Main line rail industry news – Page 1183
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Southern train hot spots
BROADBAND internet access is to be provided on trains between London and Brighton under an agreement between train operator Southern and T-Mobile.One three-car Class 377 Electrostar EMU has been equipped so far, and broadband is initially being offered on six trains each way per day. The technology will be rolled ...
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CroBIT provides a European data platform
BYLINE: Eckhard KuhlaEkonsult GmbH, GermanyINTRO: Development of an international information platform will allow all parties involved in cross-border rail freight operations to share dataTHE DEMAND for international freight movement in Europe is growing apace - except in the rail mode. There are many reasons for this, but a key element ...
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SNCF confirms pursuit of 350 km/h goal
INTRO: TGV services running at 350 km/h could one day link Paris and Bordeaux in just 2 hours, but more research is needed into braking, noise and maintenance costs FRENCH National Railways is intensifying its efforts to develop commercial services running at a maximum speed of 350 km/h. According to ...
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Bombardier targets China with Zagato 'wow factor'
HIGH SPEED: On April 13 Bombardier unveiled a portfolio of design concepts for a future generation of high speed trains from Italian industrial stylist Zagato. Speaking at a launch event staged with Wallpaper magazine at the Salone del Mobile design fair in Milano, Bombardier Transportation President André Navarri said that ...
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More competition on the German network
INTRO: Axel Dumann* reports on German legal changes that include transfer of responsibility for path allocation from EBA to the telecommunications regulatorON MARCH 16 the Bundestag passed extensive changes to Germany’s railway legislation, transposing three EU directives dating from 2001 into national law.The Third Law for the Amendment of Rail ...
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Freight accord
A CO-OPERATION agreement was signed at the Hannover Fair on April 11 by DB Chairman Hartmut Mehdorn and RZD President Gennady Fadeyev, paving the way for the setting up of a joint venture freight company by RZD and Railion.The accord builds on an earlier agreement announced in Berlin last September ...
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Trains return to Jerusalem
ISRAEL RAILWAYS reopened its line to Jerusalem with the introduction of a new timetable on April 9, which also saw the launch of passenger services to Ashkelon. Transport Minister Meir Shitrit and IR General Manager Yossi Mor joined the celebrations to mark the reopening to Jerusalem after a seven-year ...
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Diabolo makes progress
THE BELGIAN government has reached agreement with infrastructure manager Infrabel to push ahead with the Diabolo project to improve rail links to Zaventem Airport, in line with SNCB’s 2012 investment strategy.The number of airline passengers at Zaventem is projected to rise from 2·2 million in 2004 to around 9·4 million ...
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Kashmir through train launched
THE FIRST section of India's rail link to Kashmir was officially inaugurated on April 13, when Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh flagged off the first Uttar Sampark Kranti Express from Delhi. The 54·8 km broad gauge line from Jammu Tawi to Udhampur has cost Rs5·2bn to build over the past ...
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Nafta takeover
THE AMBITIOUS plan to create a north-south ’Nafta Railway’ serving the North American Free Trade Area reached fruition on April 1, when Kansas City Southern formally took over Mexican rail concessionaire TFM SA de CV.KCS has purchased a controlling interest from its former partner Grupo TMM SA, giving it ownership ...
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Freight for sale
TENDERS are due to be invited this month for the sale of Slovak Railways’ freight operations, which have been valued at between KS15bn and KS20bn.The transport ministry’s proposal to sell the business was formally approved by the Slovakian government on April 13. The ministry expects to receive preliminary tenders in ...
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GNER wins second franchise term
MAY 1 marks the start of a new 10-year contract to operate the UK's Inter-City East Coast franchise. The deal was signed on March 18 by Sea Containers' subsidiary Great North Eastern Railway, which has run the route from London to Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh since 1996. The ...
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10 000 km in next master plan
A FURTHER 10000 km of new railway is to be built in China, according to the first draft of Chinese Railways 2006-10 master plan which was unveiled by the Ministry of Railways on March 25. The plan would bring the total length of the CR network to more than 85000 ...
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UP to invest $2bn
ON MARCH 30 Union Pacific announced that it expected to spend over US$2bn on capital investment during 2005.More than $1·3bn will be spent on infrastructure maintenance and upgrading, with 1700 km of rail to be replaced and another 12500 km resurfaced. UP expects to install 4·4 million new sleepers and ...
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Grasse reopens
ON MARCH 21 French Transport Secretary François Goulard and RFF President Jean-Pierre Duport marked the reopening of the Cannes - Grasse line after 60 years.Although passenger services were suspended in spring 1944, the branch continued to see a daily freight train. Reopening to passengers was approved by the région of ...
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Patrick wants FCL
AUSTRALIAN transport and logistics group Patrick Corp announced in March that it had begun negotiations to buy FCL Interstate Transport Services, Australia’s largest rail freight forwarder.FCL is a family-owned business with annual revenues of around A$170m that has always supported rail, backing construction of the Alice Springs - Darwin line ...
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Barajas Express
SPAIN’S Ministry of Development published plans on March 18 for construction of a fast suburban link to Madrid Barajas airport that would allow airline passengers to reach the city centre in just 11min.The project requires additional tracks to be laid alongside the existing 4 km line from Chamartín to Hortaleza. ...
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PATH starts fleet renewal
COMPLETE replacement of the EMU fleet operating the Port Authority Trans-Hudson metro network linking Newark, Jersey City and Manhattan was approved by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey board of directors on March 31. In a 3min meeting, the board voted to award a $499m contract to ...
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Beijing starts metro upgrading
BEIJING METRO Corp announced in March that it was starting work on a network-wide upgrading and renovation programme ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games.Costed at 4·3bn yuan, the package includes replacement of track, trains, signalling and communications equipment on Lines 1 and 2, parts of which are now approaching 30 ...
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Merseytram ready to start
ON APRIL 7 Merseyside PTE announced that it had selected the M-PACT joint venture of GrantRail and Laing O’Rourke Civil Engineering as prime contractor for the UK’s next light rail project: Merseytram Line 1 between Liverpool and Kirkby (MR 03 p40).Subject to contractual arrangements with the preferred bidder being completed ...