Main line rail industry news – Page 1437
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News
Replaceable units keep GE locos rolling
INTRO: Computer diagnostics and the ability to replace electronic assemblies translates directly into higher asset utilisation, bringing major financial benefitsBYLINE: Vic SergeantSenior Systems Engineer,General Electric Transportation SystemsGENERAL ELECTRIC introduced the first ever microprocessor controlled diesel locomotive in production quantities in 1985. With the 4 000 hp C39-8, the concept of ...
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Modular seats meet many applications
DEVELOPED by Vogel Interieur Schienenfahrzeuge in conjunction with TriCon Design of Weiden, the Wing modular seating system has been designed for applications ranging from metro cars and suburban rolling stock to high-speed trains. Wing components meeting railway mechanical strength and fire safety requirements can be assembled as desired; four different ...
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Finance
Brazil: Ferrovia Sul-Atlântico is planning to invest US$56m this year, despite making a loss of nearly US$19m.Canada: CP Rail is to spend C$87m on capital projects in British Columbia; C$47m will go on an intermodal terminal near Vancouver.China: The Ministry of Railways has applied for a US$300m World Bank loan ...
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Sleepers abandoned
LONDON & Continental Railways Ltd, the company charged with building the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, confirmed on July 9 that it had abandoned plans to operate overnight sleeper trains to Paris from Glasgow, Swansea and Plymouth. LCR Chief Executive Adam Mills promised that ’we will bring the regional Eurostar day ...
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Hope in Africa
TWO DEVELOPMENTS give encouragement to the hope we expressed last month (RG 7.97 p427) that railways in the southern half of Africa are starting to benefit from the laying down of arms.A 51% interest in six management and operating concessions in Mozambique’s Maputo Development Corridor is being offered for sale ...
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Electric or diesel: tilting may tip the balance
Economic, technical, environmental and ergonomic factors must be addressed when selecting traction power. However, parameters shift if tilt is to be used. Felix Schmid* examines the issues which engineers must assessTravel time is a key element in the attractiveness of an inter-city or inter-regional rail service. Increasing maximum speed over ...
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Heathrow Express passes delivery milestone
JUNE 23 saw the first Heathrow Express Class 332 EMU built by Siemens and CAF handed over to airport operator BAA plc at a ceremony at the new HEx Old Oak Common Train Care facility in west London. BAA Chief Executive Sir John Egan received a three-car set from his ...
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Airport trains complete first phase of tests
INTRO: One of 23 seven-car trains for Hong Kong’s airport line is to be shipped from Germany this monthTEN WEEKS of trials with one of the first trains for Hong Kong MTR Corp’s airport line culminated in a media presentation on July 2 at the Adtranz works in Hennigsdorf near ...
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Redwing puts drivers in the picture
Driver-only operation offers cost savings, but the associated equipment - cameras, TV monitors and mirrors - are prone to vandalism. To view train doors, the driver must be able to stop the train accurately at the viewing point, and it is often difficult to continue to view the area around ...
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UIC faces up to revolution
The International Union of Railways marked its 75th birthday with a seminar in Paris on June 19 which revealed just how widely opinions differ on the best way to replace monolithic state-owned railways. But on one point there was consensus: the earthquake that has hit the industry in the 1990s ...
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NY expansion
NEW YORK’s Metro-North Commuter Railroad has announced plans to relieve a major bottleneck its 123 km Harlem line, which has seen ridership increase by an average of 2·6% annually since 1984. Whereas the Hudson and New Haven lines each have three or four tracks throughout, the mid-Harlem section has only ...
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Paris opening launches next round of French tram projects
PRESIDENTS Louis Gallois of French National Railways and Jean-Paul Bailly of Paris Transport Authority joined Minister of Transport Claude Gayssot to inaugurate the French capital's second modern tramway on July 1. Originally intended to open last year, the 11·3 km Tram Val de Seine links La Défense to Issy-Val ...
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Tunnel still afloat
EUROTUNNEL’S efforts to drum up support from shareholders for the complex financial restructuring intended to make its £8·5bn debt more manageable were rewarded at an extraordinary general meeting on July 10 in Paris. After 6 h of debate, the resolutions needed to approve the restructuring were passed by a majority ...
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Bringing back the fish
ANNOUNCEMENT on July 16 that 2500 freight wagons will be built for US-owned freight operator EWS over the next five years - at the former carriage works in York in association with Thrall Car - is one of the most encouraging events on the British scene in the traumatic five ...
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Amtrak could go bankrupt next year
A WORKING GROUP of 13 set up by Bud Shuster, Chairman of the House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, reported on June 23 that ’Amtrak is now awash in red ink, buffeted by conflicting missions and ballooning debt, and virtually starved of capital in both political and financial terms.’ ...
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Sidetrack
Oooh! Aaah! Eurostar?READERS of our regular Passenger Portfolio feature will no doubt be familiar with the continuing efforts of train operators worldwide to keep their business clintele supplied with the creature comforts that they have come to expect. Eurostar (UK) appears to have gone one better than at-seat video or ...
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Finance
Canada: Short line operator RaiLink Ltd plans a C$25m share offering, and is due to be listed on the Toronto stock market this month.Estonia: The European Investment Bank is providing half of the estimated US$35·5m cost of track repairs on 70 km of EVR main line between Tallinn and the ...
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Swazis prepare to go west
SWAZILAND Railways has unveiled plans to build a western link into South Africa, to provide a direct route to Johannesburg and the Gauteng region. Chief Executive Officer Gideon Mahlalela said in Mbabane on May 29 that he hoped the line would be open within five years.The new link would use ...
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Queen opens Storebaelt link
JUNE 1 saw the formal opening of the fixed rail link across Denmark’s Great Belt. The ceremonies were held at the Halsskov portal on Sjaelland, to which around 400 guests were taken from København by a special train formed of IC3 DMUs. Transport Minister Bjørn Westh (right) made a ...
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Russians to test smart cards
MOSCOW Metro has awarded an A$8·4m contract to AES Prodata, part of Australia’s ERG group, for installation of advanced fare collection equipment at 153 stations. The system is intended to reduce fraud and handle rising traffic. It will be based around the V3000 ticket reader which combines magnetic stripe and ...