All News articles – Page 301
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News
Export orders offer prospects
ALTHOUGH turnover among members of the German Railway Industry Association fell from €8·1bn in 2000 to €7·7bn last year, President Dr Dieter Klumpp was able to present an encouraging picture in his annual review on April 17.In an analysis of developments last year, Klumpp drew attention to improved sales of ...
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Starlight express
We reported last month on the construction of the NASA ’space railroad’ on the International Space Station (RG 5.02 p236). Sidetrack is delighted to learn that the significance of this achievement has been recognised in official circles.On April 29 the US National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association awarded honorary membership ...
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Finance
Australia: The 2002-03 federal budget includes A$650000 to fund half the cost of a study into a light rail line serving Queensland’s Gold Coast resorts. The state will provide the remainder. Four consultancies have been shortlisted for a contract to develop the A$200m Southport - Broadbeach proposals by December 2003.Victoria’s ...
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Gautrain shortlist
On May 2 the Gauteng regional government in South Africa announced that two consortia had been shortlisted for the concession to build and operate the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link between Johannesburg, Pretoria and Johannesburg International Airport. The formal prequalification process was launched in February, and 10 bids had been received ...
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Indian Railways gears up to handle growth
INTRO: Appointed Chairman of the Indian Railway Board on April 1, I I M S Rana has instigated a major programme of capacity expansion. Plans include more gauge conversion, new lines, track doubling and a range of other modernisation projects. Murray Hughes put questions on key issues to the new ...
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IR goes for intermodal
FORTY YEARS ago, for the usual reasons, Israel Railways abandoned haulage of high-value export goods such as citrus fruit. With a maximum possible haul of little more than 150 km on an under-developed rail network, road transport looked the natural choice for this small country; railways seemed destined to wither. ...
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S-Bahn grows
BASEL S-Bahn services will start running into Germany in mid-2003, thanks to the award of a contract to Swiss Federal Railways on April 12. This followed the signing of an accord between the Land of Baden-Württemberg and the canton of Basel-Stadt for integration of the Wiesental line into the regional ...
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Manila plans head south
CONCERN about an economic downturn in the Philippines has prompted property developer Ayala Land to withdraw from the proposed Manila - Calabazon railway upgrading and rehabilitation project. The company had envisaged a build-operate-transfer scheme to develop commuter rail services linked to property development south of the capital, but it no ...
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INTELLIGENCE
Australia: NSW Minister for Planning Dr Andrew Refshauge has approved a A$40m redevelopment of Yennora freight terminal in Sydney.Brazil: CVRD is planning to run 3·2 km, 320-wagon iron ore trains on its EFVM line to Tubarão port using Locotrol equipment. A 10% cut in fuel consumption would save 20 million ...
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Letters
LIRR freight privatisationSir - In Rail Investment 2001, published as a supplement to your October edition last year, I noted an article about freight privatisation by Henry Posner III. In discussing the process of bidding and concessioning, the author wrote ’In some cases, it becomes clear that despite a formal ...
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No love lost
A FURIOUS row has broken out between German Railway and the construction industry. On May 17 DB issued a statement from its outspoken Chairman Hartmut Mehdorn refuting accusations that DB was not capable of implementing its own investment programme. Saying that he was amazed how the industry was treating its ...
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Lubricant monitoring
HEATHROW Express is using remote track lubrication monitoring developed by Interfleet Technology. The installation gives direct feedback on the operation of lubricators on the Airport Curve near Heathrow. A wheel proximity switch alerts a lineside PC to the presence of an approaching train. Transducers monitor the grease pressure, and rail-mounted ...
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Market
Australia: Pilbara Rail has taken delivery of three GE C44-9W locos for Hamersley Iron traffic.Brazil: CPTM of São Paulo has called tenders to prepare documentation for planning and obtaining finance for the second phase of the Capão Redondo - Embuaçu metro Line 5.Canada: GM EMD has been awarded a six-year ...
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Metros
Brazil: TCBR, Vega and Dalcon have been awarded a contract to undertake outline engineering design for a 13 km elevated metro in Curitiba (RG 3.02 p117). The winning bid was R$5·82m.Canada: Montréal’s AMT has unveiled plans for a 6·2 km, six station C$700m extension of the Blue line from Saint ...
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Orbital study
MARYLAND’S General Assembly has approved funding of $10·5m to start planning and environmental studies for the proposed 22·7 km orbital light rail line from New Carrollton to Silver Spring and Bethesda. It would link the outer ends of Washington Metro’s Red, Green and Orange lines, providing suburb-to-suburb connections between communities ...
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TBTC pays off in Vancouver
BYLINE: Michael RichardVice-President, OperationsBritish Columbia Rapid Transit Company LtdBRITISH COLUMBIA was an early user of TBTC. Since 1986 Vancouver’s SkyTrain has been the largest driverless transit system in North America. Using SelTrac technology, it remains one of the largest fully-automated applications in the world.As operator, BC Rapid Transit Co has ...
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PEOPLE
Gilles de Robien has been appointed Transport Minister in the new French government. Marc Foucault is Ministerial Advisor, Pierre Graff is Director of the Minister’s Cabinet, and Guénola de Couedic is Head of Communications. Former President of New York City Transit and Toronto Transit Commission David L Gunn took over ...
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Pointers
n Communications Minister Nazmul Huda has proposed electrifying the Bangladesh Railway main lines from Dhaka to Chittagong and Rajshahi, as well as building links from Dhaka to Laksam, between Banganbandhu Bridge and Bogra and from Chittagong to Cox’s Bazar. Land sales and the recovery of 120bn taka owed by companies ...
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PTC tests at risk
WORK to upgrade track and signalling over much of the Union Pacific route between Chicago and St Louis is due for completion by October. The section between Dwight and Springfield, Illinois, has been fitted with Positive Train Control and improved protection at level crossings (RG 6.00 p359), allowing line speed ...
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Ticino S-Bahn
SWISS Federal Railways and Italian State Railway will take a first step in December towards creation of a regional S-Bahn network serving the cross-border region north of Milano. From the winter timetable change, local services between Mendrisio and Lugano will be increased to half-hourly, and the border stop at Chiasso ...