All News articles – Page 248
-
News
iQR Hong Kong win
QUEENSLAND Rail launched its international sales and marketing division iQR with the announcement of the railway’s third contract with Hong Kong’s Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp. iQR is a partner in the CHCQ joint venture, which has been awarded an A$36m contract to construct an East Rail branch to Lok Ma Chau ...
-
News
ProRail predicts RCF hotspots
INTRO: Analysis of inspection data has enabled ProRail to identify key factors contributing to the development of rolling contact fatigue, and the development of a prediction methodology to help manage the problem more cost-effectivelyBYLINE: Martin Hiensch and Andrew Watson AEA Technology Rail *ROLLING CONTACT FATIGUE is a treacherous phenomenon. It ...
-
News
Letters
Intransigence holds up freight progressSir - You report that Eurotunnel has applied to the French transport ministry for a licence to operate trains in France (RG 11.03 p724), and also that SNCF is reorganising its freight business to be more commercial (RG 12.03 p765). But you make no mention in ...
-
News
ORR sets NR spending limits
NETWORK Rail must be allowed to spend £22·2bn on operating, maintaining and upgrading the UK’s national network over the next five years, Rail Regulator Tom Winsor ruled on December 12. His decision follows research and consultation by the Office of the Rail Regulator, and provides around £10bn less than NR ...
-
News
Productivity must rise
In a keynote presentation to CEE 2003, Hungarian State Railways’ General Director Zolt
-
News
Pre-cast platforms
STATION platforms can be assembled quickly and easily using the Fast Build range of pre-cast components recently launched by Bell & Webster Concrete. The basic parts comprise four identical base units, a platform unit, ground beams and infill panels. These form a 4m by 3m module which can be assembled ...
-
News
Wheel/Rail Safety
Edited by Professor Roger LundénTHIS October 2003 special edition (Volume 26, Number 10) of the monthly journal Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structure contains 15 articles on research into the wheel-rail interface, with a particular emphasis on the rail. Three introductory articles provide an overview of rail defects, ...
-
News
Ticketless Thalys
THALYS is to introduce paperless ticketing for frequent-traveller card holders. From early 2004 regular passengers will be able to book over the internet or by telephone, simply presenting their chipcards during ticket checks, according to General Manager Frank Bernard. In addition, the Thalys trainsets will have Wi-Fi servers for on-board ...
-
News
Metros January 2004
Australia: Victoria's Transport Minister Peter Batchelor plans to sign a new Melbourne tram franchise imminently. It is expected that Yarra Trams will operate the entire network following the withdrawal of NationalExpress. Brazil: Technical and economic bids are due on January 6 from six shortlisted companies to carry out a ...
-
News
Pointers January 2004
During a high-level summit in Marrakech last month, the transport ministers of Morocco and Spain reaffirmed their commitment to building a fixed link under the Strait of Gibraltar. €27m will be provided over two years to fund design of the 38·7 km twin rail tunnels, with the aim of calling ...
-
News
Spanish railway reform bill passed
SPAIN: On October 29 the lower house of the Spanish parliament approved the Railway Sector Law, transposing recent European Union directives and notably legislating for the separation of infrastructure from operations on the national network. It is due to come into effect six months after publication in the Spanish official ...
-
News
Pointers November 2003
Vermont Agency of Transportation has backed proposals for a fast passenger service between Boston and Montréal. Track upgrading for 177 km/h would allow a journey time of under 6h for the 523 km trip, with annual ridership put at 648000. According to Vietnam Railways' Director-General Dr Nguyen Huu Bang, DSVN ...
-
News
Intelligence November 2003
Africa: Services on the 1143 km line linking Abidjan and Ouagadougou were restored in September, having been suspended a year earlier because of fighting in Côte d'Ivoire. Argentina: Sefecha has introduced passenger service over a new 1·6 km branch from Resistencia to Puerto Vilelas. Construction was funded by the government ...
-
News
Renfe orders 80 Civias
MEETING ON October 13, the Spanish National Railways board approved orders for 80 Civia EMUs worth €407·5m, including maintenance over four years worth €32·5m. Siemens and CAF are to build 40 sets for €200m, and Alstom the remainder for €175m.Deliveries will take place between mid-2005 and the end of 2007, ...
-
News
CD abandons split
CZECH Railways announced on September 1 that it was introducing a new organisational structure as part of its four-stage programme to transform the state-owned company into a holding group. CD is being assisted with the development and implementation of the new structure by Spanish National Railways under an EU-funded programme ...
-
News
Jarvis aborts maintenance contracts
ONE OF the seven companies that until recently held 20 area contracts to maintain track, structures, signalling and electrification on Britain’s national network announced on October 10 that it was pulling out. Jarvis Chairman Paris Moayedi had informed Network Rail Chief Executive John Armitt at a meeting four days earlier ...
-
News
Interfleet acquires TrainTech Engineering
TRAIN ENGINEERING consultancy Interfleet Technology has expanded its European operations with the acquisition of Swedish rolling stock consultancy services company TrainTech Engineering AB fromEuroMaint AB on October 1.Created in 1988 as a business unit of SJ, TrainTech was launched as a separate subsidiary in 2000. It has around 90 consultants ...
-
News
Berlin cross-city line advances
Good progress is being made with the north-south tunnel in Berlin. Due to open in 2006, the line forms the central element in the city’s ’mushroom concept’ that will see east-west and north-south main lines meet at a central interchange at Lehrter (RG 9.02 p525).The southern portal near Gleisdreieck U-Bahn ...
-
News
Texans try again
LONG-STANDING readers may remember the Texas TGV, a proposal to build a 1000 km high speed network linking Dallas, San Antonio and Houston. This bit the dust in 1994 after Texas TGV Corp failed to raise sufficient funding for a franchise to build and operate the routes. Something similar, if ...
-
News
Austerity on the French agenda
OPTIONS to improve the woeful performance of the French rail freight business were due to be presented to the SNCF board on October 22. Freight revenue in the first six months of the year was 3% down on the same period in 2002, which SNCF blamed on the poor economic ...