All Railway Gazette International articles in November 2008
All articles published this month.
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NewsTazara hopes rise on investment plan
TANZANIA: Plans to invest US$950m to expand the country’s rail network were announced by Minister of Infrastructure Development Dr Shukuru Kawamba in August. He confirmed that consultants were working on a feasibility study in line with a strategy outlined in the East African Railway Master Plan. Kwambwa says development will ...
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NewsFrench independent rail regulator to be created
FRANCE: Secretary of State for Transport Dominique Bussereau presented a bill to cabinet on September 10 paving the way for the establishment of an independent rail regulator. Intended to ensure that there is no discrimination against operators wishing to gain access to the national network, the bill is due to ...
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Shenzhen prepares for Line 5 construction
CHINA: Shenzhen Metro has awarded a contract worth 9·3bn yuan to China Railway Group to construct Line 5 on a build and transfer basis. Linking Shenzen West with Longhua, Line 5 will be 41 km long with 27 stations and a rolling stock depot. It is due to open to ...
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NewsDubai ruler's trial run
UAE: Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum officially launched test running on the Dubai Metro during a visit to the test track on September 20. Sheikh Mohammed took a ride on one of the Kinki Sharyo-built trains, accompanied by Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al ...
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Končar’s low-floor EMU plans
CROATIA: Rolling stock manufacturer Končar intends to complete the construction of a regional EMU prototype by the middle of next year. Following initial tests, the three-car unit will be delivered to Bosnian Railways with a view to series production of the design. Končar hopes to target the former Yugoslavia and ...
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People in the news - November 2008
A dispute over seats on the CSX board (RG 7.08 p422) ended on September 16 with the rejection of the company’s legal action by a federal court. CSX had sought to invalidate the election of two nominees from The Children’s Investment Fund (TCI) and 3G Capital Partners but, following the ...
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NewsGE diesels will revitalise KTZ fleet
KAZAKHSTAN: GE Transportation is working with Kazakhstan Temir Zholy to modernise the locomotive fleet, reports Murray Hughes.
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NewsWarszawa Line 1 finished
POLAND: The final section of Warszawa’s first metro line between Slodowiec and Mlociny was completed on October 25, an event celebrated with an afternoon of free travel on November 1. The 20 km line with 21 stations has taken 25 years to build. Although construction of Line 2 has been ...
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Salt Lake City airport link underway
USA: A ceremony in Salt Lake City on October 22 marked the start of construction on the $300m Airport TRAX light rail line. The 9·7 km five-stop branch will diverge from the main north-south line at Arena, heading west to Terminal One. It is expected to carry 14 000 daily ...
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NewsHigh speed race is on
UK: Prospects for construction of a domestic high speed line inched closer last month, when newly-appointed Secretary of State for Transport Geoff Hoon revealed that he had asked his Minister of Transport with responsibility for networks (including rail) to take a closer look at the potential. Also newly in post, ...
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NewsThe great train drought
SOUTH AFRICA: A derailment near Overvaal on September 4 of 42 laden coal wagons forming part of a 200-vehicle train blocked the busy Richards Bay line for at least two days. The latest in a series of problems, the blockage sparked further concern among the country’s coal mining companies, who ...
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NewsEurostar settles into its green depot
UK: Having successfully moved its maintenance facility across London ahead of the start of services on High Speed 1 last year, Eurostar is now working to ensure its Engineering Centre Temple Mills is an environmentally-responsible member of the local community. Nick Kingsley reports.
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NewsPoland prepares to take the high speed plunge
POLAND: An invitation to bid for a high speed line feasibility study is due to be issued by the end of the year, kicking off a process that could see a Y–shaped route enter service in 2019.
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NewsCrotram on tour
EUROPE: The Crotram partnership of TZV Gredelj and Koncar expects to begin demonstrating a Zagreb TMK 2200 tram in Sofia shortly, having determined that the metre-gauge car will require minimal adaptation for use on the Bulgarian city's 1 009 mm gauge lines. Trials in Helsinki earlier this year found ...
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NewsRevenue services begin on Orange Line
TAIWAN: Revenue services on Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp's 14·4 km Orange Line began on September 22, following eight days of free rides after the inauguration ceremony on September 14. During October the MRT Bureau will submit proposals to the Ministry of Transport & Communications for extensions to the Red and ...
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NewsMetrolinx unveils 'The Big Move'
CANADA: Toronto regional transport authority Metrolinx has published a draft version of ‘The Big Move', its C$50bn long-range transport plan (RG 5.08 p277), but admits that the required funding sources are still unidentified. One potential revenue stream that had been unofficially discussed - road tolls and congestion pricing - ...
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Shanghai Line 11 contracts
CHINA: A consortium comprising Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Thales Rail Signalling Solutions and Shanghai Automation Instrumentation Co has signed two contracts worth €50m with Shanghai Shentong Group Co. Alcatel Shanghai Bell will provide an integrated communications package on a turnkey basis, including project management, network integration and maintenance, whilst Thales will ...
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Chennai funding agreed
INDIA: Work was due to start last month on the first phase of the Chennai metro, following the confirmation of an initial loan of Rs49·9bn by the Japanese government on October 22. JBIC has agreed to lend Rs8bn towards the Rs111bn cost of Phase 1, comprising two lines totalling ...