Main line rail industry news – Page 1357
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News
Big projects are poised to go
INTRO: In this comprehensive guide to spending plans and projects in Australia, Mark Carter finds that more than A$8bn will be committed in 2000-01, with the possibility of that figure doubling in the short to medium termIN A COUNTRY not known for its commitment to rail investment, the short to ...
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Illinois test will fix the future of PTC
INTRO: Born out of the ATCS project of the 1980s, the North American Joint Positive Train Control Programme will see cost-effective train control developed over the next five years. Trials are to be undertaken between Springfield and Mazonia in Illinois, where freight will share Union Pacific tracks with 177 ...
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Investment outlook brightens under the private sector
INTRO: Concessioning and privatisation started to transform the management of state-run railways about 10 years ago. Experience to date suggests that private sector managers handle investment projects better than their public sector counterparts and do not sign up to vote-catching white elephantsBYLINE: Louis S ThompsonRailways AdviserThe World BankRAILWAYS are changing. ...
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Spending bonanza levels off
INTRO: Although investment may have passed its peak as North America's railways complete capacity enhancement programmes, spending levels remain high following recognition that deferral of expenditure on infrastructure and motive power is a false economy. Julian Wolinksy reports THE HEADLONG rush of capital spending by North America's Class ...
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Class 390 sets higher crashworthiness standards
BODYSHELLS to form Virgin Trains’ second Pendolino Britannico trainset are due to be shipped from the Italian port of Savona to Britain this month. Having started life in Fiat Ferroviaria’s plants in Italy, they will be taken for fitting out and final assembly to Alstom’s Birmingham plant, where the nine-car ...
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South coast commuters taste the future
INTRO: British franchisee Connex Rail has demonstrated a Class 375 Electrostar train to Brighton passengers, but the units will not enter service until next yearRESTRICTED running trials have begun in east Kent with the first Class 375 unit for British franchisee Connex Rail. Because Railtrack has only granted the train ...
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Greenbrier butterfly isout of the chrysalis
FOLLOWING its acquisition of the Adtranz freight wagon business in Siegen, Germany, earlier this year (RG 2.00 p118), US-based builder The Greenbrier Companies is strengthening its foothold in Europe. Using Siegen as a design and contract management office, the company is developing manufacturing activity at the Swidnica plant in Poland, ...
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RFF brings fresh thinking on infrastructure investment
INTRO: As owner of the national network, Réseau Ferré de France is playing a key role in the railway reform programme that began in 1997. RFF President Claude Martinand explained to Robert Preston how the infrastructure authority is bringing a new approach to investment projects, applying stricter financial criteria ...
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Ballastless track on TGV-Méditerranée
FRENCH engineering groups Travaux de Sud Ouest and Société Européenne de Travaux Ferroviaires last month completed laying ballastless track through the 7·8 km tunnel that will carry TGV Méditerranée on the approaches to Marseille, using a new design of vibration-absorbing twin-block sleeper developed by Sateba.The SAT S312NAT design has two ...
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TGV Est européen moves towards construction
INTRO: With geophysical surveys and detailed design now in progress, utility diversions and other preliminary works for France’s next high speed line are due to begin in the second half of this year. RFF Project Director Pierre Cerisier spoke to Robert Preston, outlining the programme that should see civil works ...
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Invensys sells Westinghouse Brakes
INDUSTRIAL conglomerate Invensys plc - formed last year through the merger of BTR and Siebe - announced on April 25 that it had decided to sell its Westinghouse Brakes business units to Knorr-Bremse of Germany, for an aggregate cash consideration of £65m. Based at Chippenham in Great Britain and Sydney ...
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IR spends to redress problems
INTRO: Rail freight’s market share in India will increase from 40% to 50% if IR can push through a package of commercial incentives and improvements for customers proposed in the 2000-01 budget. There are ambitious plans to build new lines and continue the gauge conversion programme, but Chris Bushell finds ...
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High speed enters the second age
INTRO: Another phase of new line construction is now firmly in sight as the benefits of high speed operation are recognised more widely. Murray Hughes finds that the pace of developments is hotting up againTEN YEARS ago on the morning of May 18 TGV Atlantique Set 325 streaked through Vend
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INTELLIGENCE
Australia: The Victoria government has allocated A$70m towards the cost of extending Melbourne’s electrified suburban network to Craigieburn, South Morang and Cranbourne East, as well as a tramway extension from East Burwood to Knox City.Freight Australia Chief Executive Marius van Onselen has called on the NSW government to reopen the ...
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High speed joint ventures
AN AGREEMENT signed in Brussels on May 8 paves the way for the creation of a four-railway ’project company’ to manage high-speed passenger services on the TGV Est européen corridor linking Paris, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, Frankfurt and Basel (p379). To be based in Luxembourg, Rhealys will be owned by French National ...
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Pendolinos to serve Jerusalem
ISRAEL RAILWAYS' mothballed rail link to Jerusalem should be reopened within 18 months, following the approval in principle of an investment package by the government. The announcement followed a meeting on April 17 between IR General Manager Amos Uzani and Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who is currently responsible for transport. ...
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Timetable brings ’regional’ Eurostar
THE START of Britain’s summer timetable on May 28 saw the introduction of regional Eurostar trains on the East Coast route. Two 14-car sets with crews have been leased by Great North Eastern Railway (right) to operate stopping services between London and York, relieving overcrowding on long-distance trains to Newcastle ...
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Commonwealth wants operators to fund national network
IN A STATEMENT on May 18, Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport & Regional Services John Anderson said the federal government would ’pursue a nationally uniform framework for railway track access arrangements and regulatory and safety regimes for rail transport.’ He proposes to establish this year a national ...
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Transnet restructuring can wait no longer
BYLINE: Saki MacozomaManaging Director, TransnetINTRO: Managing Director of Transnet Saki Macozoma reveals to Murray Hughes proposals for a programme of sales and concessioning that will bring radical change to South Africa’s 1067mm gauge national network. Both heavy haul operations will be concessioned within the next 18 monthsRECOGNITION that Spoornet had ...