All News articles – Page 27
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NewsNews in Brief - December 2012
Under the Ifzone research project, Spanish infrastructure manager ADIF is testing measures to reduce the impact of neutral sections on train operations at the traction substation located at La Roda de Andalucía on the Córdoba – Málaga high speed line. These include energising neutral sections as a train approaches, as ...
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NewsCross-border service trial
INTERNATIONAL: Russian Railways’ Federal Passenger Company subsidiary is to operate a trial international passenger service from Petrozavodsk in the Republic of Karelia to Joensuu in Finland on December 28-29. The overnight service will operate via Sortavala and cross the border at Värtsilä. It is expected to comprise six coaches ...
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NewsRescuers trained by year end
NETHERLANDS: National operator NS is on course to complete evacuation training of all 6000 drivers and conductors by the end of 2012. NS was mandated to introduce updated tunnel safety training in the wake of a fire on the line running beneath Amsterdam Schiphol airport in July 2009. NS ...
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NewsNews in Brief - December 2012
The French region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais is funding accessibility improvements to 124 SNCF TER trainsets, including the installation of retractable wheelchair ramps and tactile surfaces to assist visually-impaired passengers. The €6m programme is due for completion by 2014. Russian Railways subsidiary Second Freight Company has been renamed Federal Freight Company with ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market November 2012
Brazil: Porto Alegre operator Trensurb has called tenders for 15 four-car EMUs worth up to RS$220m, funded by the federal government's PAC programme to stimulate economic growth. Price is the main criterion, but preference will be given to domestic production. Vale has commissioned Romanian firm Astra Vagone to supply ...
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NewsNews in Brief - November 2012
The Nordhessen and Rhein-Main transport authorities have directly awarded incumbent DB RegioNetz’s Kurhessenbahn a contract to operate Kassel – Korbach, Korbach – Brilon Wald and Frankenberg – Marburg services totalling 1·32 million train-km/year from the December timetable change. Mittelsachsen transport authority VMS is investigating acquiring its own fleet of 25 ...
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NewsJoin the Young Railway Professionals social rail network
EUROPE: UK-based development and networking association Young Railway Professionals has relaunched its website to include a social networking function to facilitate joining the organisation, attending events and debating industry topics. Taking its inspiration from high-profile social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, YRP Chairman Paul Cooper believes the community ...
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NewsNews in Brief - November 2012
In a local referendum 50·2% of voters rejected the SFr920m TransRUN plan to build a new tunnelled alignment between Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland. This would have replaced the existing sharply-curved route, cutting journey times from 30 to 14 min. Canadian Pacific introduced faster schedules for trans-Continental intermodal trains ...
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NewsWorld rail market November 2012
Denmark: Banedanmark has awarded Siemens a DKr200m contract to supply and support GSM-R digital radios. Germany: Dräger is to supply 36 containerised transport, equipment and fire-fighting units for DB’s rescue trains. Self-contained air supplies mean passengers can be protected within the trains without using respiratory equipment. Indonesia: A ...
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NewsRail Accident Investigation Branch office opened
UK: Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin officially opened new premises for the Rail Accident Investigation Branch on November 8. The independent accident investigation body's southern team has moved from Woking to Cullen House, at a site near Aldershot shared with the Air Accident Investigation Branch. The new premises are named after ...
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NewsDB Netz orders new emergency cranes
GERMANY: Infrastructure manager DB Netz signed contracts totalling €60m for the supply of five emergency rail cranes on November 2. Tatravagonka will provide bogies, Gföllner superstructures and Kirov three 160 tonne and two 100 tonne cranes. DB Netz's emergency crane trains are based at Wanne-Eickel, Fulda and Leipzig. The ...
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NewsFeature articles in the November 2012 issue of Railway Gazette International
Articles in the November 2012 issue of Railway Gazette International magazine Comment A history lesson on closures Analysis UK: Franchising programme unravels France: SNIT review gets underway Indonesia: Four-tracking in West Java Rolling stock HEMU 430X heralds higher speeds: Running trials are in progress ...
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NewsWelding school established
NETHERLANDS: Infrastructure contractors Strukton Rail and VolkerRail have jointly established a rail welding school to train and recertify welders to work on the ProRail network. According to the two firms, there are insufficient numbers of rail welders in the country to justify a centrally-managed government scheme, but equally a significant ...
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NewsKTZ staff train in California
KAZAKHSTAN: The first class of KTZ staff to receive bespoke training from academics at the University of California Berkeley received their certificates on September 10. A team of academics from the Haas Business School is providing multi-disciplinary classes to 143 members from KTZ's headquarters and regional offices. The first ...
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NewsWorld rail market October 2012
Brazil: Ortics is using Barix IP-based audio and control technology as part of a new on-train passenger information system for the São Paulo metro. Canada: Labrador Iron Mines has appointed Canarail to optimise rail transport at its mines. Sweden: Trafikverket has ordered more EPC Gen 2 compliant XT-3HD ...
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NewsRail Industry Training & Recruitment in Brief
Dutch infrastructure contractor Strukton Rail has launched a vocational ‘work and learn’ programme focused on electrical engineering. On September 10, the first intake of 11 recent school leavers from Amsterdam embarked on the course, which combines paid work with weekly academic classes. Deutsche Bahn opened a professional training facility in ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market October 2012
Australia: CAF has won a A$20m contract to supply six new and four leased trams for Sydney’s 5·6 km Inner West Extension which is scheduled to open in 2014 (RG 7.12 p16). A separate three-year contract worth A$1·8m covers maintenance of the new vehicles and the existing fleet of seven ...
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NewsNews in Brief - October 2012
Under its Integrated European Signalling System project, UIC has commissioned Berner & Mattner Systemtechnick to define standardised signalling functions, including interface specifications according to ISO/IEC 19505. ‘International standardisation of technical institutions and practices is not only UIC’s most important task, it’s also one of the toughest’, said Berner & Mattner ...
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NewsTraining for an emerging network
SAUDI ARABIA: State-backed Technical & Vocational Training Corp is to establish a training facility for Saudi Railway Company staff working on the North-South Railway. Intended to form a 2400 km spine down the country for mineral traffic, the North-South Railway is already operational in places, although full commercial operations are ...
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NewsAssessing the human factor
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded an ‘indefinite delivery, indefinite quality’ contract running to May 14 2017 to Alion Science & Technology as part of its accident reduction research initiative. Worth up to $10m, the contract covers research to assess ‘human performance in rail operations and maintenance’. Alion will ...