Main line rail industry news – Page 1440
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News
South West Trains places Juniper order
UK: Contracts were exchanged on May 9 for GEC Alsthom to supply Porterbrook Leasing Co with 30 four-car electric multiple-units for lease to South West Trains - both SWT and Porterbrook are Stagecoach subsidiaries. First delivery will be in September next year, and five sets will be available for the ...
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Merger precedes privatisation
PERUVIAN President Alberto Fujimori has announced that the railway operations of Empresa Minera del Centro de Peru will be handed over to the state railway company Enafer. This will include the 212 km standard-gauge network and rolling stock, apart from yard operations servicing the smelters and foundry, which will remain ...
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UP to take Pacifico-Norte
A CONSORTIUM of Union Pacific and two Mexican firms is likely to be sole bidder for a 50-year concession to manage and operate Mexico’s 6400 km Pacifico-Norte Railway. Jorge Silberstein, who is in charge of the FNM privatisation, said last month that no other tenders were expected by the June ...
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MTR unveils expansion strategy
HONG KONG’s Mass Transit Railway Corp has launched a 10-year expansion programme costed at around US$4bn, following forecasts that the increasingly congested three-line network will reach saturation point in 2006. As well as the branch to Tseung Kwan O now at the planning stage, MTR envisages two new lines and ...
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Multi-purpose smart cards
Schlumberger Electronic Transactions has unveiled the Easy range of smart cards for ticketing applications, available in two basic versions. The contactless version incorporating a Mifare 1 chip is readable in 100ms at a distance of 100mm through pockets, wallets or purses, and features a 1kB memory structured for multi-operator networks. ...
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Practicality first
Lazzerini has developed a modular seat design for inter-city, regional and urban applications that aims to reduce whole-life costs through simplified maintenance. Seat and backrest cushions are attached to an aluminium frame using pins that can be easily removed in the workshop, allowing cushions to be exchanged in a matter ...
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Products In Brief
The exterior and cab front design produced by Design Triangle for Hong Kong’s Airport Express and Tung Chung line trainsets is to be adopted for the refurbishment of MTRC’s existing fleet. Involving 759 EMU cars, the programme is scheduled for completion in 2001 (RG 12.96 p786).SNCF’s blue and grey TER ...
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In Brief
NS Stations has announced plans to site branches of the A&P supermarket chain at larger regional stations. The shops would offer products ranging from fresh fruit and vegetables to oven-ready meals.Great North Eastern Railway has introduced a loyalty programme for first class passengers known as Excel Portfolio. Points accumulated ...
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Industry
France: Knorr Bremse subsidiary Freinrail has relocated its activities to Reims.Great Britain: On April 28 Cubic Ltd completed the purchase of Thorn Transit Systems International, which becomes part of the Cubic Automatic Revenue Collection Group that includes WCL, Scanpoint and Southern Cubic.GEC Alsthom Diesels has bought diesel engine manufacturer Mirrlees ...
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At-seat entertainment
An at-seat entertainment system for rail vehicles has been developed by established airline supplier MBM Technology, in conjunction with seat manufacturer Compin and interiors and component specialist Transintech. In a prototype static installation presented to train operators, lessors and manufacturers, LCD video screens have been fitted to Compin first class ...
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Mushroom concept will transform Berlin
INTRO: Construction work to rebuild Berlin’s main line and S-Bahn networks is forging ahead at a furious pace. Murray Hughes reports from the site of Berlin’s future inter-city interchangeVISIT THE east end of the S-Bahn platforms at Lehrter Stadtbahnhof in the centre of Berlin, and you will see and feel ...
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Firenze backs TAV tunnel
ITALIAN Transport Minister Claudio Burlando has signed an agreement with Mayor of Firenze Mario Primicerio paving the way for construction of a tunnel to carry the Roma - Milano high speed line under the city. High-speed project manager Italferr TAV SiS and Italian State Railways are party to the agreement, ...
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Rebels seize Sizarail
THE FUTURE for rail services that eke out a precarious existence in Zaire looks bleaker than ever following news early last month that Laurent Kabila’s opposition forces had shut down Sizarail, the operating company owned 51% by the Comazar consortium formed of South Africa’s Transnet and Belgium’s Transurb, and 49% ...
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Suppliers flock to City Transport ’97
INTRO: Organised in conjunction with UITP’s Stuttgart congress, the City Transport ’97 exhibition takes place on June 2-5A wide range of products and services for urban and regional operators will be on display at City Transport ’97 in Stuttgart’s Messegelände exhibition and congress centre. The Transfloor range from Altro Floors ...
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Intermodal spearheads the Freightways
INTRO: A fundamental switch from national networks to line-of-route management spanning frontiers is essential if rail is to absorb a much larger share of freight growth in Europe. Bryan Stone* and Richard Hope explain how major shipping companies are forcing open the door for others to followBYLINE: *Bryan Stone is ...
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NDX poised to network Europe
INTRO: Gordon Mott FCIT tells Richard Hope why chartered trains are going to be riding the Freightways before open access emerges As Assistant Vice President International Development for CSX Transportation, and a director of NDX, Gordon Mott is well placed to help rail industry colleagues hack a path through the ...
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Paperless fault reports
German Railway extended its RIGA advanced train maintenance reporting system to five more depots from the timetable change on June 1. Developed by Krupp Timtec Telematik, RIGA dispenses with much overnight train maintenance and hand-written and faxed material. The first phase of the pilot project was completed in October 1996 ...
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Sishen - Saldanha pulls back from the brink
INTRO: Murray Hughes reports from the 6th IHHA Congress in Cape TownVISIT the 861 km iron ore artery in South Africa, and you will see signs that the railway has suffered badly. Spoornet executives admit that the line nearly closed when the iron and steel market plummetted in the mid-1980s. ...
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More in first class with Eurostar
Priced to compete with full-fare airline business class, Premium First was launched on London - Paris Eurostar services on April 28. With Premium First and Standard Plus, four distinct levels of service are being introduced to replace the two classes dating from Eurostar’s inception. For £370 return, ...
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Metros
France: On April 28 Lyon’s Maggaly fully-automated metro Line D was extended 1·6 km northeast to a park & ride and bus/metro interchange at Vaise.Germany: Berlin S-Bahn services were extended 2·1 km from Westend to Jungfernheide in April. The DM90m extension is the first stage of a programme to complete ...