All Railway Gazette International articles in March 2012 – Page 4
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NewsInter-city competition edges closer
GERMANY: Veolia-Transdev subsidiary Veolia Verkehr signed an agreement on March 12 to undertake contract operations for inter-city market entrant Hamburg-Köln Express. HKX is preparing to launch open-access services between Hamburg Altona and Köln Hauptbahnhof three times daily once its safety case has been approved by EBA, the national railway authority. ...
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NewsIrish government looks at rail restructuring as derogation ends
IRELAND: The government announced on March 13 that it would not be seeking an extension of its current derogation from EU legislation opening access to the rail market. National railway Iarnród Éireann's only international link is with the UK's Northern Ireland Railways, which has a similar derogation. The ...
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NewsWorld rail infrastructure market March 2012
China: IHI Corp has awarded Thales a contract to resignal Hong Kong airport’s 25 km automated peoplemover with SelTrac CBTC. Denmark: On January 31 Banedanmark signed the two main line ETCS Level 2 contracts totalling DKr5·8bn with preferred bidders Thales/Balfour Beatty Rail and Alstom (p41). Alstom is also preferred ...
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NewsNew York subway CBTC test track contract awarded
USA: Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded Thales and Siemens a $60m four-year contract to provide a communications-based train control test facility on the New York subway's F Line. This will offer a controlled environment for CBTC trials and assessment, and will also support unequipped revenue service. Announcing the deal ...
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NewsTurkish-built SilkWorm tram on show
TURKEY: Bursa-based steel products supplier Durmazlar has completed production of a prototype 100% low-floor tram for its home city. A full-size mock-up of the SilkWorm tram was displayed at the Eurasiarail trade show in Istanbul on March 8-10 on the stand which Durmazlar shared with Siemens. The SilkWorm uses traction ...
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NewsRebuilt double-deckers enter service
NETHERLANDS: The first of 50 refurbished double-deck electric multiple-units began operating inter-city services between Amsterdam and Den Haag via Schiphol Airport on March 12, following an official handover ceremony at NedTrain’s Haarlem works on February 13. Designated NID, the units are being converted from DD-AR suburban EMUs which had been ...
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NewsSome like it hot
SAUDI ARABIA: CNR Dalian has supplied China Civil Engineering Construction Corp with two DF4DH diesel locomotives customised for use in high temperatures during work on Saudi construction projects. As well as dust filters, special features for use in the Middle East include 7 kW cab air-conditioning, a double-layer insulated roof ...
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News
Spanish authority chiefs named
Several new appointments have been made within the Spanish Ministry of Development, which has been led by Ana Maria Pastor Julián since December 22 (RG 2.12 p70). Carmen Librero Pintado (photo), who sits on the EU Permanent Representatives Committee as Spain’s Transport Counsellor, has been named General Secretary of Transport.Julio ...
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NewsLondon Underground vacuum train to cut tunnel cleaning time
UK: London Underground aims to slash the time taken to remove dust and litter from underground sections of its network from two years to two months using a new tunnel cleaning train which is expected to enter service by the end of this year. Much fine dust in the tunnels ...
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NewsNews in Brief - March 2012
Ircon International and Rail Land Development Authority have agreed to establish Railway Station Development Corp to redevelop Indian Railways stations as ‘vibrant centres’ of city life with safe, modern and accessible commercial, entertainment and social facilities. The Land of Schleswig-Holstein has selected DB Regio Nord ...
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NewsFranchising negotiations in Slovakia
SLOVAKIA:The Ministry of Transport and six potential operators have begun preliminary negotiations for the tendering of regional passenger services. Questions still to be settled include train procurement. In 2010 the ministry announced plans for up to 35% of passenger services to be tendered by 2020, starting with regional services. ...
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NewsSuzhou metro Line 2 train contract signed
CHINA: Suzhou Rail Transit Line 2 Co has awarded Nanjing SR Puzhen Rail Transport a 526·9m yuan contract to supply 23 five-car Type B2 trains for the city's second metro line. The deal was signed on February 29, with deliveries scheduled to run from May 2013 to March 2014. NPRT ...
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NewsInter-regional coaches on test
UKRAINE: Prototype 160 km/h coaches developed by Kriukov Car Building Works for inter-regional services were expected to enter service on the Kharkiv – Kyiv route last month. Five types of vehicle have been developed; first class, first + VIP, second class, second class with wheelchair access and third class. Intended ...
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NewsQuito metro project moves forward
ECUADOR: Mayor of Quito Augusto Barrera met Metro de Madrid CEO Ignacio González Velayos on March 8 to review progress with engineering design for Line 1 of the Quito metro. The Spanish operator has been awarded three contracts worth a total of €21·5m to undertake design studies for Line ...
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NewsGovernment command paper responds to McNulty study
UK: On March 8 Transport Secretary Justine Greening announced proposals to cut £3·5bn from the annual cost of the national rail network to the public purse by 2019. The command paper 'Reforming our Railways: Putting the Customer First' is the government's official response to Sir Roy McNulty's Rail Value for ...
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NewsInfrabel commissions Belgium's first ETCS Level 1 installation
BELGIUM: Trains began running under Belgium's first installation of ETCS Level 1 on March 6, following an official inauguration by federal Minister of Public Enterprises Paul Magnette, SNCB Chief Executive Marc Descheemacker and Infrabel CEO Luc Lallemand on March 2. While ETCS is in service on the high speed lines ...
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NewsThales awarded Sin Bundang signalling contract
SOUTH KOREA: Hyundai Rotem has awarded Thales a contract to supply communications-based train control signalling for the 12 km extension of the Sin Bundang Line driverless metro near Seoul. Thales installed SelTrac CBTC on the initial 18·5 km section of the line which opened for revenue service between Gangnam ...
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NewsExport now 75% of CAF business
CAF: According to consolidated results published on February 28, Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF had an order backlog worth €5·03bn as of December 31 2011, up 11% on the year before. Of the current backlog, 73% was for customers outside Spain. Production in 2011 totalled 1 096 cars, including 133 ...
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NewsDieselnetz Südwest contracts won by DB Regio and Netinera
GERMANY: Rheinland-Pfalz Süd transport authority ZSPNV Süd has awarded DB Regio and Netinera two 22½-year contracts to operate Dieselnetzes Südwest passenger services. The contract awarded to DB Regio runs from December 2015 and covers 3 million train-km/year using Lint 41 and 54 DMUs to be delivered by Alstom. DB Regio ...
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NewsPeter Spuhler increases stake in Stadler Rail
STADLER RAIL: An agreement for Stadler Rail majority owner and CEO Peter Spuhler to buy the 20% stake in the company held by private equity investor Capvis was signed on March 1. The price is not being disclosed. Half of the shares changed hands immediately, with the remainder to be ...