Main line rail industry news – Page 1389
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News
Vivendi to run Stockholm metro
STORSTOCKHOLMS Lokaltrafik, the regional transport authority covering the Swedish capital, has selected Vivendi subsidiary CGEA Transport to take over operation of its metro and tram networks for a 10-year period starting in mid-1999. The move follows an international consultation as part of SL’s ongoing programme of contracting out the operation ...
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Line B contract
NEXT MONTH should see the start of work on a 1·8 km extension of Buenos Aires metro Line B at a cost of 34m pesos. Civil engineering contractor Techint was selected as preferred bidder for the work on April 21 and the contract was signed a week later.The extension from ...
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Tseung Kwan O work starts
HONG KONG’s Financial Secretary Donald Tsang officiated at ceremonies on April 24 to mark the start of construction for the MTR extension to Tseung Kwan O. Several construction contracts have been awarded since the project was authorised last November, and MTR Corp Chairman Jack C K So expects to have ...
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Bidding extended
VICTORIA’s state government announced in mid-April that the deadline for bids to operate Melbourne’s suburban rail and tram routes would be extended to the end of May. Several bidders had asked for more time to assess the implications of the government’s requirements for extra rolling stock investment on the viability ...
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Metra plans orbital lines
Chicago’s Regional Transportation Authority Metra has launched feasibility studies for three new commuter rail lines announced on April 16. These include a 169 km Outer Circumferential route serving Mundelein, Long Grove, West Chicago, Naperville, New Lenox and Frankfort, costed at US$600m. An Inner Circumferential linking Midway and O’Hare International airports ...
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JLE reaches the Dome
THE FIRST 5·6 km of London Underground’s Jubilee Line Extension was finally opened to passengers on May 14 by British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. He welcomed ’a major milestone on the way towards completion of a brand new tube line that will prove to be a true asset to ...
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Mubarak opens Cairo Line 2 extension
EGYPTIAN President Hosni Mubarak formally inaugurated the third phase of Cairo metro Line 2 at the end of April. The 5 km extension carries the line below the Nile en route to the southwestern suburb of Giza. Starting from the interchange with Line 1 at Sadat, the Line 2 extension ...
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Market
Bulgaria: Bulgarian State Railways has ordered 60000 Type B91S/2 concrete sleepers from ZSPV Uhersky Ostroh of the Czech Republic.Canada: Canac Inc has been awarded contracts worth a total of C$17m to rebuild the 28 km Port Alfred - Jonquière and 16 km Alma - St Bruno sections of the Roberval ...
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South Jersey LRT contract
ON MAY 12 the NJ Transit board approved a US$604m design-build contract with Southern New Jersey Rail Group, a consortium of Bechtel and Adtranz, for the Camden-Trenton diesel light rail project, subject to NJT reaching agreement with Conrail by June 1 to operate a 7 1/2 min interval passenger service ...
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UIC hopeful on European freight
IT IS EASY to trace the economic fortunes of western Europe in the last half century from the accompanying graph showing tonne-km of rail freight in EU member countries. With passenger-km it is less easy, for the graph shows traffic recovering better than freight after periods of recession. In particular, ...
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Production VAL208 arrives in Lille
Transpole has taken delivery of the first production VAL208 trainset. Matra Transport International is building 60 two-car sets for the Lille metro (MR98 p42), including the 16 station 12·5 km Line 2 extension from Fort de Mons to Tourcoing Centre, due to open on August 18. Trial running starts on ...
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EPIC runs to Richards Bay
SPOORNET’S Coalink business unit has ordered integrated braking and train controls from Westinghouse Air Brake Co for installation on a test train on the 420 km Ermelo - Richards Bay heavy haul corridor. Four Class7E1 electric locos will be fitted with EPIC electronic air brakes and PowerLink distributed power units, ...
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INTELLIGENCE
Australia: Australian Rail Track Corp has begun an A$16m programme to increase capacity in the Adelaide - Kalgoorlie corridor, including the lengthening of 21 passing loops to 1850m.Azerbaijan: Forthcoming privatisation legislation is thought likely to make provision for the sale of Azerbaijan Railway by the middle of 2000. Over 50% ...
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Berlin air-rail link plan
At the International Air-Rail Organisation workshop in Berlin on April 27-28, DB unveiled preliminary proposals for an Airport Express shuttle service between the expanded Berlin hub station at Lehrter and Sch
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Steffen leads VT Offensive
Speaking in Paris on May 10, Siemens Transportation Systems (VT) President Herbert Steffen said that the group was making ’considerable efforts to get back on the right track’ after posting a loss of DM759m in 1997-98 (RG 1.99 p51). Parent company Siemens AG was to release its financial results for ...
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Commuter rail proposed
USA: Septa has commissioned a US$145000 two-year feasibility study into restoring passenger services on the Bethlehem and Stoney Creek lines, providing a commuter service to Philadelphia. Trains would start at Quakertown in Bucks County, and run south through Perkasie, Derstines, Telford, Hatfield and Lansdale before taking the Stoney Creek line ...
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Flange-bearing crossing diamonds offer improved performance
Trials at the AAR Transportation Technology Centre have found that flange-bearing crossings which reduce wheel impact loadings have the potential to cut track maintenance costs and operating delays, with no significant problems in terms of wheel wear
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Launch on hold
CELEBRATIONS were planned in Lisboa for April 25. The day marked the 25th anniversary of the 1974 coup when Portugal’s Junta of National Salvation replaced dictatorship rule dating back to 1933, and it had also been chosen for the launch of a long-awaited rail service. For the first time trains ...
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INTELLIGENCE
CAPTION: Adtranz-Pafawag of Wroclaw rolled out the first of 42 EU11 electric locos for Polish State Railways’ 3 kVDC routes in March. The last eight dual-system EU43s with 15 kVAC capability was due to be completed last month (inset)