All Railway Gazette International articles in September 1999
All articles published this month.
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News
Zambian turnround
In March 1998, a team from Hifab International AB of Sweden, in association with DE-Consult of Germany, began a 30-month contract to manage and restructure Zambia Railways Ltd on behalf of the Swedish International Development Agency. The management team found it was running a railway in far worse condition than ...
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Sidetrack
Make it easyFRENCH National Railways has made much play recently of the introduction of regular-interval timetables on TGV routes to Lille, Lyon and western France. How nice to see that good ideas eventually win their converts, even if it is a decade or two after everyone else.Not of course that ...
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News
Tren Urbano starts to take shape
INTRO: Construction of the initial heavy metro line serving the Puerto Rican capital San Juan is approaching the midway point, with the first cars expected to start test running early next year BYLINE: Klaus TiedemannProject Director, Siemens Transit TeamTOWARDS THE END of this year, a pre-series married-pair of metro cars ...
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Pointers
n Expect a programme for the privatisation of Estonian Railways to be published this month. Roads & Communications Minister Toivo Jurgenson hopes to complete the sale around the start of 2000, and expects to retain at least 33% of the shares.n Upgrading of the Tecate - Plaster City section of ...
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Virgin pioneers ticket sales rethink
IN LESS than 12 months time passengers will be able to book rail tickets and reservations using interactive television. Pay-TV installations can already accept smartcards, and it is this facility which will allow booking and payment from private homes. The ticket, reservation and payment details will be downloaded on to ...
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PEOPLE
Barry Murphy has been appointed as Chairman of Australian Rail Track Corp.Cynthia M Sanborn has been named Vice President & General Manager of CSX Transportation’s Florida Business Unit, replacing Paul D Sandler who has become Senior Vice-President, Corporate Services (RG 8.99 p496). Dr Francis Small has been appointed Vice-Chairman of ...
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News
Trouble in Paradise
UNREST could be brewing at that paragon among metro operators, Hong Kong MTR Corp. A bill to privatise the company is due to be tabled before the Legislative Council on October 13. Acting Secretary for Transport Kevin Ho Chi-ming said on July 28 that the government hoped to pass the ...
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Paper plans
CALIFORNIA High Speed Rail Authority voted on July 21 to develop a 1100 km network of high speed lines. Split into 12 segments, the network would link San Francisco with San Jose, Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, Los Angeles and San Diego. Having defined alignments for all routes apart from Los Angeles ...
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News
Sokol prototype rolled out in Tikhvin
MORE than 100 press and media representatives were present on July 28 at a roll-out ceremony for the Sokol (Falcon) high speed train at Tikhvin, 200 km east of St Petersburg, on July 28. Star guest at the event was Vladimir Starostenko, Russia’s Minister of Railways.The 280 km/h blue and ...
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Metros
Austria: Tenders are to be issued this year for work on the first section of a 10 km U-Bahn line from Praterstern across the River Danube to Stadlau and beyond. Completion is expected in 2008.Germany: The first dual-gauge track has been laid in Braunschweig. Conversion of the 1100mm gauge tram ...
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Market
Algeria: SNTF has called tenders for the supply of 21 track maintenance machines, including six tamping, levelling and lining units and six ballast regulators. Two vehicles for overhead line maintenance are also required.Australia: Alstom Australia has been awarded a contract to provide rolling stock and infrastructure maintenance for the Hillside ...
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Letters
Wrong tacticSir - The exposé of how Wisconsin Central shareholders unceremoniously fired Ed Burkhardt (RG 8.99 p481) is yet another example of what is wrong with the great god privatisation. This sordid tale of stockholders dumping good executives because they were using earnings to improve and expand the property has ...
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News
Island LRT
PROPOSALS have been invited for the restoration of rail services to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, on the basis of a design-build-own-operate-transfer concession. The government is concerned about increasing road congestion in the Port Louis - Curepipe corridor, but earlier tenders for a 27 km light rail line ...
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News
INTELLIGENCE
Argentina: 11 companies have expressed interest in operating freight and passenger services on the northern section of the Belgrano Railway, under a 30-year concession from the province of Salta (RG 7.99 p415). A decree to confirm transfer of the Belgrano to Unión Ferroviaria until 2029 was expected to follow an ...
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News
Zimbabwe reverts to vertical integration
Retirement of General Manager Alvord Mabena earlier this year and his replacement by Mr S Zumbika as Acting GM was followed by a rethink of the way in which National Railways of Zimbabwe will be privatised. The principle of separate infrastructure and operations has now been rejected in favour of ...
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News
Rails reach Mato Grosso
AUGUST 6 saw the opening of the second stage of Brazil’s Ferronorte Railway, adding 120 km from Chapadao do Sul to Alto Taquari in Mato Grosso state. Services began on the first 310 km from Aparecida do Taboado in Mato Grosso do Sul at the end of May, following completion ...
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News
Green sleepers from Primix
Primix has developed a sleeper comprising a steel and concrete core surrounded by a composite shell. This extruded shell is made from recycled polyethylene, sourced from domestic plastic containers and mixed with crumb rubber obtained from spent vehicle tyres and a proprietary Primix binding agent.As well as offering a recycled ...
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News
Mälarbanan fleet renewal
SWEDISH State Railway will call tenders next month for a fleet of 40 two-car trainsets at a cost of around SKr1bn. They are intended to operate on the two Stockholm - Örebro routes: the Mälarbanan via Västerås and the Svealandsbanan via Eskilstuna. They would replace X2000 tilting trains which are ...
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Railtrack faces massive fines
Britain’s recently appointed Rail Regulator, Tom Winsor, announced on August 19 that he expects to sign in October an Enforcement Order requiring Railtrack to cut the delays which it causes to passenger trains by 12·7% during the year ending March 31 2000. This would be the first such order served ...