Main line rail industry news – Page 1443
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News
No reason to celebrate
SWISS Federal Railways’ sesquicentenary celebrations this summer were marred by a series of unhappy events ranging from the suicide of Personnel Director Jean-Pierre Kalin on July 29 to a clutch of failures by the high-profile Cisalpino tilting trains. Arguments over who should take responsibility for the Cisalpino problems spawned much ...
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Sidetrack
Intermodal airportLanding his single-engined aeroplane at Fort Worth’s Alliance Airport on July 29, a bemused pilot found when he touched down that the inviting runway was actually the concrete apron of a ramp track at Burlington Northern & Santa Fe’s Intermodal Hub Centre, 3 km from the airport. Alert employees ...
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Last chance to catch the night train
MANY long-distance passenger trains outside Europe and Japan must by nature run overnight, with seating accommodation convertible to sleeper berths or bunks. In Europe, daytime inter-city trains predominate, with high speed services taking a steadily growing share of the business. This intense focus on high speed has left many of ...
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Franco-Dutch mouse takes on Netherlands Railways
ANNOUNCEMENT by Compagnie Générale d’Entreprises Automobiles on July 4 that it had acquired a 70% stake in the independent Dutch operator Lovers Rail confirms beyond all doubt that the French company is seeking to become a major player in providing contracted rail passenger services across Europe.From humble beginnings running branch ...
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Hotel train power
GREAT Scottish & Western Railway Co, operator of The Royal Scotsman land cruise, has taken delivery of two ex-British Rail MkIII sleeping cars purchased from Porterbrook Leasing and converted by EMC (International) Ltd at Carnforth. Each 41·5 tonne vehicle now houses a 160 kW Volvo diesel generator set to meet ...
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Cruising through the Rockies
AMERICAN Orient Express ran a series of three-day luxury rail cruises through the Rocky Mountains between Denver and Salt Lake City in July and August, hauled by two Genesis locos provided by Amtrak. On each of the 14 scheduled trips, a maximum of 100 passengers were carried in 15 refurbished ...
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Rail Gourmet buys ERC
ON JUNE 29 the SAirRelations division of SAirGroup (formerly Swissair Group) signed a purchase agreement with the management of British-based European Rail Catering. The new acquisition will be integrated with Rail Gourmet, thereby more than doubling its revenue and increasing its European market share from 6 to 11%, according to ...
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Sale delayed
AS BIDDING was about to close on the sale of Australian National, the federal finance ministry announced on June 20 that privatisation would be delayed by a month. The Office of Asset Sales had shortlisted 15 bidders, who were given until July 31 to submit offers for AN’s freight operations ...
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Land Rover becomes rail rover
All-terrain vehicles from Land Rover are now also able to run on railway track. Conversion work carried out by Permaquip includes fitting Fairmont Tamper Series 1000 Hy-Rail gear, enabling Road/Rail Land Rovers to operate on-rail at up to 32 km/h.Versions available include a general purpose pickup truck, personnel carrier, welders ...
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Financing closer
A DM2·8bn funding package for reconstruction of German Railway's Sachsenmagistrale main line linking Hof with Dresden and Leipzig will be agreed later this year, according to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Federal Transport Minister, Johannes Nitsch. He told Sachsen Economics Secretary Dr Wolfgang Zeller on June 9 that the funds ...
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TARES accord
NORFOLK SOUTHERN and the US-based intermodal specialist ContainerPort Group have set up a joint venture with Cemat of Italy, Swiss piggyback operator Hupac and Intercontainer-Interfrigo to provide seamless transport services between Europe and North America. The five have formed Trans Atlantic Rail Express (Tares), a marketing alliance which will combine ...
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NorthRail agreement soon
CONSTRUCTION of the electrified rail link between Manila and the former US Clark Air Base is expected to get under way before the end of next month, according to Philippines Transportation & Communications Secretary Arturo Enrile. He announced on June 17 that Philippine National Railways and North Luzon Railway Corp ...
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CalTrain boost
BIDS ARE due by September 17 for supply of up to 20 double-deck gallery cars for the CalTrain commuter rail line, including five cab control vehicles. Each must have a wheelchair lift and disabled-accessible toilet. The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board has $30m to buy additional vehicles to ...
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Refurbishment deal
BANGLADESH Railways diesel 2410 was rolled-out of the company’s Central Locomotive Works at Parbatipur on June 2, marking a milestone in a loco maintenance programme being funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. BR Director-General M A Manaf and Canadian High Commissioner Nicholas Etheridge participated in the ceremony to mark ...
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Central Asia link accord
REPRESENTATIVES from China, Kirgizistan and Uzbekistan signed an agreement in the Uzbek capital Toshkent in June for a technical and economic feasibility study into construction of a rail link into western China. According to Uzbek Vice-Premier Rustam Junussows, the three countries also signed an accord on the management of ...
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Northeast night trains revamped
AMTRAK introduced significant changes on July 10 to NortheastDirect services on the Boston - Washington DC - Newport News corridor. Improvements included the relaunch of the Night Owl as the Twilight Shoreliner, an overnight Boston - Washington DC service now including a new Viewliner sleeping car and a first class ...
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Renfe spreads the risk
IN A BID to introduce new rolling stock without incurring further debt, while opening up the railway to market forces in a controlled manner, Spanish National Railways has decided to form ’train service provision’ ventures with manufacturers. A joint venture would lease vehicles from its parent manufacturer and operate them ...
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Guangzhou Line 1 opened
THE 5·4 km Xilang - Huangsha section of Guangzhou metro Line 1 and five stations were formally inaugurated on June 28, as part of the celebrations for the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty two days later. City and government officials were joined by representatives from the European and ...
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GE repowers Russian-built 2TE10s in Kazakstan
INTRO: Almaty Railway and West Kazakstan Railway are acquiring 32 repowering kits from Erie to upgrade unreliable dieselsAgeing Type 2TE10 locomotives in Kazakstan are suffering poor availability, mainly due to engine and associated parts performance. General Electric of Erie, Pennsylvania, is providing 32 kits of 7FDL12 engines, plus traction alternator, ...