Main line rail industry news – Page 1321
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News
Privatised CN is North America’s most successful railroad
INTRO: Before 1992 Canadian National was a bloated public corporation haemorrhaging cash. Successful privatisation in 1995 launched a major turnround, and shareholder value has since increased by 300%. Now CN has the best operating ratio of any North American railroadBYLINE: Paul M TellierPresident & Chief Executive Officer, Canadian National RailwayBY ...
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TramPlus is changing the face of Rotterdam
INTRO: Government grants for public transport modernisation will fund new low-floor cars, route extensions and upgrading work in a programme that will eventually see total restructuring of Rotterdam’s tram network. Chris Jackson finds that the first phase of TramPlus has already brought a welcome upturn in ridershipAPRIL 17 saw the ...
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Technology meets information demands
RAIL travellers are increasingly demanding instant, reliable and easy to understand train running information. The market for passenger information systems is growing, and many companies are exploiting recent technical developments to provide a better travel experience.The railway environment calls for robust, reliable, low-maintenance and vandal-proof equipment, which meet the highest ...
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Siemens half-year results improve
SIEMENS Transportation Systems presented its half-year financial results at its annual press conference on May 17. Group President Herbert Steffen said the results for the six months to March 2001 were already better than for the whole of last year. Due to stock market rules, definitive financial data was not ...
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Software signal blocks
LAUNCHED at the UITP Mobility & City Transit exhibition in May, Seltrac FB communications-based train control from Alcatel can be used as a stand-alone or overlay system. It is aimed primarily at the urban market, and an initial demonstration on the Paris metro is planned for later this year.Expanding the ...
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PEOPLE
As part of a cabinet reshuffle at the British government following the general election on June 7, Stephen Byers has been appointed as Secretary of State in the remodelled Department for Transport, Local Government & the Regions, replacing the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. John Spellar becomes Minister for Transport, ...
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INTELLIGENCE
Argentina: Under a 30-year agreement signed with the federal government, the province of Mendoza is take responsibility for passenger services within its borders. Passenger services may be reintroduced between the city of Mendoza and major towns throughout the province.Ferrobaires has restored passenger service to the 103 km Bragado - Lincoln ...
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TGV Méditerranée opens for business
On June 7 President Jacques Chirac formally opened the latest addition to the French high speed network, the 250 km TGV Méditerranée running from the TGV Rh
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Publications
The Moving MetropolisCommissioned to coincide with London’s hosting of the 54th UITP World Congress, this illustrated history of transport in London runs from 1800 to the present day. Arranged chronologically, the 400-page book covers all aspects of the city’s transport, including the underground railways and trams. There are over 1200 ...
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US mergers must serve the public interest
ON JUNE 11 the Surface Transportation Board announced its long-awaited rules for large railway mergers in the USA. Applying to railways with annual revenue exceeding $250m, they require any future combination to meet public interest criteria set by STB.The ruling makes the merger approval process much more complex. This is ...
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Link completes pan-European corridor
THERESTORED rail link between Slovenia and Hungary was formally inaugurated by the two Prime Ministers on May 16. The route forms part of the pan-European Corridor V, linking Venezia, Trieste, Koper, Ljubljana, Budapest, Bratislava and L’viv (RBR 95 p67).The first railway to be built in Slovenia for over 30 years, ...
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Railtrack’s costs go through the roof
ON MAY 24 Railtrack released preliminary results for the year ended March 31 2001. These were bad enough, with the previous year’s £360m profit replaced by a £543m loss. This was mainly due to £561m in extra penalty payments to train operators after the Hatfield derailment on October 17 2000, ...
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Interoperability accord signed
A MEMORANDUM of Understanding on interoperability was signed in Napoli on June 8 by representatives from the European Commission and four industry associations: Unife, UITP, UIC and CER. Intended ’to move Europe closer to a single European railway system’, the MoU paves the way for the development of Technical Specifications ...
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Renfe orders Alaris variant
SPANISH National Railways announced on May 25 that its Administrative Board had approved an order for 1435mm gauge regional high-speed trains from a consortium of Alstom and CAF. Designated I-250, the 20 trains will run at 250 to 270 km/h on routes up to 250 km long, such as Madrid ...
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Four routes east
A REPORT presented to the Portuguese parliament in May proposes the construction of four high-speed rail links to Spain between 2004 and 2017, at a cost of €7·2bn. The plan was unveiled by Dr Luis Manuel Pereira de Moura, head of the high-speed project office Rede Ferrovi
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High-speed fortunes change
FLORIDA Governor Jeb Bush has signed the High Speed Rail Authority Act, setting up an agency to build a passenger railway connecting the state’s five largest metropolitan areas, and providing $4·5m to fund the first year’s work. Nine board members were to be appointed by June 30: three each by ...
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Banks back Bosnia
ON JUNE 11 the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development approved a €21m loan to fund refurbish 395 route-km of pan-European Corridor Vc in Bosnia-Herzegovina. A further €40m will come from the European Investment Bank, and €4·4m in grants from Canada, Japan, Sweden and the USA.Corridor Vc forms the main ...
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Trans-Asia links
SINGAPORE-based construction and engineering company Econ International has been appointed to assist the Chinese government with the development of part of the proposed Trans-Asia rail network in northern Thailand. Under a recently-signed trade agreement between China and Thailand, China Railway Communication Corp is to fund and build the planned 245 ...
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Metros need co-ordination, not competition
’THIS IS A tremendous opportunity for us all to learn’, suggested Mayor of London Ken Livingstone as he welcomed delegates to the 54th UITP World Congress which opened at Earl’s Court on May 21. Readers will be aware of recent developments in London which led him to continue ’and you ...
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Iceland studies airport link
PLANS have been unveiled for the construction of a 50 km rail link between Reykjavik and its international airport at Keflavik. State-owned power and water utility Reykjavik Energy has commissioned a feasibility study from a consortium led by AEA Technology Rail. Other participants are Icelandic construction firm Istak and Transport ...