Railway Gazette International articles from February 2009

Railway Gazette International archives from February 2009

High Speed 2 edges closer to take-off.(COMMENT)
February 1, 2009... The decision to rebrand the Channel Tunnel Rail Link as High Speed 1 appears to be starting to pay off. Quite intentionally, the name created an assumption that the UK's first 300 km/h railway would in due course be followed by more. Not...

Double-deck framework.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... GERMANY: Last month Deutsche Bahn and Bombardier Transportation announced a framework agreement worth up to [euro]1.5bn for the supply of 800 double-deck coaches, including DB's first double-deck EMU cars. DB will use the vehicles to compete in...

EJ&E takeover approved.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... USA: On December 24 the Surface Transportation Board approved Canadian National's US$300m acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway in the Chicago area with effect from January 23. CN had been urging STB to issue a decision by the end...

Data exchange to beat the roads.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... EUROPE: UIC has begun developing software which will provide a standardised and secure way of exchanging rail freight data from mid-2010. On December 17 the European Commission announced it was providing UIC with [euro]780 000 in...

Koleje Dolnoslaskie.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... On December 14 Koleje Dolnoslaskie, owned by the province of Dolnyslask, began running passenger trains on the Legnica--Miedzylesie line in Poland, and from January 5 reopened the route from Watbrzych to Klodzko.

Chemin de fer Djibouti-Ethopien.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... Kuwait-based Fuad Algarim Group did not meet a December 31 deadline to submit a feasibility study and begin taking over administration of the 781 km Chemin de fer Djibouti-Ethopien (RG 9.07 p536). The governments of Djibouti and Ethiopia are...

NordCargo.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... Following regulatory approval, last month DB Schenker subsidiary Railion Italia completed its acquisition of a 49% stake in Milano-based trans-Alpine freight operator NordCargo (RG 10.08 P762).

Rio Tinto Iron Ore.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... Rio Tinto Iron Ore announced the postponement of its Pilbara heavy haul train automation programme on January 13. The economic slowdown has reduced the urgency of the A$557m project to increase capacity from 220 million tonnes a year to 320...

Bologna.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... RFI has started test running on the Alta Velocita line between Bologna and Firenze, achieving 339 km/h with test train Y1 on November 27.

Pesticides package.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... While welcoming the 'more flexible approach' in the compromise text of the pesticides package approved by the European Parliament on January 13, CER and EIM issued a joint statement warning that national implementation of the rules must ensure...

Pacific National.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... Asciano announced in December that it was assessing a number of bids to buy a half share in the coal haulage business of its Pacific National rail freight operation. The company said it had received offers for a 'potential monetisation' of the...

Local technology.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... INDIA: The first diesel-electric locomotive fitted with Indian-designed IGBT traction converters and microprocessor controls has entered service following a month of intensive trials. The Diesel Locomotive Works at Varanasi originally began...

Control centre opens.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... ISRAEL: All ISR trains are now controlled and monitored from a single site following the completion of the National Centre of Control & Management in December. Formally opened on January 20, the Masua facility in Haifa replaces 10 regional...

High speed two considers options.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... UK: Giving the government's backing for controversial plans to build a third runway at London Heathrow airport on January 15, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon announced the formation of a body to consider the case for a London--Scotland high...

Freight development plan.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... SPAIN: Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez has presented the cabinet with a [euro]4.72bn development plan to make rail freight more competitive. The plan's key objective is to create a basic freight network to improve service reliabilty,...

Revival continues.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... ARGENTINA: President Cristina Fernandez visited Barranqueras in Chaco province on December 29 to mark officially the re-opening to freight traffic of a 199.7 km section of the metre-gauge Belgrano network between the river port and Avia Terai....

Maintenance outsourcing.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... CZECH REPUBLIC: State-owned infrastructure manager SZDC has called bids for an 8 1/2 year contract worth an estimated KC35.8bn to maintain the national network between July 2009 and December 2017. The outsourcing programme covers 60% to 70%...

Oresund franchises start.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... SCANDINAVIA: The DSBFirst partnership of Danish state railway DSB and UK-based transport operator FirstGroup took over the operation of train services in the Oresund region of Denmark and southern Sweden on January 11. Services are...

A fresh look at Luxembourg.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... BELGIUM: On January 14 SNCB announced the completion of a 15-year reconstruction of Brussels Luxembourg station. The [euro]45m project was triggered by the construction of the European Parliament buildings nearby. Extensive acoustic...

DB Schenker Rail (UK) Ltd.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... With effect from January 1 freight operator English Welsh & Scottish Railway Ltd has been trading as DB Schenker Rail (UK) Ltd. Former EWS Chief Executive Keith Heller is now Chief Executive of DB Schenker's West Region, comprising the UK,...

Tanzania.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... The US Trade & Development Agency has awarded a $653 600 grant to fund a study by BNSF into the feasibility of of converting the Dar es Salaam--aka line in Tanzania from metre to standard gauge.

Lowari tunnel.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... Last month Pakistan's National Highways Authority announced that Korean firm Sambu had completed tunnelling on the 8.8 km Lowari tunnel. From December 2010 an electrified rail shuttle will provide all-weather access to the Chitrail valley which...

Cross-acceptance.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France have signed an agreement for cross-acceptance of locomotives, multiple-units and other rolling stock to facilitate cross-border traffic.

Russian Railways.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... Following a decision in December 2008, the Russian government is to buy an additional [euro] 1.6bn shares issued by Russian Railways. The money raised will be used to build a line between Adler and Krasnaya Polyana.

PKP PR.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... Under the Szybka Kolej Regionalna project, Polish state railway's regional business PKP PR has reintroduced services between Tychy and Tychy Miasto, using four Stadler Flirt EMUs.

Southwest Gulf Railroad.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... The US Surface Transportation Board has approved the construction by Southwest Gulf Railroad of a 14 km common carrier railway in Medina County, Texas.

DB Stadtverkehr.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... DB Stadtverkehr has been selected as the winner of a concession to operate local electric train services between Nurnberg, Bamberg and Wurzburg from 2011 to 2023.

Freight One.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is providing Russian Railways subsidiary Freight One with a US$130m 10-year loan to support rolling stock modernisation.

Croatian Railways.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... With effect from December 14 Croatian Railways reopened the Vinkovci--Osijek line in the east of the country. Services were stopped by the war in August 1991, with only Osijek--Brijest remaining in use for freight after 10 km of the line was...

Nation Building investment plan.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... AUSTRALIA: The commonwealth government is to inject A$1.2bn into Australian Rail Track Corp as part of a A$4.7bn package of investment in railways, roads and education which was announced by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on December 12. The...

Sarmiento tunnel funded.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... ARGENTINA: Work to place the Sarmiento commuter route in Buenos Aires underground is expected to start in mid-2009, following the signature on December 23 of a contract between the federal government and the consortium of Iecsa, Odebrecht,...

Cross-border brand.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... EUROPE: The upgraded service between Helsinki and St Petersburg to be launched in 2010 will be branded Allegro. The Karelian Trains joint venture of VR and RZD chose the Italian word for 'fast' as it is internationally known and pronounceable...

Euskotren renewal.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... SPAIN: Basque regional operator Euskotren and CAF have agreed to research jointly an on-board energy storage system based on supercapacitors, with the aim of installing a prototype on one of the operator's trains. As part of its Euskotren...

Fast asleep.(MAIN LINE)
February 1, 2009... CHINA: Chinese Railways has begun putting a fleet of 20 high speed sleeper trainsets into service between Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. The sleepers are based on Bombardier's Zefiro high speed train concept, and Bombardier said they are...

Krakow tram tunnel opens.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... POLAND: Trams began regular Route 50 services through a 1 538 m pre-metro tunnel beneath Krakow's main station on December 12. The tunnel was planned in the 1960s as part of a proposed east-west metro line, which was subsequently dropped in...

Station names prove profitable.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... UAE: Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority has raised 1.8bn dirham for transport investment by selling the rights to name stations on the Red and Green metro lines. RTA has also awarded a consortium of SMRT Media, Kassab Media and Wellmark...

Crowds flock to Phoenix light rail.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... USA: An estimated 150000 free trips were taken during the first two days of public service on the $1.4bn Metro light rail starter line in Phoenix, Arizona. Despite cold weather, heavy crowds and long queues throughout the weekend of December...

CSR wins further orders.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... CHINA: CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co has been selected to supply rolling stock for the 30.7 km 11-station northern extension of Guangzhou Metro Line 3 to the airport. The contract is worth around 1.2bn yuan, and deliveries will run from...

cordoba.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... With a view to starting operations towards the middle of this year, work is now underway on the 72m pesos Ferrourbano project to restore 11.5 km of metre-gauge infrastructure for use by passenger services between Rodriguez del Busto and the...

Vitoria.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... Tram services were launched in the Basque city of Vitoria on December 23 following an inauguration ceremony at the depot, presided by the Regional President Juan Jose Ibarretxe. The 5 km route between Angulema and lbaiondo had 12 stops and is...

Mexico.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... On January 5 the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, opened the final two stations on the capital's commuter line between Buenavista and Cuautitlan. The initial section to Lecheria entered service in June 2008 (RG 7.08 p412). Technical...

Trams to return.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... GERMANY: Low-floor trams will enter service in Hamburg in 2014 if a project to build a 15 km route between Altona and Bramfeld goes as planned. Forming the first part of a network that could one day stretch to 50 km, the scheme won approval...

Under the Thames again.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... UK: Mayor of London Boris Johnson inaugurated the 2.5 km extension of the Docklands Light Railway from King George V to Woolwich Arsenal on January 12, two days after the start of services. The [pounds sterling]180m extension was built in 3...

Systra wins in Santiago.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... CHILE: Systra has been appointed to supervise construction, testing and commissioning of two extensions on the Santiago metro network. The 28 month contract covers the 4 km Line 1 extension to Los Dominicos and the 14 km extension of Line 5...

First stone laid.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... ALGERIA: On December 16, Algerian President Bouteflika, accompanied by Minister of Transport Amar Tou, laid the first stone near the future depot at Sidi Maarouf, symbolically marking the start of the Oran tram project. The contract to...

Line a extended to Flores.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... ARGENTINA: On December 22 Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri opened the new Puan and Carabobo stations on Line A of the Buenos Aires metro. Work on the extension started in 2004 and formed part of a wider programme to refurbish and modernise...

Purple Line contracts imminent.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... THAILAND: Signature is expected in March of the first contract for civil engineering work on the Purple Line metro in Bangkok, following the opening of financial bids for Phase 1 by the Mass Rapid Transit Authority. Lowest bid for the 12...

Amsterdam.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... CityCargo, which envisaged using the Amsterdam tram network to supply shops and businesses, has gone into receivership, although receiver Joris Lensink and Veolia are investigating possibilities to revive the project. The city council has said...

Katowice.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... On December 30 regional transport body KZK GOP signed a new 15-year contract with Tramwaje Slaskie for the operation of the 200 km tram network serving 12 towns around Katowice. The contract is valued at around 2.9bn zloty, and provides...

Budapest.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... Following the completion of the sale of MAV Cargo to Rail Cargo Austria (RG 1.09 p7), local media reported that the Hungarian national railway was in discussions with BKV, the Budapest city transport authority, over the purchase of suburban...

Nairobi.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... The Nairobi Metro 2030 Strategy, released on December 15, envisages construction of a light rail network serving 'all the major suburbs' to facilitate the city's aim of hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The overall strategy would cost...

Milano.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... Last month regular all-day services were launched on the 8.8 km Cinisello light rail line, operated by ATM Milano as route 31. Limited services began on December 15, after the 4.3 km of new construction through the centre of Cinisello was...

Washington.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... As expected, the US Department of Transportation gave final approval on January 7 for the $5.2bn Dulles extension to the Washington metro. The first phase of the planned line to Dulles International Airport will run from Falls Church via Tysons...

Zurich.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... The second phase of the Glattalbahn light rail network in the northern suburbs of Zurich opened on December 14. The 5.7 km route from Oerlikon to Zurich Airport adds to the 3 km first phase from Messe/Hallenstadion to Auzelg (RG 2.07 p74)....

Praha.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... The city of Praha has reduced the length of metro Line D, currently under construction, to reduce costs. The line is no longer planned to serve Zizkov and Liben, running instead from Pankrac via Novodvorsko to Modrany and Pisnice, possibly as...

Gurgaon.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... A consortium of ITNL ENSO Rail Systems and property developer DLF Group is the only bidder for the Gurgaon light metro PPP project in the suburbs of Delhi (RG 2.08 p70). The consortium plans to create a Special purpose vehicle to finance...

Nurnberg.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... In the latest phase of the Rubin project (RG 2.05 p85), test running in fully-automated mode began on January 13 on Line U2 of the Nurnberg metro. The test trains will initially run empty from 21.00 on weekday evenings to prove the...

Besancon.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... Following a vote on December 18, the local authority in Besancon has approved the construction of a 14.5 km light rail line. The route will cross the French city from Chalezeule in the east to Hauts du Chazal in the west, serving the main line...

Growth is key to strategic plan.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... CANADA: Toronto commuter rail operator GO Transit plans to acquire more of the infrastructure used by its trains, rather than relying on trackage rights agreements with the country's two main freight railroads. The operator already owns...

Toronto tram progress.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... CANADA: Toronto Transit Commission completed negotiations on technical details and commercial arrangements with three potential suppliers of 204 low-floor trams by January 5. Alstom, Bombardier and Siemens were then given seven weeks to submit...

Hangzhou PPP agreed.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... CHINA: MTR Corp signed an agreement in principle on January 16 with the Hangzhou Municipal Government and Hangzhou Metro Group for the financing, construction and operation of Line 1 of the metro under a PPP model. The agreement allows MTR...

Metro goes racing.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... CHINA: Construction began in mid-December on the second phase of Shanghai Metro Line 11, which will connect the city to the Formula One motor racing circuit in Anting Town. The 21 km Phase II will start from Huashan Road in Puxi, passing...

Federal funding package.(URBAN RAIL)
February 1, 2009... USA: A full funding grant agreement was signed on January 9 between the Utah Transit Authority and the Federal Transit Administration which, for the first time, effectively provides a single financial contribution for a group of rail projects....

Paris.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... French Secretary of State for Urban Policies Fadela Amara announced on January 19 that work would get underway in 2015 on the proposed branch of tram-train line T4 to serve the isolated suburbs of Clichy-sous-Bois and Montfermeil east of Paris,...

Madrid.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
February 1, 2009... The Spanish government has unveiled a [euro]4.2bn redevelopment plan for the Chamartin area of Madrid, covering a 3.1 million [m.sup.2] site mainly in railway use. As well as the remodelling of the RENFE terminus and the covering over of...

Africa.(CONTRACTS)
February 1, 2009... AFRICA: A team from Seneca is visiting the Egyptian and Moroccan railways this month to assess proposed investment projects on behalf of the US federal Enterprise Development Network.

Canada.(CONTRACTS)
February 1, 2009... CANADA: Parsons has transferred to 21Net responsibility for providing wi-fi on VIA Rail services between Windsor and Quebec.

Czech republic.(CONTRACTS)
February 1, 2009... CZECH REPUBLIC: Private operator OKD Doprava has obtained a [euro]83m loan from ING Bank and UniCredit to fund further acquisitions following its purchase of Viamont Cargo and a 90% stake in Belterminal.

Europe.(CONTRACTS)
February 1, 2009... EUROPE: Beacon Rail Leasing has been created by BTMU Capital Corp, which bought the European rail assets of Allco Finance Group last May (p20).

UK.(CONTRACTS)
February 1, 2009... UK: Passengers in single occupancy sleeper berths on First Great Western's overnight services to southwest England now have access to a Volo In-Train Entertainment System, providing a selection of comedy drama and children's programmes. If...

USA.(CONTRACTS)
February 1, 2009... USA: Las Vegas Monorail has exercised an option worth [euro]44m for supplier Bombardier to operate and maintain the 6.4 km line for a further five years.

9.6 MW electric locomotive.(MARKET)
February 1, 2009... CHINA: The first of 500 powerful six-axle AC traction electric locomotives being built by China Northern under an agreement with Bombardier was rolled out at Dalian on December 29. Ordered by the Ministry of Railways in February 2007 at a...

Over the Oder.(MARKET)
February 1, 2009... EUROPE: Replacement of a bridge across the border between Germany and Poland near Frankfurt (Oder) was completed within 10 months of the signing of a treaty on February 26 (RG 4.08 p207). The [euro]25m structure is 442 m long with a 104 m...

China.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
February 1, 2009... CHINA: An alliance of Ansaldo STS and Zhejiang Zheda Insigma is to supply CBTC for the 29 km Shenyang metro Line 2 and 14 km Chengdu Line 1.

Finland.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
February 1, 2009... FINLAND: Westinghouse Rail Systems has commissioned a WESTeX GCP3000 level crossing predictor at a remote location near Praskintie on the Vaasa--Seinajoki route. Train detection is used, minimising on-track equipment, and faults are reported by...

India.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
February 1, 2009... INDIA: Dedicated Freight Corridor Corp has awarded Soma Enterprise a Rs6bn contract to build 54 bridges on the western corridor. The Maytas Infra joint venture of CT Ramanathan and Maytas has won a Rs1.1bn contract to double-track the 100...

Israel.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
February 1, 2009... ISRAEL: ISR has awarded Asher Gree a US$14m contract to build Kholon Wolfson station between Tel Aviv and Rishon Le-Ziyyon.

Italy.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
February 1, 2009... ITALY: Ansaldo STS has won a [euro]54m contract to supply electrical equipment for a 5 km extension of Napoli metro Line 1 from Dante to Garibaldi, now due for completion in July 2012.

Poland.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
February 1, 2009... POLAND: PKP PLK has awarded a consortium led by PKP Energetyka a contract to supply Interflo 200 signalling for the section of the Warszawa--Gdynia main line through Tczew by June 2010. Bombardier's [euro]20m share covers an EBIscreen control...

Romania.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
February 1, 2009... ROMANIA: In December 23 Alstom signed a [euro]20.6m contract to supply CFR Electrificare with 12 substations for a 400 km section of Pan-European Corridor IV to the Black Sea.

South Africa.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
February 1, 2009... SOUTH AFRICA: Bombela has taken delivery of four MP 12 two-wheel rail profile grinders supplied by Permatool. The Robin Subaru EX27 petrol and DY27 diesel engines were imported from Japan by Goscor Power Products.

Spain.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
February 1, 2009... SPAIN: Dimetronic Signals and Thales have been awarded a [pounds sterling]102m contract for signalling and train control on the 150 km Barcelona--Figueres high speed line. Dimetronic will provide interlockings, LED signals, CTC, ASFA train...

Sweden.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
February 1, 2009... SWEDEN: Ansaldo STS has awarded Cactus Automation a subcontract to supply ETCS Level 2 signalling equipment for the Haparandabanan from Boden to the Finnish border.

UK.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
February 1, 2009... UK: On December 24 Canary Wharf Group reached an agreement to contribute [pounds sterling]150m and be responsible for the design, construction and any cost over-runs on the [pounds sterling]500m Isle of Dogs station on the Crossrail project.