All Railway Gazette International articles in September 2001
All articles published this month.
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NewsAgreements signed to allow direct Amsterdam – London trains
EUROPE: Eurostar is set to launch direct services between Amsterdam and London later this year, following the signing on July 7 of four-country agreements covering the legal and security arrangements. A date for the start of through services has not yet been finalised, the high speed train ...
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Software upgrade
Bentley Systems has released version 8.2 of its InRail track layout and 3D design software, which includes German, Danish and US standards. Enhancements include information management integration with ProjectWise, and remote access capability. Emch + Berger of Switzerland is using InRail to produce a precise three-dimensional digital terrain ...
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Rijn-Gouwe takes off
PLANS to develop dual-mode light rail services in the Netherlands moved ahead last month, when Den Haag transport operator HTM ordered six LRVs from Bombardier. Based on the Stockholm A32 cars, they are due for delivery by the end of 2002. To be built in Wien at a cost of ...
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Swiss progress
CEREMONIES were held at Langenthal on August 2 to mark the mid-point in the construction of Swiss Federal Railways’ Mattstetten - Rothrist line. SBB Major Projects Director Paul Moser confirmed that the benefits of the SFr5·9bn Bahn 2000 investment programme would become apparent in December 2004, when a major ...
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Pointers
n Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp submitted proposals to the Hong Kong regional government on July 13 for the proposed HK$30bn cross-Kowloon rail link connecting the new East Rail terminus at Tsim Sha Tsui and West Rail at Nam Cheong Street. KCRC and MTRC were due to present proposals for the 15 ...
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Passing the motivation test
ON AUGUST 2-3 Southern Africa Railway Association held a workshop on track maintenance awareness, motivation and leadership in Lubumbashi. SARA reports immense enthusiasm among the delegates from Congolese National Railways, who were clearly inspired by a thirst for knowledge.Many of the Congolese delegates travelled considerable distances to attend the event. ...
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Metros
Canada: Toronto Transit Commission put Alcatel’s SelNet System Management Control into revenue service on the Scarborough Rapid Transit line in July.France: Alongside a programme to increase capacity at Toulouse Matabiau station, SNCF is discussing with local authorities a 15 km ’tram-train’ (RG 7.01 p467) route to Blagnac Airport, north of ...
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Manila speed-up
WITH TRAFFIC congestion in Manila worsening, on July 18 Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the Department of Transportation & Communications to give priority to the construction of new LRT routes and increasing capacity on the existing network. Consultants are to be appointed this month to assist with a 10·5m pesos ...
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Maglev radio
EUROPEAN Aeronautic Defence & Space Company subsidiary Racoms has won a €29m contract from Siemens to supply radio communications for the Shanghai Transrapid maglev project.A 38GHz range radio relay system will be provide real-time transmission of data between moving trains and the control centre, using highly-focusing antennae along the route. ...
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LTA rebrands
ON July 31 Singapore’s Land Transport Authority introduced a new identity and signage for public transport. The S$3·9m branding aims to create a strong visual image with a common identity across all trains, buses and taxis.Citigate Lloyd Northover produced comprehensive design guidelines for the new identity. A unique typeface has ...
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Portland opens two lines
MORE THAN 50000 people jammed the Portland City Streetcar for free rides during the opening weekend, following the formal inauguration on July 20. The 3·8 km L-shaped route connects northwest Portland, the Pearl district and Portland State University campus. Connecting with the region’s MAX light rail routes, the Streetcar is ...
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Lighter wagons
A new range of high-strength steels developed by SSAB Swedish Steel offers the promise of significant savings in wagon tare weights, with improved payload and lower operating costs. The company is proposing to adopt designs based on automotive engineering, using hot-rolled Domex steel which has a yield strength of up ...
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Just-in-time tracklaying poised to set records
INTRO: A demanding schedule has been set for installing track and M&E equipment on the first section of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Murray Hughes visited the tracklaying base at Beechbrook Farm near AshfordVISITORS to Britain arriving by Eurostar consistently express surprise at the slow pace of travel between the ...
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Report recommends IR overhaul
INDIA’S Railway Minister Nitish Kumar is currently pondering the latest in a series of reports suggesting that it is high time for Indian Railways to undergo reforms to turn it into a more commercial business in an increasingly competitive world. Submitted on August 7 by Dr Rakesh Mohan, an economist ...
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Inter-city refurbishment
UKRAINE’s state railway company Ukrzaliznytsya has completed the refurbishment of a Lotsman 10-car inter-city train for use on Simferopol - Dnipropetrovsk services. The Hr1·25m refurbishment was carried out in Dnipropetrovsk by Mezhdunarodnoye Delovoye Sotrudnychestvo.The train offers first and second class accommodation, and has been fitted with improved seats and on-board ...
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Instability stalls upgrading plans
INTRO: The dire state of Railtrack’s finances has delayed many ambitious proposals for investment in network expansion, reports Chris JacksonTHE SACKING on August 1 of Railtrack’s Chief Operating Officer Jonson Cox reflects the state of turmoil within Britain’s rail infrastructure company. Newly-appointed Chairman John Robinson told shareholders at the Annual ...
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Industry seeks ways out of a jungle of uncertainty
Industry seeks ways out of a jungle of uncertaintyINTRO: Set up to inject long-term thinking into a fragmented industry, Britain’s Strategic Rail Authority has just seen the fruits of its labours torn up by a government desperate to find a quick political fix for the troubled national rail network. The ...
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Improved inverter performance
HYUNDAI has developed a digital variable voltage and frequency inverter to control the slipping of wheels with parallel traction motors.Wheel slippage can lead to increased engine speed, generating more power and resulting in over-voltage in the induction motor. Voltage detection systems can be used to trigger power reduction, but these ...