All Railway Gazette International articles in May 2009 – Page 4
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NewsBombardier preferred bidder for Blackpool trams
UK: Preferred bidders for three contracts to revitalise Britain's only surviving traditional tramway were selected by Blackpool council on May 6. Bombardier Transportation has been chosen to supply 16 low-floor trams to the seaside resort, where they will operate alongside the existing vintage vehicles. Track upgrades and missing certain ...
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NewsInfrastructure firms to merge
SPAIN: COMSA and EMTE announced on May 7 that they are to merge to form COMSA EMTE Group. Subject to regulatory approval the agreement will form a combined group with turnover of €2·2bn, more than 8 600 employees and subsidiaries in 12 countries outside Spain. EMTE undertakes electrical and ...
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NewsTackling the challenges to standard train control
ETCS: Some decisive action needs to be taken soon in order to ensure the evolution of a truly standardised European Train Control System.
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NewsGrand presidential designs for a greater Paris
FRANCE: President Nicolas Sarkozy's vision for a revitalised Greater Paris region which was unveiled on April 29 includes €35bn of transport projects, designed to improve mobility in order to stimulate the economy and promote sustainable development in the suburbs. The main proposal is the construction of 130 km of ...
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NewsExtra metro trains for Singapore
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority announced on May 6 that it had awarded a consortium of Kawasaki Heavy Industries and CSR Qingdao Sifang a S$368m contract to supply 22 six-car trains for the North-South and East-West lines. Deliveries are scheduled for 2011-12. The train order runs in parallel ...
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NewsScotRail Desiro mock-up on show in Glasgow
UK: A mock-up of the Class 380 Desiro electric multiple-units being supplied to First ScotRail by Siemens Mobility has gone on display in Glasgow, where it was visited by the Scottish Government's Minister for Transport, Infrastructure & Climate Change Stewart Stevenson on May 6. The 20 tonne wood and ...
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NewsSapsan claims Russian rail speed record
RUSSIA: A Sapsan high speed trainset reached 281 km/h during trials between Okulovka and Mstinskiy Most on May 2. 'This is the first time that such a speed has been achieved on the Russian railway', said RZD Senior Vice-President Valentin Gapanovich. The trials are scheduled to last until ...
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NewsDB Regio orders EMUs for Stuttgart S-Bahn
GERMANY: DB Regio has placed a €452m order for 83 four-car ET 430 electric multiple-units, to be delivered between February and December 2012 for use on Stuttgart suburban services. The order announced on May 5 follows the signing of a contract on April 3 for DB Regio to operate ...
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NewsFederal funds for Portland Streetcar Loop
USA: The Department of Transportation has awarded a total of $75m to the Portland Streetcar Loop. This includes $30m from the FTA 's Small Starts programme, and $45m earmarked in the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill signed by President Obama in March. Another $72m will come from local and state lottery ...
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NewsAbu Dhabi unveils transport master plan
UAE: Tenders for construction of the first of 30 light rail routes are to be invited in the next two months, following the official launch of the emirate’s Surface Transport Master Plan 2030 by the Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the end of April. Prepared by ...
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NewsTrans-Siberian in seven days
RUSSIA: Meeting in Moscow on April 29, RZD’s Scientific & Technical Council endorsed plans to improve the efficiency of container transport, notably transit shipments on the Trans-Siberian landbridge. According to the railway, achieving international quality standards for container transport is one of RZD’s strategic priorities. Although freight volumes have fallen ...
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NewsTrain scheduling research benefits commuters
OPERATIONS: While automatic generation of timetables remains a goal for many train operators, the Sujic programme optimises passenger benefit and is seen as a valuable decision support tool.
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NewsFerroeste consolidates its expansion plans
Samuel Gomes, Chairman & CEO, Estrada de Ferro Paraná Oeste SA This year will be a decisive time for Ferroeste, as we press ahead with our long-term expansion strategy. By the end of the year, we expect to have completed all the technical and environmental studies for a series of ...
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Lyon T4 first phase opens
FRANCE: Phase 1 of Lyon’s fourth tram line entered service on April 20. Linking Jet d’Eau to Feyzin, the €185·3m line T4 is 10 km long with 18 stops, and is operated by 13 Citadis trams. Sytral, the city’s transport authority, was one of the first to choose Alstom’s Citadis ...
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NewsWork set to start on Mongolian coal line
MONGOLIA: Construction of a 260 km railway to carry coal from Energy Resources LLC’s mine at Ukhaa Khudag to the Chinese border at Gashuun Sukhait is set to begin by the end of the year, with the first trains running in 2011. Having already completed a preliminary study, DB ...
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NewsA ‘sound launching pad’
VOSSLOH: Sales at Vossloh were up 19% at €1·2bn in 2008, with EBIT up 24% on 2007 to €138m. Earnings jumped from €71m to €139m, with €47m from the disposal of Vossloh Infrastructure Services to Vinci Group. After adjusting previous figures to allow for the divestment, Vossloh’s Rail Infrastructure division ...
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NewsMarubeni buys into Australia
RJV: Marubeni Corp has signed a deal to acquire a 49% stake in the Australian arm of Chicago Freight Car Leasing Co for an undisclosed price. Rail Joint Venture has a A$200m fleet of 37 locomotives and 805 grain and container wagons on lease across Australia. CFCLA Managing Director Ian ...
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NewsNottingham’s next step
UK: The government approved the Transport & Works Act Order granting joint promoters Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council legal powers to build Nottingham Express Transit Phase Two on March 30. However, full government approval is still needed before construction can begin. The next step is to seek ...
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Tram on test
CZECH REPUBLIC: A prototype of Škoda’s Type 15T ForCity articulated low-floor tram began trials in Plzen on March 19. A total of 250 three-car unidirectional vehicles have been ordered by Praha operator DPHMP (RG 5.08 p279) at a cost of KC16bn, to augment its fleet of 60 Škoda Type 14T ...
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NewsHelsinki lines open
FINLAND: Helsinki’s public transport operator HKL began operations on two new sections of tram line on March 30, adding 7·2 km to take the total network to 112·3 km. The extensions significantly increase service flexibility. The figure -of-eight 3T/3B routes now wind through several central pedestrian zones and 3T ...