Railway Gazette International articles from August 2004

Railway Gazette International archives from August 2004

BHP Billiton raises the limits.(Comment)(Railways-International Heavy Haul Association)(BHP Billiton's driver)
August 1, 2004... DRIVEN by booming demand for steel in China and elsewhere, BHP Billiton expects to invest up to A$3bn over the next few years as it ramps up capacity to haul export iron ore from its mines in the Pilbara region of northwestern Australia to the...

Darling tightens grip on spending.(Comment)(British Transport Secretary Alistair Darling)
August 1, 2004... ANOTHER restructuring of Britain's privatised rail network, announced by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling on July 15, will see the Strategic Rail Authority abolished next year. Responsibility for letting franchises and managing the...

Bleak outlook at embattled SNCF.(Comment)(Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer (French National Railways))
August 1, 2004... OFFICIAL confirmation of the disarray threatening the smooth operation of the French national railway came on July 8 with the publication of Train de Reformes, a highly critical parliamentary report drawn up for the Commission des Finances. ...

NZ infrastructure handed over.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... NEW ZEALAND's rail infrastructure returned to government ownership at 23.57 on June 30, following tense negotiations between the Treasury and Australian logistics group Toll Holdings. The 4 128 km of track was bought back for the same...

Series N700 trainset takes shape.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... CENTRAL and West Japan Railways have unveiled a mock-up of the planned Series N700 trainset being developed for the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen. JR-Central has ordered a preproduction trainset which is now under construction and due for...

Expansion strategy.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... CHINESE Railways expects to start work later this year on a 1 500 km rail link between Shanghai and Hong Kong, as part of the government's next five-year plan. Vice-Minister of Railways Hu Yadong announced on July 1 that by 2020 the...

BC Rail absorbed.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... CANADIAN National confirmed on July 14 that it had completed its C$1.1bn takeover of BC Rail under a 'partnership agreement' with the British Columbia government. The deal had been cleared by Canada's Competition Bureau on July 2. Under...

German Transport Minister Dr Manfred Stolpe and his Danish counterpart Flemming Hansen signed an agreement.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... German Transport Minister Dr Manfred Stolpe and his Danish counterpart Flemming Hansen signed an agreement on June 23 confirming further development of proposals for a fixed link across the Fehmarn Belt. The Oresund and Great Belt projects are...

Inter-city DMUs.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... IARNROD Eireann announced on July 9 that it will place a record order for new inter-city vehicles later this year. IE plans to buy a fleet of 120 'high-specification' diesel multiple-unit cars suitable for 160 km/h operation. Expected to...

New ERA dawns.(News)(European Rail Agency)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... THE FORMATION of the European Rail Agency reached a milestone on July 15 when the first meeting of the board of directors was held in Valenciennes. Based in Valenciennes and Lille, ERA has been set up 'to contribute technically to the...

Airport link ready.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... ISRAEL Railways has set September 4 as the official opening date for the rail link between Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion International Airport. There will be 32 trains each way per day, covering the 8 km from the city centre in 10 min. To mark...

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has delayed for two years a planned November 2004 referendum intended to authorise a $10bn bond issue to fund the development of the state's proposed high speed rail network. He said California High...

High speed timetable confirmed.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... SPANISH Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez announced on July 4 that the Cordoba--Malaga high speed line is now expected to open to traffic in 2007. The Madrid--Valladolid route is due to open that year, and the minister also announced the...

BAM spending boosted.(News)(Siberian rail route Baikal--Amur Magistral)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... VISITING Tynda to join celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the start of work on the Baikal--Amur Magistral, RZD President Gennady Fadeyev announced on July 9 that the railway expected to invest more than 30bn roubles in the Siberian...

Serco takes Northern as DB pulls out of ICEC.(News)(NedRailways BV)(InterCity East Coast)(Northern rail )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A PARTNERSHIP of Serco Group and NedRailways BV has been selected as preferred bidder to operate the UK's Northern rail franchise, the Strategic Rail Authority announced on July 1. Northern will take over from First North Western and Arriva...

Crowds flock to Blue Line.(City News)(underground metro)(Mass Rapid Transit Authority)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... HUGE CROWDS jostled to sample Bangkok's first underground metro line on July 4, taking advantage of cheap introductory fares on the 22 km Blue Line. This links Hualampong and Bang Sue, serving 18 stations. Promoted by the Mass Rapid...

Airport beckons.(City News)
August 1, 2004... OFFICIALS from the Praha city transport department have backed plans to extend metro Line A to the international airport at Ruzyne, and endorsed private-sector proposals to upgrade an existing heavy rail line to carry airport express services....

Lea moves ahead.(City News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... CONSTRUCTION of the 14.7 km Lea tram route in Lyon is on course to start in September, following the award of the formal Declaration of Public Utility by the Prefet of Rhone on June 21. Running east from Part-Dieu station to the Meyzieu...

A ceremony was held at Los Angeles Union Station on July 17.(City News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... A ceremony was held at Los Angeles Union Station on July 17 to mark the start of construction on the 9-6 km Gold Line extension to East Los Angeles (RG 7.04 p389). The $898.8m project is 50% funded by the federal government, with the rest...

Madrid places mammoth orders.(City News)(Madrid regional government)(Siemens)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... ON JUNE 23 the Madrid regional government announced 'the largest rolling stock contract in the history of the metro', which will see a total of 698 cars supplied at a cost of [euro]1.04bn. In addition to 52 wide-profile Series 9000...

Las Vegas monorail inaugurated.(City News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... REVENUE SERVICE on the fully-automated Las Vegas Monorail began at 08.00 on July 15, after a formal opening the previous day and a night of partying at the seven stations. The 6.4 km line serves the hotels and casinos on the east side of...

Metropolitano goes to law.(City News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... BUENOS AIRES suburban operator Metropolitano has mounted a legal challenge to the federal government's attempt to revoke its concession to operate the San Martin commuter route between Buenos Aires and Pilar. Neither Transport Secretary...

Elevated launch.(City News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... VIETNAM's Ministry of Transport announced last month that it expected to start work next year on two elevated railways through the centre of Hanoi. The bigger project is reconstruction of a 24.6 km section of DSVN's main line between Yen...

PATH calls car bids.(City News)(plan to purchase new rail cars for service between Newark, New Jersey and Manhattan, New York)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... TENDERS have been called for the first stage of a programme to renovate and renew the PATH metro operating between Newark, Jersey City and Manhattan. Port Authority of New York & New Jersey issued a request for proposals in June for 246...

Malaga light metro awarded.(City News)(Andalucia Department of Public Works and Transport, Spain)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... ON JULY 14 the Andalucia regional government's Department of Public Works & Transport announced that it had awarded a 35-year concession for the construction and operation of two light metro lines in the Spanish city of Malaga. The second...

Sprinter makes slow progress.(City News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... ON JULY 15 the board of California's North County Transit District voted to award the main construction contract for the Sprinter diesel light rail line between Oceanside and Escondido, but at the same time increased the project's budget by...

Intelligence.
August 1, 2004... Argentina: On June 22 the federal government formally launched the bidding for a 79% stake in metre-gauge freight operator Belgrano Cargas (RG 7.04 p396). With bids due by August 27, it was hoped to announce the winner in September or October....

Dieter.(Sidetrack)(australian railways)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... To raise between A$700m and A$1bn for refurbishing run-down parts of the rail network in New South Wales, State Transport Minister Michael Costa, who also holds the Forestry portfolio, has persuaded his government colleagues to sell off...

Dolly Mokgatle.(People)(Southern African Railways Association)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Spoornet Chief Executive Dolly Mokgatle has been elected Vice-President of the Southern African Railways Association. She will chair the activities of the four Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional railways committees.

Iowa Interstate Railroad.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Dennis H Miller has been promoted to President of Iowa Interstate Railroad.

National Rail Safety Regulator.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The South African cabinet has appointed Mpho Litha as Chief Executive of the National Rail Safety Regulator.

Meir Shitrit.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Meir Shitrit has been appointed as the new Transport Minister in Israel, following the resignation of Avigdor Liebermann.

Mary Dickson.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Preferred bidder FirstGroup, has appointed Mary Dickson to become Managing Director of ScotRail when the new franchise agreement is signed (RG 7.04 p386).

SBB Cargo Deutschland.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... On July 1 Annette Jordan succeeded Siegfried Flury as Head of Production at SBB Cargo Deutschland.

James R Hertwig.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Former President of Landstar Logistics Inc James R Hertwig has been named President of CSX Intermodal Inc.

Kaoru Umemoto.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... On June 23 Kaoru Umemoto was appointed Corporate Officer and Director General of Central Japan Railway's Shizuoka branch office.

Tom Winsor.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Former UK Rail Regulator Tom Winsor was appointed a partner of law firm White & Case with effect from July 5.

Canadian National.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Canadian National has promoted Michael K Mohan to Vice-President, Service, directing the railway's Service Department, establishment of which was announced in June. On July 15 CN announced the consolidation of its US Grain, Fertilizers & Coal...

Dr Susanne Wegerhoff.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Dr Susanne Wegerhoff was appointed Head of Communications at German Railway with effect from July 1.

Steven A Feil.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Steven A Feil has been appointed Chief Operating Officer for rail services at Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority following the retirement of Lemuel Proctor after 30 years with the Authority. Chairman of the Planning, Development &...

Britain's Rail Safety & Standards Board.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Britain's Rail Safety & Standards Board has appointed Anson Jack, formerly Head of European Affairs, to the post of Executive Director, Standards.

Union Pacific.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Union Pacific has appointed Richard R McClish to the newly-created position of Vice-President, Continuous Improvement, responsible for industrial engineering, quality processes and asset management initiatives. Last month R Bradley King retired...

Cliff Perry.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Deputy Chairman of AEA Technology Cliff Perry has been elected the 36th Chairman of the Railway Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Stefan Schimming.(People)(Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The administrative committee of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) has elected Stefan Schimming to succeed Hans Rudolf Isliker as Director General of the Central Office from January 1.

Bengt Pihl.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Bengt Pihl has been appointed Vice-President, Finance, at Bombardier Transportation.

The second ERFA General Assembly held in Rotterdam on June 15-16 appointed an enlarged board of eight members.(People)(European Rail Freight Association)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The second ERFA General Assembly held in Rotterdam on June 15-16 appointed an enlarged board of eight members. The new board comprises Robert Spierings of ShortLines; Matthias Raith, Rail4Chem; Jeroen Le Jeune, DLC Cargo; Christian Kuhn, Connex...

European Rail Agency Administrative Board (p449).(People)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
August 1, 2004... European Rail Agency Administrative Board (p449) State Board Member Alternate Member Austria Wolfgang Catharin Klaus Gstettenbauer Belgium Michel Damar Joannes Peeters Cyprus ...

God at fault.(opinion)(India. Ministry of Railways)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... RAIL privatisation in different countries has spawned a range of authorities and committees responsible for attributing responsibility for delays and incidents, so that operators and infrastructure managers can shuffle the penalty payments and...

Steam sell-out.(News)(Radebeul Ost and Radeburg, BVO Bahn GmbH)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... DELAYED briefly pending the clarification of Sachsen state legislation on railway privatisation and open access, the sale of German Railway's last steam-operated line was completed in mid-June. On July 21 DB handed over responsibility for...

Steel grades.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... Sir -- In the article 'Winning the RCF battle on the production line' (RG 7.04 p411), the caption to the photograph of the rail on p411 includes a technical error in that rail grades 400 and 900 are the wrong way round. It should read...

Infrastructure capacity study.(Behind the News)
August 1, 2004... THE Infrastructure Commission of the International Union of Railways has published the final report of the Eurailinfra project, a study evaluating the capacity of major rail corridors in Europe. The study's methodology will be used by the U1C...

Record traffic prompts restrictions.(Behind the News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... HAMMERED by unprecedented demand, Union Pacific has taken the drastic step of imposing restrictions on traffic in critical corridors through Iowa and Illinois, in parts of California and at key terminals. During the peak traffic period from...

Country comeback.(Behind the News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... PASSENGER trains returned on July 10 to Ararat in Victoria's Wimmera region. Earlier, on May 2, they had returned to Bairnsdale in the state's Gippsland Lakes tourist region. Victorian Premier Steve Bracks said at a ceremony that 'when the...

Betuwe under fire.(Behind the News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... ON JULY 5 the European Rail Freight Association called for the Dutch government, the European Parliament and the European Commission to halt construction of the Betuwe Route in the Netherlands 'before it is too late and before [euro]10bn of...

No go in Bordeaux.(Behind the News)(railroads)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... READERS may recall that parts of the tram network in the French city of Bordeaux have a novel surface-contact power supply system known as Innorail, chosen to avoid littering the city centre with overhead wires and masts (RG 2.04 p89). ...

Georgia on the road to reform.(Analysis)(Railway & Transport Reform seminar)
August 1, 2004... DAVID ONOPRISHVILI has a new challenge. Appointed as Chairman & Managing Director of Georgian Railway at the beginning of June, he is tasked with turning the network around and restructuring it for privatisation. As the country's former...

Data processing holds the key to high speed monitoring.(Analysis)
August 1, 2004... THE PROSPECT of rail flaw detection at line speed was one of several innovations in condition monitoring and infrastructure assessment held out to delegates at this year's Railway Engineering conference in London on July 6-7, sponsored by...

International sleeping car enters service.(Passenger Portfolio)
August 1, 2004... THIS MONTH Polish rolling stock builder Fabryka Pojazdow Szynowych will complete the last of a batch of 10 Type 305Ad sleeping cars ordered by PKP, the first six of which entered service in June on the Jan Kiepura Brussels--Warszawa service....

HaCon.(Passenger News in Brief)(HAFAS)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... HaCon has implemented real-time information accessible by mobile devices as a part of Swiss Federal Railways' www.rail.ch on-line journey planner. The planner uses HAFAS Real-time to calculate alternative journeys if a service is delayed.

Austrian Federal Railways.(Passenger News in Brief)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Competition from low-cost airlines has forced Austrian Federal Railways to drop its aim of doubling passenger numbers. Inter-city traffic was down by almost 1 million passengers last year, a trend blamed on the airlines and a strike.

CityNightLine, Mobilkom Austria and Vodafone Deutschland.(Passenger News in Brief)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... CityNightLine, Mobilkom Austria and Vodafone Deutschland have expanded OBB's Handy-Ticketing SMS ticketing to include cross-border night trains to Germany.

Euro-Express-Treincharter.(Passenger News in Brief)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Delft-based Euro-Express-Treincharter reinstated weekly international car-sleeper services from 's-Hertogenbosch to Avignon and Bologna from June 11. Car-carrying wagons have been bought from SNCB and coaches from NS Internationaal, which...

Moneybox.(Passenger News in Brief)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... International ATM operator Moneybox has signed a contract with DB Station & Service to provide cash machines at German Railway stations.

Russian Railways.(Passenger News in Brief)(Voytovich Carriage Works)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... On June 10 Russian Railways began providing a luxury sleeping car twice weekly on the Moscow--Berlin route, using vehicles from Voytovich Carriage Works.

Pascal International AB.(Passenger News in Brief)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Swedish firm Pascal International AB has received an order for 42 000 coil spring cassettes with synthetic fabric, to be installed in 21 000 seats on London Underground District Line trains.

GNER.(Passenger News in Brief)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Following trials in first class, on July 6 UK operator GNER began offering onboard Wi-Fi access to all passengers in a refurbished trainset. Coverage will be expanded to 10 trains by the end of the year.

Bailways Ghous Rux Mahar.(Passenger News in Brief)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Pakistan's Minister for Railways Ghous Bux Mahar has said contracts with private ticket booking agencies are not being renewed, following problems with fraudulent ticket sales.

Five go in search of capacity: economic recovery in the USA is driving up the freight market, putting pressure on the busiest rail corridors. Chris Jackson asked five of the major players how they are coping with the capacity pressures and funding their investment needs.(North America)
August 1, 2004... THE STB IS WORRIED. The shippers are worried, and the railroads are worried. Capacity is the word on everyone's lips, as a buoyant US economy is driving up business faster than the rail industry can handle it. On June 10 Surface...

Putting the cart before the horsepower: to get ahead in the capacity game and meet unprecedented growth in container traffic, CPR has introduced remote-control distributed power on its transcontinental intermodal trains.(Canada)(Related Article: Mettre la charrue avant les boeufs)
August 1, 2004... DURING THE first quarter of 2004, there was a huge surge in container imports at North America's west coast ports. Canadian Pacific Railway's container import traffic through Vancouver jumped by 27% compared to the same period last year. ...

Long Island Rail Road builds for the future: as North America's busiest passenger railway plans its investment strategy for the next four years, work is underway on the mammoth East Side Access project that from 2012 will bring LIRR services to Grand Central Terminal. William D Middleton reports.(New York)(Related Article: Le Long Island Rail Road construit son avenir)
August 1, 2004... NOW CARRYING an average of 274 000 passengers per weekday and 81 million passengers a year, Long Island Rail Road continues to follow an aggressive strategy of modernisation and expansion. With the 2000-04 capital investment programme worth...

Meeting the commuter challenge: as the passenger market has opened up to competition, Connex has become one of the world's major private-sector rail operators. The company operates over 6 700 km in Europe, the USA, Australia and New Zealand, and provides commuter train service on 1 120 km of routes.(Commuter Rail)(Related Article: Relever le defi de la banlieue)
August 1, 2004... THIS MONTH, Connex is due to take over the operation of local rail services on three routes radiating from Auckland in New Zealand. It will be the latest addition to the company's growing railway activity, coming just four months after the...

RZD faces funding challenge: improving the profitability of passenger services is one of the major challenges facing Russian Railways, which has set itself the ambitious target of ensuring that the cost of commuter operations is fully covered by fares and subsidy by 2010.(Commuter Rail)
August 1, 2004... IN HIS REPORT on Russian Railways' strategic development programme presented to the board on June 11 this year, RZD President Gennady Fadeyev said that improving passenger services was one of the most important and complex issues facing the...

Trans-Kazakhstan link will complete standard-gauge transcontinental artery: an international consortium is to be formed to close the gap between the standard-gauge networks of China and Europe, and construction of an initial 320 km section has already started.(Progress Report)(Related Article: EBRD funding accord signed)(European Bank for Reconstruction & Development)(Related Article: Le Trans-Kazakhstan achevera la liaison transcontinentale a voie normale)(Related Article: Restructuring on course for 2006)
August 1, 2004... TENDERS ARE to be called later this year for a build-operate-transfer concession to build a standard-gauge railway across Kazakhstan. Due to be operational within five years, it forms an intrinsic part of President Nazarbayev's vision to make...

CD tastes the fruits of independence: operating as a joint stock company since January 2003, Czech Railways is learning to cope with the challenges of independence and competition. Chairman & Director General Petr Kousal talked to Murray Hughes in Praha.(Ceske Drahy)
August 1, 2004... WAVING gently in the breeze, the Czech and European Union flags offer a splash of colour in front of Czech Railways' austere headquarters on the bank of the River Vltava in Praha. The Czech Republic acceded to the EU on May 1, introducing...

35 countries represented in Berlin: InnoTrans strengthens its presence in the international market.(Letter from InnoTrans)
August 1, 2004... From the 21st to the 24th September 2004, the leading firms from the world's railway industry will be displaying their latest products and services at the Berlin trade fair ground. With foreign companies accounting for 45% of exhibitors,...

Risalpur roll-out.(Inside Industry)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... PAKISTAN'S Minister of Railways Ghous Bux Maher visited Risalpur Locomotive Factory on June 11 to attend the roll-out of the first diesel locomotive assembled at the plant under a technology transfer agreement signed with China's Dalian...

Commission backs Alstom deal.(Inside Industry)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... ALSTOM SHAREHOLDERS voted to accept resolutions allowing the company to implement its amended financing plan at an Ordinary and Extraordinary Meeting held in Paris on July 9. Two days previously the European Commission had confirmed its...

Rail production agreement.(Inside Industry)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... VOESTALPINE Schienen and Egyptian Iron & Steel Co signed a memorandum of understanding on June 6 for the production of rails under licence in Egypt. Part of the state-owned Egyptian Metallurgical Industries group, EISCO would use...

Wagon backlogs up.(Inside Industry)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... HAMILTON-based rolling stock builder National Steel Car expects to take on an additional 500 staff this summer to cope with an upturn in wagon orders. In the first quarter of 2004 the company had a backlog of 42 000 vehicles, up from 6 400...

MTU expands.(Inside Industry)(MDB-Roodenburg)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... DIESEL engine builder MTU Friedrichs-hafen has taken over Dordrecht-based distributor MDB-Roodenburg from its former sole-shareholder J Roodenburg. The DaimlerChrysler Off-Highway distributor has been renamed MTU Detroit Diesel Benelux,...

Global's good year.(Inside Industry)(Global Railway Industries)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... GLOBAL Railway Industries has reported record results for the year to December 31 2003. Consolidated revenues of C$26m were up 106% from 2002, with net earnings increasing by 82% to C$2.7m and EBITDA up 57% to C$3.9m. A major factor was...

Post Glover.(Industry News in Brief)(Cressall Resistors Ltd)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... US manufacturer of resistors for light rail and multiple-unit braking applications Post Glover has taken over the Transit Division of Cressall Resistors Ltd, a sister company in the Halma Group. Cressall's Melton Constable plant in the UK was...

CKD Kutna Hora.(Industry News in Brief)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... CKD Kutna Hora has recorded a profit of KC10.2m on revenues of KC1.49bn for 2003. During 2002 it had reported a loss of KC19.5m.

Laser Rail.(Industry News in Brief)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Railway gauging specialist Laser Rail has established an Infrastructure Development Division, based in Crewe.