All Railway Gazette International articles in September 2005
All articles published this month.
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News
Shadow running boosts Swiss confidence in Level 2
THE RACE is on for the first route to carry passengers in regular service using ETCS Level 2. Strictly speaking, this milestone has already passed as Swiss Federal Railways operated a pilot Level 2 system on its Olten - Luzern line in 2002-03, but SBB subsequently dismantled the equipment.German Railway ...
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Metros September 2005
Canada: On July 17 Ottawa city council approved an environmental assessment of the proposed 31 km north-south light rail route from the Rideau Centre to Barrhaven. Bids for the C$675m project could be submitted next year for opening in 2009. China: The State Council has approved the Harbin metro project. ...
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Network Rail accepts a pair of High Output Ballast Cleaners
INTRO: The first of two RM900RT High Output Ballast Cleaners underwent a series of demanding checks and tests to obtain an Engineering Acceptance Certificate for use on the UK networkBYLINE: Peter Howells CEng FIMechE and Dr Bernhard Lichtberger*BYLINE: * Peter Howells was Principal Executive Consultant, AEA Technology Rail until June ...
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Transmitton acquired
Transmitton has been acquired by Siemens from the Alchemy backed ICSGroup. The British-based control and asset management systems maker will become part of Siemens Transportation Systems. ’Our combined experience across areas such as rail electrification, communications and station management make us a natural fit’, said Kevin Tutton, STS (UK) Managing ...
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African projects deserve support
CONSULTANTS are to be briefed shortly on the requirements for a feasibility study into a new railway linking Kasese in Uganda with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and eventually Zambia (RG 9.04 p507). The scheme, which would introduce the benefits of rail transport to Rwanda and Burundi, enjoys ...
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Vnukovo airport branch opens
RUSSIA’s first underground airport station was officially opened on August 7, when trains began running into Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport.RZD has been running a shuttle service from the capital’s Kievskaya station since August 2004, using 33 km of upgraded freight railway. Pending completion of the 1·5 km tunnel into the airport ...
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Albuquerque and Nashville set to join US commuter club
INTRO: Commuter rail expansion continues in the USA, with trains due to begin serving the cities of Albuquerque and Nashville within the next few months. Julian Wolinsky reportsAlthough no starting date has been officially announced for two new commuter rail projects taking shape in the USA, Rail Runner Express in ...
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No away games if you always win at home
COMPANIES enjoying a monopoly of local public transport in their home markets should not be allowed to operate services elsewhere. Such is the latest transport policy suggestion from the European Commission, which put forward the idea on July 20. Essentially, the concept is for local authorities responsible for organising public ...
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Sibelit enters rail freight arena
PLANS to launch an international joint venture to improve the competitiveness of rail freight in the Antwerpen - Basel - Milano corridor were unveiled by four European national railways in August.Fret SNCF, B-Cargo, CFL and SBB Cargo agreed in Paris on August 8 that forming a new company would be ...
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Articulated Sprinters to take over Randstad stopping services
INTRO: Harry Hondius MSc reports on the Dutch order for 18 four-car and 17 six-car trainsets destined to replace the dog-nosed T and V EMUs dating from the 1960sJULY 21 saw NS Reizigers place a €248m order with Bombardier Transportation for 18 four-car and 17 six-car EMUs to operate on ...
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Ascom sells fares division
AFFILIATED Computer Services Inc announced the acquisition of Ascom’s Transport Revenue division for SFr130m on August 3. With offices in Switzerland, Italy, Britain, Spain, Hong Kong, the USA, Mexico and Chile, the division had revenue of SFr241m in 2004. The North and South American part of the Toll business unit ...
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News
Shell assembly
SIEMENS Transportation Systems is to take back construction of steel shells for its SD series of light rail vehicles from contractor Bozankaya. Siemens’ Sacramento plant will be remodelled at a cost of $6·5m to undertake construction of 33 SD160 vehicles for Calgary and 34 for Denver. In May Siemens had ...
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High speed contracts awarded
CONTRACTS WORTH a total of €232·9m have been awarded for civil works on four sections of the Madrid - Valencia high speed line between Motilla del Palancar and Valencia, involving the construction of 46·3 km of new infrastructure. Bids have been invited for a further five sections totalling 37·3 km ...
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UK government wrests back control of rail policy and funding
With the UK's Strategic Rail Authority being wound up, the government is moving to regain control over railway finances. Murray Hughes reports
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SBB bought by Balfour Beatty
BALFOUR Beatty announced on August 10 that it has agreed to acquire German signalling contractor SBB for €14m, once clearance has been received from the competition authorities. The majority of SBB's work is signalling installation and renewal under framework contracts with German Railway. Based at Stassfurt near Leipzig, the company ...
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Bidding battle in Budapest
ON AUGUST 15 Stadler signed a SFr225m contract with Hungarian State Railways for 30 four-section Flirt EMUs to operate services on lines electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz from Budapest to Tatab
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BLS saves with holistic plan
SWITZERLAND’SSüdostbahn has adopted RailOpt resource planning software from Qnamic. It is already in use with BLS L
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CSX budget boost
ON AUGUST 11 CSX unveiled plans to expand capacity on its main lines between Chicago and Florida and between Albany and New York City.Rising demand has prompted CSX to increase its investment programme, and capital expenditure in each of the next two years is expected to total between $1·3bn and ...
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Botswana signs resignalling deal
CONTRACTS were signed in Gabarone on August 3 for resignalling of the Botswana Railways network.Ansaldo Signal subsidiary Union Switch & Signal has been selected to provide computer-based Direct Traffic Control to replace the now-obsolete British Radio Electronic Token Block equipment installed in 1989-90. As part of the programme, the number ...
