All Railway Gazette International articles in October 2007 – Page 4
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News
Bidders sought to build Indian diesel loco plant
APPLICATIONS to build a factory able to produce 100 diesel-electric locomotives a year for Indian Railways closed on September 14. Pre-qualified bidders for the joint venture project are to be announced on October 12. A Request for Proposals is to be issued on October 19, and bidders will have until ...
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Up the Mekong
PROPOSALS for construction of a 128 km railway from Ho Chi Minh City to Loc Ninh near the Cambodian border have been under discussion for many years, but the Vietnam Railway Administration announced last month that it hoped to start work by 2010. VNA has completed a feasibility study for ...
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News
Greek railway contracts awarded
HELLENIC Railways' infrastructure projects subsidiary Ergose confirmed in mid-September that it had awarded a contract to Thales for the installation of ETCS Level 1 trackside equipment on the main line between Athens and Thessaloniki. Thales will also equip the 143 km line from Thessaloniki to the Bulgarian border at ...
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Valenciennes tramway extends
A FURTHER 8·8 km of light rail line was inaugurated on August 31 in Valenciennes, with commercial services beginning three days later. The second phase takes the existing 9·5 km line, opened in August 2006, from its original terminus at Dutemple into the neighbouring commune of Denain to a new ...
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News
Four tracks to Pinto
MEETING ON September 14, the Spanish cabinet gave its approval for the Ministry of Development to begin tendering for a €143m project to quadruple the San Cristóbal de los Ángeles – Pinto section of Renfe suburban route C3 in Madrid. The programme has been divided into two packages. The first, ...
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News
EMD buys ITS Rail Services
ELECTRO-MOTIVE Diesel Inc announced on August 27 that it had acquired ITS Rail Services three days before. ITS supplies technical services, training and publications for the rail industry worldwide, and as part of EMD will concentrate on providing training, consultancy and supporting overseas locomotive remanufacturing projects. 'ITS's experience in managing ...
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News
Bombardier metro car order confirmed
A FIRM ORDER for a further 52 Advanced Rapid Transit Mk II light metro cars for the Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur was announced by Bombardier and its local partner Hartasuma Sdn Bhd on October 8. Following from an €87m electrical and mechanical upgrade contract announced on August ...
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News
Bangladesh upgrade loan
THE GOVERNMENT of Bangladesh expected to sign an accord with the Japan Bank for International Co-operation before the end of September, releasing a US$112m soft loan to fund upgrading work on the national rail network. The funding will support a US$924m reform package to transform Bangladesh Railway into a profitable ...
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News
Colombia to launch US$600m tender package
TENDERING IS DUE to start this month for the first upgrading projects that Colombia's Ministry of Transport is undertaking under a U$600m investment programme. According to Miguel Bonilla who heads the Rail Group at national concessions agency INCO, the aim is to award contracts in the first half of 2008 ...
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News
Chinese to plug Ilebo - Kinshasa gap in DR Congo
AGREEMENTS were signed in Kinshasa on September 17 which provide for China to fund a major railway project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The rail element of a US$5bn loan package, signed by Congolese Minister for Public Works & Infrastructure Pierre Lumbi and Chinese Ambassador to the DRC Wu ...
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Kelana Jaya upgrade
BOMBARDIER and its Malaysian partner Hartasuma announced on August 30 that a contract had been agreed with Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad to upgrade lineside electrical and mechanical systems on Kuala Lumpur's Kelana Jaya Line (formerly known as Putra). The contract is valued at approximately €87m, with Bombardier's share being worth ...
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NewsLithuanian Eurorunner diesel loco unveiled
THE FIRST of 34 type ER 20 CF diesel-electric freight locomotives built by Siemens was formally handed over to Lithuanian Railways on October 5. Lithuanian Prime Minister Gediminas Kirkilas, Minister of Transport & Communications Algirdas Butkevicius and LG Chief executive Stasys Dailydka were joined by Siemens Group President Hans Schabert ...
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NewsLondon Crossrail gets the go-ahead
PRIME Minister Gordon Brown gave the go-ahead for London's long-awaited Crossrail project on October 5, with details of the funding package announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling four days later. The total cost was put at up to £16bn, allowing for inflation during construction and inclusive of land, ...
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News
Austria orders 44 more Railjet trains
SIEMENS announced on October 5 that Austrian Federal Railways had placed a €540m order for an additional 44 Railjet trainsets on September 25. The largest ever contract won by Siemens AG Österreich, it follows from an initial €244m order for 23 Railjet trains announced by ÖBB in early 2006 ...
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News
Bids in for Mendoza upgrade
IN THE PRESENCE of President Néstor Kirchner, bids to upgrade the route between Buenos Aires and Mendoza (RG 9.07 p524) for use by trains travelling at up to 160 km/h were opened on September 18. The turnkey contract including civil, track and signalling work to create a 'high performance' line, ...
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News
Chinese lines get underway
CONSTRUCTION of Chinese Railways' 904 km Passenger Dedicated Line between Harbin and Dalian formally began on August 28, and is expected to take 5½ years to complete. According to Minister of Railways Li Zhijun, the line is intended to relieve the existing railway between Dalian, Shenyang and Harbin, which is ...
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Crossrail and DLC set to merge
THE DIRECTORS and shareholders of Crossrail and Dillen & Le Jeune Cargo announced their intention to merge the two companies to create a pan-European independent traction provider on October 3. The merged company will be headquartered in Switzerland and operate under the Crossrail name. It will be jointly owned ...
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Napoli awards €426m metro Line 6 contract
ANSALDO STS was awarded a €426m contract by the Napoli local authority on September 28 for the construction of the Mergellina to Municipio second phase of the city's metro Line 6. Completion of the 3·1 km underground extension is planned for 2012. The Ansaldo Trasporti Sistemi Ferroviari subsidiary of Ansaldo ...
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News
Second Zürich tunnel launched
AFTER NINE years of planning, Swiss Federal Railways formally started work on September 20 for the second cross-city rail tunnel in Zürich. SBB President Andreas Meyer and Zürich regional president Rita Fuhrer participated in the ceremonies to launch the 9·6 km Durchmesserlinie, which is expected to cost around SFr1·8bn to ...
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News
Traxx Class 246 diesel-electric unveiled
THE FIRST diesel-electric loco in Bombardier´s Traxx family was officially launched into service on September 3. For an initial three-month trial, the Class 246 and three double-deck coaches will replace a VT628 DMU on the EVB route between Bremervörde and Hamburg-Neugraben. Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG has ordered 11 Class 246 ...