Main line rail industry news – Page 1377
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Trials will settle final ETCS choices
BYLINE: Nina BarrsCommercial DirectorERTMS Users Group THIS AUTUMN sees Europe’s railways start live tests with ETCS. Developed primarily for the Trans-European Network high speed line projects, ETCS is the child of a core group of European railways and infrastructure companies: Deutsche Bahn, Réseau Ferré de France, Ferrovie dello Stato, Railtrack, ...
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Trouble in Paradise
UNREST could be brewing at that paragon among metro operators, Hong Kong MTR Corp. A bill to privatise the company is due to be tabled before the Legislative Council on October 13. Acting Secretary for Transport Kevin Ho Chi-ming said on July 28 that the government hoped to pass the ...
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3 green bottles
FURTHER consolidation in the world rolling stock industry could be in the offing. Stories surfaced in mid-August about the possibility of Bombardier moving closer to Siemens, with speculation ranging from a merger to Bombardier acquiring Siemens factories supplying traction equipment - which is precisely what is missing in the Canadian-based ...
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Goninan sale agreed
Howard Smith Ltd of Australia announced on August 10 that it had signed heads of agreement for the sale of its A Goninan & Co Ltd rolling stock business to engineering company United Group Ltd. Expected to generate proceeds of A$130m for Howard Smith, the sale is due to be ...
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HSL bidders line up
NETHERLANDS Minister of Transport Tineke Netelenbos should be pleased with the response to the call for bids to run international passenger services on the future HSL-Zuid between Amsterdam and Antwerpen. Among the 13 respondents were domestic organisations and firms from Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden and Britain, where Virgin Trains expressed ...
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Zimbabwe reverts to vertical integration
Retirement of General Manager Alvord Mabena earlier this year and his replacement by Mr S Zumbika as Acting GM was followed by a rethink of the way in which National Railways of Zimbabwe will be privatised. The principle of separate infrastructure and operations has now been rejected in favour of ...
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Railsim available for license
Systra Consulting Inc has released Version 7 of its Railsim¨ Train Performance Calculator, a program for simulating and analysing train performance including journey time predictions, maximum attainable speeds and safe braking distances. The standard licence package includes TPC, three rolling stock libraries and two rolling resistance algorithms, as well as ...
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Can the public sector meet the profit challenge?
INTRO: At its Ninth Scientific Symposium, the Arab Union of Railways will examine how national railways can restructure for profitabilityBYLINE: Eng Mourhaf SabouniGeneral SecretaryArab Union of RailwaysWITH privatisation now in vogue around the world, the members of the Arab Union of Railways are faced with a particular challenge. While keeping ...
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Industry in Brief
France: Alcatel has appointed Credit Suisse First Boston to find a buyer for its Saft batteries operation. Sale to another manufacturer or an investment concern is expected to be completed by the end of September, and offers of more than 500m euros are anticipated.Ascom Monétel, Ascom Elsydel and Ascom SA ...
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Trouble in the Cape
SOUTH AFRICA’S national railway Spoornet has on many occasions helped its Cape gauge neighbours to the north with technical expertise, supply of rolling stock and motive power. Now it is Spoornet that is in need of help - although something more fundamental is called for.The recent economic downturn brought a ...
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Airport link to be rebranded
British train operator Gatwick Express is rolling out a new corporate identity that aims to create a strong and dynamic brand image for the London Victoria - Gatwick Airport service. As well as the red and silver-grey livery worn by the Alstom electric multiple-units (RG 11.98 p774) that will enter ...
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Austrian Federal shares in Taurus loco build
DELIVERY of the first of 75 high performance Taurus electric locomotives to Austrian Federal Railways is scheduled for January. Ordered in 1997 from Siemens Austria at a cost of ASch2·7bn, the Bo-Bo Class 1016 locos are the first fruits of a major locomotive replacement programme. Options exist for 325 more, ...
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Passenger in Brief
n France Télécom is to remove its 700 payphones installed in domestic SNCF TGV trainsets, as usage has fallen with the rising popularity of mobile phones. The space freed is to be enclosed as an area where mobile phones can be used without disturbing other passengers.n Ticket machines have been ...
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Zambian turnround
In March 1998, a team from Hifab International AB of Sweden, in association with DE-Consult of Germany, began a 30-month contract to manage and restructure Zambia Railways Ltd on behalf of the Swedish International Development Agency. The management team found it was running a railway in far worse condition than ...
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Products in Brief
Faiveley Transport is supplying 250 TOM data recorders to Alstom Transport, meeting ERTMS requirements and capable of resisting temperatures as high as 700í C as well as loads of 2 tonnes. The data recorders are being installed in tilting trains for Virgin West Coast, Class 334 EMUs for ScotRail, Class ...
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Pointers
n Expect a programme for the privatisation of Estonian Railways to be published this month. Roads & Communications Minister Toivo Jurgenson hopes to complete the sale around the start of 2000, and expects to retain at least 33% of the shares.n Upgrading of the Tecate - Plaster City section of ...
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Dieter
Il viaggio a Reims. To celebrate the total solar eclipse in Europe on August 11, 250 VIPs enjoyed a trip from Paris on the Nostalgie Orient Express, including a ’brunch astronomique’ with caviar and champagne. Dieter wonders whether a steam train is really ideal for a solar observation tour.
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Restructuring will reverse African railway decline
Many of Africa’s railways are looking at concessioning or some form of restructuring to reverse a disastrous decline in traffic, caused all too often by neglect and deferred maintenance. Our southern Africa correspondent Luke Ripley offers this series of first hand reports
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Eurostar up 6%
Eurostar Group has reported a total revenue of £198·3m for the first six months of 1999, up 6% from £186·8m in the first half of 1998. Over the same period, volume was up 1% from 3·4million to 3·5 million passengers.Chief Executive Designate Hamish Taylor said that a combination of ’powerful ...