All Railway Gazette International articles in March 2000
All articles published this month.
-
News
Sidetrack
Every cloud...One side effect of the storms which lashed parts of France at Christmas is the large number of fallen trees unexpectedly available for future use as timber. SNCF is providing additional storage space for the windfalls at the 150 or so freight depots regularly handling timber traffic, as well ...
-
News
Publications
Météor: Le Métro du FuturThis colourful booklet in French with English translations provides a potted history of the development of Paris metro Line 14. It traces the background to the line, and explains in more detail the modular train control systems, which have since been adopted as the basis for ...
-
News
Portable train weigher
RAPID MEASURMENT of rolling stock at any location is now possible, thanks to the development of a portable train weigher by British based Weighwell Engineering. Light enough to be carried by two people, the unit takes approximately 15 min to install. This makes it suitable for checking wagons being loaded ...
-
News
Pointers
n The prime ministers of Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Germany and the Land of Schleswig-Holstein have pledged their support for the construction of a fixed link across the Fehmarn Belt within 10 years, replacing the present Rødby - Puttgarden ferry.n Railion confirmed on February 15 that ’discussions’ are taking place with ...
-
News
PEOPLE
In the new Croatian government formed at the end of January, Alojz Tusek was named Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications in succession to Ivan Pavlovic.On February 14 Mike Kinski resigned as Chief Executive of British-based bus and rail operator Stagecoach Group. He is to be replaced by the ...
-
News
State takes over Sokol
TIME is running out for the Russian High Speed Railway Co (RAO VSM). At a meeting of shareholders held in January, several major decisions were taken. Most significant was to hand to the Ministry of Railways the project to build and operate the Sokol high speed train (RG 9.99 p567).The ...
-
News
Metros
Argentina: Studies are under way for putting in tunnel the Liniers - Once section of the Sarmiento network operated by Trenes de Buenos Aires, to eliminate 70 level crossings. The present alignment would then turned over for development.Canada: Three extensions have been proposed to Ottawa’s initial light rail route due ...
-
News
Market
Algeria: SNTF is negotiating a US$30m agreement with General Motors EMD for refurbishment and ongoing maintenance of its ageing diesel loco fleet.Australia: Queensland Rail is to install track, electrification and signalling on the 8·5 km Brisbane airport line as sub-contractor to Transfield Construction.A consortium led by Maunsell McIntyre is to ...
-
News
Manila muddles on
REPORTS from Manila at the end of January suggest that SNC Lavalin may shortly win approval from the government to build the long-planned LRT Line 1 southern extension from Baclaran to Dasmarinas and Cavite. The Canadians had been negotiating for years with the previous administration for the C$600m BOT project, ...
-
News
Maintenance software
GERMAN Railway’s inter-city business unit DB Reise & Touristik AG has decided to equip 11 of its principal rolling stock servicing depots with simulation and support software from Stuttgart-based Flexis GmbH. The Rail Maintenance Planning System allows operators to optimise shunting sequences and materials supply as the trains pass ...
-
News
Short line merger
US-BASED short line group RailAmerica confirmed on February 4 that it had completed the US$325m acquisition of RailTex Inc announced in October 1999. Under terms approved by both sets of shareholders on February 1, RailTex shareholders will receive $13·50 in cash and 0·66 of a share of RailAmerica stock for ...
-
News
Thriving lessor
SAAF Rail Assets Management Co, set up in October 1998 as part of the restructuring of Romanian State Railways, has quickly established itself as a business to be reckoned with in the rolling stock leasing market. Starting out with surplus CFR stock, it is hoping to turn over US$2m a ...
-
News
Peoplemover launcher
Construction of the guideway for the 28 km LRT peoplemover loop in Singapore’s Senkang estate has been simplified by the introduction of two new girder launching platforms. Developed for contractor BBR Construction by Norwegian Rail System, the launching platforms incorporate Enerpac high-pressure hydraulic jacks supplied by Applied Power Asia.The two ...
-
News
INTELLIGENCE
Belarus: BCh has put into service the first of a batch of coaches being refurbished at Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk works. With assistance and equipment from Spain, the coaches have been fitted with air-conditioning and vacuum toilets, and are passed for 200 km/h.Belgium: SNCB is to extend its Zeebrugge branch in May ...
-
News
Industry News
Canada: The provincial government of Nova Scotia has retained Ernst & Young to sell the assets of Sydney Steel Corp. This follows the termination of an agreement to sell the company to Rail Associates Inc of the USA for C$30m.Germany: On January 27 the Rail Vehicle Systems Division of Knorr-Bremse ...
-
News
Spanish plan gives rail priority
ON JANUARY 24 Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar unveiled a 2000-07 Infrastructure Plan costed at Pts9100bn, to be funded with private finance and public money at European, national, regional and municipal level. Rail has been allocated Pts4700bn, which would be largely used to develop the high speed network so ...
-
News
Oliemans rejects freight
Two years into his appointment as Managing Director of Railinfrabeheer, the company responsible for managing the Dutch rail network, Ir Roland Oliemans is preparing to tell Transport Minister Tineke Netelenbos next month that the railway should stop carrying freight.Oliemans is a businessman, and he told AiC’s Network Control & Capacity ...
-
NewsSSRA to replace MkI fleet
UK: The Shadow Strategic Rail Authority announced on February 11 that it was seeking expressions of interest in the supply of up to 1500 electric multiple-unit vehicles, to replace the MkI stock currently operated by Connex and South West Trains on the 750 V DC third rail network south of ...
-
News
Finance
Argentina: SUBA and Electromac have purchased a 51% stake in Trainmet for US$28m, and are looking to increase Trainmet’s half share in Metropolitano which operates the Roca, San Martín and Belgrano Sur commuter routes in Buenos Aires. The other 50% of Metropolitano is held by construction group Ormas.Australia: BHP has ...