that it had ordered 170 Metropolis metro cars from Alstom Transport and Ganz Transelektro at a cost of €247m.The order covers 15 four-car trainsets to operate the initial 7·3 km section of Line 4 which is due to open in 2009. The ...
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City News in Brief
Entreprise du Métro d’Alger has selected an Alstom-led consortium for a €225m turnkey contract to build the city’s first light rail line (RG 4.06 p176). Construction of the 16·3 km route with 30 stops is expected to take 30 months. Serving the eastern part of the Algerian capital, the route ...
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Praha extends
PRAHA city transport authority Dphmp formally opened a new station at Depo Hostivar on May 27, extending the operational length of metro Line A by 1033m to 11 km with 13 stations.Built by Metrostav at a cost of KC1·3bn, the project involved construction of a new surface station alongside existing ...
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N700 to start next year
AFTER MORE than a year of test running with its prototype N700 tilting Shinkansen trainset, Central Japan Railway announced on May 26 that a series build will be introduced into commercial service on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen from the summer of 2007.JR Central and JR West have agreed a ...
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Jumbo trams to grace German capital
UP TO 210 multi-section low-floor trams may be ordered for the Berlin network.On June 12 the board of Berlin Transport approved plans to buy four pre-series cars from Bombardier for delivery in 2008-09. If they prove successful, BVG may exercise options that could see up to 148 series-built cars enter ...
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Driverless research
IN PARTNERSHIP with Barcelona metro operator TMB and the Universitat Politènica de Catalunya who respectively hold stakes of 39% and 12%, Siemens Transportation Systems has established a research and development centre for driverless metro operation at its traction motor plant at Cornellà de Llobregat. Established with the support of the ...
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Valencia Line 1 gets €300m upgrade
VALENCIA metro operator FGV is embarking on an upgrade programme for its 80 km Line 1, which is to receive €300m up to 2010 for improvements to infrastructure, power supplies and customer facilities, including accessibility. The train service frequency is to be doubled and 34 new trainsets are to be ...
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Madrid LRT tenders
THE MADRID REGIONAL government has invited bids for two 30-year concessions to build, operate and maintain three light rail feeder routes in the Spanish capital. One contract, for which a budget of €292·9m has been set, covers the 5·4 km route from Pinar de Charmartín to Las Tablas. The second, ...
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Mumbai Metro underway
INDIAN Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh formally laid the foundation stone for the first line of the Mumbai Mass Rapid Transit System in a ceremony at Vikhroli on June 21. Construction of the 11 km Versova - Andheri - Ghatkoper route is expected to get underway in October, following the ...
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Phase 1 opens in Valenciennes
THE FIRST PHASE of the light rail network in the French city of Valenciennes was officially opened on June 16 by Jean-Louis Borloo, Minister of Employment and President of the greater Valenciennes authority. From June 17 to 30 the 9·5 km route with 19 stops between Dutemple and Université was ...
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NewsHigh speed needs an integrated network, says Pepy
THE PROSPECTS for Europe's growing high speed rail sector are 'very positive', according to the Chief Executive of French National Railways, Guillaume Pepy. But operators need to work together more closely if rail is to boost its market share. Looking back over the 25 years since SNCF opened the ...
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Procurement plans in question
SHOCK WAVES reverberated around the North American metro industry in June with the resignation of Rick Ducharme as Chief General Manager of Toronto Transit Commission.Quitting the week after a strike shut down the city’s metro and tram networks, Ducharme blamed political interference. He singled out TTC Chairman Howard Moscoe for ...
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Rift Valley hold-up
FURTHER delays seem inevitable before the Sheltam-led Rift Valley Railways consortium achieves financial close for its 25-year concession to operate the Ugandan rail network.Following a legal challenge by two former members of the consortium, Judge Egonda Ntende of Kampala Commercial Court ruled last month that 25% of the consortium’s shares ...