Main line rail industry news – Page 996
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NewsMineral line accord signed
MONGOLIA: Surveying and detailed design of a new railway to open up the mineral deposits in the South Gobi area is expected to get underway in November, following the signing of a formal accord between the Transport Ministry and Russian Railways on October 15. The memorandum of agreement was signed ...
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NewsCTL restructures to boost east-west traffic
POLAND: Open access rail freight operator CTL Logistics is to restructure its cross-border operations from December 1, in a bid to boost its share of the rail freight market between Germany, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. CTL Logistics President Krzysztof Sędzikowski announced on October 15 that the company wants to become ...
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NewsGreen Line groundbreaking in Sacramento
A groundbreaking ceremony in Sacramento on October 12 marked the start of construction on the first 1·8 km segment of the California state capital's Downtown — Natomas — Airport light rail extension. The US$44m project, now designated as the Green Line, will run north along 7th Street from the H ...
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NewsTrenitalia orders more Class E464s
ITALY: Trenitalia has awarded a further contract to Bombardier Transportation for an additional 100 Class E464 electric locomotives, to be delivered in 2010-12. Valued at approximately €258m, the contract announced on October 14 includes options for a further 50 locos. Rated at 3·5 MW, the single-ended Class E464 was developed ...
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NewsSNCF outlines TGV growth strategies
FRANCE: SNCF is planning to call tenders shortly for the supply of up to 100 new-generation high speed trainsets, equipped to operate cross-border services following the liberalisation of international passenger services in the European Union. President Guillaume Pepy confirmed on October 11 that SNCF is planning a firm order for ...
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NewsTREM project launched in San José
COSTA RICA: At a meeting in San José on October 7 Transport and Public Works Minister Karla González launched the government’s draft TREM rail concession which is to be tendered by the end of the month.Bids for the right to operate three routes connecting San José to Heredia province, San ...
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NewsPassenger reforms take shape
RUSSIA: Proposals for the reform of Russian Railways’ long-distance passenger business and the creation of a new operating company have been agreed in principle by the RZD management team. The detailed proposals will now be presented to the board of directors for formal approval. Restructuring of the long-distance passenger business ...
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NewsDe Lijn and Metro de Madrid win UITP marketing awards
INTERNATIONAL: Flemish tram and bus operator De Lijn and Metro de Madrid have been named as winners of this year’s UITP Marketing Awards, announced at the association’s fifth International Marketing Conference. Held in Lisbon on October 7-9, the event was hosted by local operators Carris and Metropolitano de Lisboa.Open to ...
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NewsBrussels’ Flexity trams set off for Vancouver
BELGIUM: At an event hosted by Brussels transport operator STIB on October 12, two Flexity Outlook trams were dispatched on a lengthy voyage to Vancouver, where they are destined to operate a shuttle service during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.The first leg of the journey will take the ...
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NewsMTA capital programme makes progress
USA: The MTA board of directors has approved a draft version of its next five-year capital programme, although the US$28bn plan needs another US$10m to be fully funded. This has now been forwarded to the New York State legislature in Albany for final approval, which MTA officials hope will come ...
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NewsMoatize coal link funded
MOZAMBIQUE: Construction of a second rail link into the Moatize coalfield is expected to get underway before the end of this year, following the announcement of a US$500m package of international funding put together by the government to support local investors. Transport Minister Paulo Zucula says funding from the Dutch ...
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NewsIntermodal accord signed
EUROPE: International consultations will start shortly to find a new operator for the trans-Alpine intermodal services on the Lyon – Torino corridor, following the signing of a bilateral accord between France and Italy on October 9. In a bilateral meeting alongside the European Union council of transport ministers in Luxembourg, ...
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NewsKarachi Circular Railway upgrading approved
PAKISTAN: Conversion of the Karachi Circular Railway into a high-capacity commuter line is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2010, a decade after trains stopped. The revival project approved by the National Economic Council on September 3 could see services resume in 2013. Opened in two phases ...
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NewsNews in Brief
Tracklaying on the 295 km line from Jinghe to Yining and Korgas on China’s border with Kazakhstan was completed last month. The 6bn yuan line through Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is expected to open in November, and will connect with the China Gateway line opening in 2012. On ...
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NewsMember States warned over First Railway Package
EUROPE: The European Commission is stepping up the pressure on EU Member States over their failure to implement fully or correctly the Directives in the First Railway Package, which are intended to open up the rail freight market to competition. This package includes Directives 91/440/EEC as amended, 95/18/EC as amended ...
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NewsContainers to the Caucasus
ARMENIA: Russian intermodal operator TransContainer has expanded its international network with the launch of its first service to Armenia, in co-operation with the South Caucasian Railway. An initial shipment on October 7 carried containerised traffic for Russian aluminium supplier Rusal. As a subsidiary of Russian Railways, TransContainer is developing its ...
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NewsTrans-Alpine RoLa still growing
SWITZERLAND: Despite the general slump in rail freight and trans-Alpine transit traffic, the international rolling motorway service between Freiburg im Breisgau in southern Germany and Novara in northern Italy is continuing to attract more business, according to René Dancet, Chairman of RAlpin AG. Presenting on October 7 the results for ...
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NewsTurn up and go trial
NETHERLANDS: Metro passengers take it for granted that they can turn up when they like and simply board the next train. There is no need to plan the trip or look at a timetable. From the passenger’s point of view, turn up and go applies to some main line ...
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NewsAecom wins Dallas contract extension
USA: Dallas Area Rapid Transit has awarded Aecom Technology Corp a US$19·3m contract extension for a variety of project control, system integration and staff support services on three LRT lines now under construction. The one-year extension, the first of three that are available under a base contract signed in ...
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NewsToronto Airport link gets environmental nod
CANADA: A long-delayed programme to increase commuter service on the Georgetown Line in Toronto, including a link to Pearson International Airport, was given the go-ahead by Ontario Environment Minister John Gerretsen on October 5 but with numerous strict conditions including the use of clean diesel locomotives. Gerretsen attached 18 ...