All Railway Gazette International articles in November 2008 – Page 2
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NewsKnorr-Bremse and Kyosan sign agreement
JAPAN: On November 24 Knorr-Bremse announced an exclusive co-operation agreement under which Kyosan Electric Manufacturing Co will sell Westinghouse Platform Screen Door equipment in the Japanese market. In return, certain Kyosan products will be marketed outside Japan by Knorr-Bremse under the WPSD brand, including a gap-filler which ...
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NewsHaenel seeks another compromise
FRANCE: Creation of a separate network operating unit is being proposed to address the dysfunctional relationship between RFF and SNCF, reports Jean-Paul Masse.
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News'Little Bang' work underway
UK: Work has begun to extend Greater Manchester's Metrolink network under the ‘Little Bang' programme. Bridge inspections have begun along the railway from Manchester Victoria to Oldham and Rochdale and utility surveys and diversions are in progress along the new route to Droylsden. Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority Chair Councillor ...
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NewsBybanen signalling contract
NORWAY: The city of Bergen has awarded Thales a contract to supply signalling, communications and security equipment for the initial 9·8 km section of its Bybanen Light Rail project. Thales will implement the contract in partnership with YIT, a Scandinavian company responsible for the telecommunications infrastructure and on-site commissioning, ...
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NewsUIC cleared of training fraud
INTERNATIONAL: Proposals to revise the statutes of the International Union of Railways were circulated for consultation by Provisional Administrator Béatrice Dunogué-Gaffié last month. Appointed by a Paris court earlier this year (RG 6.08 p361), Dunogué-Gaffié was able to write to UIC Chief Executive Luc Aliadière on September 19 to assure ...
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NewsSeven tram suppliers seek out a market
POLAND: Thanks to EU grants and other funding, the number of trams on order for Polish cities is rising fast as operators replace ageing fleets. Up to 350 cars could be ordered by 2012, reports Stefan von Mach.
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NewsShinkansen prototype launched
JAPAN: West Japan Railway and JR Kyushu have unveiled the first of 29 eight-car Shinkansen trainsets which will operate through services between Shin-Osaka and Kagoshima-Chuo when the second phase of the Kyushu Shinkansen has been completed. Unit S1 is expected to undergo extensive testing before the remainder of the fleet ...
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NewsFreight merger still stuck in the sidings
EUROPE: Delegates attending Terrapinn's CEE Rail conference in Budapest on October 28 were given a clear warning that reinforcing rail's share of the freight market through mergers and acquisitions would be far from straightforward.
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NewsLoan targets western China development
CHINA: The Asian Development Bank has announced a US$300m loan towards the US$8·6bn cost of building a 820 km railway from Lanzhou in Gansu province, through Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces to the manufacturing city of Chongqing. Intended to bolster economic growth in poorer areas of western China where nearly 17 ...
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NewsCounting the kilos
CHILE: Metro de Santiago is to install three additional Railweight APC4000 automatic passenger-counting systems alongside seven already fitted. The equipment works by weighing and identifying individual carriages to calculate the number of passengers on board. An initial survey was carried out to calculate a passenger’s average weight, and this is ...
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NewsWorld infrastructure market November 2008
Australia: This month QR and Van Elk Contracting will begin work on a A$30m rail replacement contract in Tasmania. The state government said it is committed to ensuring rail freight remains viable, despite Pacific National’s decision to sell its Tasmanian operation (RG 7.08 p422). Belgium: CSC Tech has won ...
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NewsLondon agrees new Oyster smart card contract
UK: Transport for London announced on November 14 that it had agreed a new contract for the management of the Oyster smart card ticketing system. In August TfL gave the required two years' notice that it was exercising a break option in the 17-year Prestige Private Finance Initiative contract ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - November 2008
Praha city council approved the extension of metro Line A to Ruzyne Airport on September 18. Construction of the 13 km route from Dejvicka to Ruzyne, which will have nine stations, is due to begin next year and be completed by 2018, at a cost of KC20bn. Metro Transportation Solutions, ...
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NewsArriva acquires LNWR
UK: Transport operator Arriva announced on November 18 that it had acquired train maintenance company LNWR for £2·4m, including repayment of a shareholder loan and the assumption of approximately £2m of debt. Founded in 1993 by music producer and entrepreneur Pete Waterman, LNWR operates a maintenance depot at Crewe ...
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NewsNo freight on Perpignan - Figueres?
SNCF’s Director, Freight, Luc Nadal, said on October 29 that the Perpignan – Figueres line now being built by concessionaire TP Ferro was not suitable for freight traffic - despite the fact that it was expressly designed as a mixed-traffic railway. Asked to explain why, Nadal cited three problems. First, ...
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NewsHurdles ahead in the race to rescue European freight
PARIS: A high-level conference on October 29 sought to assess progress towards a European freight-oriented network, but numerous obstacles lie ahead. Murray Hughes reports.
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NewsATP for track machines
NETHERLANDS: Lloyd’s Register Rail Europe has developed a low-cost variant of the ATB on-board automatic train protection equipment that will be mandatory from January 2009 for all trains running at above 40 km/h in the Netherlands. Lloyd’s Register is using the ATBE product to target the operators of track ...
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NewsTurnkey rail mill contract
RUSSIA: Russian mining and metals company Mechel has awarded Chinese state-owned firm Minmetals a US$300m turnkey contract for the construction of a rail and structural steel mill at Chelyabinsk. Minmetals will construct the workshop, and install and commission equipment to be provided by Italian firm Danieli. Completion is planned ...
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NewsEuro 2012 deadline catalyses network upgrade
POLAND: The unexpected decision to name Poland as co- host of the UEFA European football championship in 2012 has focused attention on ensuring passenger services are able to meet the anticipated demand. A raft of improvements to inter-regional lines and major stations is now underway, as Ryszard Piech explains.
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NewsWorld rolling stock market November 2008
Bulgaria: Tüvasas has won a €32m contract to supply BDZ with 30 sleeping cars within 18 months. Croatia: TZV Gredelj has signed a €6m contract to supply IRS with 600 Y25 bogies by the end of May 2009. Germany: The city of München has placed a €29m contract with ...