All Railway Gazette International articles in March 2013 – Page 5
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NewsHalon-free fire suppression for Eurostar
EUROPE: Following approval by the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority, Brush Traction is replacing the Halon-based fire suppression equipment in the power cars of Eurostar’s high speed trains with Stat-X systems supplied by Nobel Fire Systems. The Stat-X generators can be activated either manually or automatically in the event of an ...
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NewsMinistry of Railways to be abolished under Chinese reform plan
CHINA: Proposals to abolish the Ministry of Railways and split its functions between the Ministry of Transport and a new railway operating body are included in a report on institutional reform of the State Council which was unveiled on March 10. The reform of the cabinet aims to clarify ...
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NewsDallas to get off-wire capable light rail vehicles
USA: Dallas Area Rapid Transit has selected Brookville Equipment Corp to supply two off-wire capable light rail vehicles for use on the Union Station - Oak Cliff extension. The $9·4m contract signed on February 26 includes an option for two additional vehicles. The three-section Brookville Liberty Modern Streetcars will ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market March 2013
Australia: On January 31 CSR Ziyang signed a contract to supply six AC traction diesel locomotives to Qube by the end of the year. Austria: ÖBB-Technische Services has awarded Compin a €2·8m contract to supply seats for Talent and Desiro multiple-units. China: The Ministry of Railways has awarded ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - March 2013
Stockholm County Council and EIB signed a SKr3·5bn loan agreement on February 15 to fund development of the metro Red Line. This includes new rolling stock and CBTC, a new depot in Norsborg and work at Nyboda depot. The UK's Department for Transport has confirmed a further £23m for upgrading ...
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NewsBrisbane EMU suppliers shortlisted
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland state government has shortlisted two consortia for a PPP concession to supply a fleet of at least 75 six-car EMUs to operate Brisbane suburban services, Transport & Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson confirmed on March 5. He added the New Generation Rolling Stock programme was Queensland’s ...
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NewsBringing mountains, woods and clouds to train toilets
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has launched a programme to upgrade its on-train toilets, saying clean facilities are an important part of the passenger experience. Cubicles are being refurbished with the installation of wall coverings with images of mountains, woodland, clouds in a blue sky or blue tiles. SBB’s ...
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NewsBalfour Beatty sells European rail business
BALFOUR BEATTY: ‘We will be divesting of all of our mainland European rail businesses’, Balfour Beatty announced on March 7. This followed an ‘operational and strategic review’ which had concluded that maintaining a rail presence in this region was not consistent with the company’s strategy of building a strong local ...
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NewsLinz tram Line 3 extension approved
AUSTRIA: The Linz city authorities confirmed on March 5 that the planned southwestern extension of the 900 mm gauge tram Line 3 from Leonding to Pasching and Traun is to go ahead next year. The StadtRegio-Tram project will add a further 4·4 km and eight stops to the 5·3 km ...
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NewsDeutsche Bahn presses on with Stuttgart 21
GERMANY: The controversial Stuttgart 21 project will be carried through to completion and not abandoned because of rising costs, Deutsche Bahn announced on March 5. ‘The time of uncertainty is over — the project will continue’, asserted DB Chairman Dr Rüdiger Grube at a hastily called press conference following ...
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NewsConsultation starts on first railway PPP
BRAZIL: Federal land transport agency ANTT has published for consultation draft tender documentation for a 35-year concession to build, operate and maintain a 477 km railway from Açailândia in Maranhão state to the port of Vila do Conde in Belém. This is the first of 12 PPP projects that the ...
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NewsBNSF to test LNG locomotives this year
USA: BNSF plans to start testing locomotives using liquefied natural gas this year, Chairman and CEO Matt Rose announced on March 6. The operator has been working with General Electric and EMD to develop LNG engine technology. According to BNSF, preliminary tests indicate that LNG-fuelled locomotives will be able ...
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NewsDesiro fleet upgraded for higher speed operation
UK: The maximum speed of 30 Class 350/1 Desiro electric multiple-units operating on the West Coast Main Line has been raised from 160 km/h to 177 km/h (110 mile/h) under Project 110, which brought together operator London Midland, train manufacturer Siemens, rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains, infrastructure manager Network ...
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NewsWärtsilä signs Russian engine contract
RUSSIA: Wärtsilä TMH Diesel Engine Company has signed a contract to supply 12 20L diesel engines to power TEM 18B shunters being built by BMZ Bryansk, a Transmashholding subsidiary. Announced on March 7, this is the first order signed by the joint venture formed in 2010 between Wärtsilä and Transmashholding. ...
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NewsEl Salvador looks to rail for logistics future
EL SALVADOR: Port and infrastructure authority CEPA has signed an agreement with Spanish consultancy Tramrail, which is to assist with the revival of the country’s 914 mm gauge rail network. As well as resuming freight operations, new passenger services are planned from the capital San Salvador to Sitio del Niño ...
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NewsBombardier and Technical University of Dresden extend partnership
GERMANY: Bombardier Transportation’s German business has extended its partnership agreement with the Technical University of Dresden for a further five years. First launched in 2007, the co-operation agreement has already fostered a number of technical innovations. These include a video monitoring tool to assess passenger loadings on unattended metro vehicles ...
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NewsRevenue and investment down in Indian Railways budget
INDIA: Revenue shortfalls and lower investment were the main themes of the Indian Railways budget, presented by Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on February 26. The year ending March 2013 saw freight and passenger revenue both fall short of target. Freight revenue was Rs859·76bn, compared with the budgeted Rs893·39bn, ...
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NewsExports provide 82% of CAF turnover
CAF: Export markets accounted for 82⋅3% of group turnover at Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF in the year to December 31 2012, according to results announced on February 27. At €1 721⋅2m, turnover was slightly down on the 2011 figure of€1 725⋅1m. EBITA in 2012 was €181⋅9m, down 21% from ...
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NewsNeo Ikonio freight line inaugurated
GREECE: A 17 km freight line connecting the Neo Ikonio container port near Piraeus with Thriasio on the Athens – Kiato route was inaugurated on February 28. The project was announced in 2000 but subsequently delayed by two years due to financial problems. The total cost was €156⋅6m, split equally ...