Main line rail industry news – Page 1452
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News
SBB restructures from within
INTRO: Swiss Federal Railways has completed the largest restructuring programme in its history, without the help of external consultants. Impetus for reform came from within SBB and from recent European and national legislation BYLINE: Hans-Jurg SpillmannSecretary General, Swiss Federal Railways SBB has just completed an extremely complex process of reform ...
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JR West tests the limits of independence
INTRO: As the second JR company to achieve a listing on the Tokyo stock market, JR West is beginning to sever the links that tie it to government control. Chairman Masataka Ide was interviewed by Murray Hughes in OkayamaWhen JR WEST was listed on the Tokyo stock market on ...
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Series 700 prototype ready in September
BYLINE: Norihiko Yoshie (left) and Junichui Ito (right)ROLLING STOCK engineers from JR Central and JR West are confident that they will be able to achieve lower capital and running costs with the next generation of shinkansen train. Due to roll out in September, the 16-car N300 prototype, forerunner of a ...
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Publications
Railways & Renewable Energy SourcesThe Community of European Railways’ response to a European Commission Green Paper on Energy for the Future notes that electrified railways can harness a wide variety of renewable energy sources, and suggests that the creation of a high-speed rail network in Europe by 2010 will reduce ...
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Impuls 97 - Bahn 2000’s first wave
INTRO: SBB will celebrate 150 years of railways in Switzerland with the biggest jump in train-km since 1982. This first manifestation of Bahn 2000 marks the start of real improvements in what SBB can offer the passengerBYLINE: Nicolas PerrinDeputy Delegate, Bahn 2000Swiss Federal RailwaysIT IS 15 YEARS since Swiss Federal ...
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Amtrak struggles to find secure funding
INTRO: May 10 is due to see further cuts to Amtrak’s inter-city network as the operator tries to balance its books. Julian Wolinsky looks at operational changes and funding proposals announced in March’WITHOUT DECISIVE action very soon, the United States will have no inter-city rail service’, according to the Republican ...
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JR East launches Akita Shinkansen
EAST JAPAN Railway President Masatake Matsuda was up early on the morning of March 22 to give the first Tokyo-bound train on the Akita mini-shinkansen a high-level send-off from the northeastern city. Also present on the platform to flag away the 06.12 Komachi departure was Akita Governor Kikuji Sasaki. In ...
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Quiet please, noise testing
AERODYNAMIC testing of noise generated by shinkansen trains can now be undertaken in Japan Railway Technical Research Institute’s new wind tunnel at Maihara-cho. Work has already been carried out on JR West’s Series 500, and testing of components such as pantographs has proved particularly useful.Measuring the noise generated by air ...
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Eurotunnel launches freight shuttle safety upgrade
INTRO: Richard Hope explains why enclosure of open-sided wagons has been ruled outRESTORATION of freight shuttle services by mid-June was announced by Eurotunnel on April 3, subject to the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority approving a package of additional safety measures. No lorries have been carried since the major fire of ...
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TER prototypes take to the rails
INTRO: The first of two pre-production TER regional diesel trainsets for French National Railways was unveiled at Orléans on March 26NINE of France’s 20 région presidents attended the ceremonies at Orléans station on March 26 to mark the arrival of French National Railways’ first TER diesel trainset. Their presence was ...
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In Brief
n Vietnam Railways and Chinese Railways have agreed a timetable for the restoration of through Hanoi - Kunming passenger services by the middle of this year. A three-car train will initially run through once a week.n Mexico’s Transport Ministry has invited bids for a 50-year concession to run the second ...
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Punggol tenders
SINGAPORE’s Land Transport Authority has called tenders for design, supply and installation of trackwork on the planned 20 km North East line and the 6·4 km Changi Airport branch off the existing MRT East line. The NEL package also includes trackwork for the Sengkang depot, which will accommodate a fleet ...
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Market
Australia: Western Australia’s government has provided funding for Westrail to increase it’s order for locos being supplied by Clyde to a total of 19 standard gauge 4000hp locos, and 11 narrow gauge 3000hp locos.Germany: Hessische Landesbahn has ordered 15 low-floor GTW2/6 DMUs from Deutsche Waggonbau and Adtranz for DM45m; they ...
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The 40 tonne axleload will come
but track and train need common management’CONSIDER a new heavy haul railway with 40 tonne axleloads and high adhesion locos hauling frequent trains at 120 km/h, and suppose it damages your business. What are you going to say to your business manager?’ This warning from Harry Tournay of Spoornet ...
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Basque LRT plans gather momentum
Work on the first 4 km of a light rail network in the Spanish city of Vitoria is due to begin at the end of this year. Tender specifications will be prepared by the Basque Department of Transport & Public Works this summer. EuskoTren has been chosen to promote, build ...
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Curing the Chiasso syndrome
COMMUNITY of European Railways’ Chairman Heinz Dürr presented plans on April 14 to Transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock for putting into practice the concept of Freight Freeways. The proposals were discussed at a high-level Commission meeting in Brussels on April 17 at which launch of a pilot Freeway was likely to ...
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Intelligence
Brazil: Brazil Rail Partners (RG 5.96 p256) has signed a contract to manage operations on the Ferronorte railway. Although the federal government has allocated US$120m to finish the road/rail bridge across the Paran
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Gotthard base tunnel under threat
IT WAS always possible that the finger of sugar crystal dolomite stretching down to the alignment of the planned Gotthard base tunnel would prove to be a major obstacle when it came to serious digging. Just how tricky it may be to tunnel through this treacherous material in the Piora ...
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Letters
Airport trainsSir - We should like to correct the picture caption in RG 3.97 p141 about rolling stock for Hong Kong’s Airport Railway.At the end of 1994, the Mass Transit Railway Corporation awarded a contract to Adtranz-CAF Joint Venture for the delivery of 23 trains for Hong Kong. The leader ...
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Maglev guideway opening presages three years of trials
INTRO: The 18·4 km priority section of experimental Superconducting Maglev guideway was formally opened on April 3, and the first levitation trials are due to take place next month. Murray Hughes reports from the Yamanashi test centreJAPANESE Minister of Transport Makoto Koga and Yoshiyuki Kasai, President of JR Central, took ...