All Railway Gazette International articles in March 1997
All articles published this month.
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News
The tender trap
ON FEBRUARY 12 Netherlands Transport Minister Annemarie Jorritsma rejected the concept of open competition for passengers on the national network until at least 2000 unless ’something extra is offered which would add value to existing services.’ She threw out an application by Lovers Rail to run rival services from Amsterdam ...
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News
Sidetrack
Model passengersAs part of its drive to encourage courteous and safe behaviour, Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway Corp has presented gold pendants to 20 Model Passengers. The winners received their awards from four celebrities who star in MTR safety literature to demonstrate the ’proper modes of behaviour’ for the travelling ...
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News
Publications
Jane’s World Railways 1996-97The 800-page 38th edition of this substantial tome retains the usual format, with manufacturers listings followed by a gazetteer of world railways. It is liberally illustrated with photographs, loading gauge diagrams and tables. There are 197 new entries, and over 400 new photographs and drawings, including some ...
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News
People
Mr Valeri J Kovalyov has been appointed Vice-Minister of Railways in Russia. Mr Michail P Likhachov has become President of Russian Railways’ Volga Region.Mr G K Malhotra has taken over as Chairman of Rail India Technical & Economic Services (Rites).Mr Christian Cochet has been named Director of the Cabinet of ...
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News
On the way out
WHILST the Mercosur free trade zone may have revived freight traffic on Latin America’s railways, the same cannot be said for the residual passenger operations. Word reaches us from Uruguay that the pro-rail party in government since 1993 has been ousted by the administration which abandoned all services in 1988.Our ...
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News
Reform is in, privatisation is out
INTRO: After a false start last year, France’s rail network is being restructured. A new national agency will own the infrastructure, with French National Railways managing and operating the network and providing the transport service. Louis Gallois, appointed as President of SNCF last July, reveals his strategy to Murray HughesHughes: ...
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News
Metros
Canada: Vancouver city authority has bought part of a 1·5 km of right-of-way through CP’s False Creek yard for a proposed light rail line between SkyTrain at Main Street and Science World.Great Britain: London Underground has invited tenders for its Connect network-wide radio communications Private Finance Initiative; prequalified are Gensys, ...
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News
Metro spending
In addition to Pts19·31bn to be spent on Madrid’s infrastructure in 1997, mainly on metro extensions (RG 2.97 p76), the Catalan regional government has budgeted Pts22·7bn this year.This covers completion of Barcelona’s Line 2, ATP for Line 5 and substation upgrading on Line 1. Another Pts4·2bn will go on rolling ...
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News
Market
Australia: SRANSW has called tenders for technical support in its timetable planning and train control activities over three years.Belgium: Siemens has won a DM28·5m contract to modernise marshalling yard control equipment at an Antwerpen yard, including MSR32 radio-control equipment for shunting locos.Brazil: CPTM and Renfe have signed a technical co-operation ...
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News
ZW track machines load themselves
Plasser & Theurer has developed the ZW range of compact self-loading track maintenance machines, designed for use on regional and urban railways. Each of the four ZW models is equipped with four hydraulic jacks which raise the machine clear of the rails, allowing a flatbed road trailer to be positioned ...
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News
Letters
Green issuesSir - Articles in your November 1996 issue on train noise raise the issue of ’greens’ causing railway operators excessive costs, although they fail conspicuously to complain so vociferously about road noise. Here in the US the words are the same, the melody just a bit different. Too many ...
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News
The VAT lady sings
ENLIVENING the closing minutes of ICM's conference on Managing Privatised Railways in London on January 16 was a chilling dissertation by Celia Brennen of KPMG on the looming horrors of Value Added Tax. January 1 1997 saw the expiry of a derogation which legitimised a long-established practice in some European ...
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News
Izmir LRT to open next year
INTRO: Faced with worsening traffic congestion, Turkey’s third largest city has embarked upon the construction of a light rail network that will eventually total 50 km. Under a turnkey contract awarded to the ABB-Yapi Merkezi-Adtranz consortium, the first 11·5 km is scheduled to open during 1998 BYLINE: Lennart GunnarssonProject ManagerAdtranz ...
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News
Intelligence
CAPTION: Metrolink operator Southern California Regional Rail Authority has been running a series of trials around Los Angeles with a Siemens-built RegioSprinter. On January 18 the lightweight articulated railcar made demonstration runs on a freight line between Arcadia (above) and Claremont in the San Gabriel valleyCAPTION: French National Railways ran ...
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News
Intelligence
CAPTION: Czech Railways has received the first series-built Class 943 driving trailers and Class 043 centre cars from MSV Studenka to operate with its Class 843 diesel-electric railcars. The 11 driving and 20 non-driving cars are all due to be delivered by the end of this yearCAPTION: Thorn Transit Systems ...
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News
Intelligence
Australia: Westrail has been prosecuted by Worksafe Western Australia for failing to provide automatic train protection at Hines Hill crossing loop; two people died after a National Rail driver failed to stop at a red signal in January 1996.Formal approval has been given for National Rail to compete with V/Line ...
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News
Industry
Brazil: Cobrasma has closed after deteriorating finances led to accumulated debt of at least R$400m; the firm only left receivership in 1994.Canada: Bombardier Inc has bought NorRail Inc of Buffalo to develop a wagon leasing business in North America as part of Bombardier Capital.Czech Republic: IFE AG of Austria has ...
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News
Green line runs through
WASHINGTON Metrorail launched through trains from the city centre to the Green line terminus at Greenbelt, Maryland, on January 27. Pending completion of the missing link in the Green line, WMATA has launched peak-hour through trains from Farragut North via the Red line and a connecting curve at Fort Totten. ...
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News
Gone mining
JUST AS the Russian Railways Ministry starts to implement its restructuring process which includes pulling out of non-core activities such as running towns and hospitals for railwaymen, comes news that it is to be granted the rights to mineral development along the Baikal - Amur corridor. Immediately after the BAM ...
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News
French under fire from Korea
A BITTER row has erupted between France and South Korea that could see the 431 km Seoul - Pusan TGV line delayed by more than the four years already likely because of problems with civil engineering work (RG 12.96 p777). The problem stems from a decision last December by France’s ...