All News articles – Page 169
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News
Railbus refurbishment
THE FIRST Czech Railways Class 814/914 two car-DMU to be rebuilt from a Class 810 by Pars Nova Sumperk re-entered service between Otrokovice, Zlín and Vizovice on May 25. Branded ’Regionova’, the unit is the first series rebuild, following on from a prototype completed last September (RG 12.05 p757).The cars ...
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To Toronto with reluctance
AN ELECTRO-DIESEL works locomotive being built for the Toronto Transit Commission by ARVA Industries will feature switched reluctance drive from the Drive Systems Group of Texas-based company LeTourneau. According to the US firm the Toronto locomotive will be first to use switched reluctance motors. These have coils in the stator ...
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Singer success
EARLY results from the Singer project were announced in Ljubljana on June 8. The Slovenian Intermodal Gateway to European Rail project is being supported for the first two years by the EU’s Marco Polo programme (RG 11.04 p728). The aim is to develop ’an international network of unaccompanied services’ between ...
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Victoria to spend
PROPOSALS to invest more than A$3bn in the state rail network over the next 10 years were announced by Victoria Premier Steve Bracks and Transport Minister Peter Batchelor on May 17. The Transport & Liveability Statement envisages investment totalling A$10·5bn; it provides A$2·9bn for rail improvements and A$200m for level ...
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NewsSpotting trouble
USA: BNSF Railway is enlisting railway enthusiasts to help prevent attacks by terrorists and others bent on disrupting the transport network. Since the September 11 attacks, some enthusiasts have complained of harassment by railway police while taking photos of trains and otherwise enjoying their hobby, despite enthusiast groups arguing ...
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Upgrade underway
MAY 25 saw the start of upgrading work on the initial 37·7 km section of the Plovdiv - Svilengrad line in Bulgaria.Reconstruction and electrification of the section from Krumovo on the outskirts of Plovdiv as far as Parvomai is being project managed by Greek contractor Tema SA. Local firm Rubicon ...
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I-Trans railway research projects authorised
Interoperability This category embraces the high speed inter-city train project and a new track design. The train would run at more than 200 km/h and the project is aimed at developing new technologies or equipment needed for a train to run on existing lines at high speed. So far three ...
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NewsVenezuela plans US$2·2bn spend
A CONSORTIUM OF Italian companies Astaldi, Impregilo and Ghella has been selected by the Venezuelan government to build two new lines following the signature of a co-operation agreement between Italy and Venezuela. Once contracts worth a total of US$2·2bn have been signed, work on the 252 km San Juan ...
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Paris MF2000 order placed
JULY 2007 has been set as the target date for delivery of the first series-built MF2000 metro cars for Paris. The consortium of Alstom, Bombardier and Areva TA announced on May 10 that RATP had ordered an initial batch as part of its framework contract for 161 five-car sets.Valued at ...
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Nürnberg - Ingolstadt opens at 300 km/h
READY FOR this month's football world cup, German Railway inaugurated its upgraded route between the two Bavarian venues at Nürnberg and München on May 13. DB Chief Executive Hartmut Mehdorn was joined for the celebrations by Federal Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee, the Premier of Bayern Edmund Stoiber, local Transport ...
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ALL acquires Brasil Ferrovias
AMERICA Latina Logística is to take control of the Ferronorte, Ferroban and Novoeste concessions after signing an agreement on May 9 to purchase parent company Brasil Ferrovias from shareholders Funcef and Previ, both pension funds. Under a deal worth R$1·41bn, former shareholders in Brasil Ferrovias will be granted a 20% ...
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Funding agreed for Basque Y
ON APRIL 24 two agreements were signed by the Spanish government, the Basque regional government and infrastructure authority ADIF, establishing the division of funding and other project responsibilities for the Y-shaped high speed network linking Bilbao, Vitoria and San Sebasti
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AGV nose to boost profile
COMPOSITES specialist Stratiforme is working for Alstom on the front end design of the AGV demonstration train (RG 12.05 p763). The company expects to deliver the nose components for the 350 km/h trainset by early 2007. Stratiforme is currently supplying nose cones and other components for SNCF's TGV fleet. It ...
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Change in Alice
FURTHER upheavals can be expected in the Australian rail sector with the news that a stake in the Adelaide - Alice Springs - Darwin rail link is up for sale.Operator Freight Link announced at the beginning of May that it was looking for ’a long-term strategic partner’ through the sale ...
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State stake in Alstom sold
BOUYGUES is to purchase the 21% stake in Alstom which has been owned by the French state since July 2004 under the government’s rescue agreement (RG 6.04 p369). The stake will be acquired at a price of €68·21 per share, representing an investment of €2bn, to be funded from available ...
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Nanjing - Hangzhou approved
CHINA’S MINISTRY of Railways announced on May 9 the go ahead for construction of a 300 km/h passenger railway between Nanjing and Hangzhou, with the aim of starting work by the end of this year.Due to be completed by 2010, the 251 km line is expected to cost 20·3bn yuan. ...
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DART expansion approved
WORK WILL start this year on two extensions to the DART light rail network in Dallas, following approval by the Federal Transit Administration of a $700m Full Funding Grant Agreement. This is intended to support a $2·4bn programme that will double the network to 150 km by 2013. With an ...
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Portland picks Avanto for MAX
ON May 10 the TriMet board approved a $75m contract with Siemens Transportation Systems for 21 S70 Avanto light rail vehicles, with an option for another three. Intended to operate the Interstate 205 and Portland Mall extensions of the MAX light rail network that are scheduled to open in September ...
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Overcoming the maintenance backlog
Spoornet has budgeted to spend R514m on infrastructure maintenance projects in the 2006-07 financial year. Much of this will be invested in the primary freight corridors used by the General Freight Business.R103m will be spent on tamping, screening and ballast renewal to improve the lateral stability of the track, reduce ...
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Separation battle
WHEN Federal Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee called in January for a ’constructive debate’ over the form in which Deutsche Bahn AG should be privatised, he no doubt foresaw that there would be some pretty heated discussion.There have been no fisticuffs yet, but a clear, if predictable, separation of views has ...