All News articles – Page 346
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News
Rail Estonia dumped amid controversy
PRIVATISATION of Eesti Raudtee, the largest component of Estonia’s state-owned railway responsible for freight and main line infrastructure, suffered a major setback on February 28 when Rail Estonia lost its status as preferred bidder. RE failed to convince the privatisation agency EPA that it had a strategic investor on board ...
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Amtrak unveils California dream
A 20-YEAR programme to upgrade many of California’s passenger routes was launched by Amtrak on March 6. Other partners in the $10·1bn scheme are California DOT, Metrolink, Caltrain and Burlington Northern Santa Fe. The aim is to increase patronage from 3 to 12 million passengers a year by 2020.California Governor ...
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Vietnam metro approved
THE PEOPLE’S COMMITTEE in Ho Chi Minh City has approved a master plan for development of an urban rail network. The Vietnamese Transport Ministry hopes to commission feasibility studies for the first routes by the end of this year, with the aim of starting construction by 2005. Three urban metro ...
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International link back
SYRIAN Transport Minister Makram Obeid joined celebrations in Aleppo on March 10 to inaugurate a through passenger service between the city and the Iranian capital Tehran. Reinstatement of the international service was announced last year following Syria’s decision to reopen its borders with Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.From Aleppo the train ...
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Putin backs Trans-Korean link
VISITING South Korea on February 27 and 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed proposals to connect the country’s rail network to the Trans-Siberian corridor, describing the idea as ’a very good project’. He told business leaders in Seoul that Russia would be prepared to invest ’several hundred million dollars’ to ...
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Balfour Beatty expands in US
ON FEBRUARY 26 Balfour Beatty announced the acquisition of the Rail Systems Division of US industrial group ABC-NACO for a total of US$21·5m. The railway signalling, control and communication services business will be renamed Balfour Beatty Rail Systems Inc. Operating across the USA, but focusing on the northeast, southeast and ...
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Driverless trains hit legal barrier
Sir - You reported last year (RG 12.00 p798) that the Federal Railway Office had signalled the end of its reservations against driverless operation in Germany. EBA section chief Hans Heinrich Grauf had explained to a seminar of the Deutsche Verkehrsforum that the office no longer saw any legal restrictions.This ...
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Votes beat reform
KEEPING the voters sweet appears to have been the maxim used by Railway Minister Mamata Banajee in drawing up Indian Railways’ budget for 2001-02. With elections due in her home state of West Bengal this month, populist measures announced in the budget on February 26 outweighed any attempt to deal ...
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Beijing metro deal signed
CANADIAN engineering group SNC-Lavalin signed a letter of intent with three Chinese firms in February, paving the way for construction of another metro line in Beijing. Costed at 12bn yuan, the 15 km north-south Line 5 is due to be completed by 2006, and will serve the Olympic Village proposed ...
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Betuwe Route designed to relieve long-term freight congestion
INTRO: Despite vocal opposition, construction is getting under way on a billion guilder 160 km freight railway between Rotterdam Maasvlakte and the German border. The electrified line is expected to boost rail’s share of the steadily-increasing flow of freight to and from the port of RotterdamBYLINE: Leendert BouterDirectorProjectorganisatie Betuweroute BY ...
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Bodewig takes the separation plunge
JUST HOW much the hugely-trumpeted reform of German Railway has fallen short of its objectives is now becoming painfully clear. Part of the trade-off for restructuring was government promises to invest in modernisation to make the 37525 km network more competitive. This continued a long tradition whereby transport ministers responded ...
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Skoda breaks into the urban market
INTRO: Better known as a supplier of electric locomotives to the former Comecon bloc, Czech builder Skoda Plzen has established a second product line in urban rail vehicles. Milan Sramek reports on two significant orders completed in MarchON FEBRUARY 20 Skoda Transportation Systems completed the first low-floor trams for the ...
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Products in Brief
Trelleborg Industrial AVS is supplying rubber chevron springs for the refurbishment of 51 São Paulo metro Line 1 vehicles and 58 Line 3 vehicles. The laminated rubber/metal assemblies are fitted between the axles and the bogie frames.Corus and Pandrol have incorporated Pandrol’s Fastclip rail fastenings into Corus steel sleepers. Fastclip ...
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Industry News in Brief
Australia: Fare collection equipment supplier ERG Group is to acquire Motorola’s interest in the ERG Motorola Alliance for A$46m, subject to approval by ERG’s shareholders. ERG will assume responsibility for all existing projects, and the companies will continue to co-operate to support current Alliance customers.The Downer Group is to take ...
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Passenger News in Brief
Netherlands Railway is to modernise 60 Sprinter EMUs used on stopping services between the Randstad conurbations. The 20-year old vehicles will gain new interiors, more spacious seating, more accommodation for wheelchairs, bicycles and pushchairs and a passenger information system. Partitions will be replaced with glass screens, and electrical equipment will ...
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RET to build three tram lines
TENDERS are to be called shortly for the construction of three ’high-quality’ light rail lines in Rotterdam, following the allocation of more than 400m guilders for the scheme by the Netherlands transport ministry. Local operator RET says the grant is not enough to cover all three routes, but the success ...
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No monkey business
Police have broken up a racket at Indian Railways’ main terminus in Kolkata, arresting 25 porters and 28 monkeys. The porters had previously been caught occupying unreserved seats on trains and selling them on to passengers. After being arrested for breaking railway by-laws, the porters recruited the monkeys to ...
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Specialist cabling
ON February 12 Railtrack granted approval for network-wide use of Brand-Rex’s RT/E/PS/00005 standard thermoplastic A4 signalling cable, the firm’s first trackside product. The compact lightweight cable was developed for use with the Train Protection &Warning System and will replace rubber based designs.Brand-Rex has also extended its X-treme Rail product range ...
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Cameras catch vandals
FREIGHT operator Direct Rail Services is undertaking trials using train-mounted Sonitrol CCTV cameras to catch vandals. If the tests are successful, other companies may adopt the scheme. In 1999-2000, malicious acts caused 55% of reportable ’train incidents’ in Britain. As well as endangering lives, this cost the industry over £250m. ...
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Decision time in the Cape
STRUCTURAL change is poised to arrive on South Africa’s 1067mm gauge railway. Debate about the future of the 19756 km network has been heated since consultants Halcrow were called in last year, and speculation was exacerbated when Systra was asked to evaluate the proposals (RG 12.00 p789). Last month the ...