Main line rail industry news – Page 1344
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UITP debates light rail renaissance
INTRO: With several Australian cities planning to invest in expansion, modernisation or revival of their tram and light rail networks, there will be much to discuss at this month’s UITP light rail conference in MelbourneBYLINE: Hans Rat and Peter Moore *LIGHT RAIL is increasingly recognised as a superb transport mode, ...
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Three-stage reform lays the foundations of competition
INTRO: A phased programme of structural reforms of Russia’s railways will culminate in the launch of independent companies that will compete for passenger and freight traffic against a national state-owned operator to be known as RZD Ltd. Boris Lukov reports from MoscowOn August 16 the Board of Russia’s Ministry of ...
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München explores the Stadtbahn options
INTRO: Both the S-Bahn and U-Bahn network in the Bavarian capital are reaching their optimal size. Ralf Roman Rossberg examines plans for an extensive light rail network to complement the existing rail corridorsTOGETHER with the long-established city centre trams, well-used U-Bahn and S-Bahn networks form the backbone of public transport ...
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MTR scramble
SHARES in Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway are due to be traded for the first time on October 5. To pave the way for partial privatisation, MTRC’s property, rights and liabilities were vested in MTR Corporation Ltd on June 30. This allowed the government to announce on September 11 that ...
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Fast Rail Links Project wins state funding
ON SEPTEMBER 5 the Victorian state government announced a A$550m cash injection towards a five-year programme of upgrading and modernisation to provide faster passenger services between Melbourne and the regional centres of Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and Traralgon. Premier Steve Bracks said the project would be funded as a public-private sector ...
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3D infrastructure survey
OmniSurveyor3D technology will be used to make a complete three dimensional survey of Britain’s 16660route-km network, following Railtrack’s award of a contract to software and system design house Omnicom Engineering. It follows completion of a survey of the West Coast Main Line, as part of the preparations for the current ...
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Bridge inspection platform
THE BCR 100 bridge inspection and repair platform provides ready access to the underside of multi-track spans, avoiding the need for hanging scaffolding, or permanent rails supporting a travelling platform for inspecting each structure. The machine was designed specifically to meet a requirement set by substantial new bridges being erected ...
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Products in Brief
An anti-graffiti film that can be applied to glazed and smooth surfaces is being offered to train and station operators by CPFilms. Llumar GraffitiShield protects windows and surfaces from malicious or accidental damage by pens, paint and even sharp objects. The coating is visibly marked so the vandal believes the ...
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Plastic offers longer sleeper life
Production of sleepers made out of recycled plastic and rubber has commenced in Houston, Texas, after a seven-year R&D programme that has cost U$4m. The production line has been set up by TieTek Inc after tests with plastic sleepers produced by three companies at AAR’s Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, ...
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Stansted Express relaunched
BRITISH train operator West Anglia Great Northern is due this month to relaunch its Stansted Express service which connects London Liverpool Street with Stansted Airport. This is now the London hub for several low-cost airlines, and WAGN reports that passenger numbers on Stansted Express are 37% up on last year, ...
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Four bidders in HSL Zuid race
AS SOON AS registration closed at 15.00 on September 15, Netherlands Transport Minister Tineke Netelenbos confirmed that four consortia had applied for the concession to operate services on HSL Zuid. The four groups were given until 10.00 on October 2 to submit formal qualification documents.The international field includes a mix ...
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KRC sale closer
Finance Minister Chrisanthus Okemo announced on August 29 that six consultancy groups had been shortlisted to advise the government on the privatisation of Kenya Railways Corp, which is due to be completed by the end of 2002. Approved by the World Bank, the six are:
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NewsAcelas to roll on Amtrak high
USA: This month is expected to see the start of Acela Express high-speed services between Boston, New York and Washington, almost a year later than planned. On August 30 Bombardier spokesman Gilles Pagé announced that the first trainset in full revenue service condition would be delivered at the end ...
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Track lease deal
BANGLADESH Railways awarded its first private-sector track maintenance contract in August, to come into operation from October 1. The deal covers the 40 km line from Jessore to Benapole, which forms part of the broad-gauge rail link between Bangladesh and India. The line has recently been rehabilitated at a cost ...
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Iran orders express DMUs
ON SEPTEMBER 12 Austrian trade minister Dr Bartenstein and his Iranian counterpart Dr Schafei attended a contract signing ceremony for the supply of 20 inter-city diesel trainsets for Iranian Islamic Republic Railways. The four-car units will be supplied by Siemens Austria under a deal worth Sch1·37bn, which was signed by ...
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Spoornet electric renewal
SOUTH AFRICAN operator Spoornet has awarded a R300m contract to Adtranz for the upgrading of 45 Class 11E locomotives which run on the 25 kV 50Hz heavy-haul coal line to Richards Bay. This follows the contract for Alstom to renew the 31 Class 9E heavy-haul electric locos (RG 9.00 p511). ...
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NSW Freight Corp to be sold
PLANS to privatise Australia’s principal standard-gauge freight operators have been shaken up by a surprise proposal to sell the New South Wales owned Freight Corp. Despite earlier commitments not to privatise the business, the NSW Labour administration voted on September 7 to dispose of Freight Corp to whichever bidder is ...
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Metrorail concession
AT THE END of August, South African Rail Commuter Corp signed its long-awaited concession agreement with operating contractor Metrorail, setting an annual subsidy of about R800m. Under discussion since 1995, the deal has been delayed by concerns over job losses.By moving from deficit-support to a fixed price contract, the agreement ...
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S-Bahn stock builder picked
AUSTRIAN Federal Railways has chosen Bombardier and Elin as preferred suppliers for a fleet of three-car trainsets for the Wien S-Bahn. They are intended to replace existing stock and to provide more frequent services on an expanding network, including the S7 route to Schwechat airport now being revamped.The number of ...
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DSVN to elevate
LAST MONTH, Vietnam Railways unveiled proposals to build a double-track elevated railway across the centre of Hanoi, replacing its existing single-track line which runs at grade with many level crossings. Connecting the existing Red River bridge at Long Bien with the southern suburb of Van Diem, the 13 km viaduct ...