All News articles – Page 285
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News
Tram networks to reintegrate
AS FORECAST last month (RG 10.02 p605), Melbourne is about to turn the clock back and put a single operator in charge of the world’s third-largest tram network. National Express Group Australia, operator of M>Tram, revealed on October 17 that it was negotiating to sell M>Tram to Yarra Trams, a ...
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PEOPLE
Dr Manfred Stolpe has replaced Kurt Bodewig as German Federal Minister for Transport, Building & Housing.Jean-Marie Bertrand was appointed Director General of Reséau Ferré de France on October 7, succeeding Jean-François Bénard.Katsuhiko Ichikawa has become General Manager of Central Japan Railway Corporate Planning Division’s International Department. Kaoru Umemoto continues as ...
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Pointers
The Norwegian government is expected to start tendering the provision of local rail services next year, in a bid to cut the NKr1·3bn annual cost. Early candidates identified by the Ministry of Transport & Communications include the Gjøvik, Bratsberg and Bergen - Foss services. Connex is due to take over ...
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Publications
Freight Railways: Sustainable Mobility for Economy & SocietyThis fifth volume in the Blue Books series from the Association of German Transport Undertakings covers issues of interest to freight railway operators. In addition to state-owned DB Cargo there are around 165 active public freight operators in Germany, and a further 850 ...
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Reverting to regions
ON OCTOBER 1 Amtrak restructured its Operating Department, abolishing the ’product line’ management based on Special Business Units in favour of a geographical organisation of regions and divisions. The Western Region has three divisions, Pacific, Southwest and Central, whilst the Eastern Region has four: Southern, Mid-Atlantic, New York and New ...
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Sidetrack
Rolling drunkHAVING had one drink too many, a Finn recently found himself on an extended tour of the country. Too tired to walk home, he crawled into the battery compartment of a carriage stood in the town of Oulu. Inevitably, he then discovered this compartment could only be opened from ...
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Super-resilient wheels
ITALIAN wheelset specialist Lucchini Sidermeccanica and German rubber components supplier Gummi-Metall-Technik GmbH have formed a joint venture to produce and sell a super-resilient wheel known as ITUS. A prototype wheel was unveiled at the InnoTrans show in Berlin on September 24.Lucchini has meanwhile obtained certification from Italcertifer for unrestricted use ...
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Koreans start to test 350 km/h KHST
BYLINE: KiWhan KimProject ManagerKorea Railroad Research InstituteINTRO: With Phase 1 of the Seoul - Pusan TGV service on course for completion by April 2004, a home-grown 350 km/h Korean High Speed Train prototype is ready to begin reliability trialsPEOPLE IN KOREA really began to pay serious attention to the future ...
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LIRR tests M-7
ON SEPTEMBER 5 Long Island Rail Road General Manager David J Elliott took guests for a demonstration trip between Jamaica and Manhattan with the first Bombardier-built Class M-7 commuter EMU. Acceptance testing of the prototype is expected to be completed this month, allowing series deliveries to begin at the rate ...
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Open access rejected
CANADIAN open access operator Ferroequus has lost its application for rights to run over Canadian National tracks. The Edmonton-based firm had applied in October 2001 to operate grain trains from Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, and Camrose, Alberta, to the port of Prince Rupert (RG 9.02 p451).The Canadian Transportation Agency rejected the application ...
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KRC advisors
THEGOVERMENT of Kenya has appointed the private-sector financing arm of the World Bank, the International Finance Corp, as lead advisor for the privatisation of Kenya Railways Corp. Over the next 18 months IFC will examine the potential for passenger and freight services, design and implement a concession structure to attract ...
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More rivals in the air
CAPTION: THE IMMINENT launch of German Wings, yet another no-frills European airline, obliges us to flag up once more the competitive threat from the air. Low-cost carriers have already forced British Airways and Lufthansa to revise their fares structures in Europe, and SAS in Scandinavia is following suit. Simple Internet ...
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Airport contracts
ON AUGUST 29 Alstom Transport confirmed that it had won a €134m contract from Hellenic Railways’ construction arm Ergose, for project management and engineering design on the 30 km link to Spata international airport near Athens. Due to be completed for the 2004 Olympic Games, the route uses 10 km ...
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IR goes alone
LASTMONTH an inter-ministerial committee headed by the Ministry of Finance agreed to push ahead with the planned separation of Israel Railways from the country’s ports authority, despite objections from the Transport Minister Dr Ephrayim Sne. IR will be set up as a stand-alone limited company with the possibility of privatisation ...
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A real alternative to flying
BYLINE: Dr-Ing Dietrich G Moeller Dipl-Ing Josef W Fischer BYLINE: Dr-Ing Dietrich G Moeller is President, Trains, at Siemens Transportation Systems. Dipl-Ing Josef W Fischer is General Manager of the Subdivision High Speed, Spain & PortugalINTRO: Siemens is building a fleet of 16 high speed trainsets designed to link Madrid ...
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Ankaray bidding
ANKARA metro operator EGO expects to call new bids shortly for civil engineering works and E&M equipment on the northeast extension of the 9 km Ankaray light rail line from Dikimevi to Siteler and Onder. Construction bids for these Phase 2 works were originally invited in 2000 and submitted on ...
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NRC rehabilitation approved
A 25-YEAR ’strategic vision’ for the rehabilitation and development of Nigeria’s ailing national rail network at a cost of US$40bn was approved at the beginning of September (RG 4.02 p174). No funding has been identified, but the government hopes to raise 80% from external sources. Speaking on September 10, at ...
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Autoripage moves Shortlands box
AFTER A 76h closure for major civil engineering work, the section of Railtrack’s Chatham main line between Herne Hill and Shortlands in the southeastern suburbs of London was handed back for traffic 40min ahead of schedule at 03.20 on August 27. The line had been closed to enable a 4500 ...
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CTRL awards
UNION Railways (North) Ltd has awarded the ACT joint venture a contract to design, install and commission track and overhead line equipment on Section 2 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. ACT is formed of Alstom Transportation Projects, Carillion Construction and French infrastructure maintenance company Travaux du Sud-Ouest. Valued ...
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Flood repairs may siphon away investment funds
’WATER IS THE enemy of the track’ remarked Isabela Mila, a senior Polish Railways manager responsible for investment on the Warszawa - Berlin corridor to us some time ago. She had good reason for concern, for severe flooding in Silesia in 1997 had absorbed funds that were badly needed for ...