Main line rail industry news – Page 1447
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Renfe fares restructured
June 16 saw the start of 220 km/h Euromed service on the Barcelona - Alicante corridor (p447) and the introduction of a new fares structure by Renfe’s Long Distance business unit, to be extended to sleeping car and couchette travel in September. The previous pricing regime based on a calendar ...
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Stuttgart special report
INTRO: We present a selection of the numerous new products for the rail industry on show at the UITP’s City Transport 97 exhibition in Stuttgart last monthLess wheel squealTRACK component specialist Ortec has developed a number of new products designed to help railways in their efforts to cut wheel-rail noise. ...
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Kyoto hub opens its doors
RAILWAY facilities at a JR West’s rebuilt Kyoto station complex are scheduled to open on July 12, providing interchange between the Tokaido shinkansen, Nara, Kintetsu and Kyoto routes. Within the 16-storey complex, which has some 238000m2 of floor space, a 925-seat festival theatre and two cinemas are due to open ...
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Bidders pick over AN’s bones
BIDDING for the remnants of Australian National closed on June 20 with decisions expected to be announced around the end of the financial year on June 30.Almost 50 groups had registered interest, many forming consortia or subsequently joining the 15 shortlisted bidders on May 6. Freight prospects attracted Toll Holdings-TNT, ...
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Interior refurbishment sets the mood
Switzerland’s South Eastern Railway (SOB) has taken delivery of the first of 10 coaches refurbished by Schindler Waggon AG using its Revvivo method (PP 8.96 p7). The interior assembled from prefabricated modules offers a bright and modern climate-controlled ambience, for around half the cost of a new vehicle.Vignelli Associates has ...
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Metros
France: On June 1 RATP began non-stop services on RER Line B between Paris Nord and Aéroport Charles-de-Gaulle, running every 15min outside peak hours.Germany: Adtranz has unveiled a family of modular low-floor trams between 19 and 45m long developed at a cost of DM10m. ’CityCat’ will compete against Siemens’ ...
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Changchun builds high-capacity cars to carry Tehran commuters
BYLINE: Zhang LiManager, Changcar Import & Export DepartmentChangchun Car CoTWO CAR designs are currently in production at Changchun for Tehran Urban & Suburban Railway Co. Both form part of a 217-vehicle contract worth US$138m signed in 1996 (RG 11.96 p710). A fleet of seven-car trainsets was ordered for ...
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Railtrack investment up
FINANCIAL results announced on June 5 show that Railtrack is keeping its promise to boost investment following privatisation in May 1996. For the year to March 31 1997, spending on maintenance and renewal of Britain’s rail infrastructure exceeded £1·6bn, which is regarded as the ’steady-state’ figure.Operating profit rose by 15% ...
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Sydney light rail ready to start
THIS MONTH is due to see the start of services on Sydney’s A$65m Ultimo - Pyrmont light rail line. The first Adtranz-built Variotram to reach the city arrived on May 31 and the second on June 5, enabling test running to start on the reserved alignment behind the Darling Harbour ...
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Peace will promote revival of Africa’s railways
PUBLIC LAUNCH of the Southern Africa Railways Association at a function attended by the Zimbabwean transport minister in Harare on May 22 is a hopeful sign. SARA was founded in April last year, and it counts among its 10 members the 1304 km Benguela Railway, reconstruction of which is getting ...
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Siemens test centre opens for business
JUNE 16 saw the official opening of the test centre at Wildenrath-Wegberg near M
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The bottom line can’t be bought
INTRO: Reviewing industry developments in the rail market over the past decade, Andrew Saxe* finds that acquisitions have not boosted profits for the major suppliersBYLINE: * Andrew Saxe is an occasional commentator on the world railway supply industry for Railway Gazette International; he can be contacted in Boston, Massachusetts, at ...
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Isobar enhances disc brake performance
INTRO: German Railway’s ICE3 high-speed trains will have just two brake discs per axle, compared to four on earlier ICE generations. Use of advanced brake pads with an improved contact pattern offers lower noise and a 50% increase in energy absorptionBYLINE: Dr-Ing Xaver WirthSenior Manager, Design & DevelopmentKnorr-Bremse ...
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Sabre will slash maintenance costs
LONDON UNDERGROUND expects savings of £10m a year on its maintenance budget, thanks to the development and implementation of software from ICL and Workplace Systems. Sabre, ’Site Access Booking for Railway Engineering’, offers engineers the facility to co-ordinate work to minimise clashing operations, and improve utilisation of resources.Planning work in ...
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China inherits a rail success story
As China resumes sovereignty over Hong Kong on July 1 it inherits from the British a mix of profitable and efficient railways and a rolling programme of expansion. Tim Runnacles* reviews the latest position
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High speed is high on CR’s development agenda
HANDOVER of Hong Kong to China on July 1 is of huge significance to Chinese Railways. The former colony’s role as a gateway city to the CR network is reflected in plans to develop Hong Kong’s already heavily used railways (p461), while completion of the Jing-Jiu line (p455) could hardly ...
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Sevilla circle proposed
SPANISH National Railways’ Suburban business unit has proposed a circular service for Sevilla, calling at Santa Justa, San Bernardo, Virgen del Rocío and six new stations on an existing double-track, electrified freight line east of the city. Continente, Sevilla-Este, Palacio de Congresos, Mercasevilla-Hipercor, La Negrilla-Padre Pío and Segunda Universidad-Ecovol would ...
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Eurotunnel predicts profit in 2005
THE prospectus seeking shareholder approval for Eurotunnel’s financial restructuring, published on May 29, says that if the company’s objectives are achieved it will make a profit after tax in 2005 and pay a dividend in 2006. A more pessimistic scenario would delay the first dividend until 2010.The complex deal worked ...
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Euromed cuts timings in coastal corridor
INTRO: RENFE’s Long Distance business unit introduced Euromedservice totheBarcelona - Valencia - Alicante corridor on June 16, cuttingjourney times with a fleet of AVE high-speedtrainsets adapted for 1668mm gaugeoperation at up to 220 km/hSPANISH National Railways has launched Euromed service from Barcelona. This comprises five daily return workings to Valencia ...