Main line rail industry news – Page 860
-
NewsWi-fi is latest upgrade for SWT Desiro fleet
UK: A £3·2m programme to install wireless internet on the 45 five-car Class 444 Siemens Desiro EMUs operated by South West Trains was announced on July 4. As well as enabling passengers to access the internet and e-mail on the move, wi-fi will enable real-time monitoring of on-train equipment and, ...
-
NewsDiesel locomotives delivered to New York subway
USA: MTA New York City Transit has taken delivery of the first of 28 diesel-electric locomotives ordered from MotivePower for use on works trains when the third rail power supply is turned off. Designated MP 8AC-3 by the manufacturer and R156 by NYCT, the 51 tonne locomotives have been specially-designed ...
-
NewsHKX prepares to take on DB
GERMANY: Open access operator Hamburg-Köln Express expects to launch revenue services between the two cities on July 23, having opened its ticket sales channels on July 4. HKX will initially operate one train per day from Monday to Wednesday in competition with Deutsche Bahn, serving six intermediate ...
-
NewsWagon fleet privatisation proposed
KAZAKHSTAN: The government is developing plans for the Kaztemirtrans freight business of national railway KTZ to transfer ownership of its wagon fleet to the private sector. Because of a shortage of wagons Kaztemirtrans currently uses foreign-registered vehicles for 20% of its traffic, and as neighbouring countries reform their wagon ownership ...
-
NewsUijeongbu inaugurates U Line light metro
SOUTH KOREA: An 11·1 km elevated light metro serving the city of Uijeongbu was officially opened for traffic on July 1, providing an east-west route connecting with north-south services on Seoul metro Line 1. With almost 500 000 inhabitants, Uijeongbu lies 20 km north of the South Korean capital. When ...
-
NewsSound Transit sets budget and timescale for North Link project
USA: Seattle's Sound Transit board approved project scheduling and a $2·1bn budget for the North Link light rail extension from the University of Washington to Northgate on June 28. North Link will be a continuation of the 5·1 km Westlake - Capitol Hill - University of Washington extension, which is ...
-
NewsThree-year investment programme approved
VIETNAM: An investment programme worth US$9·5bn over the next three years has been approved by parliament, paving the way for state railway DSVN to undertake significant modernisation works on key north-south corridors. Due for completion by 2015, the package focuses on raising line speeds to 120 km/h ...
-
News
Gert Frost
Gert Frost (photo) is to succeed Mogens Jonck as Commercial Director at Danish state railway DSB; Frost will continue as CEO of DSB S-tog until a successor is found. Director of Personnel Lone Lindsby has decided to step down, and will be replaced by CEO Jesper Lok on an interim ...
-
NewsOpening in sight?
BRAZIL: Federal railway construction company Valec expects the first section of the North-South Railway, running from Palmas to Gurupi in Tocantins state, to be operational in September this year. This would be followed by Gurupi – Uruaçu in April 2013 and Uruaçu – Anápolis in September of that ...
-
NewsDB Schenker to serve London Gateway
UK: DB Schenker expects to operate four intermodal trains per day from the London Gateway deep-water port when it opens in the fourth quarter of next year. Representing total investment of £1·5bn, London Gateway is being developed by DP World on the site of the former Shellhaven ...
-
NewsSBB to replace maintenance fleet
SWITZERLAND: The Swiss Federal Railways board has approved a SFr606m programme to procure 1750 new infrastructure maintenance vehicles. These will replace the current fleet of 2240 vehicles, which have an average age of 33 years and no longer meet current technical, environmental and safety standards. SBB expects ...
-
NewsIC4s return to service
DENMARK: National passenger operator DSB announced on July 2 that it had received authority to put its troubled fleet of IC4 DMUs back into passenger service. The trains had been withdrawn from traffic in November 2011 after problems were identified with the braking system. DSB has been allowed to run ...
-
NewsIntelligent planning to minimise disruption
AUSTRALIA: RailCorp of New South Wales has awarded Siemens a contract to supply and support 'intuitive' technology designed to optimise timetabling to improve reliability and punctuality on the busy Sydney - Blacktown corridor. 'Our control system is capable of re-routing and prioritising trains automatically in the event of disruption', according ...
-
NewsOdense picks light rail consultants
DENMARK: Odense Municipality has selected Parsons Brinckerhoff to assist with project management for the city’s light rail project, which was one of the schemes outlined in the government’s latest public transport strategy unveiled on June 12. Under an agreement announced on July 2, the consultants will provide strategic and economic ...
-
News
Pepy nominates directors
SNCF President Guillaume Pepy has nominated Jean-Pierre Farandou (left) to work closely with him in the newly-created post of Deputy Director General. Voyages-sncf.com Director General Rachel Picard (below) has been appointed Director General, SNCF Gares & Connexions, succeeding Sophie Boissard who is now Deputy Director General, Strategy & Development.
-
NewsSlaskie abandons national operator PR in favour of local company
POLAND: Slaskie voivodship's in-house passenger operator Koleje Slaskie has been directly awarded a three-year contract to replace Poland-wide Przewozy Regionalne as the provider of all regional passenger services in the voivodship when PR's current five-year agreement ends in January 2013. PR operates nationally and is owned by the voivodship governments. ...
-
NewsUnion Pacific subsidiary buys Yard Control Systems business
USA: Union Pacific Corp's PS Technology subsidiary announced its acquisition of the Yard Control Systems division of Ansaldo STS USA on June 25. Terms were not disclosed. Based at Norristown in Pennsylvania, Yard Control Systems provides automation and control technology for marshalling yards. Later this year it expects to release ...
-
NewsEMD and Barloworld form African locomotive joint venture
SOUTH AFRICA: Electro-Motive Diesel and plant, automotive and handling product distributor Barloworld have formed Electro-Motive Diesel Africa, a joint venture which will assemble locomotives in South Africa for the wider southern African market. 'Africa is an important market for us and the joint venture with an established company, like Barloworld ...
-
NewsCAF forms Power & Automation business
SPAIN: CAF announced the merger of its Traintic, Trainelec and DTQ4 businesses to form a single CAF Power & Automation company on July 2. CAF said the new company would design and manufacture electric power distribution, communications and control systems for all types of rolling stock, drawing on its own ...
-
NewsFirst phase of Poznan Glówny PPP redevelopment completed
POLAND: A new main building at Poznan Glówny station was inaugurated by President Bronisaw Komorowski on May 29. The €7m building partially spanning platforms 1, 2 and 3 has been developed under a PPP agreement between infrastructure manager PKP PLK which provided the land, and Europa Fund III and TriGranit ...