All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 814
-
-
NewsBrisbane EMU suppliers shortlisted
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland state government has shortlisted two consortia for a PPP concession to supply a fleet of at least 75 six-car EMUs to operate Brisbane suburban services, Transport & Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson confirmed on March 5. He added the New Generation Rolling Stock programme was Queensland’s ...
-
NewsBringing mountains, woods and clouds to train toilets
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has launched a programme to upgrade its on-train toilets, saying clean facilities are an important part of the passenger experience. Cubicles are being refurbished with the installation of wall coverings with images of mountains, woodland, clouds in a blue sky or blue tiles. SBB’s ...
-
NewsBalfour Beatty sells European rail business
BALFOUR BEATTY: ‘We will be divesting of all of our mainland European rail businesses’, Balfour Beatty announced on March 7. This followed an ‘operational and strategic review’ which had concluded that maintaining a rail presence in this region was not consistent with the company’s strategy of building a strong local ...
-
NewsLinz tram Line 3 extension approved
AUSTRIA: The Linz city authorities confirmed on March 5 that the planned southwestern extension of the 900 mm gauge tram Line 3 from Leonding to Pasching and Traun is to go ahead next year. The StadtRegio-Tram project will add a further 4·4 km and eight stops to the 5·3 km ...
-
NewsDeutsche Bahn presses on with Stuttgart 21
GERMANY: The controversial Stuttgart 21 project will be carried through to completion and not abandoned because of rising costs, Deutsche Bahn announced on March 5. ‘The time of uncertainty is over — the project will continue’, asserted DB Chairman Dr Rüdiger Grube at a hastily called press conference following ...
-
NewsConsultation starts on first railway PPP
BRAZIL: Federal land transport agency ANTT has published for consultation draft tender documentation for a 35-year concession to build, operate and maintain a 477 km railway from Açailândia in Maranhão state to the port of Vila do Conde in Belém. This is the first of 12 PPP projects that the ...
-
NewsBNSF to test LNG locomotives this year
USA: BNSF plans to start testing locomotives using liquefied natural gas this year, Chairman and CEO Matt Rose announced on March 6. The operator has been working with General Electric and EMD to develop LNG engine technology. According to BNSF, preliminary tests indicate that LNG-fuelled locomotives will be able ...
-
NewsDesiro fleet upgraded for higher speed operation
UK: The maximum speed of 30 Class 350/1 Desiro electric multiple-units operating on the West Coast Main Line has been raised from 160 km/h to 177 km/h (110 mile/h) under Project 110, which brought together operator London Midland, train manufacturer Siemens, rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains, infrastructure manager Network ...
-
NewsWärtsilä signs Russian engine contract
RUSSIA: Wärtsilä TMH Diesel Engine Company has signed a contract to supply 12 20L diesel engines to power TEM 18B shunters being built by BMZ Bryansk, a Transmashholding subsidiary. Announced on March 7, this is the first order signed by the joint venture formed in 2010 between Wärtsilä and Transmashholding. ...
-
NewsEl Salvador looks to rail for logistics future
EL SALVADOR: Port and infrastructure authority CEPA has signed an agreement with Spanish consultancy Tramrail, which is to assist with the revival of the country’s 914 mm gauge rail network. As well as resuming freight operations, new passenger services are planned from the capital San Salvador to Sitio del Niño ...
-
NewsBombardier and Technical University of Dresden extend partnership
GERMANY: Bombardier Transportation’s German business has extended its partnership agreement with the Technical University of Dresden for a further five years. First launched in 2007, the co-operation agreement has already fostered a number of technical innovations. These include a video monitoring tool to assess passenger loadings on unattended metro vehicles ...
-
NewsRevenue and investment down in Indian Railways budget
INDIA: Revenue shortfalls and lower investment were the main themes of the Indian Railways budget, presented by Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on February 26. The year ending March 2013 saw freight and passenger revenue both fall short of target. Freight revenue was Rs859·76bn, compared with the budgeted Rs893·39bn, ...
-
NewsExports provide 82% of CAF turnover
CAF: Export markets accounted for 82⋅3% of group turnover at Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF in the year to December 31 2012, according to results announced on February 27. At €1 721⋅2m, turnover was slightly down on the 2011 figure of€1 725⋅1m. EBITA in 2012 was €181⋅9m, down 21% from ...
-
NewsNeo Ikonio freight line inaugurated
GREECE: A 17 km freight line connecting the Neo Ikonio container port near Piraeus with Thriasio on the Athens – Kiato route was inaugurated on February 28. The project was announced in 2000 but subsequently delayed by two years due to financial problems. The total cost was €156⋅6m, split equally ...
-
NewsFirst CSR cars arrive in Buenos Aires
ARGENTINA: An initial batch of 41 coaches built by CSR of China for the San Martín commuter route was unloaded in Buenos Aires on February 28. The shipment also included a further two CSR Qishuyan diesel locomotives for the San Martín route. Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo ...
-
NewsGovernment backs 113 km Budapest freight bypass
HUNGARY: The government has given its backing to a proposed 113 km freight-only bypass around the south of Budapest, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs & External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó announced on February 27. The V0 proposal developed by logistics association MLSZKSZ is intended to significantly accelerate east-west freight movements ...
-
NewsPure construction alliance for Stafford upgrade
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail announced on February 25 that it had formed its first 'pure construction alliance' to deliver the £250m Stafford Area Improvement Programme of upgrades on the West Coast Main Line. Under an alliance model which originates in Australia, NR is to act as both principal client ...
-
NewsDB approves longer ICx trainsets
GERMANY: On March 5 Deutsche Bahn's supervisory board approved plans for its future ICx inter-city trainsets to be up to 12 rather than up to 10 cars long, increasing the number of seats from 724 to 830. DB said this reflects an 'encouraging increase' in the number of long-distance passengers, ...
-
NewsMechelen bypass contracts awarded
BELGIUM: Infrastructure manager Infrabel has awarded a joint venture of Royal BAM Group subsidiary CEI-De Meyer and Jan de Nul two civil works contracts totalling €85m for the Mechelen bypass project. The €254·7m bypass is intended to increase rail capacity through the city, raise line speeds for through trains from ...