Railway Gazette International articles from December 2007

Railway Gazette International archives from December 2007

Who is getting serious about climate change?(COMMENT)
December 1, 2007... FOUR MONTHS of consultation on an unprecedented scale across France culminated at the end of October in a high-profile summit on the environment. During the event President Nicolas Sarkozy made some remarkable commitments on rail policy. ...

DB sale bill hits the rocks.(COMMENT)
December 1, 2007... LEAVING aside the unusual spectacle of German railway staff striking for higher pay, controversy continues to dog government plans to privatise all or part of Deutsche Bahn. Officially, the aim is still to push a bill through parliament before...

Investment spend under pressure.(COMMENT)
December 1, 2007... ENGINEERING GANGS and contractors are hard at work across the USA, as the Class 1 railroads scramble to add capacity to cope with demand. With the coal, grain and intermodal sectors booming, capital investment budgets are running at record...

LGV expansion plans firm up.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... RESEAU Ferre de France has chosen three groups to compete for the PPP concession to finance and build the Sud Europe Atlantique high speed line from Tours to Bordeaux (RG 6.07 p363). The contract for the 300 km project is due to be signed in...

On November 5 Spanish national operator RENFE put its first Class 130 gauge-changing trainset into service on the Madrid-Gijon route.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... On November 5 Spanish national operator RENFE put its first Class 130 gauge-changing trainset into service on the Madrid-Gijon route. Talgo and Bombardier are supplying a total of 45 Class 130s under a contract worth [euro]584.3m

CD Cargo leaves the nest.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... THE ESTABLISHMENT of CD Cargo as an independent freight train operator will take effect on December 1, according to Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek. Separation of Czech Railways' freight business into a wholly-owned subsidiary was...

Franchises remapped.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... FURTHER rationalisation of the passenger train operating franchises in the UK has been completed. November 11 saw the launch of the East Midlands, West Midlands and CrossCountry franchises, replacing the former Central Trains, Midland Main...

Coal link starts.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... NOVEMBER 10 saw the formal start of construction of a new line in northeast China which will eventually form a second trans-Mongolian link with Russia. Dubbed the 'energy line', the project is being promoted by the Liaoning Chuncheng...

Royal opening celebrates CTRL completion.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... AROUND 1000 guests were invited to St Pancras on November 6 to watch Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II perform the formal reopening of the magnificently-restored terminus (right), along with Section 2 of the 109 km Channel Tunnel Rail Link that...

SPV to fund Beijing-Shanghai.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... FACED WITH rapidly increasing estimates for the cost of building the long-planned high speed line between Beijing and Shanghai, the Chinese Ministry of Railways has decided to form a Special Purpose Vehicle to finance the project. Under...

Ulster upgrade.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... THE NORTHERN Ireland Executive's draft budget for 2008-11 includes the procurement of 13 trainsets to replace life-expired DMUs by 2011, although Translink hopes to order up to 20 sets. Also included are a new station in Newry and major...

Queensland Rail Chief Executive Officer Lance Hockridge officially launched QR National's first Melbourne-Perth container service on November 13 (p770).(News in Brief)
December 1, 2007... Queensland Rail Chief Executive Officer Lance Hockridge officially launched QR National's first Melbourne-Perth container service on November 13 (p770). 'QR now offers a full container service from Cairns to Perth via Melbourne', he said,...

On October 17 the US House of Representatives passed the bi-partisan Railroad Safety Improvement Act, designed to improve railway safety, primarily by mandating more federal inspectors and reducing crew fatigue by amending the rules on working times (RG 1.07 p325).(News in Brief)
December 1, 2007... On October 17 the US House of Representatives passed the bi-partisan Railroad Safety Improvement Act, designed to improve railway safety, primarily by mandating more federal inspectors and reducing crew fatigue by amending the rules on working...

China Shipping Container Lines.(News in Brief)
December 1, 2007... China Shipping Container Lines announced in October that it had reached agreement with Chinese Railways to launch its first intermodal landbridge service carrying containers between Lianyungan port and Moscow via Xinjiang and Kazakhstan. CSCL...

On October 31 Vietnam's Ministry of Transport and the Vietnam Railway Administration initiated a 15-month study to develop a new set of technical railway regulations and standards, with particular emphasis on urban railways and new line construction.(News in Brief)
December 1, 2007... On October 31 Vietnam's Ministry of Transport and the Vietnam Railway Administration initiated a 15-month study to develop a new set of technical railway regulations and standards, with particular emphasis on urban railways and new line...

The Swiss government approved the ZEB programme of enhancements to the national rail network on October 17.(News in Brief)
December 1, 2007... The Swiss government approved the ZEB programme of enhancements to the national rail network on October 17. The SFr5.2bn programme of core projects (RG 11.07 p703) will be augmented by further projects requested by the cantons in a package to...

Focus on France as Commission approves EWS takeover.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... CONDITIONAL APPROVAL for Deutsche Bahn to acquire 100% of EWS Holdings was announced by the European Commission on November 7. Welcoming the decision, EWS said 'both companies look forward to working together to develop freight in Europe',...

Andalucia's network takes shape.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... UNDER ITS PROJECT to build a 128 km high speed line between Sevilla and the Cordoba-Malaga route at Antequera Santa Ana (RG 5.07 p250), the Andalucia regional government is aiming for civil works to be in progress on all route sections during...

AGV tipped to win NTV contract.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... ALSTOM is reported to have preferred bidder status in the competition to supply rolling stock to Italian high speed open-access operator Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori, but the supplier is unable to confirm this, saying only that the company has...

Investment boost for Indonesia.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... THE INDONESIAN government announced on November 5 that it plans to invest 15.8bn rupiah in modernisation and upgrading of the national rail network, using a mix of public and private funds. According to the Director-General of Rail...

NS to pilot vital OTC.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... NORFOLK SOUTHERN has awarded a contract to Wabtec Railway Electronics to develop a vital positive train control system, known by NS as Optimized Train Control. A pilot project covering 357 km of route in South Carolina is expected to go live in...

High speed heads northwest.(NEWS)
December 1, 2007... MEETING ON October 25, the board of the Spanish government's transport infrastructure agency SEITT approved the award of three contracts worth [euro]201.3m in total, covering civil works on 67.1 km of the 91.9 km of high speed line to be built...

Bombardier to run GO Transit.(CITY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... GREATER TORONTO Transit Authority has awarded Bombardier Transportation a five-year contract to operate GO Transit commuter rail services, valued at C$131.3m. GTTA announced on November 9 that Bombardier's bid had been selected over tenders...

Another 2.2 km was added to the Munchen U-Bahn network on October 28 when line U3 was extended from Olympiazentrum to Oberwiesenfeld and Olympia-Einkaufszentrum.(CITY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... Another 2.2 km was added to the Munchen U-Bahn network on October 28 when Line U3 was extended from Olympiazentrum to Oberwiesenfeld and Olympia-Einkaufszentrum. The [euro]183m project takes the length of the network to more than 100 route-km...

Algerian tram contracts placed.(CITY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... ENTREPRISE du Metro d'Alger has selected two consortia including Alstom Transport to undertake the turnkey construction of light rail lines in Oran and Constantine. The French supplier announced on November 13 that its share of the contracts...

Bern order signals Combino comeback.(CITY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... SIEMENS has won an order for 21 Combino Classic 100% low-floor trams to run in the Swiss capital. Transport authority Bernmobil will use the vehicles on Line 9 to Wabern and on the 6.8 km Tram Bern West project that was approved in August after...

More light rail for Andalucia.(CITY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... AN AGREEMENT signed on November 15 by Andalucia's Minister for Public Works & Transport Concepcion Gutierrez and Mayor of San Fernando Manuel Maria de Bernardo paved the way for tendering to begin before the end of 2007 for a 24 km tram-train...

Argentine tram-train bids in.(CITY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... THE GOVERNMENT of the Argentinian province of Mendoza has received a total of seven bids for a contract to undertake civils, track, electrification, signalling and telecommunications work for the first phase of a tram-train network serving the...

Wellington EMU order.(CITY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... PLANS FOR the renewal and expansion of Tranz Metro suburban rail services in the New Zealand capital reached a key milestone on November 13, when Greater Wellington Regional Council confirmed an order for new EMUs. GWRC has signed a...

The first Citadis cars have entered service on Line 1 of the Tunis light rail network.(CITY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... The first Citadis cars have entered service on Line 1 of the Tunis light rail network. The first car is seen at the terminus at Ben Arous; Line 1 is to be upgraded to cater for the new vehicles, with a total of 46 trams being supplied by Alstom...

Only TfL bids for Metronet.(CITY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... LONDON Underground Managing Director Tim O'Toole confirmed on November 6 that Transport for London has submitted the only bid to acquire the failed PPP infrastructure concessionaire Metronet. Metronet BCV and SSL had been put into...

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone was among the guests at Hampstead Heath station, north London, on November 12 to mark the launch of the London Rail concession.(CITY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... Mayor of London Ken Livingstone was among the guests at Hampstead Heath station, north London, on November 12 to mark the launch of the London Rail concession. Branded London Overground, the former Silverlink Metro services are now managed by...

Civia IV ordered for suburban growth.(CITY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... SPANISH national operator RENFE announced on October 30 that it had awarded contracts for the supply of 60 Civia EMUs, taking to 237 the number of these commuter trains ordered since 2000. Under a contract worth [euro]233.1m including...

Airport link on the way.(CITY NEWS)
December 1, 2007... THE BUCURESTI Municipal Council approved a feasibility study on October 12 for a metro line to connect Piata Victoriei in the city cenre with Henri Coanda airport at Otopeni. The 15.8 km line will serve 19 stations and include a dedicated...

An extension of Minsk metro Line 1 was opened on November 7.(City News in Brief)
December 1, 2007... An extension of Minsk metro Line 1 was opened on November 7. Totalling 2.7 km, the line serves two stations at Borisovskij Trakt and Uruchije and connects with the existing route at Uskhod. Built at a cost of [euro]170m, the extension serves a...

The Victoria state government's Department of Infrastructure has called for expressions of interest in operating Melbourne's suburban rail and tram networks as part of a re-tendering process.(City News in Brief)
December 1, 2007... The Victoria state government's Department of Infrastructure has called for expressions of interest in operating Melbourne's suburban rail and tram networks as part of a re-tendering process. The local rail franchise is currently held by Veolia...

On November 7, the Tamil Nadu regional government gave its approval for plans to build a two-line metro in Chennai at a cost of 97.6 bn rupees.(City News in Brief)
December 1, 2007... On November 7, the Tamil Nadu regional government gave its approval for plans to build a two-line metro in Chennai at a cost of 97.6 bn rupees. Together the two lines would total 46.5 km, with around 20 km likely to be built underground. Work...

The MTA board awarded a $1.1bn contract for tunnelling on the extension of New York's subway Line 7 from Times Square to a new terminus at 34th Street/11th Avenue.(City News in Brief)
December 1, 2007... The MTA board awarded a $1.1bn contract for tunnelling on the extension of New York's subway Line 7 from Times Square to a new terminus at 34th Street/11th Avenue. A consortium of Skanska USA, Schiavone Construction and JF Shea Construction was...

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was due to inaugurate Line 1 of the Nice tram network on November 24.(City News in Brief)
December 1, 2007... French President Nicolas Sarkozy was due to inaugurate Line 1 of the Nice tram network on November 24. The 8.7 km route runs from Las Planas through the city centre to Pont Michel (RG 10.07 p646). The 15.4 km tram line in Le Mans was due to...

Argentina.(INTELLIGENCE)
December 1, 2007... Argentina: The government has extended for a second period of 180 days SOE's concession to operate the Belgrano Cargas network (RG 11.07 p683) on an emergency basis. A further 8.4m pesos was made available to support operations. Following...

Canada.(INTELLIGENCE)
December 1, 2007... Canada: On November 1 CPR and CN announced a new routing protocol to direct freight through the most efficient interchange locations, increasing interline traffic at 14 gateways and reducing movements at 15. CN has routing protocol agreements...

China.(INTELLIGENCE)
December 1, 2007... China: Work has begun on a 10.8 km tunnel beneath the Pearl River estuary at Shiziyang as part of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Passenger-Dedicated Line.

Czech Republic.(INTELLIGENCE)
December 1, 2007... Czech Republic: On October 8 OHL ZS, Skanska and SSZ began a KC2.42bn remodelling of the junction at Breclav near the border with Austria and Slovakia. This includes resignalling with ESA 11 interlockings from AZD Praha and a speed increase...

Europe.(INTELLIGENCE)
December 1, 2007... Europe: Euro Cargo Rail is providing traction for an Open Kombi intermodal service operating three times a week to Milano from the Paris port authority's terminal at Gennevilliers. An intermediate call at Culmont-Chalindrey and extension of the...

Germany.(INTELLIGENCE)
December 1, 2007... Germany: The Land of Brandenburg has selected ODEG to operate route RB35 services from Furstenwalde to Bad Saarow-Pieskow for two years from December 12.

Indonesia.(INTELLIGENCE)
December 1, 2007... Indonesia: State mining firm PT Bukit Asam is to form a joint venture with China Railway Engineering Corp for the construction of a US$1.1bn rail link between Tanjung Enim mine in South Sumatra and nearby ports by 2010.

Isle of Man.(INTELLIGENCE)
December 1, 2007... Isle of Man: ECT Rail Projects subsidiary RMS Locotec has begun a 16-week renewal of 5.6 km of life-expired track on the Manx Electric Railway under a [pounds sterling]1m contract from the Manx government. Two 914 mm gauge road-rail excavators...

South Africa.(INTELLIGENCE)
December 1, 2007... South Africa: Western Cape Metrorail has introduced a peak-hour premium fare commuter service from Khayelitsha to Cape Town. The 300-seat 'luxury' train has dedicated service and security crew and limited stops; it offers newspapers, drinks and...

Switzerland.(INTELLIGENCE)
December 1, 2007... Switzerland: A memorandum of understanding was signed on November 9 to set up a regional S-Bahn network based on St Gallen. The canton, Swiss Federal Railways, Sudostbahn and Thurbo agreed to provide services between principal stations at 30...

UK.(INTELLIGENCE)
December 1, 2007... UK: On November 16 the Department for Transport issued invitations to tender for the Intercity Express Programme contract to supply a national fleet of inter-city trainsets. The shortlisted bidders are Alstom-Barclays Rail Group, Express Rail...

USA.(INTELLIGENCE)
December 1, 2007... USA: The board of Denver Regional Transportation District formally selected diesel rather than electric traction for the FasTracks Northwest and North Metro commuter rail corridors on October 16. The 30 km North Metro line will connect central...

Africa.(Market)
December 1, 2007... Africa: Plasser E Theurer has won orders to supply ATP 500-C flash butt welding machines to ONCFM in Morocco and the Transgabonais Railway which carries manganese ore in Gabon.

China.(Market)
December 1, 2007... China: Nokia Siemens Networks is to provide GSM-R communications on the 166 km Passenger-Dedicated Line under construction between Hefei and Nanjing for opening next year.

Czech Republic.(Market)
December 1, 2007... Czech Republic: Infrastructure manager SZDC has awarded a consortium of SSZ, Viamont and Skanska a contract to undertake the modernisation of the 40 km Plana-Cheb route between January 2008 and December 2010.

France.(Market)
December 1, 2007... France: On November 13 Bombardier announced a [euro]34m contract from Veolia Cargo SAS for nine Traxx locos, with an option for a further 12. To be built in Kassel, they will be used in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Germany.(Market)
December 1, 2007... Germany: In October DB placed a [euro]170m order with Bombardier for 42 Talent 2 EMUs under the terms of a 321-vehicle framework agreement announced in February. Designated Class 428, the four-car units will enter service on Nurnberg S-Bahn...

Israel.(Market)
December 1, 2007... Israel: Voestalpine and Shafir have been selected to undertake the construction of the Sha'ar Hagai-Emek Ha'arazim section of the fast rail link to Jerusalem, which includes a 1.2 km tunnel and a 11.5 km twin-bore tunnel to be bored with TBMs....

Italy.(Market)
December 1, 2007... Italy: Last month Ferrovie della Calabria placed a [euro]22m order with Stadler for five DMUs to be delivered by autumn 2009 for use on lines from Catanzaro-Citta in the extreme south of Italy. Four of the 950 mm gauge two-car sets will be...

Kazakhstan.(Market)
December 1, 2007... Kazakhstan: During October KTZ took delivery of the first three of 15 TEM18 diesel shunting locos being supplied by Transmash Holdings subsidiary BMZ Bryansk Engineering.

Luxembourg.(Market)
December 1, 2007... Luxembourg: On November 14 CFL placed an order with German firm On-Rail for 540 Rbnpss 25 m long flat wagons for steel beam, sheet and pile traffic. They will be built in Bulgaria and delivered from 2009, joining CFL's fleet of 3700 wagons.

New Zealand.(Market)
December 1, 2007... New Zealand: Ontrack placed a NZ$25m order for 12 specialist track machines with Plasser Australia on November 16, for delivery from early 2009. Working as a set, the ballast cleaner, dual-sleeper tamper and dynamic track stabiliser will be...

Romania.(Market)
December 1, 2007... Romania: Under a [euro]14m contract with CFR announced on November 15, Poyry is undertake design work and provide technical assistance during a [euro]600m upgrade of the 184 km section of Corridor IV between the Hungarian border, Curtici and...

South Africa.(Market)
December 1, 2007... South Africa: This month Booyco Engineering begins series production of 8.3 kW cab air-conditioning units and footwell heaters for installation on 110 Class 19E dual-voltage 3 kV/25 kV locos which are to be supplied to Spoornet by UCW. The...

Spain.(Market)
December 1, 2007... Spain: A joint venture of Joca Ingenieria y Construcciones and Construcciones Sarrion has been awarded a [euro]57.9m contract to undertake civil works on the 16 km between Merida and Montijo. This is the second contract to be awarded on the...

Turkmenistan.(Market)
December 1, 2007... Turkmenistan: The Ministry of Railway Transport has awarded Ukraine's Stakhanov Wagon Works a contract to supply 300 type 31-945 hopper wagons of 66 tonne capacity from early 2008.

UK.(Market)
December 1, 2007... UK: A Hegenscheidt-MFD U2000-400 wheel lathe has been installed by GNER at Bounds Green depot in London, where InterCity East Coast trains are maintained. Siemens has appointed Interfleet to optimise the overhaul regime for the Class 332...

USA.(Market)
December 1, 2007... USA: Miner Enterprises has supplied its AggreGate solar-powered remote control discharge doors for use on 150 Union Pacific ballast wagons.

Algeria.(Metros)
December 1, 2007... Algeria: CNIM has won a contract to supply 23 escalators for eight underground stations being built by Vinci Construction Grands Projets on the 11 km first phase of the Alger Metro. Opening of the line between Hai El Badir, Hamma and Tafourah...

Argentina.(Metros)
December 1, 2007... Argentina: Bids have been invited for a contract worth up to 9m pesos to provide construction supervision and other inspection services for civil works on metro Line E in Buenos Aires (RG 3.07 p128).

China.(Metros)
December 1, 2007... China: A consortium including Westinghouse Rail Systems Australia and NARI Group is to supply SystematICST software to integrate control and communication systems on the 36 km Shanghai metro Line 10. Now under construction, it will open in 2009...

Czech Republic.(Metros)
December 1, 2007... Czech Republic: Praha transport authority DPHMP has ordered five more M1 five-car metro trainsets from Siemens to augment the fleet of 48 delivered to Line C in 1999-2006. They will be delivered by 2011 at a cost of KC1bn, and maintained by...

Mexico.(Metros)
December 1, 2007... Mexico: With the Mexico City metro now carrying 4.6 million passengers a day, operator STC has allocated 4.8bn pesos to purchase 45 trainsets for Line 12 and nine for Line A. Formations on Line A are to be extended from six to nine cars over a...

Morocco.(Metros)
December 1, 2007... Morocco: Bouregreg Valley Development Agency announced on November 1 that it had chosen Alstom to supply trams for the 19 km, 32-stop Rabat-Sale two-route light rail network which is scheduled to open in 2010. A 1.2bn dirham contract for around...

Poland.(Metros)
December 1, 2007... Poland: The city of Szczecin has agreed to buy 32 Type T62A Tatra trams withdrawn from service by BVG in Berlin.

Spain.(Metros)
December 1, 2007... Spain: Under its station refurbishment programme, Barcelona metro operator TMB is spending [euro]2m to modernise Pubilla Cases on Line 5. A six-month programme at Alfons X is costing [euro]2m and on Line 4 [euro]2.2m is being spent at...

Turkey.(Metros)
December 1, 2007... Turkey: Alstom is to supply 30 Citadis trams to Istanbul for operation in coupled pairs on the existing 14 km Zeytinburnu-Kabatas Line T1 through the historic Golden Horn district. Deliveries will commence in 2009 at a rate of three per month.

UK.(Metros)
December 1, 2007... UK: Serco Docklands and Cleshar Contract Services have completed a [pounds sterling]1.85m refurbishment of West India Quay station on London's Docklands Light Railway, replacing the canopy with one providing more protection from the weather.

USA.(Metros)
December 1, 2007... USA: On November 8 Kansas City Council voted to repeal a ballot initiative passed in November 2006 mandating the construction of a 44 km light rail line from Swope Park to the international airport (RG 12.06 p768). The city statutes have a...

Venezuela.(Metros)
December 1, 2007... Venezuela: The second track of the 9.5 km Metro Los Teques from Las Adjuntas to El Tambor (RG 11.06 p701) was brought into use on October 22.

Australia.(Finance)
December 1, 2007... Australia: The state of Victoria has allocated A$272m to add a further eight trains to a planned order for 10 six-car passenger sets for which tenders were called in July. Delivery is planned for late 2009.

Bulgaria.(Finance)
December 1, 2007... Bulgaria: On October 20 Mayor of Sofia Boyko Borissov said that the European Investment Bank is to provide [euro]100m to fund a recycling facility and meet part of the cost of the [euro]200m metro Line 2 which will run 4 km from Central station...

Chile.(Finance)
December 1, 2007... Chile: EFE has raised US$10.8m by selling its 19.83% stake in freight operator Fepasa. Proceeds will help fund EFE's 2008 budget.

France.(Finance)
December 1, 2007... France: The provisional [euro]1.7bn investment plan for 2008-12 adopted by the greater Bordeaux authority includes [euro]122m for Phase 2 of the tram network (RG 4.07 p188).

Montenegro.(Finance)
December 1, 2007... Montenegro: EBRD is lending [euro]15m to implement an emergency rail infrastructure rehabilitation programme and to improve efficiency on the Krusevo to Mojkovac section of the line between the Serbian border and the port of Bar. The...