Main line rail industry news – Page 1242
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News
Carillion enters Europe
RENEWAL and maintenance contractor Carillion Rail has purchased Swedish Rail Systems Enterprenad from Heidelberg Cement Northern Europe. SRSE is one of the largest private sector rail infrastructure contractors in Sweden and Norway, with net assets of £6·2m and around 250 employees. HCNE chose to dispose of its rail maintenance and ...
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Passenger News in Brief
The Victoria state budget includes A$7·2m for rehabilitation of the concourse of Melbourne’s Flinders Street station, A$1·3m to upgrade Jolimont station for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and A$5m for a new station at Grovedale, west of Geelong.A ceremony on May 6 marked the completion of refurbishment at Finlyandski station in ...
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Barcelona backs Line 12
THE CATALUNYA regional government is planning to start construction of Barcelona’s next metro line at the end of 2004. Line 12 would run for 26·2 km to the west of the city centre from Castelldefels to Sarrià, serving a total of 23 stations of which five would be interchanges with ...
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Eurotunnel eyes Europe
ACCORDING to Bill Dix, Managing Director of Eurotunnel Freight Solutions, by 2007 his company could be in partnerships running regular intermodal services between the UK and up to 10 European countries. Conventional rail freight through the Channel Tunnel has fallen far below expectations, in marked contrast to Eurotunnel’s lorry shuttles, ...
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Industry in Brief
The Board of Ferrovial Servicios has announced that all conditions relating to its offer for Amey plc (RG 5.03 p324) have been satisfied or waived, and the offer has been declared unconditional. Amey has applied for the cancellation of its share listing on the UK Listing Authority’s Official List with ...
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Products inBrief
Voith Turbo has started series production of 180 power packs being supplied to Alstom for use in Trenitalia’s Minuetto multiple-unit fleet. The pre-assembled modules incorporate an Iveco V8 diesel engine, Voith T212bre transmission, cooling system, auxiliary generator and drive control equipment mounted in a Flexframe structure that can be bolted ...
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Sidetrack
Postal tube cutROYAL Mail’s private underground railway in central London was mothballed on May 30. The 610mm gauge Post Office Railway from Whitechapel to Paddington opened in 1927, carrying post between sorting offices and main line stations in driverless electric trains 21m below the city’s streets.Changes in the location of ...
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Pointers
A major restructuring of Hungarian State Railways is expected to be announced this month, nearly a year after a new management team was appointed.Look for construction work to begin this year on the Guangzhou - Foshan line in southern China; it is due to open by 2007.A Thai consortium has ...
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Finance
Australia: Queensland Rail is to spend A$20m upgrading the Rosewood - Helidon main line, and A$14m on the Toowomba - Goondiwindi route.China: Hong Kong MTR Corp has sold HK$500m of 10-year fixed rate bonds, and KCRC is selling the retail portion of its HK$1bn debt issue, intending to raise HK$500m ...
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Rail ’buoyant’ at troubled Alstom
ALSTOM’S full-year results showed orders received for the year to March 31 2003 as €19·1bn, down 4% from the previous fiscal year. Sales totalled €21·4bn, up 1% on a comparable basis. Operating margin before exceptional items was 4·1%, up from 4·0%.According to Chairman & CEO Patrick Kron, ’our profitability is ...
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Metros
Canada: A three-week upgrade of Ottawa’s O-Train diesel light rail line began on June 7, including installation of continuous welded rail. In recent months ridership on the 8 km route (RG 11.02 p702) has been steady at 6300 passengers/day.China: The first fully-integrated joint station for Kowloon-Canton Railway and MTR Corp ...
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Market
Australia: BHP Billiton has awarded Valdunes of France a €3m contract to supply wheels and axles for its wagon fleet. They are being supplied by TRIsource, established by Valdunes to market its products in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.Canada: Canadian Pacific Railway is acquiring 600 ...
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Refurbishment drives demand for seats
CARRIAGE body shells can outlive their interior furnishings by many years, making refurbishment the key to providing a quality travelling environment throughout the life of the vehicle. Seating is one of the most noticeable interfaces between passengers and trains, and the selection of appropriate designs and materials is critical. Eurostar's ...
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Bearing services
SKF has acquired Rolling Stock Supply & Service Pty Ltd, supplier of new and reconditioned wheelset bearings and axle boxes in Australia, New Zealand and Asia.Established in 1988, RSSS has workshops in Western Australia and Victoria, with annual sales of around £4·5m. Mobile on-site technical services include bearing removals, staff ...
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Interfleet in Sweden
A SWEDISH subsidiary has been established by railway consultancy Interfleet Technology. Incorporated in early May, Interfleet Technology AB is based at the Stureplan complex in central Stockholm. The new office is headed by Hans Svensson, who joins the company as Regional Adviser. According to Interfleet’s Managing Director, David Rollin, the ...
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Cattron sold
FOUNDER and Chairman of Cattron Group Inc Jim Cattron has retired after 56 years, selling his interest in the industrial remote control technology business to a group of senior managers and investors led by Weatherly Private Capital LLC. RFI Investment Partners and Argosy Investment Partners have also contributed significant capital ...
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PUBLICATIONS
2003 Public Transportation Fact BookThis is the 54th edition of this annual publication from the American Public Transport Association. It contains detailed statistical data on all aspects of the US public transport industry, with additional information covering Canada. Within the 242 pages are data covering operating statistics, financial information, safety ...
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Projects hinge on funding gap
SPEAKING on June 3 during a debate on the ’audit’ of major transport infrastructure projects (RG 4.03 p179), French Minister of Transport Gilles de Robien identified a funding gap of at least €1·bn a year for the next 20 years if the government is to meet its commitments. Options include ...
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Management and research tackle rolling contact fatigue
INTRO: Rolling contact fatigue is high up the agenda of Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail. A research policy has been established, and with knowledge shared internationally, ProRail has started to modify rail composition and head profiles, and adopted a regular grinding policyBYLINE: Jeroen SmuldersProject Manager, Rolling Contact Fatigue, ProRailINVESTIGATION of a ...
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Optimising Banestyrelsen’s renewals and maintenance strategy
A consortium led by Atkins Rail has completed a strategic review for the Danish national railway infrastructure agency Banestyrelsen, setting the forecast investment budget for 2003-15. A more proactive approach to managing railway assets should make a real difference to the bottom line