Main line rail industry news – Page 1430
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News
Atlantico bids called
COSTA RICAN rail administration Incofer invited bids on August 22 for a 25-year concession to restore and operate the 300 km Ferrocarril del Atlantico (RBR97 p52). Bidders have been given three months to inspect the property and submit final tenders by November 28. Various firms are in discussion with Incofer, ...
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Desert Express rolls out in April
TRANSNAMIB’S Windhoek workshops are currently rebuilding coaches for the Desert Express landcruise that is scheduled to be launched in April. Also available for private hire, the Desert Express will depart from Windhoek on a 21h round trip to Swakopmund on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. With passengers eating and sleeping on ...
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News
GNER orders Pendolini
BERMUDA-based shipping group Sea Containers is to order tilting trains from Fiat Ferroviaria for its British train operating franchisee Great North Eastern Railway. The signing of heads of agreement covering two trains was announced on September 9, at a price believed to be around £15m each. There is an option ...
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In Brief
n Turkish Transport Minister Necdet Menzir has announced proposals to restructure and privatise TCDD. The government is to initiate a review of railway operations and start modernisation of TCDD workshops ready for their sale to the private sector. n September 30 is the closing date for bids to supply nine ...
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Metropolitan plans go firm
GERMAN Railway has completed plans for its Metropolitan business trains. Two seven-car push-pull formations and a Class 101 loco will launch the service next summer between Hamburg and K
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Russians boost rail spending
PRIVATISATION of the Russian rail network has been ruled out by First Prime Minister B E Nemetsov, despite the drastic cost-saving programme imposed in July (RG 9.97 p575). Emphasising that ’the economy of Russia will fully depend on whether or not the railways function efficiently’, he insisted the railways ...
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Products In Brief
Loronix Information Systems has developed CCTVWare Transit, a video security system for passenger vehicles that records images from up to five different cameras onto a removable disk drive for retrieval using a standard Pentium PC. Designed for mounting on any flat surface, the 50mm x 50mm Loronix Moving Eyeball camera ...
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Market
Australia: NSW Rail Services Authority has won a contract to fit out the tunnels on the New Southern Railway Sydney Airport Link, including track, signalling, electrification and communications.Belgium: De Lijn has exercised part of its option to order six more single-direction LRVs for Antwerpen and three bi-directional LRVs for Gent ...
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Through running diesels
GERMAN regional rail operator Regental Bahnbetriebs-Gesellschaft has reached agreement to run its Vogtlandbahn services into the centre of Zwickau over the tracks of the local tram network. The company’s eight RegioSprinter low-floor diesel railcars are to be fitted with direction indicators, brake lights, warning bells and electric point actuators for ...
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Remote sensing at crossings
Burlington Northern Santa Fe has teamed up with communications companies Kansas Cellular, Open Cellular Systems, and BellSouth to provide remote monitoring equipment for level crossings, using existing communications links. Commissioning is due to be completed by the end of next year.BNSF staff will be alerted to a range of equipment ...
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In Brief
VIA Rail Canada has awarded a three-year contract to Cara Operations Ltd for provision of on-board meals for trains in the Windsor - Québec corridor. From November 1, Cara will provide 400000 meals a year from food preparation centres in Toronto and Montréal.Iarnród éireann and Northern Ireland Railways will formally ...
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News
Regulator demands better service
BRITAIN’S Rail Regulator John Swift announced on August 15 that he was proceeding with enforcement action against Train Operating Companies over poor performance of the National Rail Enquiry Service, the network of telephone enquiry bureaux accessed by a single number since August 1996. All 25 TOCs participate in the NRES ...
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Industry
Germany: GE Capital Services has agreed to purchase Cargowaggon GmbH from Brambles Industries Ltd and Danzas Holding AG. Retaining its present name, Cargowaggon will become the first European component of GE Capital’s Railcar Services business.Great Britain: Construction group Miller has set up a specialist railway company called Miller Rail. It ...
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Metros
Argentina: Siemens has won a 12-year US$27·2m contract to refurbish and maintain 64 cars for Buenos Aires metro Line E.Czech Republic: Skoda AS is to refurbish a second batch of 10 T3 trams for Liberec, and fit them with IGBT chopper controls and regenerative braking. Seven T3s are being refurbished ...
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News
Intercity 2000 deliveries start this year
INTRO: The first of 10 tilting trainsets for Spanish National Railways’ Madrid - Valencia route will be delivered this month and enter revenue service at the end of May 1998 ORDERED on January 30 1996, the Intercity 2000 is derived from Italian Railways’ ETR460 Pendolino, and fitted with Fiat’s active ...
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News
Intelligence
Angola: Tor di Valle of Italy has begun work on rehabilitation of the Benguela Railway under a barter agreement that grants it the right to exploit 37000ha of eucalyptus plantations (RG7.97 p432). Argentina: Under a concession awarded by the province of Córdoba, Ferrocarriles Mediterr
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News
Valencia LRT under way
VENEZUELAN transport authority C A Metro de Valencia gave permission on September 4 for Siemens Transportation Systems to begin construction of the city’s US$80m light rail project. Phase 1 of the turnkey package covers the 6·2 km from Parque Recreacional to Avenida Cedeño (DM 97 p57), including eight LRVs to ...
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Finance
Canada: CN is to invest C$64m on its lines in British Columbia this year, including C$36·4m on track renewal, C$2m on signalling and C$2m on links to Vancouver’s Deltaport intermodal terminal. A six-year C$11m programme to upgrade the Terrace - Kitimat branch will finish this year.Ethiopia: The government has negotiated ...
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Simplex adds versatile track jack
A jack with a 100mm wide base has been introduced by Simplex to its range of Pow’r Claw¨ self-contained hydraulic track jacks. The Bridge & Trestle jack is sufficiently narrow to fit between double-set sleepers on bridges. One man can lift up to 10 tonnes from the toe or the ...
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Products In Brief
Thorn Security has completed a contract to install a CCTV secure access system for the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal. More than 50 cameras give complete surveillance, including pan/tilt cameras with motorised zoom lenses, and facilities to monitor trains entering or leaving the site.Polish State Railways has installed a Weighline ...