All Railway Gazette International articles in September 2009
All articles published this month.
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NewsAfghan railway to go ahead with ADB funding
AFGHANISTAN: Construction of a rail link to Mazar-i-Sharif is set to go ahead following Asian Development Bank's announcement of an US$165m grant on September 30. The Afghan government will provide US$5m towards the US$170m project, which is to be undertaken by Uzbek Railways under the supervision of the Afghan ...
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Beijing Line 4 starts trial operation
CHINA: Beijing Municipal Communist Party Secretary Liu Qi officially initiated trial operation of Beijing metro Line 4 on September 28. Following the ceremony at National Library station, Liu Qi, accompanied by Mayor of Beijing Guo Jinlong, Hong Kong Secretary for Transport & Housing Eva Cheng, MTR Corp Chairman Dr Raymond ...
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NewsGranada tram wiring contract
SPAIN: The regional government of Andalucía has awarded a €16·4m contract to Alstom Transport and Inabensa for the supply and installation of overhead line equipment and power supplies for the initial tram route in Granada.Due to open for revenue service in 2011, the 15·9 km initial route will link Armilla ...
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NewsPrototype train for Bosnia nears completion
CROATIA: A prototype electric multiple-unit developed by Koncar and ordered by Bosnian railway ZFBH was displayed to members of the Croatian government at the manufacturer's Zagreb plant on September 28. The 25 kV 50 Hz EMU is intended for inter-city and regional services at up to 160 km/h. It ...
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NewsHelsinki metro extension automation deal
FINLAND: Helsinki transport operator HKL has exercised an option for Siemens Mobility to provide automation equipment for the 14 km, seven station extension of the capital's metro westwards to Espoo. The contract announced by Siemens on September 28 is worth €56m. It follows a €100m deal covering automation ...
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NewsExperimental battery locomotive unveiled
USA: Norfolk Southern unveiled an experimental 1 500 hp battery shunting locomotive at its Juniata workshops in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on September 28. Based on an EMD GP38 locomotive, NS 999 has no onboard power plant, instead the 1 080 lead-acid 12 V cells are charged by plugging the locomotive ...
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NewsSan Diego orders shorter LRVs
USA: The Metropolitan Transit System board approved an order for 57 Siemens S70 Avanto light rail vehicles for the San Diego Trolley on September 24, with an option for a further eight. The new LRVs will cost $3·6m each, and are part of an option for 180 included in ...
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NewsKrimml rebuilding underway
AUSTRIA: Rehabilitation work is underway on the Mittersill – Krimml section of the 760 mm gauge Pinzgauer Lokalbahn which was damaged by flooding in 2005. The line had faced closure, but the Land of Salzburg believed an attractive service could form a significant artery for local traffic. As a ...
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NewsNürnberg U2 goes driverless
GERMANY: The first revenue services without drivers began running on Nürnberg U-bahn Line U2 on September 28. Four of the eight trains in service on U2 are now running under automatic control, and full automation is planned by January 2 2010. The first section of U2 opened in January ...
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NewsChina orders 380 km/h Zefiro high speed trains
CHINA: The Ministry of Railways has awarded a contract for 80 more high speed trains to the Qingdao-based Bombardier Sifang joint venture. The 27·4bn yuan order covers 20 eight-car and 60 16-car trainsets, designated Zefiro 380. Deliveries are expected to start in 2012 and run until 2014. With a ...
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NewsLos Angeles takes up AnsaldoBreda LRV option
USA: Los Angeles MTA has exercised an option with AnsaldoBreda for 100 additional light rail vehicles, as part of a deal that requires the Italian company to build a manufacturing facility in Los Angeles. The board voted 8-3 in favour of the order on September 24, accepting AnsaldoBreda's offer ...
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NewsWien orders 20 more metro trains
AUSTRIA: Wiener Linien has ordered a further 20 Type V six-car metro trains for delivery in 2012-17. This is the third and final order placed within a 1998 framework agreement for 60 trainsets; 25 were ordered in 2002 and 15 in 2007. The first entered service in summer 2006, and ...
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NewsRotterdam metro route rebranding
NETHERLANDS: Rotterdam operator RET has started a rebranding programme under which the Caland and Erasmus line names are being dropped. To be completed by December, the reorganisation is intended to help visitors and occasional travellers to use the metro. It also paves the way for completion of the ...
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NewsCisalpino to be disbanded
EUROPE: Swiss Federal Railways and Trenitalia are to disband their jointly -owned Cisalpino AG subsidiary and take direct responsibility for cross-border inter-city services with effect from the December 13 timetable change. Announcing the move on September 25, SBB said the 40 staff and the rolling stock will be allocated ...
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NewsArctic bridge ceremony marks Yamal progress
RUSSIA: A ceremony held on a remote flood plain on the Yamal Peninsula on September 24 marked completion of the longest bridge within the Arctic Circle. The 3∙9 km structure over the Yuribey River will carry the 572 km line from Obskaya to Karskaya which is currently being built by ...
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NewsFreightliner and Xstrata sign Australian coal contract
AUSTRALIA: Freightliner Australia announced a 10-year haulage agreement with Xstrata Coal on September 25. Trains will start in late 2010, carrying 10 million tonnes of coal a year between Hunter Valley mines and the port of Newcastle. In July Xstrata Coal signed a 10-year haulage deal with Pacific National ...
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NewsPrima II arrives in Casablanca
MOROCCO: The first of 20 Prima II electric locomotives ordered by national railway ONCFM has arrived in Casablanca after being shipped via Antwerpen. It will now undergo endurance tests before entering service next year. The rest of the locomotives will follow by March 2010. ONCFM placed a €75m ...
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NewsCommission to review safety rules
EUROPE: EU Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani has announced that railway safety rules and practices are to be reviewed and an assessment made of how well they have been implemented. Speaking on September 8 at a railway safety conference held in Brussels in the wake of the freight train derailment ...
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NewsGE Transportation delivers locomotive to Mongolia
MONGOLIA: Mongolian Railways has completed testing of its first Evolution Series locomotive, supplied from GE Transportation's Erie plant. It will be leased to Ulaanbaatar Railway, in which Mongolian Railways holds a 25% stake. The locomotive is similar to those which GE Transportation is supplying to Kazakhstan. 'We chose GE ...