All articles by Railway Gazette International – Page 944
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NewsRedesigning Hong Kong's iconic trams
CHINA: Hong Kong Tramways operator Veolia Transport is planning to refurbish the fleet of 163 traditional double-deck trams. The HK$75m project, which will start in 2011 and is expected to take seven years, is part of a HK$200m investment programme to improve services over the next five years. Whilst the ...
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NewsVossloh expands in China and Russia
CHINA: Vossloh, Huaxing and China Railway Material Group have signed agreements setting up a joint venture to produce turnouts from the end of 2011. The production plant is to be established on an existing Huaxing site at Wuhu near Nanjing. It will have up to 500 employees and an annual ...
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NewsMadrid - Valencia high speed line opening dates confirmed
SPAIN: High speed services are due to start running from Madrid to Cuenca and Albacete on December 15, and to Requena-Utiel and Valencia on December 18, Development Minister José Blanco has announced. On October 13 Blanco joined ADIF President Antonio González, RENFE President Teófilo Serrano and local politicians onboard ...
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NewsWheel production in Durgapur
INDIA: Ukrainian steel producer Interpipe has licensed its railway wheel manufacturing technology to Durgapur Steel Plant, allowing it to supply 955 mm diameter monobloc wheels under the KLW brand. Interpipe has supplied a range of equipment and support services to allow DSP to attain the production standards required by Indian ...
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NewsA DMU in Provence
FRANCE: CFD has delivered a further two AM800 DMUs for the Chemins de Fer de la Provence route between Nice and Digne, operated by Veolia. The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region has ordered a total of four AM800s for the 1000 mm gauge line at a cost of €159m, similar to ...
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NewsDB prepares for Channel Tunnel tests
EUROPE: As part of its bid to introduce ICE services between Germany and London by the end of 2013, Deutsche Bahn is preparing to undertake evacuation trials in the Channel Tunnel over the next few days. A pair of Class 406 ICE3 sets was dispatched from the Griesheim workshops ...
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NewsPotash prospects
CANADA: National Steel Car is building 1000 wagons at its plant in Hamilton, Ontario, for Potash Corp, which is undertaking a C$7bn expansion plan with the aim of doubling its output from 2005 levels by 2015. The plan includes new mines and loading facilities in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick which ...
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NewsISR orders more double-deckers
ISRAEL: General Manager Yitzhak Harel confirmed on October 11 that the Israel Railways’ tender committee had awarded a US$195m contract to Bombardier Transportation for a further 78 push-pull double-deck coaches. Having supplied ISR’s first generation of double-deck vehicles for the expanding suburban routes around Tel Aviv, Bombardier was selected ahead ...
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NewsBangkok SkyTrain orders metro cars
THAILAND: Bangkok Skytrain operator BTS has signed a 2bn baht contract with Siemens for 35 cars to extend the existing fleet of 35 three-car trains to four cars. The vehicles will be delivered over the next 30 months.BTS plans to transfer the three-car Siemens trains to the Sukhumvit route once ...
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NewsLuxembourg orders Stadler double-deck trains
LUXEMBOURG: State railway CFL announced an €60m order for eight Stadler Rail double-deck electric multiple-units on October 7. CFL said they will be similar to the double-deck units ordered by Swiss operators SBB and BLS, which Stadler Rail launched under the brand name KISS during InnoTrans. The ...
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NewsProducts & Technology in Brief
Thales UK has launched an application for the Android smartphone operating system providing access to the online journey planner and live departure board services offered by National Rail Enquiries. The Rail Planner Live app includes a 'Get me Home' function to select the most direct route available, and a Nearest ...
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NewsPointers October 2010
Last month the national railways of Russia and Ukraine established a joint working group to investigate high speed passenger services on three routes from Moscow to Kyiv, Adler and Feodosiya. Moscow - Kyiv is the priority, but RZD says 'it is still too early to estimate the time and cost ...
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NewsTrans-Hudson rail tunnel project scrapped
USA: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie halted the 'Access to the Region's Core' project to increase commuter rail capacity across the Hudson River on October 7, saying the cost of the $8·7bn project centred on a 5·5 km twin-bore tunnel could increase to more than $11bn, and possibly as much ...
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NewsTriple-deck automotive wagon on test
USA: Union Pacific's recently unveiled AutoFlex multi-level wagon has an internal rack structure that can be adjusted to carry road vehicles on two or three levels depending on size and customer requirements. An improved design of end door provides convenient access and enhanced loading safety, and the tie-down chocks have ...
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News320 km/h train order as Eurostar sets sights on expansion
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar announced details on October 7 of a £700m investment programme to expand the business and 'compete in an open access market' across Europe. The first major development since the former joint venture operator became an incorporated stand-alone company on September 1 includes an ...
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NewsClass 599 to Cartagena
SPAIN: National operator RENFE introduced the Class 599 DMU to the Cartagena - Murcia - Valencia route on September 28. Two services are operated each way daily with the new rolling stock, which with a maximum speed of 160 km/h has cut journey times by up to 28 min. Offering ...
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NewsHSA strengthens Fyra shuttle service
NETHERLANDS: The NS-KLM joint venture High Speed Alliance has stepped up its interim Fyra loco-hauled shuttle service between Amsterdam Centraal and Rotterdam Centraal via HSL-Zuid from one to two trains per hour with effect from October 4. Unlike most Dutch routes, the pattern of services is not a precise ...
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NewsValenciennes orders Line 2 trams
FRANCE: Valenciennes regional transport authority SITURV has ordered seven Alstom Citadis trams for the future Line 2. The contract announced on October 5 is worth €17m, and Alstom expects an option for one or two further cars to be taken up in November.The 32 m air-conditioned trams will have the ...
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NewsRailAmerica signs Ottawa Valley Railway lease
CANADA: The RaiLink Canada subsidiary of short line group RailAmerica Inc has signed an agreement to operate a section of Canadian Pacific 's Ottawa Valley Railway, which carries pulp, paper and related products. RaiLink Canada announced the termination of its lease of the OVRR in December 2009, but continued to ...
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NewsEIB supports Hanoi metro
VIETNAM: The European Investment Bank extended its first loan for a metro line in Asia when it signed a €73m finance contract with Vietnam on October 4.The loan is part of a package from Asian Development Bank, Agence Française de Développement and EIB to fund construction of the first phase ...