All Railway Gazette International articles in May 2011 – Page 2
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NewsVariety and mentoring
GERMANY: Software and control equipment specialist Berner & Mattner has launched an extended trainee programme for recent graduates in an engineering field. The traineeship is intended to help younger workers gain experience in a wide variety of engineering and project management skills in a short space of time. The two-year ...
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NewsRail Industry Training & Recruitment in Brief
The Deputy Governor of Jilin province Yang Junliang told visitors to the Sifer trade show in Lille on April 5 that 110000 engineers would graduate from 130 specialist schools, colleges and higher education institutions this year to support development of the Rail Transit Development Zone in ...
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NewsUS firm to develop high axleload wagons for Indian Railways
INDIA: Indian Railways' Research Designs & Standards Organisation has awarded American Railcar Industries Inc a US$9·6m contract to design four types of wagon offering higher axleloads than existing IR designs, and produce six prototype vehicles in the USA. The resulting designs may be used by the Amtek Railcar Industries 50:50 ...
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NewsRio Tinto places ECP braking order
AUSTRALIA: Wabtec is to supply Rio Tinto with electronically controlled pneumatic braking equipment for an initial six heavy haul locomotives and 3 600 iron ore wagons under a US$21m contract announced on May 9. The equipment is to be delivered in 2011-12 for retrofitting to wagons which currently have Wabtec's ...
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NewsAlger’s first tram line enters service
ALGERIA: Transport Minister Amar Tou and the President of Entreprise du Métro d’Alger, Aomar Hadbi, launched revenue services on a 7·2 km section of the city’s first tram route between Bab Ezzouar and Bordj El Kiffan on May 8. The tram line is being built as a turnkey project ...
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NewsDB and Siemens sign ICx contract
GERMANY: A multi-billion euro contract for the supply of up to 300 high-speed trains was signed by DB Chief Executive Dr Rüdiger Grübe and Siemens AG CEO Peter Löscher in a ceremony on May 9. The event took place at DB’s Potsdam training centre – the former Kaiserbahnhof – and ...
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NewsLaHood confirms recipients for Florida’s rejected high speed grants
USA: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced further high-speed rail grants totalling US$2bn on May 9, reallocating the funding previously allocated for the Orlando – Tampa project in Florida which was rejected by the state’s governor. According to DoT, 24 states, the District of Columbia and Amtrak submitted nearly 100 applications ...
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NewsSBB takes up Flirt option
SWITZERLAND: SBB has exercised an option with Stadler Bussnang for a further 13 Flirt electric multiple-units to be delivered in 2012-13. The SFr128m order announced on May 9 is being partly funded by the cantons of Bern, Luzern and Solothurn. Seven of the 15 kV AC units will be used ...
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NewsBombardier launches Traxx electro-diesel
GERMANY: Bombardier Transportation unveiled the latest addition to its Traxx modular locomotive family at the Transport Logistic trade fair in München on May 10. Known as the 'Last Mile Diesel', it is a Traxx AC electric locomotive with a supplementary diesel engine. The design is intended to avoid the need ...
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NewsWagons-Lits under the hammer
FRANCE: Having disposed of its remaining train catering interests to Newrest last year, the French Accor hotels group has now announced plans to dispose of the historic assets that it acquired with the takeover of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. The company has called in Christies to auction ...
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NewsPöyry buys Swiss engineering consultancy
SWITZERLAND: Pöyry has paid an undisclosed price to acquire pkag Paul Keller Ingenieure AG, a Swiss firm providing electrical, telecoms and other specialist engineering consultancy services for railways, metros, tunnels and complex transport systems. Founded in 1973, pkag is based at Dübendorf near Zürich. It has 42 specialist staff, and ...
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NewsFirstGroup declines Greater Western franchise extension
UK: The Greater Western franchise to operate inter-city passenger trains between London, Bristol, South Wales and the West of England, plus suburban and regional services, is likely to be put out to tender next year, following confirmation that incumbent operator FirstGroup has decided not to take up its option for ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief
A one-station extension of Shanghai metro Line 6 from South Ling Yan Road to an interchange with Line 8 at Ji Yang Road opened on April 12. MTA dedicated two 642-tonne tunnel boring machines for the East Side Access project in New York on March 21. The TBMs will dig ...
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NewsKTX-Sancheon trainset withdrawn over safety fears
SOUTH KOREA: One of Korail's domestically-built high speed trainsets was pulled out of service on May 11 after a faulty equipment mounting was discovered four days earlier. Fearing that a major traction component could fall off and cause a derailment, Korail decided to withdraw the trainset, which is to be ...
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NewsBeijing - Shanghai high speed test runs begin
CHINA: Trial running over the full length of the Beijing - Shanghai high speed line began on May 11, with CRH380A trainsets being used for a month of staff familiarisation, fault simulation and emergency drills before the opening ceremony which is planned for the end of June. The 1 ...
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NewsDLR three-car upgrade completed
UK: The launch of three-car services on the Docklands Light Railway between Tower Gateway and Beckton on May 9 marked the completion of a £325m project to upgrade the network for longer trains.‘With passenger numbers increasing on the DLR every year, having the ability to run a three-car service right ...
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NewsTackling inter-disciplinary transport challenges
UK: Young transport professionals looking to enhance their qualifications and professionals in other disciplines seeking to focus on transport are the target audience for a Masters Degree course to be launched by City University London in September 2011. The Masters in Transport Strategy & Systems has been created to focus ...
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News
Claire Porter
Claire Porter, Head of Strategy at Thales UK’s transport division, became the first female president of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers on April 15.
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NewsDB Schenker Rail to serve Baltic States
LITHUANIA: An increase in rail freight traffic between central Europe and the Baltic States is expected following the signing of a co-operation agreement between DB Schenker Rail Polska CEO Hans-Georg Werner and the Director General of Lietuvos Geležinkeliai Stasys Dailydka at the Transport Logistic fair in München on May 10. ...
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NewsSNCB Logistics to update resource planning systems
BELGIUM: National rail freight operator SNCB Logistics has selected Quintiq and Ab Ovo to deliver a new resource planning and operations management system to co-ordinate its business over the coming year. Under a contract announced on May 11, the long-term planning functions are due to go live towards the end ...