All Railway Gazette International articles in September 2006 – Page 4

  • News

    Obasanjo commits to regauging plan

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    ’NO NATION has achieved holistic development without a coherent, integrated, efficient and reliable transportation system’, explained Nigerian President Olusegum Obasanjo on August 9, setting out his vision for the revitalisation of his country’s 3500 km rail network in a special radio broadcast.The Bureau of Public Enterprises has already commissioned CPCS ...

  • News

    Sitting comfortably

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    GRAMMER will be presenting two new seating ranges at InnoTrans, designed for use on inter-city and regional trains.The modular IC3000 seat for long distance travel allows customers to select from a range of options to specify a seat tailored to their market. The two sizes of table offered include one ...

  • News

    Cleaner engine to be launched

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    CUMMINS will be using InnoTrans to exhibit its Stage 3A/Tier 2 QSK60-L locomotive engine for the first time. Developed for arduous main line freight and passenger loco applications, it has an output range from 1492 to 1940 kW. Available from January 2007, the 60litre engine meets the US Environmental Protection ...

  • News

    city NEWS

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    Thailand’s Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced on August 1 that the government had approved in principle the construction of three more metro lines in Bangkok. The Red Line will run for 40 km from Phya Thai to Rangsit and Chiang Rak Noi and the 23 km Purple Line will connect ...

  • News

    Voith’s drive into China

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    DALIAN Locomotive & Rolling Stock works has begun producing parts for Voith SET-553 final drives, which will be assembled with gears and pinions produced at Voith Turbo’s plant in Heidenheim, Germany.A team of up to 20 people from the German firm spent several months in China, negotiating the contracts for ...

  • News

    Three chase high speed contract

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    ON JULY 25 the Argentinian government received bids from three consortia seeking to prequalify for a contract to build a high speed line from Buenos Aires to Rosario and Córdoba (RG 6.06 p305). The government is expecting the contractor to provide at least 50% of the estimated US$1bn ...

  • News

    Charting the final chapter in Germany's rail reform

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    After 12 years operating in the form of a private company, DB AG is being groomed for a real transition to the private sector - should Parliament so decide. Decision time could be this month

  • News

    The engine of change

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    THROUGHOUT their 200-year history, railways have been drivers of change, be it economic, political, social or military. It is probably no understatement to suggest that our railways have played a fundamental part in shaping the modern world. Although rail no longer dominates the land transport sector, the mode still has ...

  • News

    Private sector to run CDG Express

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    ANNOUNCING the start of the tendering process for CDG Express, French Transport Minister Dominique Perben promised on July 24 that the €640m project for a dedicated rail link to Paris Charles-de-Gaulle airport will be funded ’without any contribution from taxpayers’, with the traffic risk borne by the private sector.The project ...

  • News

    CAF scoops medium- distance MU order

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    SPANISH national operator Renfe has awarded CAF a €588·2m contract to supply 107 multiple-units for medium-distance services.Of these, 50 will be 160 km/h three-car DMUs each seating 187 passengers. These will be delivered for operation on 1668mm gauge but will be designed for conversion to 1435mm gauge at a later ...

  • Tram-train in Germany.
    News

    Tram-train proposed for Cádiz

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    A DRAFT agreement for construction of a 13·6 km tram-train route connecting the city of Cádiz with the neighbouring communities of San Fernando and Chiclana de la Frontera has been sent to the two municipalities by the Andalucía regional government. The project has been costed at €140·5m excluding electrification, ...

  • News

    Modern ways to buy a ticket

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    PASSENGER operators around the world are devising new ways to sell tickets, with the commercial roll out of on-line and mobile ticketing services.This month German Railway launches Handy-Ticket, letting passengers buy and receive an electronic ticket using mobile telephone Multimedia Messaging Services. The MMS ’ticket’ is then shown to ...

  • News

    Cameras built to last

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    STRATFORD and Ebbsfleet International stations on Section 2 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link are being fitted with CCTV cameras and associated equipment from Bosch Security Systems.Bosch has previously supplied cameras to London Underground for use in the particularly demanding station environment. ’Our cameras, domes and video matrix products have ...

  • News

    DB Logistics builds a global business

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    In just three years, German Railway's freight business has expanded from a simple rail operator to one of the world's largest logistics and transport providers. Chris Jackson asked Board Member Norbert Bensel what lies behind this growth

  • News

    Onboard broadband

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    AFTERsuccessful trials between Haarlem and Maastricht, NS and telecoms company KPN have agreed to install TV screens and provide broadband internet access on 1200 inter-city coaches. The screens will display a mixture of travel information, news flashes and entertainment, funded by advertising revenue. Internet access will cost €16 for a ...

  • News

    Security fears bring opportunities

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    THE IMPOSITION of the highest ’critical’ terrorist threat warning at UK airports in the early hours of August 10 caused massive disruption. London Heathrow - one of the world’s busiest airports that handles the most international flights - suffered the worst cancellations and delays as security staff initially struggled to ...

  • News

    Passenger News in Brief

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    On July 14 the Orco Omikron subsidiary of Orco Property Group signed a KC1·1bn contract with Czech infrastructure owner SZDC for the commercial development of 27ha of land at Praha-Bubny station. Toll Rail plans to withdraw The Overlander between Wellington and Auckland from September 30. citing increased costs and falling ...

  • News

    In Brief

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    Amtrak has proposed converting the New York - St Albans Vermonter service to DMU operation for a three-year demonstration project, saving the state $4·2m in subsidies because of lower fuel and crew costs. Under the proposal Vermont Agency of Transportation would buy five DMU cars from Colorado Railcar with a ...

  • News

    In Brief

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    As part of its programme to upgrade the 861 km heavy-haul Sishen - Saldanha iron-ore line, Spoornet was due to run a 342-wagon test train on August 27, to confirm the feasibility of increasing its normal train length from 216 to 342 wagons. The train was to be marshaled as ...

  • News

    InnoTrans in Brief

    2006-09-01T10:00:00Z

    Compin will be showcasing its modular passenger seating range, and describing how operators can make long term cost savings by selecting the most appropriate seat design for their needs. MTU Friedrichshafen will be showing 'powerful yet environmentally-friendly' engines for locos and multiple-units. Höft & Wessel and its partner PSI will ...