Main line rail industry news – Page 837
-
NewsFrench reforms will focus on streamlining infrastructure management
FRANCE: Speaking at celebrations in Paris on October 30 to mark the 75th anniversary of SNCF, Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier outlined his thinking on the forthcoming reform of the rail sector, following the ‘national debate’ held last year. Structural reforms to create ‘a French model’ are explored in a ...
-
NewsChinese loan agreements revive trans-Laos project
LAOS: Vientiane has agreed to accept US$7bn of loans from China to restart construction of the stalled 420 km north-south railway linking the capital to China’s Yunnan province via Phônhông, Vangvieng, Luang Phabang, Oudomxay and Louang Namtha. The cross-border project dates back to 2009, when an agreement ...
-
NewsADB reviews Myanma Railways' needs
MYANMAR: As part of its re-engagement with Myanmar after ceasing operations there in the 1980s, the Asian Development Bank has published a report recommending a restructuring of the 'complex and overlapping institutional structure' which it believes is impeding effective management of rail, road water and air transport. ADB says Myanma ...
-
NewsSuperVia orders 60 suburban EMUs
BRAZIL: The governor of Rio de Janeiro state signed a US$306·5m firm order for 60 four-car electric multiple-units on October 24. The 3 kV DC air-conditioned units are scheduled to be delivered from June 2014 for use SuperVia suburban services. The contract was signed with a consortium of China National ...
-
NewsIndia plans inter-city EMUs to raise speeds
INDIA: The Ministry of Railways is developing plans to procure electric multiple-units to raise average speeds on Indian Railways' premium inter-city routes under a strategy to provide 'safer, faster, cleaner and comfortable' passenger trains The EMUs would be suitable for running at speeds of 130 to 160 km/h on Shatabdi ...
-
NewsWelding school established
NETHERLANDS: Infrastructure contractors Strukton Rail and VolkerRail have jointly established a rail welding school to train and recertify welders to work on the ProRail network. According to the two firms, there are insufficient numbers of rail welders in the country to justify a centrally-managed government scheme, but equally a significant ...
-
NewsUniversities to study cutting train life cycle costs
UK: Three projects to investigate ways of reducing whole-life rolling stock costs have been approved by the Rail Research UK Association, and £100 000 of funding has been awarded by safety and standards body RSSB. Funding has also been awarded for a studentship co-funded by government research agency EPSRC and ...
-
News550 tonne tunnel boring machine lowered into Crossrail shaft
UK: A 550 tonne tunnel boring machine was lowered into a 40 m deep shaft in east London on October 25, ahead of the start of tunnelling for the 8·3 km Limmo Peninsula - Farringdon section of the Crossrail project. Weldex International supplied one of the largest cranes in Europe ...
-
NewsCAF signs Roma metro train contract
ITALY: CAF has signed a firm contract to supply an additional 15 trainsets for the Roma metro. The €113m deal announced on October 26 includes maintenance for five years. The trains are to be deployed on Line B, the B1 branch which was opened in June and a 1·1 km ...
-
NewsInnsbruck tram line extended
AUSTRIA: Public celebrations and a street party were held in Innsbruck on October 26 to mark the opening of a short extension of tram route 3 in the eastern suburb of Amras. The extension was officially inaugurated at 11.00 by the city’s Mayor Christine Oppitz-Plörer, followed by a short concert ...
-
NewsFast tram reopens following €211m rebuild
UKRAINE: Prime Minister Mykola Azarov officially reopened the Myloslavska - Troeschina-2 fast tram line in Kyiv on October 24, marking the completion of an extensive modernisation project. Passenger services began the following morning, with free travel until November 1. Running on a reserved alignment on the left side of the ...
-
NewsPrivate passenger operators in six years
UKRAINE: Private companies could be involved in the Ukrainian passenger rail market within six years, according to Minister of Infrastructure Borys Kolesnikov. Speaking at the inauguration of the renovated Slavyansk station on the Donetsk Railway on October 22, Kolesnikov said current passenger operations are not profitable, and it would not ...
-
NewsEIB supports increase in Polish train speeds
POLAND: The European Investment Bank has announced two loans totalling €165m to finance infrastructure works which will enable trains to run at higher speeds on the national network. A €100m loan will fund modernisation of the 58 km Warszawa Zachodnia - Miedniewice line to raise the maximum speed to 160 ...
-
NewsTransmashholding eyes the Pakistan rail market
PAKISTAN: The Ministry of Railways, Pakistan Railways and Russian rolling stock supplier Transmashholding signed a memorandum of understanding setting out plans for co-operation on October 1. The parties have agreed to identify projects where Pakistan might be interested in Russian products, and where TMH could make investments and transfer technology ...
-
NewsGrant funds battery locomotive research
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded Pennsylvania State University and Norfolk Southern a $400 000 grant to continue research into building battery locomotives. NS is to contribute an additional $590 000. NS and Penn State began developing a prototype electric shunting locomotive in 2008. The new grant will allow ...
-
NewsComplex Tokyo grade-separation project completed
JAPAN: A complex project to grade-separate an important road crossing at Kamata in the southern suburbs of Tokyo was completed in the early hours of October 22. The crossing carried the Haneda Airport branch of the 1 435 mm gauge Keihin Kyuko Railway across the busy main road between Tokyo ...
-
NewsKTZ staff train in California
KAZAKHSTAN: The first class of KTZ staff to receive bespoke training from academics at the University of California Berkeley received their certificates on September 10. A team of academics from the Haas Business School is providing multi-disciplinary classes to 143 members from KTZ's headquarters and regional offices. The first ...
-
NewsPerth light rail network gets the green light
AUSTRALIA: Construction of a light rail network in Perth is to begin in 2016 with the first phase to open in 2018, Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett and Transport Minister Troy Buswell announced last month. The state has committed A$11·8m and the federal government A$4m to the planning phase of ...
-
NewsChina Northern unveils 100% low-floor tram
CHINA: CNR unveiled its first 100% low-floor tram in Changchun on October 19. The development of a low-floor tram based on domestically-developed designs has been backed by the Ministry of Science & Technology. The car has a lightweight aluminium body, a top speed of 70 km/h and bogies with independent ...
-
NewsBangkok Purple Line contract awarded
THAILAND: Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand has awarded metro concessionaire Bangkok Metro Public Company Ltd an 80·3bn baht 30-year contract to supply rolling stock and electrical and mechanical equipment for Bangkok's Purple Line, and then operate and maintain the route. Civil works are now underway on the 16 km ...