All News articles – Page 393
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News
More West Rail contracts let
ON JULY 27 Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp announced a further six contracts for West Rail phase I, totalling HK$5·4bn. Four are for civil works, one for railway systems and one for design.Kier-Zen Pacific JV is to build Mei Foo station for HK$1·2bn, whlist Tin Shui Wai station and the light rail ...
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Control modules
Schneider Electric is developing a range of distributed input/output modules for traction control and other rolling stock applications, compliant with European standards EN 50155 and EN 50121-3-2. Featuring a robust and compact plastic housing for mounting on a DIN rail, the lightweight modules can operate between -40í C and 85í ...
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Safety costs mount
A record fine for a health and safety offence of £1·5m was imposed on Great Western Trains in July by Mr Justice Scott-Baker for not preventing the collision at Southall in West London on September 19 1997. Seven passengers died when a diesel High Speed Train ran through signals at ...
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Still in court
ON JULY 29 the Taiwanese High Court awarded NT$1·1bn to Matra Transport International as compensation for its work on Taipei’s troubled Mucha metro line. This should have been welcome news to the French supplier, which has been battling with Taipei City Council’s Department of Rapid Transit Systems for ...
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Taiwan deal
THE SIGNING of a three-way accord on August 13 appears to have salvaged the 35-year concession for the 345 km Taipei - Kaohsiung high-speed line. The agreement followed two days of talks between the Taiwan government, concessionaire THSRC and bankers' representatives. THSRC gave notice at the end of July that ...
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SkyTrain deal
ON AUGUST 3, Bombardier Transportation confirmed that it had been awarded a C$205m contract for design and supply of electrical and mechanical systems for the 21 km SkyTrain Line 2 in Vancouver. Rapid Transit 2000 Ltd had already awarded the company a C$165m contract for 60 ALRT MkII cars last ...
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Dieter
Il viaggio a Reims. To celebrate the total solar eclipse in Europe on August 11, 250 VIPs enjoyed a trip from Paris on the Nostalgie Orient Express, including a ’brunch astronomique’ with caviar and champagne. Dieter wonders whether a steam train is really ideal for a solar observation tour.
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Graffiti drive
Under a contract worth 4bn euros, work is due to begin in September to apply anti-graffiti film to 1600 passenger vehicles operated by Italian State Railways’ Transport Strategic Business Area, which is responsible for regional and urban services. Application of film to this first batch of vehicles operating around Torino, ...
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KTZ monopoly to be ended
THE GOVERNMENT of Kazakhstan has approved draft proposals for the restructuring of the national railway network and the introduction of competition for support services. Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) General Director Ablai Myrzakhmetov announced at the beginning of August that the ’demonopolisation’ process would be phased over the next four years.Noting that ...
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Russian locos enter service
TWO advanced designs of electric locomotive have been approved for regular service on Russian Railways, following the completion of commissioning trials. The occasion was marked by a ceremony at the Shcherbinka test centre attended by Minister of Railways V I Starostenko (third from left) and Vice-Minister Kondratenko (right). The two ...
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Swiss will be first with live ETCS
Level 2 ETCS is being installed on the Olten - Luzern main line, where Swiss Federal Railways is taking the opportunity to replace obsolete signalling equipment. The project forms a pilot for the ERTMS/ETCS programme
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NS Reizigers needs ETCS and new lines to handle growth
INTRO: ATB-NG, the ATP upgrade equivalent to ETCS Level 1 developed for the Netherlands, will not enhance capacity. Faced by 50% growth projections for 2010, passenger operator NS Reizigers believes that only BB21 moving block and civil works to relieve bottlenecks can meet public expectationsBYLINE: Jos HoltzerManager, Department of Infrastructure ...
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Trams extend
ZWICKAU City Transport has confirmed that October 1 will see the inauguration of metre-gauge tram services on the city’s dual-gauge Stadtbahn- und Regionalbahn route (RG 8.99 p528). SVZ’s trams will be extended south from Neumarkt in the city centre, sharing the three-rail section with Vogtlandbahn standard-gauge diesel railbuses between Zentrum ...
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Railtrack faces massive fines
Britain’s recently appointed Rail Regulator, Tom Winsor, announced on August 19 that he expects to sign in October an Enforcement Order requiring Railtrack to cut the delays which it causes to passenger trains by 12·7% during the year ending March 31 2000. This would be the first such order served ...
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Mälarbanan fleet renewal
SWEDISH State Railway will call tenders next month for a fleet of 40 two-car trainsets at a cost of around SKr1bn. They are intended to operate on the two Stockholm - Örebro routes: the Mälarbanan via Västerås and the Svealandsbanan via Eskilstuna. They would replace X2000 tilting trains which are ...
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Green sleepers from Primix
Primix has developed a sleeper comprising a steel and concrete core surrounded by a composite shell. This extruded shell is made from recycled polyethylene, sourced from domestic plastic containers and mixed with crumb rubber obtained from spent vehicle tyres and a proprietary Primix binding agent.As well as offering a recycled ...
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Rails reach Mato Grosso
AUGUST 6 saw the opening of the second stage of Brazil’s Ferronorte Railway, adding 120 km from Chapadao do Sul to Alto Taquari in Mato Grosso state. Services began on the first 310 km from Aparecida do Taboado in Mato Grosso do Sul at the end of May, following completion ...
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Zimbabwe reverts to vertical integration
Retirement of General Manager Alvord Mabena earlier this year and his replacement by Mr S Zumbika as Acting GM was followed by a rethink of the way in which National Railways of Zimbabwe will be privatised. The principle of separate infrastructure and operations has now been rejected in favour of ...
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INTELLIGENCE
Argentina: 11 companies have expressed interest in operating freight and passenger services on the northern section of the Belgrano Railway, under a 30-year concession from the province of Salta (RG 7.99 p415). A decree to confirm transfer of the Belgrano to Unión Ferroviaria until 2029 was expected to follow an ...