Main line rail industry news – Page 1209
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Beijing seeks metro funds
UP TO 30% of the funding needed to expand Beijing’s metro network for the 2008 Olympic Games will be raised from the private sector. The city government’s Deputy Director-General of Development & Planning Liu Zhi revealed on May 25 that the city was looking to raise 14·5bn yuan in foreign ...
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Saarbahn light railheads north
CEREMONIES were held on June 23 to mark the start of work on an 18 km northern extension of the Saarbrücken tram-train network. Mayor Lothar Ringle joined the Managing Director of Stadtbahn Saar GmbH Prof Dr-Ing Franz Heinrich for the event in Riegelsberg.Construction of the initial 4·8 km of Line ...
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Blue Line extends
AT 06.00 on June 6 Metro Porto began revenue service on the final section of its light rail Blue Line between Trindade and Est
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Cork suburban go-ahead
IRISH Transport Minister Séamus Brennan has approved the development of a three-line suburban rail network in Cork, at an estimated cost of €90m. Visiting the city on May 21 to open a new park and ride site, he said the network should be operational by 2007. The biggest element is ...
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MTR seeks subsidy for Island lines
BUS OPERATORS and trade unions protested to the Legislative Council transport panel on May 28 about MTR Corp's plan to build two new lines serving the west and south of Hong Kong Island by 2010. Citybus and New World First Bus claimed 3000 jobs would be lost ...
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Five cities dedicate light rail lines
A SERIES of service inaugurations saw five North American cities open new or rebuilt light rail lines last month.Pittsburgh kicked off on June 2 by restoring service on the Overbrook line after a major rebuild costing $386m (MR04 p36). The whole route is now double-track with many curves eased, and ...
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Remote control is safer
A PRELIMINARY report by the US Federal Railroad Administration shows that remote control of locomotives in marshalling yards reduces accidents and employee injuries. The study covering May 1 to November 30 2003 found that the accident rate was 13·5% lower than with conventional shunting, while the injury rate was down ...
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China chokes up
THE EFFECTS of the booming economy in China have ricocheted around the world, inflating demand for iron, steel and raw materials. Ships are queuing to unload at Chinese ports, but it seems that the busy railway network is not keeping pace.Goods and containers awaiting rail transit to inland destinations are ...
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Curiosity value
REPORTS reaching us from Shanghai suggest that the world’s sole commercial high speed magnetic levitation route is short of customers. Not only that, it could soon be facing competition from a slower form of transport on steel wheels.The city authorities are reported to be considering proposals to extend the rapidly-growing ...
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Power politics
AROUND half a million commuters had their journeys to work interrupted on June 7 owing to a power cut. This mainly concerned services into Paris St-Lazare, but trains serving termini at Nord, Lyon and Montparnasse were also affected. Altogether, about 250 trains were cancelled or delayed.This was not a technical ...
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In from the cold
EVIDENCE is growing that the market for railway equipment in Russia is taking on real significance. With Russian Railways established as a state-owned company last October and embryonic private-sector operators emerging, the urgent need for investment in the 86660 km network is clearly being taken seriously.Freight tonnage in the CIS ...
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Landbridge study
SNCF International, in partnership with UBS Ltd and the National Commercial Bank of Saudi Arabia, has won a contract to provide detailed studies for the Saudi Landbridge project (RG 3.04 p157).Worth around US$10m, the two studies cover the planned lines from Jeddah to Makkah, Medina and Riyadh, and the long-proposed ...
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Belgrano bidding timetable
THE ARGENTINIAN government was expected to launch officially on June 22 the bidding process for a 79% stake in metre gauge freight operator Belgrano Cargas (RG 5.04 p257). Outline tender documentation was to be made available on June 28, followed by more detailed information on July 18. Bids are to ...
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Upgrade bids rejected
THE MINISTRY OF Transport & Public Works is to invite new bids to upgrade 1114 km of Uruguay’s national network after the two received earlier this year (RG 4.04 p183) were rejected, one on technical grounds and the other on price. Officials hoped to call new bids by mid-July. National ...
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‘Wise men’ recommend DB listing
FOLLOWING the submission of a report from investment bank Morgan Stanley (RG 11.03 p708), a committee of ’wise men’ forming Germany’s Railway Advisory Council decided on June 15 to recommend the listing of DBAG ’as an integrated business’ on the German stock market in 2006.Made up of leading industrialists, academics ...
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Pointers
Proposals to build a 700 km rail link from Pakwach in northwestern Uganda to Waw in Sudan are under discussion. Despite the gauge difference, Uganda sees the route as an alternative to the line through Kenya. Companies involved in the scheme include Thormaehlen Technik of Germany.The latest announcement from Pyongyang ...
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Stadler relies on tailor-made trains
ON JUNE 4 Stadler Rail officially opened a SFr20m third assembly hall at its Bussnang plant. The event marked completion of a second phase of expansion at the site in northeast Switzerland. Bussnang-based Stadler-Fahrzeuge AG has been active in the specialist passenger rail vehicle sector since 1945. Growth took off ...
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Estram arrives in Eskisehir
The Turkish city of Eskisehir will get its first light rail services this month, with the opening of the 16·2 km Estram network
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LA awards Gold Line contract
LOS ANGELES Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded a $600m contract to Eastside LRT Constructors for construction of the 9·6 km East Los Angeles extension of the Gold Line. The deal was signed by MTA CEO Roger Snoble on June 1, following the approval of a $491m Full Funding Grant Agreement ...
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Safety lighting
MERIDIAN diesel-electric multiple-units being built by Bombardier for Midland Main Line and Hull Trains are being fitted with green LED emergency lighting from Marl International.Load-bearing lighting strips are incorporated in the floors, and kick-strip lights fitted to the vestibules. These will be permanently illuminated to familiarise passengers with evacuation routes, ...