Main line rail industry news – Page 1416
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News
Unions stall NSW tenders
TENDERING of infrastructure maintenance work worth A$500m was halted indefinitely in February by New South Wales Transport Minister Carl Scully, following pressure by the Public Transport Union. SRA’s 6500 staff maintaining infrastructure and some rolling stock were regrouped into the Rail Services Authority in July 1996 (RG 7.96 p418). RailAccess ...
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Milwaukee backs Metra
WISCONSIN state officials are backing proposals to extend the Chicago - Kenosha Metra commuter rail service to Milwaukee, using 53 km of existing freight line. Funding is now being sought for a detailed investigation, following a preliminary feasibility study which estimated the capital cost at about US$140m and annual subsidies ...
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Order bonanza rolls on
GERMAN Railway is taking up more options for locomotives and regional tilting trains.Most significant is a decision to exercise an option with Adtranz for 400 main line electric locos of Class 145. The main customer will be DB Cargo with 300 units; some of these may be built as two ...
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Bridge link funded
THE BANGLADESH government has signed a 40-year concessional loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank providing US$110m towards construction of a 99 km rail link from Jamtoli to Joydebpur, via the new Jamuna river bridge, which is due to open for road traffic later this year.Tenders for construction of a ...
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EIB to fund Line 4
THE HUNGARIAN government has reached agreement with Budapest City Council over guarantees for investment in the capital’s fourth metro line. Under a deal with the city council last year, the government will raise 60% of the Ecu514m cost of the 7·3 km line, and the city the rest (RG 10.97 ...
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Extension talks enter last lap
TRENES de Buenos Aires, operator of the Mitre and Sarmiento suburban systems in the Argentinian capital (RBR98 p42), has entered the final stages of renegotiating its 10-year concession with the federal government. In return for a 30-year extension, TBA is willing to pledge investment totalling US$1·8bn, including more electrification and ...
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Suburban expansion strategy
WITH municipal and regional elections due in June 1999, Madrid Regional Transport Authority is developing proposals for expanding the Spanish National Railways suburban network. The authority is to sign a new agreement with Renfe this year (p251) and local politicians are keen to gain closer control over suburban services.A key ...
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Talgo speed-up
THE FEDERAL Railroad Administration and BNSF have given Amtrak West permission to raise the speed of its Talgo tilting trains through curves on the Seattle - Portland portion of the 750 km Pacific Northwest corridor. The move will cut journey times by up to 25 min, permitting introduction of a ...
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WestRail design awarded
KOWLOON-CANTON Railway Corp announced on March 2 that it had awarded five civil engineering design contracts for the WestRail link between Kowloon and Tuen Mun. These will take the design of WestRail through to the start of construction by the end of this year.Maunsell Consultants Asia will design two stations ...
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CITY NEWS
n New York subway ridership jumped to 1·13 billion during 1997, the highest figure for 25 years, including a 30-year monthly record in December. This reflects major investment during the last decade to overcome neglect and deferred maintenance.MTA officials expect a further jump of around 100 million riders with the ...
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News Extra
MAV gets fundsTENDERING was due to get under way last month for track and infrastructure work on two of Hungarian Railways’ strategic corridors, following the release of funding by the European Investment Bank. MAV Managing Director Istvan Sipos signed an agreement in Luxembourg on February 24 for a 20-year loan ...
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INTELLIGENCE
CAPTION: Belgian National Railways has started test running with the first of 60 dual-system electric locos from GEC Alsthom subsidiary ACEC Transport. Known as Tractis, the SNCB Class 13s will be assembled by BN at Brugge using mechanical parts supplied from BelfortCAPTION: Two 150-tonne bogie drop pits being supplied to ...
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INSIDE INDUSTRY
CAPTION: The regional headquarters of Cubic Transportation Systems Far East Ltd was officially opened in Hong Kong on February 18 by Dr Cheng Hon-Kwan, Chairman of the Transport Advisory Committee
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Industry
Austria: Bombardier Transportation of Canada has signed an agreement to purchase a 26% stake in ELIN EBG Traction GmbH, subject to regulatory approval. Initial co-operation will concentrate on development of regional trainsets derived from the Talent concept (p245).China: Leighton Contractors (Asia) Ltd of Hong Kong and RSA of Australia have ...
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Midland Metro car arrives on home ground
ONE HOUR’S SUNSHINE on an otherwise bleak February 19 in the heart of Britain’s industrial Black Country marked the official roll-out of the first tram for Midland Metro’s light rail Line 1. Linking Birmingham Snow Hill with West Bromwich, Wednesbury, Bilston and Wolverhampton, the line is due to open in ...
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Virgin picks Bombardier to build CrossCountry fleet
ON MARCH 3 Britain’s Virgin Rail Group announced in London that it had picked Bombardier Transportation as preferred bidder to supply rolling stock for its CrossCountry franchise. The company has a letter of intent for an £858m contract combining tilting diesel units and loco-hauled push-pull sets with a maintenance package ...
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Luxury lounges on the Coast Starlight
CAPTION: Amtrak West unveiled its newly redesigned and renovated Pacific Parlour car under dreary skies at Los Angeles Union Station on February 19. The first class lounges are assigned to the Coast Starlight, which connects Los Angeles with Seattle, and are open only to sleeping car passengers. The dome-like ...
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Managing high-speed infrastructure
INTRO: Gestor de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias has been established this year by the Spanish government to build and manage high-speed routes. GIF President Albert Vilalta explained the role of his organisation and its involvement in the Madrid - Barcelona - French border project to Robert PrestonGIF’s primary role today is the ...