All Railway Gazette International articles in October 2011 – Page 2
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NewsLocal funding for Chinese rail projects
CHINA: The National Development & Reform Commission has approved the Hechi – Nanning railway project submitted by the Ministry of Railways and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The 225 km line is priced at 22·7bn yuan, with funding to be split equally between the ministry and the regional government. Hubei Provincial ...
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NewsBangalore metro ready to open
INDIA: The first section of the Bangalore Metro Rail network will officially open on October 20, according to D V Sadananda Gowda, the Chief Minister of Karnataka. He said the 6·7 km ‘Reach 1’ from Byappanahalli to Mahatma Gandhi Road would be inaugurated by the national government’s Urban Development ...
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NewsRishon Le-Ziyyon West line opens
ISRAEL: Revenue services began running on the new suburban line between Tel Aviv Ha'agana and Rishon Le-Ziyyon Moshe Dayan on September 26, after industrial action over plans to outsource rolling stock maintenance disrupted the formal inauguration scheduled for the previous day. Transport Minister Yisrael Katz and ISR General Manager Boaz ...
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NewsRZD to increase 2011 investment spending
RUSSIA: Presenting the Russian Railways results for the first nine months of 2011 in Moscow on October 5, RZD President Vladimir Yakunin confirmed that the railway was planning to increase its capital spending for the current year by 18%. The railway had initially approved an investment programme totalling 349bn roubles, ...
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NewsSølvegade 40 goes up for sale
DENMARK: As national passenger operator DSB struggles to restore its finances, new Chief Executive Christian Roslev has announced plans to sell the company’s iconic headquarters building in København. The 240-year old former barracks at Sølvgade 40 has been national railway’s headquarters for the past 83 years, but the idea of ...
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NewsAubagne orders Citadis Compact
FRANCE: On October 5 Alstom Transport received the first order for its 22 m long Citadis Compact tram, a fleet of eight vehicles to be supplied for a new network serving the town of Aubagne to the east of Marseille. Under a contract worth €14m containing options for five to ...
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NewsFederal funding to upgrade Chicago – Detroit
USA: Federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced on October 5 the award of a US$196·5m grant to Michigan Department of Transportation for track and signalling improvements on the Kalamazoo – Dearborn section of the Chicago – Detroit line, which are intended to cut Amtrak journey times between the two cities ...
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NewsWorld rail market October 2011
China: Thales is to supply fare collection and access management technology for Hong Kong MTR’s West Island, South Island and Kwun Tong extension projects. India: KPMG and Arup to undertake feasibility studies for the proposed Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link road and metro bridge. Romania: Bucuresti metro authority Metrorex ...
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NewsThello brings open access to France
EUROPE: From October 17 customers will be able to book berths on the first open-access passenger service to operate on the French network, an overnight train from Paris to Venezia that is to be introduced on December 11 by the Thello joint venture of Veolia Transdev and Trenitalia. Announcing the ...
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NewsWashing up
EUROPE: Following extensive testing in Germany, Winterhalter has launched an under-counter dishwasher for dining car kitchens. The Rail 50 is designed to be leak proof despite the constant vibrations on trains. It can handle voltage fluctuation, and in an emergency can be emptied without power at sub-zero temperatures. Winterhalter says ...
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NewsLog cradle bases increase capacity
NEW ZEALAND: KiwiRail expects to increase the payload of its log wagons by 20% to 50% though the use of a new cradle base which will enable three bunks to be carried per wagon, or a total of 36 tonnes. KiwiRail is aiming to grow its forestry traffic in the ...
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NewsIndustry News in Brief
Amsted Rail rebranded its Unit Rail & Advanced Track Products division as Amsted Rail Product Solutions with effect from September 1. 'Our company has experienced substantial growth through acquisition and with multiple brands the message gets muddled, we needed to present a clear picture of who we are and what ...
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NewsNorthrail restructured under investment programme
PHILIPPINES: Completion of the protracted Northrail project is at the heart of a five-year infrastructure investment package worth 565bn pesos unveiled by Transportation & Communications Secretary Mar Roxas on October 6. Plans to build an 80 km standard gauge line from Caloocan, on the northern edge of the capital, to ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - October 2011
Following surveys by a Russian firm, the government of Myanmar has dropped plans for a 50 km metro in the greenfield capital Naypyitaw, saying the population density is too low. Delhi Metro Rail Corp opened a 3·3 km branch of the Green Line from Ashok Park Main to Satguru ...
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NewsSaudi Landbridge to go ahead as state project
SAUDI ARABIA: On October 10 the Council of Ministers decided to proceed with the Saudi Landbridge east-west freight line as a state-funded project. The line linking Dammam on the Gulf with Jeddah Islamic Port on the Red Sea will be state owned and financed by the ...
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NewsEBRD supports private sector wagon owner
UKRAINE: European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is supporting private rolling stock owner Interleaseinvest's acquisition of around 2 500 open and hot pellet wagons, through the provision of a US$45m loan and a similar amount syndicated to Raiffeisen Bank International, Erste Group Bank and UniCredit Bank Austria. Announcing the loan ...
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NewsDB Regio wins Dieselnetz Nordthüringen tender
GERMANY: The Land of Thüringen's transport ministry awarded DB Regio the Dieselnetz Nordthüringen passenger operating contract on October 7, saying the bid was selected on the basis of quality and efficiency. Running for 12 years from December 2013, the contract covers the operation of 2·6 million train-km/year on routes ...
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NewsProgressive Pesa pushes into new markets
POLAND: Rolling stock supplier Pesa Bydgoszcz has won a contract to build a self-propelled infrastructure inspection vehicle for use by Russian Railways. The deal was signed at the Trako trade fair in Gdansk on October 12 by Pesa’s President & Director General Tomas Zaboklicki and RZD Vice-President Valentin Gapanovich. Zabolicki ...
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NewsZF Group to begin gearbox production in USA
USA: ZF Group has established a business unit to serve the North American rail market and configured part of its manufacturing plant in Gainesville, Georgia, to produce heavy and light rail vehicles gearboxes which meet 'Buy America' requirements. 'The framework we’ve established in Gainesville not only prepares ...
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NewsInfineon and Bombardier announce power electronics agreement
INTERNATIONAL: Infineon Technologies has announced a five-year strategic agreement to supply Bombardier Transportation with IGBT power semiconductors for rail vehicle traction systems. Infineon will reserve manufacturing capacity for Bombardier, which will contribute towards the required investment. The companies will also collaborate to optimise energy efficiency and reliability. 'Our ...