All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 1452
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News
Market
Australia: Westinghouse Brake & Signal Co (Australia) Ltd has won a A$4m contract for signalling equipment on Sydney’s Homebush Bay Olympic branch.Bangladesh: The Asian Development Bank has commissioned Rendel Palmer & Tritton to examine the potential for the Jamuna road bridge to accommodate track wider than the 1000mm gauge line ...
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Talent order
Talent orderGERMANY’s regional Ostmecklenburgische Eisenbahn has become the first independent railway to place a series order for the Talent lightweight diesel railcar developed by Bombardier Eurorail. The prototype built last year by Waggonfabrik Talbot in Aachen is currently undergoing a four-month revenue service demonstration on Netherlands Railways’ Leeuwarden - Sneek ...
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Siemens restructures in search for profits
FURTHER rationalisation of rail activities was announced in Wien on March 11 by the President of Siemens Verkehrstechnik Dr Wolfram Martinsen. Although the division’s results improved from a DM120m loss in 1994-95 to a DM19m profit in 1995-96, on constant turnover of around DM4·3bn, he forecast losses of around DM80m ...
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Publications
The Railways Act in practiceby Paul FawcettPrivatisation of British Rail converted an integrated state railway into nearly 80 independent companies. This reorganisation, and the subsequent contractual relationships between the track authority, train operators and other players is governed by the Railways Act 1993. This 68 page A5 booklet provides a ...
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Transformers shrink by switching
INNOVATIONS in ferrous alloys are giving rolling stock designers valuable weight and space savings through improvements in transformer technology. Siemens’ subsidiary Vacuumschmelze (VAC) is offering a range of high-power transformers aimed at railway applications, including a cluster of units delivering 70 kW on ICE2 vehicles for air-conditioning and lighting power ...
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Sidetrack
Subway legal twistsSidetrack reports more strange goings-on in the New York subway. Passengers at 50th Street can now stop off for a beer at the Siberia bar - which dodges MTA’s policy of not renting space to alcohol-vendors by being, technically, in the building upstairs.While the Siberia may be getting ...
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JR West sets 2hr Osaka - Hakata target
INTRO: Series 500 trains are poised to cut journey times on the Sanyo Shinkansen, but JR West’s long-term plans envisage high performance trains to replace Kodama services, and ultra-high-speed trainsBYLINE: Masataka IdePresident, West Japan Railway CoTHIS YEAR marks the 25th anniversary of the 161 km Sanyo Shinkansen which opened in ...
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SJ torpedoed by 60 tonne trucks
DRASTIC CUTS in passenger services are scheduled by Swedish State Railways for June 1, following losses in 1996 that could reach SKr1bn. Among many overnight sleepers to be abandoned are Stockholm to G
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Abando rebuild out to tender
PLANS for the long-awaited rebuilding of Bilbao’s main station, Abando, are close to being finalised. Tendering for the Pts41bn project is now in hand, and construction is expected to start towards the end of this year on the railway stations, bus station and car parks. The privately financed commercial areas ...
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Chinese sign research agreements
CHINA ACADEMY of Railway Sciences signed a co-operation agreement with Japan’s Railway Technical Research Institute on January 28 covering the joint development of automatic train control for a possible Chinese high-speed line. The ´150m project to equip the CARS test track near Beijing with ’digital ATC’ by August will be ...
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Alerted in a flash
passengers can be warned of the imminent closure of automatic coach doors on Zürich’s S-Bahn thanks to warning flashers developed by Bron Elektronik AG. A flash energy of 8 J at 1 Hz was found to achieve the desired effect of getting passengers to keep clear of the doors, whilst ...
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Amtrak tries DMUs
PENNSYLVANIA’s Department of Transportation has been authorised to buy a fleet of diesel multiple-units for the 176 km ’Keystone Corridor’ from Philadelphia to Harrisburg. Governor Tom Ridge has approved a package combining $18·7m of federal and $4·7m of state funding.Costed at $1·5m per vehicle, the two or four car sets ...
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Amtrak signs Illinois contract
AN AGREEMENT securing Amtrak’s continued operation of three Chicago ’corridor’ services was announced on January 14. Illinois Department of Transportation had been threatening to invite open tenders for the State House to St Louis, Illini to Carbondale and Illinois Zephyr to Quincy, in an effort to lower the state’s subsidy ...
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Central Asian upgradings funded
A CONSORTIUM of three Japanese suppliers has won a contract to assist with the upgrading of Kazakstan’s railway network. Choi Co, Kawasaki Steel Corp and Kawasho Corp will modernise KR’s telecommunications and reconstruct 350route-km of main line over the next four years. The aim is to boost capacity for the ...
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Ferrovías offers Atlantic concession
ON JANUARY 16 Colombia’s railway authority Ferrovías launched a competition for a 30-year concession to rehabilitate, maintain and operate freight services over its Atlantic network; bidding is due to close on July 16.The concession covers 1284 active route-km of 914mm gauge, formed by the Chiriguana - Dorada - Bogota - ...
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Saarbrücken to launch second dual-mode LRT in the autumn
INTRO: Saarbrücken is almost ready to emulate Karlsruhe as other cities prepare to marry light and heavy rail technologies. Richard Hope reports from the tracklaying siteGROOVED RAILS have been laid along Kaiserstra§e in the heart of Saarbrücken, and trial running will begin shortly with the first of 28 dual-voltage light ...
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French light rail awaits the millenium
INTRO: Urban rail projects in France are again the focus of interest in the wake of last year’s municipal elections. Gordon Wiseman finds that smaller cities are investing strongly in light railTWO YEARS after the launch of light rail in Rouen and Strasbourg, the next round of activity is under ...
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Tilt trains in prospect as final franchises awarded
ANNOUNCEMENTS on February 11 that Britain’s National Express Group had been chosen as preferred bidder for the ScotRail and Central Trains passenger franchises marked the culmination of the drive to transfer 25 ex-BR train operating companies to the private sector in little more than a year. The Office of Passenger ...
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LCR shortlists St Pancras bidders
on January 21 London & Continental Railways shortlisted eight groups for a contract to develop St Pancras Chambers. They are: Bouygues, DEGW/TG and Lynton consortia, British Land Co plc, The Burrell Co, Midland Grand Hotel Group, Rainham International and St Pancras Chambers Hotel Group.LCR subsidiary London & Continental Stations & ...