Main line rail industry news – Page 1238
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Sena line boost
THE WORLD Bank confirmed on August 7 that it had agreed in principle to assist with the restoration of the 553 kmSena line in Mozambique. Linking Beira with the Moatize coalfields and the Malawi border, the line has been out of use for 20 years because of the civil war, ...
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Malaysian bidding hots up
A DOMESTIC consortium of Malaysia Mining Corp and Gamuda Bhd has submitted a bid to double-track the country’s north-south main line. MMC Chief Executive Ismail Shahudin said in mid-July that the companies believed the work could be completed within three years of a contract being signed.The Malaysian government had already ...
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BRKS start-up
SLOVAKIA’s first regional rail operator expects to open its second route on September 1, with the restoration of passenger services between Zohor and Rohozník. County-owned Bratislask
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Nine bid for Line A
A TOTAL OF nine groups have submitted bids to prequalify for a contract to build the 3·5 km extension of Buenos Aires metro Line A from Primera Junta to Nazca. With intermediate stations at Puan, Carabobo and Flores, the extension is expected to take three years to build within a ...
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LA Gold line inaugurated
JULY 28 saw the start of revenue services on the 22 km Gold line light rail route linking Los Angeles and Pasadena, following a weekend of free rides. Local politicians and MTA board members participated in a dedication ceremony at Union Station on July 25, including Los Angeles Mayor James ...
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Merseytram picks shortlist of five
ON SEPTEMBER 1 Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive is due to issue detailed information to the five candidates it has shortlisted for a contract to build and operate Line 1 of the proposed Merseytram network, a 19 km light rail route running from the centre of Liverpool to Kirkby (MR 03 ...
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Septa completes its Frankford Swing
METRO services on Philadelphia’s Market - Frankford line began using Septa’s new Frankford Transportation Center on August 4, following completion of a nine-day blockade to realign the elevated approaches. Due to be completed in 2005 at a cost of $187m, the bus/rail/light rail interchange forms part of a $650m reconstruction ...
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North Rail approved
THE PHILIPPINES government announced on August 8 that it had approved plans for construction of the first stage of the planned North Rail express commuter railway, at an estimated cost of 27·6bn pesos. The project has been cleared by the Investment Co-ordination Committee of the National Economic Development Authority. NEDA ...
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Genova light metro extended
AUGUST 7 saw the start of revenue services on a further section of Genova’s automated light metro, between Principe and San Giorgio, following an official inauguration on July 25. The line is being built and operated for the city by AnsaldoBreda.The initial 3·5 km between Brin and Dinegro was opened ...
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Secaucus interchange opens
UNDER CONSTRUCTION for more than eight years, the $450m Secaucus Transfer interchange in New Jersey will see its first fare-paying passengers on September 6. However, NJ Transit board decided on July 31 that the multilevel station linking 10 of its 11 commuter rail routes will initially be open only at ...
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Smart card accord
RAIL and bus operators in the Greater Tokyo region have agreed to introduce a common smart card by 2006 that can be used on services run by 53 organisations. Around six million passengers use the Suica smart card introduced by JR-East in 2001, and two other rail operators have smart ...
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Rivals skirmish over Beijing - Shanghai
WITH maglev technology effectively ruled out for the 1300 km high speed line planned between Beijing and Shanghai (RG 8.03 p484), a serious battle is shaping up between rival interests promoting Japanese Shinkansen, French TGV and German ICE technology. Already it is looking like a re-run of the fight to ...
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BHP line to carry 100 million tonnes
BHP BILLITON has accelerated plans that will expand the capacity of its 426 km railway from Newman to Port Hedland to 100 million net tonnes/year by the end of 2004. In the year ended June 30 2002 the line carried 71 million tonnes. Announcing investment totalling A$77m on July 25, ...
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Stand-off over Pilbara ore line
ATTEMPTS to stitch together a coalition of three groups holding rights to work virgin iron ore deposits in the Central Pilbara region of Western Australia, northwest of Newman, broke down at the end of July. However, a strong market with prospects for growing demand, especially in China, is piling on ...
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Co-operate or compete?
TAIWANESE Premier Yu Shyi-kun said last month that the government is to make available NT$100bn to Taiwan Railway Administration for upgrading its 1067mm gauge network. While TRA has not been seriously starved of funds (RG 3.01 p192), it is facing growing competition, not just from roads, but also from the ...
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Millennium bugs strike Sydney
MICHAEL COSTA, Minister for Transport Services in New South Wales, released on August 14 a letter to EDI Rail, supplier of Sydney’s Millennium EMUs, informing the company that the state government would suspend payments for the double-deck suburban trains until technical problems with on-board computer systems had been resolved. Telling ...
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Tilt trains out
GERMAN Railway was taken by surprise on July 24 when the Federal Railway Office (EBA) suddenly ordered the withdrawal of the 20-strong fleet of Class 605 ICE tilting diesel sets, citing a report suggesting there were problems with fatigue resistance of the axles. Class 605 was intended to bring ICE ...
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Tranz Rail sale on hold
ON AUGUST 13 New Zealand’s Tranz Rail confirmed that ’there have been limited discussions’ with Toll Holdings of Australia about improvements to the company’s most recent offer, submitted on July 9. The offer for NZ$0·95 per share required 90% acceptance by August 29 and replaced Toll’s previous takeover bid (RG ...
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Miscalculation topples FLEX
A CAUTIONARY tale reaches us from Schleswig-Holstein, where newly-established operator FLEX-Verkehrs AG took over InterRegio services between Hamburg and Flensburg from German Railway on December 15 last year. A subsidiary of Norddeutsche Nahverkehrsgesellschaft mbH, FLEX had an ambitious programme to develop services over the route, and had launched with a ...
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Sofia metro extension shortlist
BULGARIA: Final tenders are due this month to build a 2·3 km extension of the Sofia metro from Serdika to Interpred (RG 6.03 p347). A first round in May attracted 12 bids, of which five were shortlisted in July. According to Sofia Mayor Stefan Sofianski, construction will start by ...