All Railway Gazette International articles in May 2008 – Page 4
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News
Upgrade package approved
AZERBAIJAN: The World Bank has approved a US$450m financing package to support the modernisation of the national rail network, with particular focus on the 550 km east-west corridor linking Baku with the Georgian capital Tbilisi (RG 1.08 p50). The Bank said on March 27 that the Railway Trade & ...
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NewsDriverless operations start in Nürnberg
GERMANY: Nürnberg U-Bahn operator VAG quietly slipped its first driverless trains into passenger service on Line U3 on May 4. Authority to run Germany's first automated U-Bahn services with fare-paying passengers had been granted on April 30, and VAG lost no time in taking advantage of the ruling. Linking Maxfeld ...
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News
New Zealand confirms rail buy-back
NEW ZEALAND: The government is to buy Toll New Zealand's rail and ferry business, Prime Minister Helen Clark and Finance Minister Michael Cullen confirmed on May 5. The price had been a sticking point in negotiations (RG 4.08 p22), but has been agreed at NZ$665m to be settled by June ...
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NewsMore West Coast Pendolinos
UK: Alstom has been given notice to proceed with the production of 106 Class 390 Pendolino vehicles worth €318m for the West Coast Main Line, the Department for Transport announced on May 6. A firm contract including maintenance and worth a total of €1·8bn will be finalised in August. The ...
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News
Wi-fi at 320 km/h
FRANCE: SNCF is investing in satellite-based on-train internet access to give its TGVs a competitive edge in the liberalised passenger market after 2010. Jean-Paul Masse reports
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News
Tackling the barriers to progress
Competitors are making their presence felt in the Italian market as the national railway prepares to step up the range and quality of its freight and passenger services. Chief Executive of FS Holding SpA Mauro Moretti talks to Nick Kingsley and Murray Hughes
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NewsDouble track makes progress
PAKISTAN: This month trains are expected to begin using a second track laid on the Kachakhuh - Chichawatni section of Pakistan Railway's Karachi - Lahore main line. The 1 676 mm gauge route is being doubled throughout and upgraded for 140 km/h operation under a project due to be completed ...
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News
'Our most critical year'
Francesco Grotti of Rail Traction Company tells Nick Kingsley that Italy's first open access operator is optimistic about the future despite uncertainty over train control technology, crew deployment and locomotive procurement
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News
Industry News in Brief
The recent establishment of companies in South Africa and Botswana marks a major expansion for the Italian signalling and technology group Ansaldo STS. Ansaldo STS Southern Africa has been created as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ansaldo STS Australia, with its principal office in Gaborone, Botswana. The Ansaldo STS-InfraDEV South Africa ...
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NewsBrake business grows
KNORR-BREMSE: The Rail Vehicle Systems division contributed €1·3bn to Knorr-Bremse's sales in 2007, or approximately 40% of the consolidated total of €3·3bn. Orders across the rail and road divisions were up 6·4%, and net income of €197·8m was 6·6% up from 2006. The European rail market has showed a 'distinct ...
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News
Industry News in Brief
The recent establishment of companies in South Africa and Botswana marks a major expansion for the Italian signalling and technology group Ansaldo STS. Ansaldo STS Southern Africa has been created as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ansaldo STS Australia, with its principal office in Gaborone, Botswana. The Ansaldo STS-InfraDEV South Africa ...
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News
Bearings bought
GREENBRIER: On April 7 The Greenbrier Companies announced that it had acquired Roller Bearing Industries Inc from SKF USA. The supplier of reconditioned wheelset roller bearings employs around 50 people in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. 'This acquisition is an excellent fit with our current operations. It enables us to increase our vertical ...
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NewsPointers May 2008
During a visit to Paris last month, Argentina's Federal Planning Minister Julio De Vido said he expected the contract to build the Buenos Aires - Córdoba high speed line to be signed with the Alstom-led Veloxia consortium by the end of April. A funding package that will see French bank ...
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News
Broad gauge to Austria
EUROPE: A protocol setting out plans to study the feasibility of extending a 1 520 mm gauge line to Bratislava and Wien has been signed by the national railways of Slovakia, Austria, Ukraine and Russia. The hope is that a through broad gauge route will help to attract freight traffic ...
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News
Wien tram factory opened
BOMBARDIER: A ceremony on March 26 marked the formal opening of Bombardier's new tram and light vehicle assembly plant in the Donaustadt area of Wien. It replaces the company's Floridsdorf factory, which the company described as aging and lacking in scope for expansion. Built in 14 months with the support ...
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News
Ballastless track agreement
NETHERLANDS: Dutch firm BAM Rail and Germany's Rail.One have signed an agreement to pool their resources for the construction of ballastless track in the Netherlands. The companies worked together in the joint venture which supplied Rheda 2000 track for HSL Zuid, and now hope to win turnkey contracts to ...
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News
High speed co-operation
EUROPE: Bombardier Transportation and Finmeccanica's rail subsidiary AnsaldoBreda announced on April 1 that they had signed an agreement to jointly develop, bid and manufacture a high speed train capable of travelling at more than 300 km/h which will eliminate 'shortcomings of existing concepts.' Bombardier said the train would offer 'improved ...
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News
Partial sale of DB agreed
GERMANY: Six hours of debate that stretched into the night of April 13 ended with the Social Democratic Party agreeing to offer up to 24·9% of Deutsche Bahn to the private sector. A government committee was expected to endorse the plans on April 28, paving the way for the sale ...
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News
EMD turns to the repowering market
ENGINES: Locomotive manufacturer EMD has taken its first steps to re-enter the repowering business with the launch of the GP22ECO and GP32ECO scheduled for this month. The GP22ECO concept - General Purpose, 2 150 hp, Tier 2 compliant, ECOlogy - is intended for repowering suitable low and medium-power four ...
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News
Fortescue carries first ore load
AUSTRALIA: On April 6 Fortescue Metals transported its first load of iron ore mined at Cloudbreak in the Pilbara to Herb Elliott Port. The initial shipment was taken by lorry from the opencast mine to the Hunter Siding open access facility of Fortescue subsidiary The Pilbara Infrastructure Pty. It was ...