All Railway Gazette International articles in October 2000

All articles published this month.

  • News

    Signals at yellow

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    IT LOOKS as if Jean-Yves Leblanc may be going into the signalling business. Outlining progress with the takeover of Adtranz (RG 9.00 p601), Bombardier Transportation’s President & Chief Operating Officer admitted on September 12 that the bids for Adtranz Signal had been ’not interesting’. GE Harris and Harmon are too ...

  • News

    Sidetrack

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    Scent to try usA HECTIC dash by metro across Paris one afternoon during last month’s fuel ’crisis’ reminded us of the hapless British transport minister who got into trouble for preferring his car to public transport because he didn’t like sitting next to ’smelly commuters’. It was hot and crowded, ...

  • News

    Sevilla revival

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    PUBLIC consultations have begun for the construction of a four-line metro network in the Spanish city of Sevilla. Promoter of the 47 km network is Metro de Sevilla, a joint venture company formed by the city administration and the Andalucia regional government. An environmental impact study costing Pts346m has been ...

  • News

    Publications

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    Book reviews

  • News

    Pointers

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    n Australian aluminium producer Alcoa, one of Westrail’s biggest customers, is to put its rail transport out to tender, a move which could affect bids for the purchase of Westrail’s freight business.n Completion of the long-planned line across the Malawi-Zambia border between Mchinji and Chipata (40 km) is under discussion ...

  • News

    PeruRail refurbishes

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    ON AUGUST 24 PeruRail announced the start of a US$1·5m programme to refurbish its passenger car fleet, due for completion by March 2001. Work is being undertaken by James Park Associates at the company’s workshops in Cusco and Arequipa.The fleet of eight diesel railcars operating between Cusco and Aguas Calientes ...

  • News

    PEOPLE

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    Pascal Tomasso and Jacques Damas have joined Eurostar Group to fill two new Executive Director positions, respectively Sales & Marketing and Operations. Maurits Kalff has been appointed Director of Customer Services, in place of Edward Bell.Head of SNCF’s Marseille region Pierre Izard has been appointed Director of Human Resources at ...

  • News

    Overwhelmed by passengers

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    QUESTIONS have been asked in the Dutch parliament about the widespread failure of NS Reizigers to meet comfort standards laid down in its 1995 service contract with the government. These require 85% of passengers travelling for more than 5min in the commuting peak to have a seat. But at the ...

  • News

    A warning and an opportunity

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    THE political jungle is inhabited by a species of parrot that squawks ’safety is paramount’ at the slightest hint of rail safety being compromised. The bird was unaccountably silent in September, when an unexpected relaxation of employment rules meant train drivers in charge of freight trains carrying dangerous chemicals, inflammable ...

  • News

    On-line procurement

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    French engineering consultancy Mercury Consultants is launching an on-line search engine for technical suppliers, aimed initially at the engineering and research departments of railway operators and manufacturers. Research and development departments from any organisation will be able to contact mepax.com free with specific technical requirements for materials procurement or potential ...

  • News

    MTR scramble

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    SHARES in Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway are due to be traded for the first time on October 5. To pave the way for partial privatisation, MTRC’s property, rights and liabilities were vested in MTR Corporation Ltd on June 30. This allowed the government to announce on September 11 that ...

  • News

    Metros

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    Egypt: National Authority for Tunnels was due to invite bids last month for up to three contracts to build the 2·5 km extension of Cairo metro Line 2 from Giza to Moneib, expected to cost úE300m. A total of 22 companies submitted prequalification applications.Germany: Karlsruhe is planning to build a ...

  • News

    TV on the metro

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    MADRID Metro has joined e-Media Group and Urbaser in a new venture that is to install TV screens across the network by the end of 2002. Costing Pts7bn and expected to create over 300 jobs, the Canal Metro Madrid project will see 1200 42in plasma screens installed on platforms and ...

  • News

    Pankow links open

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    SEPTEMBER 16 saw the inauguration of the long-planned Berlin U-Bahn extension to Pankow, where an interchange with the S-Bahn has been provided. The eastern end of Line U2 had been closed beyond Senefelderplatz since July 10 to allow the connection of the 390m extension from Vinetastrasse. Completion of the DM105m ...

  • News

    Plastic offers longer sleeper life

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    Production of sleepers made out of recycled plastic and rubber has commenced in Houston, Texas, after a seven-year R&D programme that has cost U$4m. The production line has been set up by TieTek Inc after tests with plastic sleepers produced by three companies at AAR’s Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, ...

  • News

    Letters

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    Øresund ATP Sir - It was with great interest that I read your article 'Integrated signalling, ATP and train radio on the Øresund Link' in RG 7.00 p424. However, I was concerned that some of the information in the article may have been potentially misleading. It was my ...

  • News

    INTELLIGENCE

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    Australia: A container terminal and balloon loop have been commissioned at Mt Isa as part of a joint project between QR, Mt Isa City Council and Mt Isa Mines, which is making more use of containers to move export minerals to Townsville.QR carried 131million tonnes of freight in the year ...

  • News

    Industry News

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    Mexico: Trinity Industries Inc of the USA has begun work on a 32500m2 wagon factory at Sabinas, Coahuila, which it hopes to open by the end of 2001. Plant closures within Trinity’s Railcar Group (RG 7.00 p406) were expected to contribute towards a charge of up to US$46m in the ...

  • News

    Istanbul opens heavy metro

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    THE FIRST 8 km stage of Istanbul’s north-south heavy metro line was officially inaugurated on September 16. Linking Taksim and 4. Levent, the line has four intermediate stations, and a design capacity of 70000 passengers/h in each direction. Construction of the line started began in 1992, and installation of electrical ...

  • News

    Laser measurement speeds profile gauging

    2000-10-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: The introduction of modern rolling stock requires comprehensive and accurate knowledge of clearance profiles throughout the network where it will operate. Innovative measuring systems will enable accurate data to be collected at up to 200 km/h BYLINE: David M JohnsonManaging DirectorLaser Rail LtdINTRODUCTION of new rolling stock on an ...