All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 1328
-
News
International link back
SYRIAN Transport Minister Makram Obeid joined celebrations in Aleppo on March 10 to inaugurate a through passenger service between the city and the Iranian capital Tehran. Reinstatement of the international service was announced last year following Syria’s decision to reopen its borders with Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.From Aleppo the train ...
-
News
Putin backs Trans-Korean link
VISITING South Korea on February 27 and 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed proposals to connect the country’s rail network to the Trans-Siberian corridor, describing the idea as ’a very good project’. He told business leaders in Seoul that Russia would be prepared to invest ’several hundred million dollars’ to ...
-
News
Balfour Beatty expands in US
ON FEBRUARY 26 Balfour Beatty announced the acquisition of the Rail Systems Division of US industrial group ABC-NACO for a total of US$21·5m. The railway signalling, control and communication services business will be renamed Balfour Beatty Rail Systems Inc. Operating across the USA, but focusing on the northeast, southeast and ...
-
News
Driverless trains hit legal barrier
Sir - You reported last year (RG 12.00 p798) that the Federal Railway Office had signalled the end of its reservations against driverless operation in Germany. EBA section chief Hans Heinrich Grauf had explained to a seminar of the Deutsche Verkehrsforum that the office no longer saw any legal restrictions.This ...
-
News
Votes beat reform
KEEPING the voters sweet appears to have been the maxim used by Railway Minister Mamata Banajee in drawing up Indian Railways’ budget for 2001-02. With elections due in her home state of West Bengal this month, populist measures announced in the budget on February 26 outweighed any attempt to deal ...
-
News
Beijing metro deal signed
CANADIAN engineering group SNC-Lavalin signed a letter of intent with three Chinese firms in February, paving the way for construction of another metro line in Beijing. Costed at 12bn yuan, the 15 km north-south Line 5 is due to be completed by 2006, and will serve the Olympic Village proposed ...
-
News
Betuwe Route designed to relieve long-term freight congestion
INTRO: Despite vocal opposition, construction is getting under way on a billion guilder 160 km freight railway between Rotterdam Maasvlakte and the German border. The electrified line is expected to boost rail’s share of the steadily-increasing flow of freight to and from the port of RotterdamBYLINE: Leendert BouterDirectorProjectorganisatie Betuweroute BY ...
-
News
High-speed flywheels cut energy bill
Chris Jackson reports on trials of a lightweight flywheel energy storage unit being conducted on London Underground's Piccadilly line
-
News
Bodewig takes the separation plunge
JUST HOW much the hugely-trumpeted reform of German Railway has fallen short of its objectives is now becoming painfully clear. Part of the trade-off for restructuring was government promises to invest in modernisation to make the 37525 km network more competitive. This continued a long tradition whereby transport ministers responded ...
-
News
Skoda breaks into the urban market
INTRO: Better known as a supplier of electric locomotives to the former Comecon bloc, Czech builder Skoda Plzen has established a second product line in urban rail vehicles. Milan Sramek reports on two significant orders completed in MarchON FEBRUARY 20 Skoda Transportation Systems completed the first low-floor trams for the ...
-
News
Products in Brief
Trelleborg Industrial AVS is supplying rubber chevron springs for the refurbishment of 51 São Paulo metro Line 1 vehicles and 58 Line 3 vehicles. The laminated rubber/metal assemblies are fitted between the axles and the bogie frames.Corus and Pandrol have incorporated Pandrol’s Fastclip rail fastenings into Corus steel sleepers. Fastclip ...
-
News
Industry News in Brief
Australia: Fare collection equipment supplier ERG Group is to acquire Motorola’s interest in the ERG Motorola Alliance for A$46m, subject to approval by ERG’s shareholders. ERG will assume responsibility for all existing projects, and the companies will continue to co-operate to support current Alliance customers.The Downer Group is to take ...
-
News
Passenger News in Brief
Netherlands Railway is to modernise 60 Sprinter EMUs used on stopping services between the Randstad conurbations. The 20-year old vehicles will gain new interiors, more spacious seating, more accommodation for wheelchairs, bicycles and pushchairs and a passenger information system. Partitions will be replaced with glass screens, and electrical equipment will ...
-
News
RET to build three tram lines
TENDERS are to be called shortly for the construction of three ’high-quality’ light rail lines in Rotterdam, following the allocation of more than 400m guilders for the scheme by the Netherlands transport ministry. Local operator RET says the grant is not enough to cover all three routes, but the success ...
-
News
No monkey business
Police have broken up a racket at Indian Railways’ main terminus in Kolkata, arresting 25 porters and 28 monkeys. The porters had previously been caught occupying unreserved seats on trains and selling them on to passengers. After being arrested for breaking railway by-laws, the porters recruited the monkeys to ...
-
News
Specialist cabling
ON February 12 Railtrack granted approval for network-wide use of Brand-Rex’s RT/E/PS/00005 standard thermoplastic A4 signalling cable, the firm’s first trackside product. The compact lightweight cable was developed for use with the Train Protection &Warning System and will replace rubber based designs.Brand-Rex has also extended its X-treme Rail product range ...
-
News
Cameras catch vandals
FREIGHT operator Direct Rail Services is undertaking trials using train-mounted Sonitrol CCTV cameras to catch vandals. If the tests are successful, other companies may adopt the scheme. In 1999-2000, malicious acts caused 55% of reportable ’train incidents’ in Britain. As well as endangering lives, this cost the industry over £250m. ...
-
News
Decision time in the Cape
STRUCTURAL change is poised to arrive on South Africa’s 1067mm gauge railway. Debate about the future of the 19756 km network has been heated since consultants Halcrow were called in last year, and speculation was exacerbated when Systra was asked to evaluate the proposals (RG 12.00 p789). Last month the ...
-
News
Errant car triggers high speed collision
A LAND ROVER towing a trailer carrying a second car veered off a motorway at Great Heck in Yorkshire on February 28, and plunged on to Railtrack’s East Coast Main Line. Despite an emergency phone call by the driver at 06.12, his vehicle was struck almost immediately by the 04.45 ...
-
News
Commercial development contemplated
RAIL India Technical & Economic Services has produced ambitious plans for the commercial development of underused space at a number of stations across the country. The expansion of retail facilities, food outlets and advertising potential is being studied at various locations, including Sealdah, Howrah, Bandra East, New Delhi, and the ...