Railway Gazette International articles from April 2007

Railway Gazette International archives from April 2007

Over 3000 km of African mineral lines in prospect.(COMMENT)
April 1, 2007... PROJECTS to build heavy haul mineral railways in Africa are back on the agenda. At least four major schemes are active, and others may yet emerge. Steel giant Arcelor-Mittal announced on February 23 that it had signed agreements with the...

Traffic upswing highlights rail's potential.(COMMENT)
April 1, 2007... 'RAIL TRAFFIC recorded substantial increases in all parts of the world in 2006', the International Union of Railways reported on March 6. This upswing is welcome confirmation that rail's role in world trade is set to increase, while UIC's rapid...

Amtrak funding back in the spotlight.(COMMENT)
April 1, 2007... PROPOSALS for reform of the US National Railroad Passenger Corp come and go almost as frequently as the seasons. But little progress is evident with the Bush administration's strategy to break up the business, privatise operations and transfer...

SCT buys 'starter pack' from toll.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... AUSTRALIAN shipping company SCT Logistics has agreed to purchase locomotives, rolling stock and train paths on the east-west Melbourne-Perth corridor under a deal approved by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission on February 15. ...

Wien freight link.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... WORK BEGAN on February 13 to rebuild the Freudenau intermodal terminal in the Austrian capital. At the same time rail access to the port will improve thanks to reconstruction of the Winterhafen bridge over the Donaukanal that was destroyed in...

Perben inaugurates TGV Est.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... ON MARCH 15 the first phase of TGV Est Europeen was formally inaugurated by French Transport Minister Dominique Perben. He was accompanied by new RFF President Hubert du Mesnil, SNCF President Anne-Marie Idrac and European Commission...

Thailand's Office of Transport & Traffic Policy & Planning has commissioned engineering studies for a 140bn baht proposal.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... Thailand's Office of Transport & Traffic Policy & Planning has commissioned engineering studies for a 140bn baht proposal to upgrade and electrify four of SRT's existing suburban routes radiating from Bangkok, running east from Makkasan to...

Carrying cars to Russia.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... RAIL TRANS Auto has been established by private Russian logistics firm Trans Group and 51% stakeholder RZD in an effort to grab a slice of the lucrative road vehicle import business. Around two-thirds of Russian car and van imports are via...

Railion and PCC form Polish venture.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... ON FEBRUARY 28 Railion Deutschland AG and PCC Rail SA announced plans to form a joint rail freight company to focus on cross-border operations between Germany and Poland. Subject to regulatory approval, East West Railways Sp zoo will be based...

The first Eurostar set arrived at the rebuilt London St Pancras International.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... The first Eurostar set arrived at the rebuilt London St Pancras International under its own power during tests on March 6. Public services will start on November 14

Simpler Scandinavia.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... ON MARCH 5 Railion and Green Cargo signed a letter of intent for the Swedish firm to acquire a 'significant shareholding' in Railion Danmark, forming a joint company to simplify the operation of freight services between Sweden and Germany....

Private freight rolls in Spain.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... SPAIN'S first private freight train took to the rails at 13.00 on February 15 when a Continental Rail service departed the freight terminal at Coslada in the eastern suburbs of Madrid, bound for Fuente San Luis marshalling yard in Valencia....

High speed progress.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... FOLLOWING public consultation on route options undertaken last year, the RFF board agreed on March 8 to pursue further studies for two additions to the French high speed network. The central option running close to the existing route has been...

Cut-off completed.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... CZECH Railways was due to begin using a 7.1 km cut-off between Brezno and Chomutov on April 1, replacing an alignment which was suffering from mining subsidence. The single-track route is designed for a maximum speed of 100 km/h, and passive...

Saudi operating tenders invited.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... APRIL 14 is the deadline for expressions of interest for three major contracts to equip and operate the 2400 km North-South Railway network in Saudi Arabia. The tendering process is being handled by the Public Investment Fund within the...

Iron Rhine reopens.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... MARCH 15 saw the restoration of international freight trains to a section of the Iron Rhine corridor linking Antwerpen with the Ruhr through Belgium and the southern part of the Netherlands. Dillen & LeJeune Cargo applied in 2004 for paths...

Chinese contracts.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... VISITING BEIJING on March 12, Alstom President & Chief Executive Officer Patrick Kron signed two contracts with the Chinese Ministry of Railways worth [euro]352m in total. The larger contract, valued at [euro]1.1bn of which Alstom's share...

Chinese Railways.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... On April 18 Chinese Railways is due to launch its next national timetable speed-up, which will see the entry into regular service of various 200 km/h trainsets that began revenue operation during the Chinese New Year (RG 3.07 p124). These...

Pakistan steps up investment drive.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... PAKISTAN RAILWAYS' second fully airconditioned service was formally launched by the President's mother, Begum Zareen Musharraf, on March 8, to mark International Women's Day. Running from Rawalpindi to Karachi via Lahore and Multan, the...

Lorry-Rail launch.(NEWS)
April 1, 2007... MARCH 29 was due to see the formal launch of the Lorry-Rail intermodal service between Perpignan and Luxembourg (RG 11.06 p724). Lorry-Rail expects to start commercial services on the 1000 km route in June with a daily train in each...

On March 2 Infrabel officially launched a programme to modernise and upgrade the 175 km Ottignies-Sterpenich section of the Brussels-Luxembourg main line by 2013.(News in Brief)
April 1, 2007... On March 2 Infrabel officially launched a programme to modernise and upgrade the 175 km Ottignies-Sterpenich section of the Brussels-Luxembourg main line by 2013. SNCB-Holding is to provide [euro]289.2m towards the [euro]458m cost and Wallonia...

Italian infrastructure manager RFI has opened for revenue service the 25 km Padova-Mestre section of the Milano-Venezia Alta Velocita line, completed at a cost of [euro]467m.(News in Brief)
April 1, 2007... Italian infrastructure manager RFI has opened for revenue service the 25 km Padova-Mestre section of the Milano-Venezia Alta Velocita line, completed at a cost of [euro]467m. Designed for 220 km/h operation, the new line will increase capacity...

Iranian Islamic Republic Railways formally launched revenue operations on its 250 km/h double-track line between Tehran and Esfahan on February 3.(News in Brief)
April 1, 2007... Iranian Islamic Republic Railways formally launched revenue operations on its 250 km/h double-track line between Tehran and Esfahan on February 3, to coincide with a UIC training workshop on high speed technology being hosted by RAI in Tehran.

Asian Development Bank has formally approved a US$42m loan to support the rehabilitation of the Cambodian rail network.(News in Brief)
April 1, 2007... Asian Development Bank has formally approved a US$42m loan to support the rehabilitation of the Cambodian rail network, which is expected to cost US$73m in total. Signing the accord with ADB Vice-President Lawrence Greenwood on March 7,...

The European Commission issued an OJEU notice in February.(News in Brief)
April 1, 2007... The European Commission issued an OJEU notice in February announcing the formal creation of a new Trans-European Network Executive Agency in line with a decision taken on October 26 last year. To be based in Brussels, the new agency will assist...

On March 8 the UK Department for Transport formally invited expressions of interest for a future fleet of inter-city trains to replace the diesel HST and electric IC225 trainsets.(News in Brief)
April 1, 2007... On March 8 the UK Department for Transport formally invited expressions of interest for a future fleet of inter-city trains to replace the diesel HST and electric IC225 trainsets. The Intercity Express Programme envisages orders for between 500...

The Federal Railroad Administration on February 27 rejected a $2.33bn loan application from the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad to help fund its proposed extension into Wyoming's Powder River coalfields.(News in Brief)
April 1, 2007... The Federal Railroad Administration on February 27 rejected a $2.33bn loan application from the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad to help fund its proposed extension into Wyoming's Powder River coalfields. FRA Administrator Joseph H Boardman...

Northstar shines brighter.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... A SIGNIFICANT landmark in the Northstar commuter rail project was reached on February 28 when BNSF, the State of Minnesota and the Northstar Corridor Development Authority formally agreed on Northstar's rights to access BNSF's tracks along the...

Japan Bank for International Co-operation will provide 85% of the funding for a US$1.4bn underground suburban line in Hanoi.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... Japan Bank for International Co-operation will provide 85% of the funding for a US$1.4bn underground suburban line in Hanoi under a memorandum of understanding signed with the People's Committee of the city on March 9. The 15.2 km route will...

Madrid light rail on test.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... WITH OPENING scheduled for the end of April, trials have started on Madrid's light rail route from Pinar de Charmartin to Las Tablas. Built at a cost of [euro]263m, the 5.5 km route has nine stations and runs both on surface and in tunnel. ...

Barajas contract let.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... THE SPANISH Ministry of Development announced on March 6 that it had awarded a joint venture of Ferrovial Agroman and Azvi a contract worth [euro]109.5m to build a rail link between Madrid Chamartin and Barajas Airport (RG 12.06 p760). Due...

Ahern opens Dublin Docklands.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... IRISH Prime Minister Bertie Ahern opened a new station serving Dublin's Docklands on March 12, nine months to the day after planning approval was granted. The terminus in a rapidly-developing business area has been provided to relieve...

Systra's Mumbai management.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... MUMBAI Metro One, the Special Purpose Vehicle that owns the concession to build and operate Line 1 of the Mumbai metro, has awarded the project management and engineering consultancy contract to a consortium of Systra and Parsons Brinckerhoff....

Israeli interurban plan.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... ISRAEL RAILWAYS has been instructed to start work on the development of an interurban light rail line between Haifa and Nazareth. According to Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz, the line is to run in the median strip of Highway 79, which is to...

Knorr-Bremse.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... Knorr-Bremse's Westinghouse Platform Screen Doors subsidiary has supplied half-height barriers and gates for the aboveground stations on Guangzhou Metro's Line 4 extension from Xinzao to Huangge, which opened for revenue service on December 30...

Bombardier to re-equip Skytrain.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... BANGKOK Mass Transit System Co and Bombardier have signed a contract thought to be worth over 4bn baht to resignal the entire 23.5 km BTS SkyTrain network. Bombardier saw off competition from Thales to win the contract because the Canadian...

Phase 2 openings begin in Bordeaux.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... THE SECOND phase of Bordeaux's light rail construction programme (RG 6.06 p321) saw its first opening on February 27 with the inauguration of a 1.7 km extension of Line A from La Morlette to Floirac-Dravemont. With two intermediate stops, the...

Bridging the gap.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... WORK BEGAN on February 16 to connect the T2 and T3 tram lines in the southwestern suburbs of Paris. The 2.3 km link from the end of T2 at Issy Val-de-Seine to Porte de Versailles on the T3 route will serve three stops and is expected to...

Rennes consults on Line 2.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... PUBLIC CONSULTATION began on February 22 over the preferred route of a second automatic metro line in the French city of Rennes. Running for 12.7 km between the northeast and southeast via the city centre, the line is expected to cost...

De Lijn to seek PPP finance.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... FLEMISH light rail and bus operator VVM De Lijn is to form a financing subsidiary, Lijninvest, to help raise private finance. The regional government's policy of providing free or very cheap travel has seen De Lijn's ridership jump from 240...

The Canadian government has approved C$962m for transport projects in Toronto.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... The Canadian government has approved C$962m for transport projects in Toronto, including C$697m towards the 8.6 km extension of the Spadina metro line from Downsview to the Vaughan Corporate Centre in York, adding six stations, including a stop...

Line 5 to Riba-roja.(CITY NEWS)
April 1, 2007... THE VALENCIA regional government has given its approval for work to start on an extension of Valencia Metro Line 5 from the city's airport to Riba-roja, following an alignment formerly used by RENFE suburban services. The project is expected to...

China.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... China: Work is due to begin this month on the construction of a privately-funded 29 km freight railway between Pengzhou and Bailu in Sichuan province. Sichuan Dezhong Investment Construction Co has a 30-year Build-Operate-Transfer agreement for...

Europe.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... Europe: Last month RZD President Vladimir Yakunin and President of Finmeccanica Pier Francesco Guarguaglini signed an agreement to co-operate in the development of satellite-based signalling and train control. Bids for a concession to...

France.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... France: Work began last month to extend the intermodal terminal at Perpignan Saint-Charles after a funding agreement was concluded. The [euro]39.4m project will nearly double the terminal's capacity so that it can handle 110000 wagons a year....

Germany.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... Germany: In October Vodafone and DB are to begin testing Touch & Travel, allowing passengers to use mobile telephone ticketing on Berlin S-Bahn services, urban transport in Potsdam and ICE trains between Berlin and Hannover. Following a...

Ghana.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... Ghana: Using US$2m provided by OPEC, Ghana Railway Corp has completed work on the first 10 of 20 coaches which are being rehabilitated in readiness for the reopening of the Accra-Tema line this year. Acting Managing Director Rufus Quayen said...

Guatemala.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... Guatemala: On March 13 Railroad Development Corp and its Guatemalan affiliate Ferrovias Guatemala gave notice they were seeking international arbitration for a claim against the government under Chapter 10 of the CAFTA free trade agreement. RDC...

Hungary.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... Hungary: On February 28 local passenger railway licences were granted to Eszakerdo Erdogazdasagi and Mecseki Erdeszeti, entitling the two operators of 760 mm gauge forest railways to agree public service contracts with local authorities and so...

Italy.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... Italy: Railion ran its first train to a new logistics centre at Lonato near Brescia on March 13. 13700 [m.sup.2] of the 20000 [m.sup.2] site is roofed over, and there are two gantry cranes.

Malaysia.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... Malaysia: As part of a plan to widen its multi-modal activities to encompass full logistics services, KTMB's road haulage subsidiary is to double the size of its Padang Besar container terminal to 8.9 ha at a cost of 10m ringgit.

New Zealand.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... New Zealand: The government is to contribute NZ$ 120m to a scheme to rebuild the railway through the suburb of New Lynn in the city of Waitakere in a 1 km trench to eliminate level crossings. The city will provide NZ$55m, with of the sale of...

South Africa.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... South Africa: In addition to the current R7bn refurbishment project, SARCC has asked the government to approve a R36bn commuter rolling stock acquisition programme under which 540 new vehicles would be acquired annually. Transnet announced...

Spain.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... Spain: ADIF has signed an agreement with Eliop to participate in the Eolo project to develop equipment to measure and predict wind speeds and feed the data into ERTMS equipment on high speed lines. Tenders are to be called for construction...

Sweden.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... Sweden: A second tunnel boring machine has begun work on the Malmo Citytunneln project. Malmo C station is being extended underground and 6 route-km of tunnels bored as part of the 17 km link between Malmo and the Oresund bridge.

Switzerland.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... Switzerland: BLS has returned to service the first of 13 Nina EMUs to be lengthened to four cars through the addition of a 14 m intermediate car supplied by a consortium of Bombardier and Alstom.

USA.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... USA: Work on the first phase of the north-south commuter rail line in Orlando is set to begin following Federal Transit Administration approval. The FTA is also providing $250m in funding for the project, almost half the anticipated total cost....

Zimbabwe.(INTELLIGENCE)
April 1, 2007... Zimbabwe: NRZ has reintroduced thrice-weekly passenger services from Harare to Chinhoyi and Bindura.

Australia.(Market)
April 1, 2007... Australia: Australian Rail Track Corp has awarded Union Switch & Signal a A$7m contract to supply its Phoenix train control system for the Network Control Centre South in Junee, New South Wales, which is to be completed in August.

Europe.(Market)
April 1, 2007... Europe: In February Mitsui Rail Capital Europe ordered seven G1206 diesel-hydraulic freight locos from Vossloh Locomotives for delivery in 2007-08. Hector Rail has signed a five-year agreement to provide Van Dieren Martime with electric...

Germany.(Market)
April 1, 2007... Germany: Last month Angel Trains placed a [euro]70m order with Siemens for the 16 three-car Desiro Main Line EMUs to be leased to Deutsche Regionalbahn for the 15-year Mittelrheinbahn concession. The leasing firm has options for an additional...

India.(Market)
April 1, 2007... India: IR has signed a memorandum of understanding to supply Steel Authority of India Ltd with 34 diesel locos by 2010, as part of SAIL's plan to modernise and standardise its fleet of approximately 260 locos of 10 types.

Italy.(Market)
April 1, 2007... Italy: On March 1 Bombardier announced a [euro]368m contract to supply Trenitalia with a further 150 E464 passenger locos between February 2008 and March 2010. They will be assembled at Vado Ligure, with electric equipment supplied from Trapaga...

Netherlands.(Market)
April 1, 2007... Netherlands: On February 9 Veolia placed a [euro]30m order with Stadler for five two-car GTW 2/6 and three GTW2/8 three-car EMUs. They will be delivered in late 2008 for use on Maastricht-Kerkrade services operated under a 10-year rail and bus...

Norway.(Market)
April 1, 2007... Norway: In March Skanska began civil works on a 2.8 km double-track line between Skoyen and Asker west of Oslo, part of a new route between Lysaker and Sandvika. The NKr498m contract with Jernbaneverket is scheduled for completion in July 2011....

Poland.(Market)
April 1, 2007... Poland: PKP Regional has completed the refurbishment of 81 coaches with financial support from the EU. Facilities for disabled passengers have been fitted to 24 vehicles.

South Africa.(Market)
April 1, 2007... South Africa: Motorman Robotic Systems has been awarded a R15m contract to automate wagon production at three Transwerk plants, with the installation of heavy-duty robotic gantry welding equipment to increase throughput. Bombela consortium...

Spain.(Market)
April 1, 2007... Spain: Following successful trials on the Bilbao-Leon line, metre gauge operator FEVE signed an agreement with Prointec on March 5 to develop a traffic management and planning system called STAC-Rail.

Switzerland.(Market)
April 1, 2007... Switzerland: A consortium of Windhoff, Josef Meyer Waggon, Vogt and Drager Safety Schweiz has won a SFr69.5m contract to supply SBB with eight firefighting and tunnel rescue trains in 2009.

UK.(Market)
April 1, 2007... UK: Aiming to migrate walk-up and telesales customers to online purchasing, inter-city operator GNER has awarded Atos Origin a contract to develop an internet ticket retailing and customer relationship management system. This will be capable of...

USA.(Market)
April 1, 2007... USA: On February 20 FreightCar America handed over to Norfolk Southern the first of 1200 BethGon 11 hybrid stainless steel-aluminium coal wagons designed in co-operation with NS to increase capacity and allow frozen coal to be heated for...

Canada.(Metros)
April 1, 2007... Canada: The tram route along St Clair Avenue West between Yonge Street and Vaughan Road in Toronto reopened on February 18, following a rebuild to segregate tracks in the median. The C$65m project to modernise the route will be completed in...

France.(Metros)
April 1, 2007... France: On March 2 EIB Vice-President Philippe de Fontaine Vive and Mayor of Nice Jacques Peyrat signed a memorandum of understanding covering a [euro]150m loan for the 9 km first phase of tram Line 1 which is under construction from Comte de...

Hungary.(Metros)
April 1, 2007... Hungary: Balaton Development Council has proposed the construction of a 5.5 km tramway from Keszthely at the west end of Lake Balaton to the resort town of Heviz.

India.(Metros)
April 1, 2007... India: Kamataka state government has approved plans for a monorail feeder to the two-line metro being developed in Bangalore.

Japan.(Metros)
April 1, 2007... Japan: Users of 26 railways and 73 bus companies in the greater Tokyo area began using Pasmo stored-value smart cards on March 18. Pasmo is compatible with Suica cards used by JR East and other operators.

Netherlands.(Metros)
April 1, 2007... Netherlands: On March 7 voters in Leiden rejected plans to route RijnGouwe tram-train services through the city centre. The provincial government is now revising the proposed route as it wishes to continue with the project which would link...

Romania.(Metros)
April 1, 2007... Romania: EBRD has granted a [euro]15m loan for the [euro]17.5m modernisation of 15 km of double-track tramway in lasi. The city transport operator will be restructured on a commercial basis and agree a public service contract with the council....

Spain.(Metros)
April 1, 2007... Spain: Line 1 of the Palma metro is due to open this month. Starting at the university, the line runs for 7.2 km to terminate at a rebuilt rail-bus interchange that opened at Plaza de Espana on March 3. Tunnelling has been completed on the...

Taiwan.(Metros)
April 1, 2007... Taiwan: Marubeni Corp, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and local power equipment maker CTC1 Corp have won a [yen]57bn order to supply 138 metro cars and signalling equipment to Taipei by April 2015.

UK.(Metros)
April 1, 2007... UK: The city and county councils have voted to apply for legal powers for Nottingham Express Transit Phase 2. Work on the 9.8 km Chilwell and 7.6 km Clifton extensions could begin in 2010 for opening in 2013. The government is expected to meet...

USA.(Metros)
April 1, 2007... USA: A ribbon-cutting was held on March 8 for the 7th & 1/County Center light rail station in Sacramento, the final element of the 0.88 km Amtrak station branch opened on December 8 under the $261m Folsom Corridor extension project. ...

Australia.(Finance)
April 1, 2007... Australia: On March 15 Minister for Transport & Regional Services Mark Vaile announced the federal government's approval of a A$78m 10-year rescue package and works programme for Tasmania's railways. The 1067 mm gauge lines between Hobart,...

Uganda.(Finance)
April 1, 2007... Uganda: Parliament has approved a USh46bn loan from the World Bank which will be used to modernise rail freight transport and border crossings with neighbouring east African countries. The government is providing Uganda Railways Corp...