All Railway Gazette International articles in September 2012
All articles published this month.
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NewsBayou City Rail bought
USA: Track design, construction and repair business Bayou City Rail Railroad Contractors has been acquired by a holding company headed by John Edwards, former President of Fitzgerald Railcar Services. 'Bayou City Rail has a broad client base and John Edwards group's extensive rail relationships will only grow that client base', ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - September 2012
An Octopus-Lingnan Pass smart card has been launched which can be used for transport payments in Hong Kong and 16 cities in Guangdong province. The cards contain two e-purses which can be topped up in yuan or Hong Kong dollars, with payment deducted in the appropriate currency. Public wi-fi is ...
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NewsMidi-Pyrénées Rail Plan nears completion
FRANCE: Passenger services are due to resume between Toulouse and Saint-Sulpice on September 3, following the completion of four-month track renewals programme at a cost of €34m. This was marked by a ceremony to weld in place the last rail on August 29, attended by Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier, ...
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NewsTrackside art on Calgary light rail extension
CANADA: Public art is a feature of the 2·9 km northeast extension of Calgary Transit's light rail Blue Line from McKnight-Westwinds to Martindale and Saddletowne which opened on August 27. Construction has taken three years at a cost of C$124m. The two new stations are located within walking or cycling ...
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NewsDijon tram network opens six months early
FRANCE: The first line of a two-route tram network opened in Dijon on September 1 with a weekend of celebrations and inaugural rides, before full commercial services started on September 3. The 8·5 km starter line runs on an east-west alignment from the city’s main line railway station to the ...
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NewsTwo tram lines to serve Avignon
FRANCE: Avignon council has finalised its preferred alignment for a planned two-line tramway which could open in 2016. The 9·2 km Line A with 16 stops would run from Ile Piot via Gare Centrale to Le Pontet Gare, with a branch at the eastern end serving Realpanier. The 5·2 ...
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News
Figueiredo to lead EPL
Bernardo Figueiredo has been named Chief Executive of EPL, Brazil's new multi-modal transport planning and logistics agency established by Presidential decree on August 15. EPL absorbs Etav, the state-owned company formed earlier this year to promote the development of a high speed line linking Campinas, São Paulo and Rio de ...
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NewsLTA announces Thomson Line alignment
SINGAPORE: Land Transport Authority announced the alignment and station locations for the future Thomson Line on August 29. The 30 km underground metro line is scheduled to be built in three phases for completion in 2021. The route runs north to south from Woodlands to Marina Bay, linking a corridor ...
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NewsThales to supply Ampang Line CBTC
MALAYSIA: Contractor George Kent (Malaysia) has awarded Thales a contract to provide SelTrac communications-based train control for the Ampang metro line in Kuala Lumpur. The contract covers the 27 km existing route and 17·7 km extension which is under construction between Sri Petaling and Putra Heights. The signalling work ...
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NewsJernbaneverket awards signalling and electrification contracts
NORWAY: Infrastructure manager Jernbaneverket has announced the award of two contracts for signalling and electrification renewal works. A framework contract with Thales covers the supply of non-ETCS signalling over the next 10 years, with maintenance for 25 years. Specific contracts worth NKr240m have been signed for the Sandnes - Stavanger ...
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NewsTrains ordered for Nanjing airport rail link
CHINA: Nanjing Metro has awarded a 588m yuan contract for the supply of 15 six-car trainsets for the Nanjing-Gaochun Intercity Rail project. The 35·6 km airport rail link between Nanjing South station and the city's Lukou International Airport will have five stations on an 18·3 km underground section and three ...
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NewsSan Diego Trolley modernisation reaches half way
USA: The half-way point in a $720m modernisation of the San Diego Trolley light rail network was marked by the introduction of a revised network on September 2. Green Line services have been extended along existing tracks through the city centre, passing the Convention Center and Petco Park ...
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NewsZefiro 250NG included in revised high speed train contract
CHINA: After reviewing its operational strategy, the Ministry of Railways has issued a variation order to its 2009 contract under which the Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation joint venture was to supply 20 eight-car and 60 16-car high speed trainsets. The number of 380 km/h trainsets has now been reduced, ...
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NewsCN sets out wagon acquisition plans
CANADA: Canadian National Executive Vice-President & Chief Marketing Officer Jean-Jacques Ruest has announced details of the 2 207 new wagons that the railway plans to acquire during 2012. The largest order is for 600 high-payload 60 ft vans for forest products and metals traffic. These will have double doors to ...
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NewsMitre upgrade announced
ARGENTINA: Interior & Transport Minister Florencio Randazzo announced a 633m pesos upgrade programme for the Mitre commuter network in Buenos Aires last month. Comprising 342m pesos for infrastructure work, 173·4m pesos for rolling stock and 118·9m pesos to improve workshop facilities, this follows a similar programme now underway on ...
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NewsTuran Express launches Almaty - Korgas passenger service
KAZAKHSTAN: Private sector operator Turan Express launched an overnight passenger train between Almaty and Altynkol on September 3, having run a trial on September 1. It uses the recently-completed 293 km Zhetigen - Korgas line, built by national railway KTZ to provide a second freight route to the Chinese border. ...
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NewsDB awards Ebensfeld - Leipzig high speed line ETCS Level 2 contract
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has awarded Siemens and Kapsch CarrierCom a €93m contract to supply ETCS Level 2 signalling and GSM-R communications for the Ebensfeld - Erfurt - Leipzig high speed line which is now under construction. Part of a major post-reunification project to upgrade the München - Nürnberg - Berlin ...
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NewsÖstgötatrafiken orders Alstom EMUs
SWEDEN: Östergötland transport authority Östgötatrafiken has placed a firm order for Alstom's Salzgitter plant to supply eight more Coradia Nordic X61 regional electric multiple-units by early 2015. The four-car units are designed for winter temperatures of -35°C, with roof-mounted equipment to blast away snow and ice. The €50m ...
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NewsCNR Datong unveils 10 MW locomotive designed to cross China
CHINA: CNR Datong has unveiled a twin-unit electric locomotive developed to haul long-distance freight trains carrying natural resources from the north and west of China to industries in the east. Rolled out on August 27, HXD21001 has a maximum speed of 120 km/h. It is rated at 10 MW, an ...
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NewsBigger depot for longer trains
NETHERLANDS: The first pile for the expansion of Amsterdam's Diemen metro depot was driven on September 3, watched by Bart Schmeink, General Director of city transport operator GVB, and Gert Jan Vos, Director of construction contractor Strukton. The depot is being enlarged to accommodate the Series M5 trainsets which Alstom ...