Main line rail industry news – Page 1454
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News
Extra capacity to Richards Bay at lower cost
INTRO: Spoornet’s coal exports are set to grow - if costs are cut to beat competition. While extra substations are going in, the target of 65 million tonnes a year will mainly be achieved through more efficient operationsBYLINE: Philip van HeerdenSenior Manager (Planning)SpoornetBYLINE: Dave BudlerSenior Manager (Strategic Planning)Excoal, SpoornetSOUTH AFRICA’S ...
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Heavy haul responds to the business challenge
BYLINE: John A ReochChairman, International Heavy Haul AssociationAS THE current Chairman of the International Heavy Haul Association, it is my pleasure and privilege to welcome railway professionals throughout the world to the Sixth International Conference of the IHHA, being held on April 6-10 in Cape Town, South Africa.This year’s event ...
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BHP puts its ACES on train health monitoring
INTRO: Significant improvements in operating safety and reduced rolling stock maintenance costs have followed the introduction of automated train health monitoring systems on Australia’s Mount Newman iron ore lineBYLINE: Janusz DudekPrincipal EngineerAdvanced Technical Research OrganisationPILBARA heavy-haul railway operator BHP Iron Ore has introduced a whole train condition monitoring system on ...
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Active and semi-active suspensions smooth 300 km/h ride
INTRO: Compressed air controlled by accelerometers restrain sway and yaw of the rear car of JR West’s Series 500; controlled dampers perform a similar function to improve the ride of first class cars and those carrying pantographsBYLINE: Hisashi NorinaoRolling Stock DeptJR WestON MARCH 22, Japan joined the exclusive club of ...
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‘Stupendous deal’ nets £1bn for right to revive West Coast fortunes
ON FEBRUARY 19, Virgin Rail was awarded a 15 year franchise to operate InterCity services on Britain’s West Coast Main Line between London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow. Handover of the operation took place at 02.00 on March 9. Announcing the details of the award, Franchising Director John O’Brien hailed ...
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Fast food-cars lose weight
THIS MONTH sees the first catering cars enter service in German Railway’s ICE2 trainsets. The trains were commissioned last September, but catering was restricted to a trolley service. Changes to the specification of the catering cars had delayed construction, and only now are complete ICE2 formations being used.In contrast to ...
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CargoSprinter spearheads DB’s attack on the merchandise market
German Railway’s second CargoSprinter prototype was handed to its owners at a colourful ceremony in the test shop of Waggonfabrik Talbot in Aachen on February 27. Klaus Junke from DB Cargo and Dipl-Ing Peter Fabel, Head of Freight Projects in DB’s New Systems Division in Minden, received the crimson-painted unit ...
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Talgo couchettes commissioned
FROM March 1 German Railway put into service the first of a small fleet of Talgo couchette cars on its InterCityNight services. Some of the initial vehicles were tested in the formation of the Berlin - Bonn service during February.The cars are laid out with a series of alcoves with ...
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SBB ends catering support
TRUSTING market forces to produce keen prices as rival companies compete for its business, Swiss Federal Railways is withdrawing financial support for train catering. A consortium of Swiss companies SSG Restaurant Car and Rail Gourmet will be vying with Mitropa of Germany for contracts, which SBB hopes will lead to ...
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Evaluating the economics of heavy haul railroading
INTRO: Global market pressures are continuing to push down heavy haul revenues, forcing operators to seek cost savings through technical innovationBYLINE: Thomas S GuinsManager, Engineering Economics,Association of American RailroadsOVER THE PAST 25 years, the world market for all bulk commodities has become less a function of geopolitics and more determined ...
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Transformers shrink by switching
INNOVATIONS in ferrous alloys are giving rolling stock designers valuable weight and space savings through improvements in transformer technology. Siemens’ subsidiary Vacuumschmelze (VAC) is offering a range of high-power transformers aimed at railway applications, including a cluster of units delivering 70 kW on ICE2 vehicles for air-conditioning and lighting power ...
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Publications
The Railways Act in practiceby Paul FawcettPrivatisation of British Rail converted an integrated state railway into nearly 80 independent companies. This reorganisation, and the subsequent contractual relationships between the track authority, train operators and other players is governed by the Railways Act 1993. This 68 page A5 booklet provides a ...
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Conrail to be broken up
CONRAIL’s 17700 km network serving the northeast of the USA will be split between rival bidders CSX and Norfolk Southern, following the collapse of merger talks with CSX. Conrail officials confirmed on March 3 that the planned $9·4bn friendly merger had been defeated by a $10·5bn hostile offer from NS. ...
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Tilt no longer a novelty in Europe
INTRO: Roger Ford believes that body tilting has become a low risk bolt-on extra with provision for future retrofitting adding little to initial costsA CONFERENCE hosted by Britain’s Institution of Mechanical Engineers in January brought together presentations on all the European tilt technologies. While aimed at the renewed interest in ...
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Wisconsin suspends one-person crews
DESPITE well established and safe operation by sister companies of driver-only freight trains in New Zealand and Britain, Wisconsin Central has been ordered by the US Federal Railroad Administration to provide a second crew member except for light locomotives and trains on industrial tracks. Remote operation of unmanned locomotives by ...
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Subsidy deal could hit Tunnel freight
CONTRACTS covering the sale of Railfreight Distribution to English Welsh & Scottish Railway were exchanged on March 13, but British Rail cannot hand over its last train operating business until the European Commission has given the all clear. Among other things at issue is SNCF’s complaint that the British government ...
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Open skies will hit high speed
APRIL 1 marks the long awaited liberalisation of civil aviation in the European Union. In theory, any EU airline will be able to fly between any cities charging any fare. When this happened in America a decade ago, the results were dramatic. As Jack Duchemin, a manager with SNCF, pointed ...
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Letters
Setting a standard for autocouplersSir - It is good to see attempts being made again to introduce autocouplers into Europe on a large scale. The pattern described in your March issue (RG 3.97 p135) appears to be an unhappy compromise. It seems to have all the excessive weight and complexity ...
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Intelligence
Brazil: Ferrovia Sul Atlântico, private operator of Rffsa’s former SR5 and SR6 regions (RG 2.97 p72), has announced a two year rebuilding programme for 100 diesel-electric locos.Europe: Eurotunnel’s Le Shuttle services show continuing recovery after last year’s fire disruption, with 123915 private vehicles carried in February, 48% more than the ...