All Railway Gazette International articles in May 1997 – Page 2

  • News

    IC-Neigezug to roll out next year

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: From 2001 a fleet of tilting trainsets will cut 20min off Swiss Federal Railways’ journey times between Lausanne and St Gallen without the need for SFr500m of civil worksORDERED in July 1996 at a cost of SFr497m as an alternative to expensive civil engineering works originally planned under the ...

  • News

    Maglev guideway opening presages three years of trials

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: The 18·4 km priority section of experimental Superconducting Maglev guideway was formally opened on April 3, and the first levitation trials are due to take place next month. Murray Hughes reports from the Yamanashi test centreJAPANESE Minister of Transport Makoto Koga and Yoshiyuki Kasai, President of JR Central, took ...

  • News

    Rodgau go-ahead

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    APPROVAL of a financing package worth DM605m has cleared the way for two extensions to the Rhein-Main S-Bahn network south of Frankfurt to be completed by the June 2001 timetable change. Work on upgrading German Railway’s two ’Rodgau’ branches began at the end of 1994 (RG 1.95 p14), but progress ...

  • News

    Finance

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    Bulgaria: BDZ has secured a total of $170m in loans from the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development, and other sources, to fund modernisation projects up to the end of 1998.Finland: Finland’s Ministry of Trade & Industry with Rautaruukki Corp have launched a share offering of 13 ...

  • News

    Mozambique eyes export markets

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    PLANS to boost export coal traffic from the near-mothballed Moatize coalfield will revive rail routes in northern Mozambique. The first phase would see a US$30m upgrading of rail and port facilities at Nacala to handle up to 1000 tonnes an hour. This would help to clear a stockpile of 200000 ...

  • News

    Kuala Lumpur welcomes Exporail exhibitors

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    From May 14 to 16, Tun Razak Hall 3 of Kuala Lumpur’s Putra World Trade Centre hosts Exporail (Asia) 97, organised by Interfama Brooks Exhibitions. Local supporters include operators KTMB, PUTRA and STAR, the Chartered Institute of Transport, Malaysia, the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers ...

  • News

    Eurotunnel launches freight shuttle safety upgrade

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: Richard Hope explains why enclosure of open-sided wagons has been ruled outRESTORATION of freight shuttle services by mid-June was announced by Eurotunnel on April 3, subject to the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority approving a package of additional safety measures. No lorries have been carried since the major fire of ...

  • News

    Gatwick Express EMU order

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    UK: National Express Group has ordered eight 8-car EMUs from GEC Alsthom Metro-Cammell to operate its Gatwick Express franchise linking London Victoria to Gatwick Airport. The £100m train service provision package requires delivery of the first 160 km/h trainset in December 1998, with fleet service to start in May 1999. ...

  • News

    Rail investment to cut fuel costs

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    THE GOVERNMENT of Kazakstan has approved a comprehensive upgrading plan for the republic’s railways, including new lines to integrate the former SZD West Kazakstan and Almaty regional railways.Top priority in the package are measures to cut the use of imported diesel fuel, which currently accounts for 80% of KR’s operating ...

  • News

    S-bane order confirmed

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    ON APRIL 8 GEC Alsthom announced that its German subsidiary Linke-Hofmann-Busch had won a contract to supply 112 suburban trainsets for Danish State Railways’ København S-bane, in consortium with Siemens Transportation Systems. Some local assembly work is due to be undertaken by the Danish arm of Adtranz in Randers. Total ...

  • News

    Chuo Shinkansen will be 'a national project'

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    As JR Central prepares for a stock market listing in October, President Yoshiyuki Kasai tells Murray Hughes that the Chuo Shinkansen superconducting maglev line will only be built as a strategic national project

  • News

    Curing the Chiasso syndrome

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    COMMUNITY of European Railways’ Chairman Heinz Dürr presented plans on April 14 to Transport Commissioner Neil Kinnock for putting into practice the concept of Freight Freeways. The proposals were discussed at a high-level Commission meeting in Brussels on April 17 at which launch of a pilot Freeway was likely to ...

  • News

    NS and CSX settle Conrail carve-up

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    A FORMAL agreement to divide Conrail between Norfolk Southern and CSX was unveiled on April 8. The two companies will drop litigation against each other and form a jointly-owned entity to buy the remaining Conrail shares for $115 each in cash. NS will take a 58% stake for $5·9bn and ...

  • News

    In Brief

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    Following talks in Frankfurt, German Railway Chairman Heinz Dürr and Italian State Railways Managing Director Giancarlo Cimoli have announced plans to upgrade services between the two countries. Improved overnight trains could be joined by Frankfurt - Milano and München - Roma high-speed services before 2000. ScotRail has installed a touch-screen ...

  • News

    In Brief

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    n Vietnam Railways and Chinese Railways have agreed a timetable for the restoration of through Hanoi - Kunming passenger services by the middle of this year. A three-car train will initially run through once a week.n Mexico’s Transport Ministry has invited bids for a 50-year concession to run the second ...

  • News

    Ten-point plan to boost traffic

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    French National Railways has unveiled a second tranche of measures designed to win back passengers following recent difficulties (RG 3.97 p175). According to SNCF President Louis Gallois, the 10 sales and marketing initiatives aim to make train travel easier, cheaper, more practical, punctual and inviting.From June, young people aged 12 ...

  • News

    Basque LRT plans gather momentum

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    Work on the first 4 km of a light rail network in the Spanish city of Vitoria is due to begin at the end of this year. Tender specifications will be prepared by the Basque Department of Transport & Public Works this summer. EuskoTren has been chosen to promote, build ...

  • News

    Gotthard base tunnel under threat

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    IT WAS always possible that the finger of sugar crystal dolomite stretching down to the alignment of the planned Gotthard base tunnel would prove to be a major obstacle when it came to serious digging. Just how tricky it may be to tunnel through this treacherous material in the Piora ...

  • News

    Local firm will assemble five US Talgos

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    PACIFICA INC, owned by the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, has won a contract to assemble five Talgo Pendular trainsets in the state of Washington. Three will be used in the Pacific Northwest rail corridor; two are being purchased by Washington and one by Amtrak at $10m each.Gustavo ...

  • News

    Euromed arrives

    1997-05-01T10:00:00Z

    Spanish National Railways will introduce six Euromed trains to the Barcelona - Valencia - Alicante Mediterranean Corridor in June, following the completion of the first phase of an infrastructure upgrading programme. Built by GEC Alsthom Transporte at a cost of Pts15bn, the trainsets are 1668mm gauge versions of the 1435mm ...