All Railway Gazette International articles in September 1999 – Page 2

  • News

    Trams extend

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    ZWICKAU City Transport has confirmed that October 1 will see the inauguration of metre-gauge tram services on the city’s dual-gauge Stadtbahn- und Regionalbahn route (RG 8.99 p528). SVZ’s trams will be extended south from Neumarkt in the city centre, sharing the three-rail section with Vogtlandbahn standard-gauge diesel railbuses between Zentrum ...

  • News

    NS Reizigers needs ETCS and new lines to handle growth

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: ATB-NG, the ATP upgrade equivalent to ETCS Level 1 developed for the Netherlands, will not enhance capacity. Faced by 50% growth projections for 2010, passenger operator NS Reizigers believes that only BB21 moving block and civil works to relieve bottlenecks can meet public expectationsBYLINE: Jos HoltzerManager, Department of Infrastructure ...

  • News

    Swiss will be first with live ETCS

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    Level 2 ETCS is being installed on the Olten - Luzern main line, where Swiss Federal Railways is taking the opportunity to replace obsolete signalling equipment. The project forms a pilot for the ERTMS/ETCS programme

  • News

    Russian locos enter service

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    TWO advanced designs of electric locomotive have been approved for regular service on Russian Railways, following the completion of commissioning trials. The occasion was marked by a ceremony at the Shcherbinka test centre attended by Minister of Railways V I Starostenko (third from left) and Vice-Minister Kondratenko (right). The two ...

  • News

    KTZ monopoly to be ended

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    THE GOVERNMENT of Kazakhstan has approved draft proposals for the restructuring of the national railway network and the introduction of competition for support services. Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ) General Director Ablai Myrzakhmetov announced at the beginning of August that the ’demonopolisation’ process would be phased over the next four years.Noting that ...

  • News

    Graffiti drive

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    Under a contract worth 4bn euros, work is due to begin in September to apply anti-graffiti film to 1600 passenger vehicles operated by Italian State Railways’ Transport Strategic Business Area, which is responsible for regional and urban services. Application of film to this first batch of vehicles operating around Torino, ...

  • News

    Dieter

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    Il viaggio a Reims. To celebrate the total solar eclipse in Europe on August 11, 250 VIPs enjoyed a trip from Paris on the Nostalgie Orient Express, including a ’brunch astronomique’ with caviar and champagne. Dieter wonders whether a steam train is really ideal for a solar observation tour.

  • News

    Taiwan deal

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    THE SIGNING of a three-way accord on August 13 appears to have salvaged the 35-year concession for the 345 km Taipei - Kaohsiung high-speed line. The agreement followed two days of talks between the Taiwan government, concessionaire THSRC and bankers' representatives. THSRC gave notice at the end of July that ...

  • News

    SkyTrain deal

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    ON AUGUST 3, Bombardier Transportation confirmed that it had been awarded a C$205m contract for design and supply of electrical and mechanical systems for the 21 km SkyTrain Line 2 in Vancouver. Rapid Transit 2000 Ltd had already awarded the company a C$165m contract for 60 ALRT MkII cars last ...

  • News

    Still in court

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    ON JULY 29 the Taiwanese High Court awarded NT$1·1bn to Matra Transport International as compensation for its work on Taipei’s troubled Mucha metro line. This should have been welcome news to the French supplier, which has been battling with Taipei City Council’s Department of Rapid Transit Systems for ...

  • News

    Safety costs mount

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    A record fine for a health and safety offence of £1·5m was imposed on Great Western Trains in July by Mr Justice Scott-Baker for not preventing the collision at Southall in West London on September 19 1997. Seven passengers died when a diesel High Speed Train ran through signals at ...

  • News

    Control modules

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    Schneider Electric is developing a range of distributed input/output modules for traction control and other rolling stock applications, compliant with European standards EN 50155 and EN 50121-3-2. Featuring a robust and compact plastic housing for mounting on a DIN rail, the lightweight modules can operate between -40í C and 85í ...

  • News

    More West Rail contracts let

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    ON JULY 27 Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp announced a further six contracts for West Rail phase I, totalling HK$5·4bn. Four are for civil works, one for railway systems and one for design.Kier-Zen Pacific JV is to build Mei Foo station for HK$1·2bn, whlist Tin Shui Wai station and the light rail ...

  • News

    Moscow tries commuter expresses

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    MOSCOW Railway commuters between Vladimir and the Russian capital are flocking onto the latest design of EMU to emerge from the Demikhovo rolling stock plant (left). On July 31 MR President Gennadi Fadeev and Railways Minister V I Starostenko launched the city’s third express commuter service using a build of ...

  • News

    Mystery surrounds Gaisal collision

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    Despite fears that the death toll in the August 2 collision at Gaisal on India’s Northeast Frontier Railway might exceed the 300 killed at Firozabad near Agra in 1995, the official figure was set at 286 when a mountain of wreckage was finally cleared three days later. Commissioner for Railway ...

  • News

    Trials will settle final ETCS choices

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    BYLINE: Nina BarrsCommercial DirectorERTMS Users Group THIS AUTUMN sees Europe’s railways start live tests with ETCS. Developed primarily for the Trans-European Network high speed line projects, ETCS is the child of a core group of European railways and infrastructure companies: Deutsche Bahn, Réseau Ferré de France, Ferrovie dello Stato, Railtrack, ...

  • News

    Can the public sector meet the profit challenge?

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    INTRO: At its Ninth Scientific Symposium, the Arab Union of Railways will examine how national railways can restructure for profitabilityBYLINE: Eng Mourhaf SabouniGeneral SecretaryArab Union of RailwaysWITH privatisation now in vogue around the world, the members of the Arab Union of Railways are faced with a particular challenge. While keeping ...

  • News

    Underground rail carrier

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    Developed for track renewal work on London Underground’s Waterloo & City line, the Bance Rail Transportation Unit comprises four lifting traversers with an Alumi-Cart inspection trolley at each end. Able to carry four people, the Alumi-Carts can be uncoupled from the RTU for inspection duties at speeds up to 30 ...

  • News

    Trouble in the Cape

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    SOUTH AFRICA’S national railway Spoornet has on many occasions helped its Cape gauge neighbours to the north with technical expertise, supply of rolling stock and motive power. Now it is Spoornet that is in need of help - although something more fundamental is called for.The recent economic downturn brought a ...

  • News

    Line C revived

    1999-09-01T10:00:00Z

    THIS MONTH is due to see the handover to Roma’s Sistema di Transporti SpA of detailed engineering designs for the first 12 km section of metro Line C. Project design for the route linking the Line A interchange at San Giovanni to Torrenova, where it would meet the Cotral suburban ...