Main line rail industry news – Page 1226
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Laval in trouble
MONTREAL has been building a three-station extension of its Orange metro line since spring 2002. Running from Henri Bourassa station to Laval, the extension may not see revenue service even after completion in 2006 as the metro’s existing control centre has insufficient capacity.Officials at the Société de Transport de Montréal ...
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Budget shortfall hits DB plans
THE PRESIDENT of the Association of German Transport Undertakings Dipl-Kfm Günter Elste warned on January 13 that the political objective of switching traffic from road to rail was in jeopardy. This, he suggested, was directly attributable to cuts in government funding for expansion and development of the national rail network, ...
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Lausanne to join the automated metro club
Construction of Switzerland's first driverless metro is now expected to start in the spring
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NewsThird-rail trams across the Garonne
France's ninth modern tram network began carrying passengers in December, and work is getting underway on the first of seven extensions. Chris Jackson looks at Bordeaux's innovative surface-contact power supply
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Rotterdam depot to serve international operators
NedTrain Cargo Support is to build maintenance facilities at Rotterdam Maasvlakte to serve the growing number of open access rail operators working out of the port. The first workshop will offer light wagon maintenance and running repair services, including lubrication and wheelset changes, and will be followed by a locomotive ...
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Market January 2004
Austria: ÖBB has placed a €215m order with Bombardier and Elin for 60 more four-car Talent regional and commuter EMUs, to be delivered fom July 2005 to the end of 2006. Canada: Canadian Pacific has signed a seven-year IT outsourcing contract with IBM worth C$200m, under which 100 employees ...
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Brussels - Luxembourg accelerated
FROM the start of the winter timetable on December 15, Belgian National Railways and Luxembourg Railways have accelerated their inter-city services between the two capitals. Work is underway to rebuild the E411/E25 motorway connecting Brussels and Luxembourg by summer 2006, and the railways have increased capacity by 20% to cope ...
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Productivity must rise
In a keynote presentation to CEE 2003, Hungarian State Railways’ General Director Zolt
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Dutch vow not to slip up again
MANY railways suffer from slippery rails in the autumn, and Netherlands Railways is no exception. During a storm over the weekend of October 27-28 2002 NS was hit exceptionally badly, and rolling stock availability fell in the following weeks as many wheelsets had been damaged. A predictable public outcry ensued, ...
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Ticketless Thalys
THALYS is to introduce paperless ticketing for frequent-traveller card holders. From early 2004 regular passengers will be able to book over the internet or by telephone, simply presenting their chipcards during ticket checks, according to General Manager Frank Bernard. In addition, the Thalys trainsets will have Wi-Fi servers for on-board ...
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Guangzhou stations
A NEW station costing up to 5·1bn yuan is planned for the Panyu district of Guangzhou, to handle trains to Beijing. Expected to open in 2020, it will be one of China’s largest rail hubs alongside Shanghai, Beijing and Wuhan. The existing Guangzhou station in Yuexiu is to be closed, ...
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Coupling up tram-trains
AVANTO tram-trains being built by Siemens for operation on SNCF’s Aulnay-sous-Bois - Bondy line in Paris will be fitted with automatically retractable couplers from Voith Turbo Scharfenberg.The couplers and covers will provide automatic mechanical and electrical connections between the 15 vehicles, which are expected to enter service on the converted ...
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Capital’s metro grows
BEIJING Metro Corp announced on December 12 that trial passenger services on the city’s 19 km Line 4 would start on December 28, bringing the length of operational metro in the Chinese capital to 95 km. Built mainly above ground, the elevated light metro Line 4 runs east from an ...
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Pre-cast platforms
STATION platforms can be assembled quickly and easily using the Fast Build range of pre-cast components recently launched by Bell & Webster Concrete. The basic parts comprise four identical base units, a platform unit, ground beams and infill panels. These form a 4m by 3m module which can be assembled ...
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Four contend to build Tel Aviv Red line
ISRAELI Transport Minister Avingor Liebermann announced in November that four consortia had been shortlisted for the 32-year concession to build and operate the Red line light metro in Tel Aviv. Project manager NTA has issued a request for proposals, and expects to announce the winning bidder at the beginning of ...
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Debts but no trams
ALMOST EXACTLY 26 years ago, a decision was taken to build a light rail network in Lagos (RG 2.78 p47). Fast forward 25 years to December 2003, when a function was held to launch the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, and State Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced that a US$135m ...
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Transcontinental link completed
On January 15 the first FreightLink container train for Darwin will leave Adelaide, arriving at the Northern Territory port two days later. The inaugural service on the Alice Springs - Darwin marks the completion of the 150 year dream of linking Australia's Top End with the cities in the south ...
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iQR Hong Kong win
QUEENSLAND Rail launched its international sales and marketing division iQR with the announcement of the railway’s third contract with Hong Kong’s Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp. iQR is a partner in the CHCQ joint venture, which has been awarded an A$36m contract to construct an East Rail branch to Lok Ma Chau ...
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ProRail predicts RCF hotspots
INTRO: Analysis of inspection data has enabled ProRail to identify key factors contributing to the development of rolling contact fatigue, and the development of a prediction methodology to help manage the problem more cost-effectivelyBYLINE: Martin Hiensch and Andrew Watson AEA Technology Rail *ROLLING CONTACT FATIGUE is a treacherous phenomenon. It ...
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Head-hardened rail put to the test
Voestalpine Schienen and German Railway are carrying out in-track testing of the rolling contact fatigue resistance of head-hardened and as-rolled steel rails, and from this are developing an effective grinding strategy for different rail grades