Main line rail industry news – Page 1385
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News
SJ loses sleepers
SWEDISH State Railways has lost another tender for the operation of subsidised passenger services from January 1 2000. On June 1 the state rail traffic office Rijkstrafiken selected the newly-formed Svenska Tågkompaniet to operate overnight services to the far north of Sweden and local services on the Luleå - Kiruna ...
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Sumatra expansion study
INDONESIA’S Ministry of Communications has launched a project to develop the rail network on the island of Sumatra. At the beginning of June the ministry commissioned a comprehensive study and master plan from a team of consultants led by Mott MacDonald. Due for completion next July, the study being funded ...
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BDZ wires head south
BULGARIAN State Railways’ main line from Sofia to the Greek border at Kulata is to be electrified at 25 kV 50Hz by the middle of 2001. During May the Ministry of Regional Development awarded a contract worth 35m euros to a consortium of Adtranz and Glavbolgarstroy for the wiring of ...
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Export corridor
MALAWI Railways is to resume work on its 27 km cross-border extension from Mchinji to Chipata in southeastern Zambia. Started in the 1980s, the line is intended to provide a rail corridor from eastern Zambia to the port of Nacala in Mozambique, which is shorter than the lines to Dar ...
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Short line boost
THE US government has approved a $1bn loan guarantee programme to improve safety and boost efficiency on over 650 short line and regional railways. Details of the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing Programme were unveiled by Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater on May 19.To be managed by the Federal Railroad ...
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Bahn 2000 tunnel
CEREMONIES were held at Gorgier-St Aubin on May 27 to mark completion of Swiss Federal Railways’ latest Bahn 2000 upgrading project. The 2250m long Sauges tunnel is the longest of four for the double-tracking of 10·5 km between Neuchatel and Yverdon. SBB Infrastructure Director Pierre-Alain Urech told the guests that ...
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Red line reaches Hollywood
THE TROUBLED 7·4 km Hollywood extension of Los Angeles’ Red line metro was dedicated on June 11. Dignitaries participating included LA Mayor and MTA Chairman Richard Riordan (centre of photo), FTA Administrator Gordon Linton (rear), and the honorary mayor of Hollywood Johnny Grant (right). Following ceremonies at Hollywood Boulevard/Vine Street ...
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Madrid plans more expansion
THE 5·4 km extension of Madrid Metro Line 8 from Campo de las Naciones to Barajas Airport was formally opened on June 14 by the President of the Communidad de Madrid Alberto Ruiz Gallardon. The airport station is directly connected to international terminals T2 and T3, and the Pts18bn extension ...
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Bus operators share metro
SHARES in Singapore Bus Services jumped by 24% on May 28 following the announcement that the firm had been selected by the Land Transport Authority to operate the island’s North East Line heavy metro now under construction. But shares in the rival Trans-Island Bus Services soared by 37% the same ...
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Belt conversion
MOSCOW’S Freight Belt railway is to be converted to a dedicated commuter line by 2005, creating a high-capacity orbital link around the suburbs which will relieve the existing metro of cross-city traffic. A fleet of new electric multiple-units is to be supplied by the Demikhovo EMU plant.Details of the conversion ...
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Delhi tenders
INDIA’s Ministry of Railways invited three prequalification tenders in May for work on the 55·3 km Delhi Mass Rapid Transit metro network which was officially launched last October (RG 9.98 p567). According to the ministry ’all the bids are global and are open to Indian or international companies who can ...
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Nanjing Line 1 started
CONSTRUCTION work has finally started on the first line of the long-planned metro for the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing. The 16·8 km Line 1 will run north-south across the city centre, and is costed at 5·4bn yuan.Proposals for the metro were approved by the National Planning Commitee in mid-1994 ...
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Valencia Line 5
THE Valencia regional government has awarded the Iberinsa consultancy a Pts300m contract to undertake project development for the proposed Line 5 of the city’s metro network. With 2·5 km in tunnel and the remainder running as light rail on the surface, this 4·7 km route would connect Alameda on Line ...
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Bay Area signs smart card deal
THE LARGEST smart-card fare collection contract yet awarded in North America was signed by San Francisco’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission on May 27. The 10-year turnkey agreement with Motorola’s Worldwide Smartcard Solutions Division and the ERG Group provides for the installation of a smart card ticketing system that may eventually cover ...
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Midland Metro opened at last
BRITAIN’s third modern light rail line was formally opened on May 30 by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Birmingham Sue Anderson. Public services on Midland Metro Line 1 between Birmingham Snow Hill and Wolverhampton St George’s (right) began the following day. Trams initially run every 10min, but operating concessionaire Travel ...
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New Jersey orders diesel GTWs
ON JUNE 7 Adtranz Switzerland and Stadler Fahrzeug AG received an order worth SFr90m to supply 20 low-floor railcars for the Camden - Trenton light rail project. A diesel-electric version of the GTW2/6 design, the first cars will shipped to New Jersey in August 2001.Following the FRA ruling on ...
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First Melbourne franchise
VICTORIA’S Transport Minister Robin Cooper announced on June 18 that the MetroLink consortium led by Transfield had been selected for a 12-year concession to run the Yarra Trams network in Melbourne. State support will taper from A$38·6m in the first year to zero for the last two years of the ...
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Finance
Canada: CN is to offer for sale four million common shares to raise US$250m, in addition to convertible preferred securities worth US$200m. The proceeds will be used to reduce outstanding debt, finance strategic investment and pursue new business opportunities.China: Hong Kong MTR Corp has appointed Goldman Sachs as Lead Financial ...
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New Belgrano operators sought
The Argentinian province of Salta invited expressions of interest by July 5 for operating freight and passenger services on the northern section of the Belgrano Railway. Under an agreement with the federal government, Salta and the eight other provinces of the Greater North Region have the right to contract third ...