All Railway Gazette International articles in September 2009 – Page 2
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NewsStrategic review to analyse rail reform
DENMARK: Increasing rail's market share is at the heart of a strategic review of the national rail network outlined by Transport Minister Lars Barfoed on September 23. The discussion paper A Railway In Growth sets out the remit for the review, which is to be completed by autumn 2010 and ...
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NewsDB takes majority stake in Polish freight operator
POLAND: Deutsche Bahn announced on September 24 that it had increased its stake in Polish freight operator PTK Holding to 95%. DB was already a shareholder in the Zabrze-based company as a result of its acquisition of PCC Logistics, completed on July 21. PTK Holding SA has 2 000 ...
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NewsState package will boost French rail freight
FRANCE: Keen to implement strategies arising from its Grenelle de l’Environnement, the French government unveiled on September 16 a €7bn package of measures to reverse the decline in rail’s share of the freight market over the next decade. At present road carries 86%, a figure that the government aims to ...
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NewsIn which funding is allocated for energy efficiency
USA: Flywheel energy storage on the Los Angeles metro is included in the 43 projects allocated a total of $100m of funding under the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas & Energy Reduction grant programme. Los Angeles County MTA has been allocated $4·5m of TIGGER funds for the Westlake wayside ...
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NewsFrench rail regulator rolled out
FRANCE: A law establishing a French railway regulatory body was passed in the National Assembly on September 22. The Autorité de Régulation des Activités Ferroviaires has been set up in advance of the liberalisation of international rail passenger services in Europe, which takes effect on December 13. The law ...
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NewsZentralbahn orders inter-regional trains
SWITZERLAND: Metre-gauge operator Zentralbahn has awarded Stadler a SFr141m contract to supply 10 inter-regional electric multiple-units as part of a double-tracking and modernisation programme which will see the timetable recast in December 2013. Six three-car trains will be used on Brünig services. These will be 54 m long with ...
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News200 km/h on Czech tracks
CZECH REPUBLIC: Infrastructure manager SZDC has launched a programme to raise speed limits on its main lines from 160 km/h to 200 km/h. The main limitation is the presence of level crossings and need for upgraded signalling. A pilot project will take place on the 77 km Brno - ...
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NewsBeijing metro still expanding
CHINA: Last month saw the start of work on the first phase of Beijing metro Line 7, between Beijing West and Jiaohuachang. The project is part of an ambitious plan to expand the capital’s metro network to 560 km and 20 lines by 2015, from 200 km at the time ...
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NewsKarlsruhe orders more tram-trains
GERMANY: Bombardier has been awarded a €129m contract to supply Albtal-Verkehrs GmbH and Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe with dual-voltage Flexity Swift tram-trains between August 2011 and September 2013. The contract announced on September 18 includes an option for up to 45 additional vehicles. The three-section 50% low-floor cars will be ...
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NewsThe hare and the tortoise
VIETNAM: We reported last month on the plethora of nascent inter-city rail projects emerging in the USA on the back of President Obama’s decision to dedicate US$13bn in funding, thus raising the prospect of the country being catapulted up the rankings in the ‘hare and tortoise’ race to develop high ...
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NewsSidetrack - September 2009
CZECH REPUBLIC: A programme is underway to replace the escalators on the Praha metro. However, it is reported that European Union regulations require the replacement escalators to be much slower than the existing ones, with speeds cut from 2·5 m/sec to just 0·7 m/sec. ‘The old escalators, which were ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - September 2009
An experiment that began last September to remove up to 14 seats from six of Chicago Transit Authority's 39-seat 'L' cars to reduce overcrowding has ended, with public opinion against converting any more cars to ‘Maxi' configuration. Additional stanchions and grab handles were added to the test cars for safety, ...
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NewsIndustry must look at whole-life costs
WHEELSETS: Procurement managers must continue to look beyond initial capital cost when making purchasing decisions, despite the pressures of the global recession.
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NewsBangalore metro train control contract signed
INDIA: On September 16 Bangalore Metro Rail Corp signed a €91m contract for signalling and train controls for its first two lines with a consortium of Alstom, Thales and Sumitomo. Consortium leader A lstom's share is worth around €57m, and includes the supply, installation and commissioning of Urbalis 200 ...
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NewsERTMS programe consultants chosen
DENMARK: Infrastructure manager Banedanmark has awarded a 12 -year contract for consultancy services throughout its national resignalling programme to a joint venture of Rambøll, Atkins, Emch+Berger and Parsons. The contract is worth DKr1bn, and includes advice on tendering, supplier oversight, implementation of early deployment schemes by 2015 and final ...
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NewsGreengauge 21 proposes UK high speed network
UK: High speed rail lobby group Greengauge 21 published a report on September 16 calling for a 1 550 km network of high speed lines. GG 21 Director Jim Steer said that the message was simple: 'what Britain needs today is a high speed network, not a single line'. ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market September 2009
Australia: Faiveley is to supply United Group with braking equipment for 18 four-car Oscar trains to be delivered from November 2010 in the third phase of the Sydney outer-suburban rolling stock programme. Cuba: Iranian firm Wagon Pars has supplied 100 covered vans to Cuba under a 60bn rial contract, ...
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NewsAlstom unveils X'trapolis UK
UK: Alstom formally presented X’trapolis UK, its contender for the Thameslink electric multiple-unit contract, on September 15. Alongside Bombardier and Siemens, Alstom had submitted its bid to the Department for Transport on June 25. An exhibition accompanying the presentation included models of ...
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NewsPowerHaul locomotives receive Freightliner colours
UK: Freightliner has unveiled the livery for its PowerHaul locomotives, with the four in the second batch nearing completion at GE Transportation's Erie plant in the USA. The two PowerHaul locomotives which formed the initial batch are currently undergoing more than 170 tests including ride, gauge and electromagnetic compatibility, ...
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NewsBrest and Dijon award joint tram order
FRANCE: The cities of Brest and Dijon have jointly awarded Alstom a contract to supply 52 Citadis trams worth more than €100m. In November last year the two cities agreed to co-operate to streamline procurement of their vehicles. Brest requires 20 trams for a 14·3 km line scheduled to ...