All News articles – Page 457
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News
Airport trains complete first phase of tests
INTRO: One of 23 seven-car trains for Hong Kong’s airport line is to be shipped from Germany this monthTEN WEEKS of trials with one of the first trains for Hong Kong MTR Corp’s airport line culminated in a media presentation on July 2 at the Adtranz works in Hennigsdorf near ...
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Amtrak could go bankrupt next year
A WORKING GROUP of 13 set up by Bud Shuster, Chairman of the House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, reported on June 23 that ’Amtrak is now awash in red ink, buffeted by conflicting missions and ballooning debt, and virtually starved of capital in both political and financial terms.’ ...
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Modular seats meet many applications
DEVELOPED by Vogel Interieur Schienenfahrzeuge in conjunction with TriCon Design of Weiden, the Wing modular seating system has been designed for applications ranging from metro cars and suburban rolling stock to high-speed trains. Wing components meeting railway mechanical strength and fire safety requirements can be assembled as desired; four different ...
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Second concession awarded
On June 26 the Mexican government accepted the bid by Grupo Ferroviario Mexicano SA for a 50-year concession to run the Ferrocarril Pacifico - Norte. As expected, GFM was the sole bidder, offering 4·197bn pesos for the 6200 km network and the Ojinaga - Topolobampo section of the Chihuahua - ...
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Bringing back the fish
ANNOUNCEMENT on July 16 that 2500 freight wagons will be built for US-owned freight operator EWS over the next five years - at the former carriage works in York in association with Thrall Car - is one of the most encouraging events on the British scene in the traumatic five ...
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Electric or diesel: tilting may tip the balance
Economic, technical, environmental and ergonomic factors must be addressed when selecting traction power. However, parameters shift if tilt is to be used. Felix Schmid* examines the issues which engineers must assessTravel time is a key element in the attractiveness of an inter-city or inter-regional rail service. Increasing maximum speed over ...
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Land Rover becomes rail rover
All-terrain vehicles from Land Rover are now also able to run on railway track. Conversion work carried out by Permaquip includes fitting Fairmont Tamper Series 1000 Hy-Rail gear, enabling Road/Rail Land Rovers to operate on-rail at up to 32 km/h.Versions available include a general purpose pickup truck, personnel carrier, welders ...
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BNSF and UP test Positive Train Separation
INTRO: Richard Hope reports on a project to validate the non-vital automatic train protection overlay developed by GE Harris, using radio data links and GPS location. Now in the second of four phases, it is on course for completion by DecemberAFTER A DECADE of circling inconclusively around the Advanced Train ...
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CalTrain boost
BIDS ARE due by September 17 for supply of up to 20 double-deck gallery cars for the CalTrain commuter rail line, including five cab control vehicles. Each must have a wheelchair lift and disabled-accessible toilet. The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board has $30m to buy additional vehicles to ...
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Rail Gourmet buys ERC
ON JUNE 29 the SAirRelations division of SAirGroup (formerly Swissair Group) signed a purchase agreement with the management of British-based European Rail Catering. The new acquisition will be integrated with Rail Gourmet, thereby more than doubling its revenue and increasing its European market share from 6 to 11%, according to ...
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Lake Titicaca bypass
PERU’S Ministry of Transport has invited tenders for consultants to review the technical and economic feasibility of building a standard-gauge railway between Puno and Desaguadero to replace the present train ferry across Lake Titicaca. The bi-weekly ferry severely constrains capacity on Enafer’s main link to Bolivia, and recent droughts and ...
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Cali wants light rail
TENDERS were due last month for construction of a US$973m two-line light rail network in the Colombian city of Cali, 450 km southwest of Bogota. Work is expected to start next year, with the first segment opening in 2000, when the city’s population is predicted to reach 1·8 million. The ...
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Pizza express car
ITALIAN Railways has taken delivery of a prototype ’Pizza Express’ restaurant car conversion from Fervet of Castelfranco Veneto, developed in conjunction with train caterer Agape. The ex-TEE vehicle now has seats for 44 customers, divided between an area with 12 stools and a second with tables for two or four. ...
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Gas tensioner supports JR Central wires
Spring and balance-weight tensioners have been superseded by a gas-cylinder model developed by JR Central, offering a smaller, lighter unit with improved performance.Whereas conventional tensioners absorb the slack produced when overhead line cables expand in the heat, the gas cylinder model actively tensions in response to changes in temperature. As ...
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Financing closer
A DM2·8bn funding package for reconstruction of German Railway's Sachsenmagistrale main line linking Hof with Dresden and Leipzig will be agreed later this year, according to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Federal Transport Minister, Johannes Nitsch. He told Sachsen Economics Secretary Dr Wolfgang Zeller on June 9 that the funds ...
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Making concessions
DECREE 605 signed by President Menem and published on July 3 opened a 120-day window for the government and Argentina’s five private freight railways to renegotiate the 30-year operating concessions signed between 1991 and 1993. Some months ago the operators suspended payments for use of Argentine Railways’ infrastructure and rolling ...
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Connex fleet replacement
French-owned Connex Rail Ltd has ordered 30 four-car Class 375 ’Electrostar’ EMUs from Adtranz for £90m, to operate Connex South Eastern services from London to Dover and Hastings. The contract signed on July 16 includes options for up to 800 more cars, up to half of which could be for ...
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Netherlands sizes up power conversion
INTRO: Everybody agrees that 25 kV AC is essential on three primary international routes; phased conversion between 2005 and 2017 is the best option for the rest of the trunk network, but who will pay?BYLINE: Robin HemelrijkSenior Project LeaderRailned InnovatieTHE DUTCH national network is 2739route-km of which 1991 km is ...
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Coruña tramway
JUNE saw the inauguration of a 4 km tramway in the Spanish city of A Coruña, linking the castle of San Antón and the Tower of Hercules. A 15min interval service is provided by two ’heritage’ trams built in the 1920s which have been rebuilt by CAF at Zaragoza.The line ...
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Cruising through the Rockies
AMERICAN Orient Express ran a series of three-day luxury rail cruises through the Rocky Mountains between Denver and Salt Lake City in July and August, hauled by two Genesis locos provided by Amtrak. On each of the 14 scheduled trips, a maximum of 100 passengers were carried in 15 refurbished ...