Main line rail industry news – Page 1154
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News
Monorail fever
THIS MONTH should see another 6·5 km of Delhi Metro Line 3 opened from Dwarka to Dwarka Sub City, following the inauguration of the Barakhamba Road - Dwarka section by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on December 30. Commending Delhi Metro Rail Corp, Singh said the capital's metro was 'one ...
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High speed creeps on to the UK agenda
A MODERATE head of steam is building up behind proposals for construction of a high speed line from London to northern England and possibly Scotland. But supporters should be aware that many pitfalls lie ahead before a sod is turned - if indeed that moment is ever reached in a ...
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Push-pull ban
A LEGISLATIVE committee in California investigating the January 26 2005 level crossing collision at Glendale, near Los Angeles, that killed 11 people and injured 200 has called for an end to push-pull working in the state. A sports utility vehicle had been deliberately driven onto the track, triggering a triple ...
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Tyro operator tests the water
On JANUARY 27 the UK’s Office for Rail Regulation announced that it was ’minded’ to approve access rights for Grand Central, an open access passenger company that had previously sought to run services over the East Coast Main Line in 2003, to operate three trains a day between Sunderland and ...
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Spoornet orders electric locos
SOUTH AFRICA’s state-owned transport holding group Transnet announced on February 13 that it had signed a contract to purchase 110 electric locomotives over the next five years at a cost of R3·5bn.Ordered as part of Spoornet’s R35bn capital investment programme, the locos will be used to expand capacity on the ...
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Coal line closer
AFTER EIGHT years of vigorous lobbying, the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad received 'final approval' from the US Surface Transportation Board on February 15 for its ambitious plan to build a 450 km extension into Wyoming's lucrative Powder River Basin coalfields. The STB approved the scheme in 2002 (RG 3.02 ...
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Madrid Metro to be extended to Barajas airport Terminal 4
THE PRESIDENT of the Madrid regional government Esperanza Aguirre announced on February 3 that a 2·5 km extension of Madrid Metro Line 8 from Barajas to the new Terminal 4 of the city’s airport is to be built at a cost of €52m. Tendering of a concession to build and ...
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Alger awards metro E&M contract
AT A CEREMONY on January 24, Entreprise Métro d'Alger formally awarded a €380m turnkey contract to a consortium of Siemens, Vinci Construction and CAF for electrical and mechanical systems on the Algerian capital's first metro line. First proposed in 1981, construction of the metro network began in the early ...
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Shenzhen metro expands
SHENZHEN Metro announced in January that it expected to start work this year on an extension of Line 1 from Shijiazhichuang to Bao'an International Airport, which would add a further 14 stations and double the length of the line (p154). Construction of the first section, including two stations at ...
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World Speed Survey 2005: The ones that got away!
MISSING a train can be traumatic, but sometimes there is a remedy. Missing the 8.55 Sunlander from Brisbane to Cairns in Queensland is no problem: the 11.00 Rockhampton Tilt overtakes it several hours down the track. Similarly, trains that were missed in my World Speed Survey 2005 (RG 11.05 p699) ...
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Cleaner underground escalator
AUTOMATIC dust tray cleaners have been installed during the replacement of two escalators at London Underground’s Embankment station.Designed by RJC and installed by Otis, the rectangular metal dust trays are fitted under the escalator steps at both the top and bottom chambers. Debris and dirt is swept from the tray ...
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Cab and coach composites
METRO-NORTH Railroad has selected American Acoustical Products’ HushLiner FR acoustic ceiling panels for installation in the cabs of its GE Genesis passenger locomotives, replacing vinyl film which had de-laminated.The lightweight panels provide sound absorption and an attractive, cleanable surface that resists graffiti and de-lamination. Exposure to a flame causes rapid ...
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Ensuring asset continuity
ASSET-PRO is in the advanced stages of developing a hosted software package for the management of train maintenance, ensuring that records can be passed from one franchisee to another when operating concessions are re-awarded.Managing Director John Orchard said ’if we are to ensure that maintenance records are not lost when ...
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Seat belts increase injury, says study
'THERE IS no overall net safety benefit associated with the fitting of two-point passenger restraints to trains. Two-point passenger restraints should therefore not be fitted to rail vehicles', concludes research by Britain's Rail Safety & Standards Board. The study found that injuries would be worsened if passengers in a collision ...
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Finance
Canada: CP plans capital spending of C$810m to C$825m for 2006, down from C$920m in 2005. C$570m will go on infrastructure, C$160m on locos, C$50m on IT and C$25m to expand intermodal terminals.Croatia: Zagreb city council has agreed to guarantee financing for the purchase of 18 EMUs for HZ’s suburban ...
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News in Brief
Paths on the standard gauge network in Switzerland will be allocated by an independent organisation from April 1. Trassenvergabe AG, set up in December to manage and allocate paths, is owned equally by Swiss Federal Railways, BLS Lötschbergbahn, Südostbahn and the Association of Public Transport Undertakings. The move is intended ...
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Pointers
Setting its budget for 2006-11, the Austrian government has allocated record development funding to ÖBB Infrastruktur Bau AG. €1·55bn will be invested in 2006, with €1·3 to €1·5bn in later years. An allocation of €100m for special projects this year includes €20m for planning the Semmering base tunnel.Feasibility studies have ...
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Passenger News in Brief
Qinghai-Tibet Railway Corp and Shanghai-based Rail Partners Inc have set up a joint venture to operate luxury tourist trains between Xining and Lhasa, taking three days to cover over 2000 km.NS Business Cards have been issued to 4200 Capgemini employees in the Netherlands. The cards are used to book business ...
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Metros
Australia: The first of 11 Bombardier Flexity trams entered service in Adelaide last month. Six will be running by April, and the rest of the A$58m fleet at the end of the year.Brazil: São Paulo has called international tenders for a 30-year PPP concession covering metro Line 4. The first ...