Main line rail industry news – Page 1283
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Advanced Automatic Train Control pioneered in San Francisco
This month Bay Area Rapid Transit will put its Advanced Automatic Train Control moving block control into revenue service. Radio-based technology helps keep down installation costs in the $40m project to reduce headways and increase capacity on the busy A and M lines
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GIS crossing location
ENSCO has been selected by the Federal Railroad Administration to incorporate a Geographical Information System into the US level crossing Emergency Notification System. Road signs at crossings provide a unique inventory number and a free telephone number for the public to call if there is a problem or potential emergency. ...
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Publications
Stations in the World by Mikio Miura and Sugie Hiroshi This photographic essay with Japanese text features images of the world's most famous stations, including Grand Central in New York, Amsterdam Centraal and London St Pancras. Reflecting the authors' wide-ranging travels, the book has pictures of Phnom Penh ...
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President digs in
NAMIBIAN President Sam Nujoma has decided to put his free time to good use, by helping to build the TransNamib Northern Railway Extension from Tsumeb to the Oshikango free trade zone and the Angolan border.’I have decided to use some of my spare time to go and voluntarily participate in ...
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Industry News in Brief
Stadler Rail AG and ABB Switzerland signed a rail vehicle business co-operation agreement on May 6. ABB is to supply converters, transformers, and associated protective and control electronics for Stadler rolling stock.Kawasaki Manufacturing Corp opened a $50m plant in Lincoln, Nebraska on April 19. The 40600 m2 custom-built facility will ...
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PPP bidders prepare for handover
INTRO: As the long and often controversial process to set up the Public-Private Partnership nears completion, Metronet and Tube Lines are preparing to take over train and infrastructure maintenance on the London Underground network by the end of this month. Each consortium is planning a package of track renewals, resignalling ...
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Köln - Frankfurt shuttles launch 300 km/h running
Ralf Roman Rossberg reports on service plans for German Railway's high speed line between Köln and Frankfurt
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UK maps a rational ERTMS strategy
INTRO: A study by 50 train control experts concludes that premature installation of ETCS Level 1 could cost up to £6bn as well as cutting network capacity. As Richard Hope reports, the preferred option is to develop Level 2 fully over the next six years, allowing most key routes to ...
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PEOPLE
Gilles de Robien has been appointed Transport Minister in the new French government. Marc Foucault is Ministerial Advisor, Pierre Graff is Director of the Minister’s Cabinet, and Guénola de Couedic is Head of Communications. Former President of New York City Transit and Toronto Transit Commission David L Gunn took over ...
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Schouppe ousted from SNCB in Brussels pantomime
THE APPROVAL by the Belgian Senate of government plans to change the management structure of Belgian National Railways (RG 4.01 p253) triggered a remarkable and unseemly round of political manoeuvring, as Transport Minister Isabelle Durant strove to gain control of the railway’s management board. A member of the Green party, ...
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Leasing companies gain foothold in Europe
INTRO: One undoubted success stemming from Britain’s turbulent rail privatisation programme was the creation of a trio of Rolling Stock Companies. As all three expand into Europe, Roger Ford analyses their progressCOMPETITION was a key driver in the privatisation of British Rail. In the case of the passenger railway, this ...
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Gautrain shortlist
On May 2 the Gauteng regional government in South Africa announced that two consortia had been shortlisted for the concession to build and operate the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link between Johannesburg, Pretoria and Johannesburg International Airport. The formal prequalification process was launched in February, and 10 bids had been received ...
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Desiro UK on the test track
INTRO: Chris Jackson reports from the Siemens test centre at WildenrathAYEAR to the day after Angel Trains ordered a fleet of Desiro UK EMUs for lease to Stagecoach’s SouthWest Trains franchise, Siemens Transportation Systems unveiled the first completed Class 450 at its Wildenrath test track. Among over 200 guests invited ...
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Indian Railways gears up to handle growth
INTRO: Appointed Chairman of the Indian Railway Board on April 1, I I M S Rana has instigated a major programme of capacity expansion. Plans include more gauge conversion, new lines, track doubling and a range of other modernisation projects. Murray Hughes put questions on key issues to the new ...
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INTELLIGENCE
Australia: NSW Minister for Planning Dr Andrew Refshauge has approved a A$40m redevelopment of Yennora freight terminal in Sydney.Brazil: CVRD is planning to run 3·2 km, 320-wagon iron ore trains on its EFVM line to Tubarão port using Locotrol equipment. A 10% cut in fuel consumption would save 20 million ...
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More capacity in Mumbai
Every day, the 302 route-km Mumbai suburban rail network operates as a surface metro carrying 6·1 million passengers in 1985 trains. To say that the network is heavily overloaded is an understatement, with as many as 4600 people travelling in, and on, nine-car trains during the morning peak hours. Plans ...
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Higher capacity has priority in huge IR investment programme
INDIAN RAILWAYS has announced an unprecedented programme of investment to raise capacity across the network. Under newly-appointed Chairman I I M S Rana, the Indian Railway Board is proposing to spend Rs260bn on new lines, further gauge conversion, double tracking and resignalling over the next seven years (p322).On May 16 ...
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Phones chipped
EAST Japan Railway and NTT DoCoMo Inc are developing proposals to equip mobile telephones with Suica microchips, which are currently being used in the railway’s contactless smart cards (RG 2.02 p99). Passengers could then use a Suica-fitted telephone to reserve seats on trains, and to pass through ticket control barriers ...
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DB expands ICE-T fleet
GERMAN Railway announced on May 13 that it was ordering a further 28 ICE-T tilting high speed trainsets at a cost of €420m. Due for delivery between June 2004 and February 2006, the seven-car Class 411 units will join DB’s existing fleet of 43 sets, designed to operate at up ...
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Korea backs east coast route
CONSTRUCTION of a 504 km rail corridor up the eastern coast of South Korea is to be completed by 2014, connecting the port of Pusan with the Trans-Siberian landbridge. South Korea’s Vice-Minister of Construction & Transportation announced the go-ahead for the project on April 30, ahead of the second meeting ...