All Railway Gazette International articles in September 2011
All articles published this month.
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NewsEuropean Commission launches Channel Tunnel infringement proceedings
EUROPE: The European Commission has launched infringement proceedings against France and the UK over their 'failure to implement legislation to open the market for rail services in the Channel Fixed Link'. On September 29 the Commission said the countries have two months to respond before it requests full implementation of ...
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NewsDB Schenker to launch daily freight train to China
INTERNATIONAL: DB Schenker Rail Automotive is to launch a daily container train service between Germany and China in late November, carrying BMW automotive components from Leipzig to Shenyang. 'With a transit time of 23 days, the direct trains are more than twice as fast as maritime transport followed by transport ...
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NewsCamera helps spot overhead line defects
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail has provided electrification equipment maintenance crews with 30 cameras which can be used to identify overhead line defects without needing to turn off the power. Supplied by Kongsberg Maritime Ltd, the cameras can be attached to the overhead cables, where they are held steady by ...
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NewsCeremony launches Tanger – Casablanca high speed project
MOROCCO: A foundation stone was laid in Tanger on September 29 to mark the start of construction of a high speed line to Casablanca. The ceremony was attended by King Mohammed VI and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, reflecting the close relationship between the two countries which has underpinned the project ...
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NewsRegioJet launch brings inter-city competition
CZECH REPUBLIC: Open access operator RegioJet launched services between Praha and Havírov on September 26, breaking Czech Railways' monopoly on long-distance passenger services by competing directly with CD's premium Pendolino service. RegioJet is initially running three trains each way per day, calling at nine intermediate stations including Ostrava-Hlavní, Olomouc and ...
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NewsElectrification and extension to boost Central Asian connections
ASIA: The Asian Development Bank has approved funding for electrification in Uzbekistan and construction of a 225 km line in northern Afghanistan. On September 28 the ADB board agreed a US$100m loan towards a US$176m modernisation of Uzbek national railway UTY's 140 km route between Marakand near Samarkand and Qarshi. ...
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NewsCameroon orders Chinese coaches
CAMEROON: CSR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock has won a contract to supply 38 metre-gauge coaches including sleeping, dining and baggage cars to Cameroon. Announcing the deal on September 20, the manufacturer said it was its third passenger rolling stock order from Africa, after contracts to supply coaches to Guinea and ...
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NewsASEAN announces infrastructure fund
ASIA: A fund to finance major infrastructure projects was announced by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on September 24, with Malaysian finance minister Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah saying it would 'help forge the road, rail and energy links the region needs to create a greater degree of well-being for ...
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NewsPresident marks Benguela revival
ANGOLA: President José Eduardo dos Santos was in Huambo on August 30 to welcome the first passenger train to arrive from Lobito over the latest 380 km section of Caminhos de Ferro de Benguela to be rehabilitated. The line had been out of action since 1975 owing to destruction during ...
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NewsSt Gallen upgrade agreement signed
SWITZERLAND: A letter of intent to go ahead with the Durchmesserlinie Appenzell - St Gallen - Trogen project to upgrade and connect the Trogen and Appenzell railways in St Gallen was signed by operator Appenzeller Bahnen and three cantons on September 12. The metre-gauge lines are both operated by Appenzeller ...
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News1520 signalling joint venture
RUSSIA: Alstom and Promelectronica have to agreed to establish a joint venture to distribute their signalling products in the 1520 mm gauge region. The 51:49 joint venture will be formed by the end of the year and based in Moscow. As well as distributing the two firms' current ranges of ...
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NewsMadrid metro cars move to Buenos Aires
ARGENTINA: Shipments to Buenos Aires are now underway of 24 Series 5000 cars which formerly operated on lines 6 and 9 of the Madrid Metro. The Buenos Aires city government has acquired the four trainsets for €4·2m, in order to meet the expected increase in demand when the extension of ...
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NewsCH2M Hill to buy Halcrow
HALCROW: Engineering and project management firm CH2M Hill is to buy infrastructure planning, design and management consultancy Halcrow for £124m, the Halcrow board announced on September 26. Subject to shareholder approval the transaction is expected to close in November. 'The board's decision to approach CH2M Hill to discuss the sale ...
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NewsLausanne tram plan approval
SWITZERLAND: The Federal Council announced it had granted a concession for the construction of a tram line between Lausanne-Flon and Renens-Gare on September 16. Planned as part of the Projet d'Agglomération Lausanne Morges scheme to improve transport in the city, line T1 will replace buses which local transport authority TL ...
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NewsBuenos Aires metro Line H contracts
ARGENTINA: The Buenos Aires city government has selected a consortium led by Techint as preferred bidder to build two extensions of metro Line H, including six new stations. The winning offer was 2258m pesos, although the consortium had also submitted a bid of 2560m pesos that would have seen it ...
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NewsMetro plant under construction in Ningbo
CHINA: China South Locomotive Group director Zhao Xiaogang and Mayor Liu Qi laid the foundation stone for the Ningbo South Locomotive Metro Rail Equipment Co assembly plant in on August 30. The company was formed in April as a joint venture of CSR Zhuzhou Locomotive, CSR Zhuji, Ningbo Rail Company ...
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NewsXi’an opens first metro line
CHINA: The first of three metro lines under construction in Xi’an was officially opened at midday on September 16, with large crowds turning out to take a ride. Designated Line 2, the 20·5 km line runs south from the North railway station to Qujiang International Conference & ...
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NewsCAF wins Bucuresti metro train contract
ROMANIA: Bucuresti metro operator Metrorex named CAF as the winner of a contract to supply 16 metro trainsets on September 22. The six-car trainsets will be delivered from 2012 to replace IVA Astra rolling stock currently used on Line 3. Metrorex said the new vehicles will be equipped for automatic ...
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NewsQuick arrival in the Klang Valley
MALAYSIA: CSR Zhuzhou delivered the first of 38 six-car electric multiple-units to KTMB in September, having rolled it out just a year after the 4bn yuan order was signed in July 2010. Six are scheduled to arrive this year, entering traffic from January on KTM Komuter services in the ...
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NewsWorld rolling stock market September 2011
Argentina: The province of San Luis has acquired a 3GS-24C GenSet N-ViroMotive for 11m pesos. Australia: Fortescue has ordered 246 iron ore wagons from CNR, while Pacific National has ordered 728 coal hoppers from CSR Yangtze. Bangladesh: CNR Tangshan is to supply BR with 20 three-car metre-gauge ...