Main line rail industry news – Page 1145
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Slovenia focuses on upgrades
RECONSTRUCTION of the Koper - Ljubljana line, including a second route from Koper to Divaca, and electrification of the Pragersko - Hodos route are the top priorities for infrastructure investment in Slovenia.At the end of March, Transport Minister Janez Bozic confirmed that planning work was underway on the two schemes ...
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Sabah modernisation begins
LAST MONTH was due to see the start of work to modernise the 134 km railway between Tanjung Aru and Tenom in the Malaysian state of Sabah. Assistant Infrastructure Development Minister Aklee Abbas announced in March that two contractors had been appointed to undertake the upgrading at a cost of ...
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French freight market opens up
UNDER AN agreement reached with the European Commission in March 2005, the French government formally deregulated the domestic rail freight market on March 31. Largely symbolic at this stage, the move has considerable significance for the future of rail freight in Europe.For SNCF, deregulation means that the final tranche of ...
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Replacement station at Burgos
THE SPANISH cabinet has given its approval for tenders to be called for the construction of a station on the new alignment avoiding the centre of Burgos on the Madrid - Hendaye main line. A budget of €18·58m has been set for the work, expected to take 18 months to ...
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Betuwe Route soap opera continues
SHORTLY after our last issue went to press (RG 4.06 p173), Transport & Public Works Minister Karla Peijs announced that operation of the Betuwe Route would, after all, be undertaken by Prorail, the Dutch rail infrastructure manager. Her statement was received badly by the lower house in parliament, where MPs ...
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RENFE to build more trains
ON APRIL 18 Renfe President José Salguiero signed five agreements with rolling stock suppliers Alstom, CAF and Siemens that will see 258 passengers cars built by the operator's Valladolid workshops in 2006-09, representing 700000h of new work. Valladolid is to build 42 Civia III EMU cars under a contract ...
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Paris to start fleet replacement
CONTRACTS are due to be placed later this year for 330 single-deck EMUs to work Paris area suburban services. Tenders from Alstom, Bombardier and Siemens are being evaluated by SNCF, which will operate the trains for Syndicat des Transports d’Ile de France. At a board meeting on March 29, STIF ...
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Crushed with success
HAVING WATCHED the first practical test of Crash Energy Management at Pueblo on March 23, US Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta declared it a success. A five-car train of decommissioned LIRR and SEPTA commuter coaches rebuilt with strengthened couplers and crush zones was slammed into a stationary locomotive and two wagons ...
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Montpellier Citadis rolled out
THE FIRST of 24 Citadis 302 low-floor cars being built by Alstom for Montpellier’s second tramline was unveiled by city officials and TAM representatives on April 3. Tracklaying is nearing completion on the 19·8 km line, which is expected to open at the end of this year. Running from southwest ...
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Porto Metro close to completion
MARCH 31 saw the start of revenue services on two further sections of the Porto Metro, bringing the light rail network to 58·2 km serving 65 stations.The Green Line (C) was extended by 4·5 km from Fórum Maia to Ismai, using the alignment of a former metre-gauge line which had ...
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Delhi aims for 400route-km
ON APRIL 1 Delhi Metro Rail Corp began commercial operation on the 6·5 km extension of Line 3 to Dwarka Sub-City, completing the 62 km Phase I network. Built in just 22 months at a cost of Rs3·2bn, the extension adds six stations to Line 3. The metro viaduct was ...
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SNCF to order 120 TGV Duplex sets
FRENCH National Railways has called tenders for 120 double-deck TGV sets. Bids for the contract, which covers a firm order for 40 trainsets and options for 80 more, are due to be submitted by the end of this month.SNCF confirmed on April 19 that the order could be placed this ...
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Gounon challenges creditors to get real
AFTER MONTHS of largely fruitless negotiations on debt restructuring, Eurotunnel’s Executive Chairman Jacques Gounon threw down the gauntlet on April 12. He effectively challenged creditors holding £6·2bn of debt to settle on terms that would allow the company to operate profitably. The alternative was the uncertain prospect of trying to ...
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Belgrano rescue
ON APRIL 18 President of Argentina Néstor Kirchner signed a decree placing operations at Belgrano Cargas SA in a ’state of emergency’ for a period of 180 days. During this period, which can be extended for two similar terms, the government will provide funding to meet essential expenses, including the ...
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Beginning of the end for PN?
UNCERTAINTY still clouds the future of Australia’s rail freight market as the fiercely-contested eight-month takeover battle between Toll Holdings and Patrick Corp draws to a close.The Patrick board finally conceded defeat on April 13, accepting a second revised offer from Toll which valued the company at A$5·8bn, compared to the ...
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More trams needed
HELSINKI transport authority HKL expects to call tenders shortly for 40 low-floor cars, to enter service in 2011-14 at an estimated cost of €100m.HKL urgently needs more capacity, not least because of Route 9 which is due to open next year. This will link the city centre with the Pasila ...
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China offsets stagnant Europe
KNORR-BREMSE recorded consolidated sales of €2·7bn in 2005, 13% up on the 2004 figure of €2·4bn. Orders were up 16% to €2·85m, and net income rose 18% to €154m.The Rail Vehicle division accounted for €991m of last year’s sales, up from €944m in 2004, but the Commercial Vehicle sector in ...
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Voice control
VOICE-over-IP is being used in a British train operator’s passenger information system for the first time, with the installation of a Vossloh IT system controlling screens and announcements at stations served by Northern.A central computer at the train operator’s Manchester data centre is operated from two workstations at the information ...
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Over the gap
GLIDELOK is a retractable ramp designed to span gaps of up to 1·2m between trains and platforms. The prototype can be automatically deployed in 6sec, and forms a bridge capable of supporting a 350 kg load.The ramp will align itself with platforms above, below or at the same level as ...