All Railway Gazette International articles in March 2008 – Page 4
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News
Industry News in Brief
Moscow-based European Bearing Corp and Chicago firm Amsted Rail have agreed to form a joint venture which will produce cartridge tapered roller bearings in Russia for the CIS rolling stock market. Miscor Group has expanded its loco repair and remanufacturing capabilities with the purchase of privately-held American Motive Power Inc ...
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SuperCap tests complete
GERMANY: Mannheim tram operator MVV and Bombardier have completed four years of trials with a Mitrac Energy Saver which uses double-layer capacitors to store regenerated braking energy (RG 7.06 p405). Long-term results showed that the tram's traction power consumption was reduced by 30%. Overall power needs including doors, air-conditioning and ...
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On the path to competition
FRANCE: Open access freight services are now operating in every region of the French rail network, according to RFF President Hubert du Mesnil. He told the sixth national train paths conference on February 6 that private companies are now running an average of 80 trains a day, and a quarter ...
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NewsBritain announces tram-train trials
UK: Five tram-trains are to be procured for trials on the Penistone line in Yorkshire, Britain's Department for Transport confirmed on March 18. The two-year trial starting in 2010 will 'establish whether tram-trains similar to those operating successfully in Europe are suitable for Britain’s railway network.' The project is a ...
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News'The nightmare scenario'
Thalys International's Chief Executive Jean-Michel Dancoisne explains how capacity constraints and cross-border regulatory inconsistency risk making his job anything but a dream.
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Through the Andes, not over them
ARGENTINA: At the end of January the governments of Argentina and Chile formally abandoned tendering for the project to restore the rail connection between their two countries, having received a single, non-compliant bid. Originally developed by Argentinian engineering consultancy Tecnicagua, the project would have seen the 225 km metre-gauge ...
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Infrastructure market March 2008
Argentina: The federal government has awarded Martínez y de la Fuente SA a contract worth 28·3m pesos to build a new broad-gauge connection to the Port of Buenos Aires, which by using the existing metre-gauge route should enable 300 000 containers a year to be handled. Under the second phase ...
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São Paulo airport rail concession
BRAZIL: Bids are to be invited in May for a 35-year concession to build and operate the long-planned Airport Express rail link in São Paulo, with the aim of having the line in service by the end of 2011. The state government hopes to receive bids for the US$800m finance-design-build-operate ...
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NewsKeep it simple
NIGERIA: Following the collapse of the agreement for Chinese engineering companies to fund as well as build its ambitious standard-gauge rail network, the Nigerian government has been looking for alternative sources of finance. But a recent approach to the World Bank seems to have come away empty-handed. The bank's advisers ...
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Branches on Canaries
SPAIN: Work is now underway on the two branches that will form Line 2 of the light rail network in the Spanish city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (RG 10.07 p597). Under a contract worth €11·4m, a joint venture of Acciona Infraestructuras, Comsa, Promotora Punta Larga and Tinerfeña Obras ...
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NewsWest Coast upgrade enters the final stage
Launched in 1998, the upgrading of Britain's busiest inter-city and freight route from London to Glasgow has proved a challenging task that Network Rail now expects to complete by 2009
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FGC completes upgrade
SPAIN: On February 9 Catalan regional operator FGC introduced a new timetable on its metre-gauge route to Martorell, Igualada and Manresa, having completed a €264·7m programme of capacity enhancements to enable trains to operate every 5 min in the peaks between Barcelona Plaça d'Espanya and Martorell-Enllaç. Trains now operate every ...
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Trains in temporary accommodation
TUBE Lines has erected a temporary workshop at Stratford Market depot on London Underground's Jubilee Line to enable trains to receive train control equipment modifications as part of the resignalling of the route. The 1 960 m2 temporary workshop provides a dedicated facility to fit the additional equipment to each ...
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Pantographs pushed for higher speed
DEUTSCHE BAHN and Stemmann-Technik are collaborating on a project to develop an actively-controlled single-arm pantograph capable of operation at up to 400 km/h. The design will be an evolution of Stemmann's existing DSA380 model that is already in production, which is approved for speeds in excess of 320 km/h. The ...
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Wagon builder revived
FRANCE: Wagon supplier Arbel Fauvet Rail expects to return to profit this year. Since acquisition by investment company IGF Care in January 2007, the renamed IGF Industries-AFR has reaped benefits from investment totalling €20m. This year's order book stands at 850 wagons, and next year the company hopes to deliver ...
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NewsCross-city expansion gets underway
LONDON: Network Rail has begun work on the long-planned upgrade of the Thameslink cross-city route, where tendering is now in hand for major works due to commence in January. Under a two-stage programme costing a total of £5·5bn, platforms will be lengthened to accommodate 12-car trains operating at a frequency ...
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Seeing eye to eye
UK: A range of counter service security screens that offer increased protection for staff and improved access for mobility-impaired customers has been launched onto the UK market by Safetell. Branded as Eye2Eye, the screens combine bullet-resistant glazing with a height-adjustable counter that can be positioned to meet the height requirements ...
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Sprinter on the start line
NETHERLANDS: Harry Hondius MSc rides the first of NS Reizigers' new-generation of Sprinter EMUs, which are due to enter service between Den Haag and Utrecht this year.