All Railway Gazette International articles in May 2015 – Page 5
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NewsAstana light rail framework agreement signed
KAZAKHSTAN: The city of Astana signed a framework agreement for the construction of the first phase of the capital’s light rail project on May 7. Project authority Astana LRT LLP signed the agreement with a consortium of China Railway International Group and Beijing State-Owned Assets Management Co. The ...
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NewsProducts & Technology in Brief
Moxa has released TAP-6226, an all-in-one wireless unit integrating two access points, a managed fibre switch and a wide-range of AC/DC power supplies to provide reliable train-to-ground communications. Featuring IP68 housing and shock- and vibration-proof M12 connectors, it is specially designed for the railway environment. Moxa´s controller-based Turbo Roaming supports ...
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NewsSydney Trains sets Mousetrap to catch vandals
AUSTRALIA: Sydney Trains is testing Mousetrap, an electronic sensor which can detect vapour from spray paint and permanent marker pens to provide a real-time alert when a graffiti attack is underway. Live CCTV images are streamed to control staff, and police officers can be dispatched to catch the vandals. An ...
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NewsRailway industry news in brief - May 2015
The national railways of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran have signed a protocol covering plans for an express transit container service which would link China with Turkey and potentially Pakistan, India and the Gulf states via Bandar Abbas. Shipments of grain from Russia and Kazakhstan to Iran and ferrous metals ...
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NewsNext generation of Docklands Light Railway trains planned
UK: Transport for London’s Docklands Light Railway Ltd subsidiary has issued a periodic indicative notice to begin industry consultation on a possible new generation of rolling stock for the automated light metro. The aim of the New Train would be to reduce journey times, improve passenger ambience and reduce whole-life ...
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NewsOgun State Intercity Rail Mass Transit agreement signed
NIGERIA: A contract for the construction of a 334 km rail network in the southwestern state of Ogun was signed by the state government and China Railway Construction Corp’s China Civil Engineering Construction Co Nigeria subsidiary of on April 27. The cost of the Nigeria Ogun State Intercity Rail ...
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NewsBrookfield Rail rolls out radio network
AUSTRALIA: The A$16·5m installation of a radio communications network covering the 385 track-km Kalgoorlie – Esperance route has been completed by Brookfield Rail, which manages Western Australia’s 5 500 km open access, multi-user freight network. Maintenance staff and train crew had previously relied on fixed landline telephones and mobile or ...
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NewsLeica Geosystems acquires mobile mapping technology firm
EUROPE: Leica Geosystems has acquired Technet-Rail 2010, a Berlin-based firm which develops ‘big data’ geospatial software applications for the rail industry. These use a ‘highly-mathematical and probability-perception approach’ to analyse large 3D datasets for tasks such as dynamically extracting clearances and gauges over rail networks. Leica Geosystems said the ...
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NewsBombardier confirms plans for Transportation IPO
BOMBARDIER: On May 7 President & CEO Alain Bellemare confirmed that Bombardier Inc is preparing for an initial public offering of a minority stake in its Transportation business, when he presented the group’s financial results for the first quarter ended March 31. The IPO is planned for the fourth ...
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NewsIPO values Talgo at €1·27bn
TALGO: Shares in Spanish rolling stock manufacturer Talgo SA began trading on the Madrid stock exchange on May 7, when CEO Carlos de Palacio rang the opening bell at 14.00. Talgo says that it has raised €570m though the initial public offering, placing 61 million shares which correspond to 45% ...
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NewsNew York PTC programme gets $967m FRA loan
USA: A $967·1m Federal Railroad Administration loan to fund Positive Train Control installation on New York MTA’s Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road commuter networks reached financial close on May 6. It is the largest loan to date under the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing programme. MTA will ...
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NewsTurkish rail market opening coming this year
TURKEY: Legislation outlining the legal framework for liberalisation of the railway sector was published in the government’s official journal on May 2. Publication of the Law on Capacity Allocation & Network Access paves the way for market opening to be introduced by the end of this year, with state railway ...
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NewsLighthouse railway research projects launched
EUROPE: The first three railway research and development projects to be funded from the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme were officially launched in Brussels on May 7. Selected by the European Commission following the first 'Mobility for Growth' call for proposals, the so-called lighthouse projects are intended to bridge the ...
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NewsOman Rail seeks operating partner
OMAN: National railway project promoter Oman Rail is seeking an international rail operator with ‘extensive technical and commercial experience combined with local market knowledge’ to form a long-term partnership to operate and maintain the future 2 135 km network. Oman Rail’s partner would initially support the development of skills ...
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NewsCN announces C$2·7bn capital programme for 2015
NORTH AMERICA: On May 6 CN announced plans to invest C$2·7bn during 2015. ‘With the work season now well underway, CN is embarking on a large number of maintenance and construction projects to ensure we continue to run a safe railway and play a continuing role as a true backbone ...
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NewsSNCF orders 19 more Francilien EMUs
FRANCE: SNCF has exercised a €127m option for a further 19 Francilien electric multiple-units, Bombardier announced on May 6. The order is to be financed Ile-de-France transport authority STIF. The Francilien single-deck eight-car commuter EMUs have a capacity of 1 000 passengers, with wide gangways and doors to facilitate ...
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NewsAlstom announces record orders as GE deal nears approval
ALSTOM: ‘Alstom delivered a very strong commercial performance in its Transport activity during the fiscal year, booking a record level of orders’, said Chairman & CEO Patrick Kron on May 6 when he presented results for the year to March 31 2015. At €10·0bn the order intake was up by ...
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NewsMerMec awarded Macedonian ETCS contract
MACEDONIA: German engineering company Wiebe has awarded MerMec a contract to design, supply and commission signalling and telecoms for the rehabilitation of the 32 km Kumanovo – Beljakovtse line. The contract announced on April 24 includes the supply of electronic interlockings, centralised train control and ETCS Level 1 trackside equipment, ...
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NewsMalaysia – Singapore high speed line opening date put back
ASIA: The planned opening date for the proposed 330 km high speed line between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore is to be put back from 2020 to a more realistic date, the prime ministers of Malaysia and Singapore jointly announced after their annual leader’s retreat on May 5. The location for ...
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NewsECP brakes mandated as tank car standards are tightened
NORTH AMERICA: Electronically-controlled pneumatic braking will be required on unit trains carrying high-hazard flammable materials after January 2021, under a new rule announced in Washington DC on May 1 by US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Canadian Transport Minister Lisa Raitt. Other measures to improve safety include enhanced construction standards ...