Main line rail industry news – Page 1303
-
News
Regions gain control
LEGISLATION authorising the transfer of financial responsibility for French local rail services to the regions from January 1 was passed on November 28. Until now SNCF’s regional operations have been funded by central government, but this grant will now be paid to the regions, who will decide for themselves how ...
-
News
Gauge corner cracks
Sir - I suggest that the comparisons made between Europe and North America in the article ’Gauge corner cracking becomes a very dangerous beast’ (RG 12.00 p810) miss the mark in a number of respects. For example, Railtrack has no effective data on rail profiles, nor undertakes effective grinding programmes. ...
-
News
Effluent removal
First Great Western has taken delivery of a mobile controlled emission toilet bowser from Wesurail, part of the Washtec Group. According to the company, the bowser ’improves environmental performance while maintaining all the technical and operational features of a fixed site CET facility, yet without the cost and structure implications ...
-
News
Battery packs
OVER 260 sets of rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries have been supplied by SAFT to provide starting and auxiliary power for Turbostar DMUs. The 24V batteries of 20 SRX1000P cells of 103Ah capacity fit in plastic containers in an integrated stainless steel crate ready for mounting. Developed for starting diesel engines, the ...
-
News
Ballast life and mechanised track maintenance
Sir - The report on activities of the Eurobalt consortium researching hidden secrets in ballasted track (RG 12.00 p813) was most valuable and permitted some insights into the ongoing battle for reducing maintenance needs. I wonder, however, why the biggest progress in the recent past, namely the mechanisation of on-track ...
-
News
Coradia order
TRENITALIA has selected Alstom to supply Coradia DMUs and EMUs for use on regional services across Italy. The initial contract covers 36 trainsets, and there are options for up to 110 more EMUs and 90 DMUs to a total value of 650m euros as part of the FS six-year investment ...
-
News
Rio tenders metro Line 6
RIO DE JANEIRO state governor Anthony Garotinho has released funding for preliminary work on the city’s planned metro Line 6. The grant will enable the state transport ministry to call tenders shortly for consultants to undertake technical and economic feasibility studies based on preliminary engineering design work. Estimated cost of ...
-
News
Geosynthetic grid reinforcement
A £6m project to install a concrete deck slab over 150m of abandoned coal mine workings has been completed near Edinburgh. Donaldson Associates designed an innovative slab with transition zones of Vibro stone columns and Tensar polymer geogrid reinforced stone platforms for the project. Subsidence of the undocumented shallow mine ...
-
News
Alsace invests in rolling stock
On November 24 2000 the Alsace region announced a programme to invest Fr1·3bn in modernising its TER fleet between now and 2006. By then 28 new diesel railcar sets and two-car EMUs will have replaced the current locomotive hauled push-pull trains, mostly dating from the 1960s.The relatively recent RRR stainless ...
-
News
Finance
Brazil: BNDES is lending R$231·9m to Ferronorte, to fund construction of 290 route-km between Alto Taquari and Rodonópolis and a bulk freight terminal.China: CR was due to issue last month three-year bonds totalling 2bn yuan to fund the construction of new railways.On January 8 Beijing Subway Co and Eximbank agreed ...
-
News
Sidetrack
Massage servicesParis metro operator RATP recently offered passengers a free massage and a healthy snack of green tea and seaweed crackers at four stations. The initiative aimed to ’stop people for five to 10 minutes in their work day so they can take a break and chill out’, according to ...
-
News
The Prima family
Forming part of Alstom’s Optionic Design programme, the Prima family launched at Belfort on December 1 2000 is intended to reinforce the company’s position as a major builder of locomotives. With the passenger focus increasingly turning to multiple-units and fixed-formation high-speed trains, Alstom sees considerable scope for new loco designs ...
-
News
Metros
Azerbaijan: Baku metro chief Tagi Ahmadov has complained that the state budget for 2001 only allocates 10bn manats for the network, compared to the 66bn manats needed. Repairs require 32bn manats, and a large percentage of the fleet is out of use awaiting repairs.Belgium: Bombardier is to supply 10 low-floor ...
-
News
Market
Egypt: Tenders have been invited for a 25-year franchise to extend ENR’s optic fibre communications network.Europe: The European Commission has appointed Ødegaard & Danneskiold-Samsøe to study ’European Priorities & Strategies for Railway Noise Abatement’. Covering the EU countries plus Norway, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, it will review ...
-
News
Wrong Rosco
Sir - It was with frustration that I read your review of Railtex 2000 (RG 1.01 p62), in particular the emergency evacuation device developed by Pickersgill-Kaye. You state that this is being taken forward with Angel Trains, despite our stand clearly carrying joint branding with HSBC Rail, which is the ...
-
News
Canfranc study
SPAIN’s Ministry of Development has invited bids for consultancy work on the Zaragoza - Tardienta portion of the project to create a 1435mm gauge electrified route between Zaragoza and the French border at Canfranc. Part of the government’s 2000-07 Railway Infrastructure Plan, this project is costed at Pts60bn.With a total ...
-
News
Foil sensors foil vandals
German Railway is using strain gauges from measurement technologist HBM to protect touch screen ticket machines from vandalism. The vandal-proof touch screens are formed by placing unbreakable glass in front of a normal computer VDU. At each corner of the frame is an HBM DBB01 sensor, consisting of an aluminium ...
-
News
Stub turnouts
Sir - Mention is made (RG 12.00 p836) of the installation by Switzerland’s Rigi Bahnen of a modern version of ’the stub turnout used on industrial railways in the 19th century’. Stub turnouts were also much-used by ’main line’ companies!JC Bourne clearly recorded, in 1839, stub turnouts at ’the entrance ...
-
News
Double-deck power cars expand EMU capacity
INTRO: Shoehorning power equipment and auxiliaries into the limited roof space available above the bogies on an EMU car with upper and lower saloons between vestibules was first achieved in Sydney. Now Europe is beginning to follow suitBYLINE: John Dunn *Transit Design Pty LtdGROWING CONGESTION on urban roads is forcing ...
-
News
Industry News
Canada: Alstom is to lay off 550 staff at its Pointe St Charles plant in Montréal. Blaming a slowdown in the American market, Alstom has halted its policy of speculative loco and wagon production.Czech Republic: Siemens has won the bid to acquire bankrupt rolling stock supplier CKD Dopravní, ahead of ...