Railway Gazette International articles from July 2006

Railway Gazette International archives from July 2006

Research progresses together.(COMMENT)
July 1, 2006... IF THERE WAS any doubt that a great deal of research is still being undertaken into the rail mode, this was rapidly dispelled by the seventh World Congress on Railway Research on June 5-9. Over 750 delegates from more than 40 countries...

EU still pushing for rail reforms.(COMMENT)
July 1, 2006... ON June 22 the European Commission adopted a 'Communication' on transport policy. Essentially, this is a mid-term review of the White Paper published in September 2001. In general terms the review finds that change in the European...

High speed needs an integrated network, says Pepy.(COMMENT)
July 1, 2006... THE PROSPECTS for Europe's growing high speed rail sector are 'very positive', according to the Chief Executive of French National Railways, Guillaume Pepy. But operators need to work together more closely if rail is to boost its market share....

Four for Saudi Landbridge.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... SAUDI RAILWAYS Organisation announced on May 31 that four consortia had been qualified to bid for the BOT concession to build and operate the Saudi Landbridge railway between Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and Jubail. Preliminary tender information was...

Russia rejoins 'global' UIC.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... AT A MEETING of the UIC General Assembly in Montreal last month, the return to membership of Russian Railways after an absence of 58 years was approved unanimously. A series of joint 'technical discussions' will now take place, leading to full...

Alvia cuts Madrid-Barcelona to 4 h 15 min.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... THE FASTEST journey time between Madrid and Barcelona was cut to 4 h 15 min on May 17 when RENFE brought its fleet of 12 Class 120 EMUs into service under the Alvia brand. Equipped with CAF's Brava system, the self-propelled trains pass through...

Nigeria concessioning starts.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... EXPRESSIONS of interest are due by the end of July for two concessions to operate sections of the Nigerian rail network, under a privatisation process that is expected to see preferred bidders announced in February 2007. Nigeria's Bureau...

Victoria to spend.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... PROPOSALS to invest more than A$3bn in the state rail network over the next 10 years were announced by Victoria Premier Steve Bracks and Transport Minister Peter Batchelor on May 17. The Transport & Liveability Statement envisages...

Arctic iron ore line proposed.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... DETAILED plans are taking shape for a heavy-haul iron ore railway on Baffin Island in northern Canada. The line is intended to link the Mary River deposits with a deep-water port from which the ore would be shipped to steel producers in Europe....

N700 to start next year.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... AFTER MORE than a year of test running with its prototype N700 tilting Shinkansen trainset, Central Japan Railway announced on May 26 that a series build will be introduced into commercial service on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen from the...

Georgian Railway, Azerbaijan Railway and RZD reinstated through passenger services between Tbilisi and Moscow on May 27 after a break of 13 years.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... Georgian Railway, Azerbaijan Railway and RZD reinstated through passenger services between Tbilisi and Moscow on May 27 after a break of 13 years. Pending progress with the reinstatement of the war-damaged line through Abkhazia, now expected to...

French Transport Minister Dominique Perben is due to participate in ceremonies on July 3 to mark the start of construction on the first section of TGV Rhin-Rhone near Montbeliard.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... French Transport Minister Dominique Perben is due to participate in ceremonies on July 3 to mark the start of construction on the first section of TGV Rhin-Rhone near Montbeliard. June 1 saw the opening of the public enquiry into the 182 km TGV...

Tianjin-Shengyang to be electrified.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... BALFOUR BEATTY Rail Power Systems based in Munchen has won a second electrification and signalling contract in China covering 619 km of double track between Tianjin and Shengyang in Liaoning province. In addition to supplying and erecting 25 kV...

SBB Cargo restructured its domestic wagonload services on May 29.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... SBB Cargo restructured its domestic wagonload services on May 29. The Fokus project cuts the number of locations served to 323, which SBB says retains 96% of traffic with around 5150 wagons handled every day; services are also provided to 90...

Upgrade underway.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... MAY 25 saw the start of upgrading work on the initial 37.7 km section of the Plovdiv-Svilengrad line in Bulgaria. Reconstruction and electrification of the section from Krumovo on the outskirts of Plovdiv as far as Parvomai is being project...

EIB funds high speed routes.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... ON JUNE 15 European Investment Bank Vice-President Isabel Martin signed a loan contract to provide Spanish infrastructure authority ADIF with [euro]400m over a 30-year term for construction of the high speed line between Madrid, Barcelona and...

On May 22 SNCF put into service its Stadler Z850 metre-gauge EMUs on the St Gervais-Chamonix-Vallorcine line.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... On May 22 SNCF put into service its Stadler Z850 metre-gauge EMUs on the St Gervais-Chamonix-Vallorcine line. The units are not equipped for rack operation and will not be able to run on the Swiss section of the cross-border route to Martigny...

No approval for Belgrano transfer.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... APPEARING before a congressional committee on June 1, Argentina's Transport Secretary Ricardo Jaime said that the government was still considering proposals to transfer a majority shareholding in Belgrano Cargas to a consortium of Macri,...

SINGER success.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... EARLY results from the SINGER project were announced in Ljubljana on June 8. The Slovenian Intermodal Gateway to European Rail project is being supported for the first two years by the EU's Marco Polo programme (RG 11.04 p728). The aim is...

Edinburgh-Glasgow link goes ahead.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... THE Airdrie-Bathgate Railway & Linked Improvements Bill was introduced into the Scottish Parliament on May 30 by Network Rail. The objective is to restore a route between Glasgow and Edinburgh serving industrial areas in the Scottish Lowlands...

Representatives from RAI and IRR met in Tehran on May 19-22 to discuss progress with cross-border rail links between Iran and Iraq.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... Representatives from RAI and IRR met in Tehran on May 19-22 to discuss progress with cross-border rail links between Iran and Iraq. Design work is underway for the line between Khorramshahr and Basra, including the high-level bridge over the...

Comsa moves freight in Poland.(NEWS)
July 1, 2006... SPANISH construction company Grupo Comsa announced on May 23 that its subsidiary PRKil had begun open access freight operations on the Polish national network. PRKil is currently moving construction materials in 24-wagon trains weighing 1200...

FrontRunner funding finalised.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... AT A TRACKSIDE ceremony on the site of the future Farmington station, US Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta formally signed the $489m Full Funding Grant Agreement for the first segment of Utah Transit Authority's FrontRunner commuter rail...

London Ken Livingstone and UK Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and UK Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander visited the new Western Ticket Hall serving London Underground's Circle Line platforms at Kings Cross on May 25, before it opened to passengers on May 28. On May 25 LU...

Madrid LRT tenders.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... THE MADRID REGIONAL government has invited bids for two 30-year concessions to build, operate and maintain three light rail feeder routes in the Spanish capital. One contract, for which a budget of [euro]292.9m has been set, covers the 5.4...

Jumbo trams to grace German capital.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... UP TO 210 multi-section low-floor trams may be ordered for the Berlin network. On June 12 the board of Berlin Transport approved plans to buy four pre-series cars from Bombardier for delivery in 2008-09. If they prove successful, BVG may...

Praha extends.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... PRAHA city transport authority DPHMP formally opened a new station at Depo Hostivar on May 27, extending the operational length of metro Line A by 1033 m to 11 km with 13 stations. Built by Metrostav at a cost of KC1.3bn, the project...

Driverless research.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... IN PARTNERSHIP with Barcelona metro operator TMB and the Universitat Politenica de Catalunya who respectively hold stakes of 39% and 12%, Siemens Transportation Systems has established a research and development centre for driverless metro...

Olympic car order.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... ON JUNE 13 Docklands Light Railway announced that it had ordered a further 31 articulated cars from Bombardier to accommodate projected demand during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Incorporating an option for nine cars included in the...

Phase 1 opens in Valenciennes.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... THE FIRST PHASE of the light rail network in the French city of Valenciennes was officially opened on June 16 by Jean-Louis Borloo, Minister of Employment and President of the greater Valenciennes authority. From June 17 to 30 the 9.5 km...

Spanish company Acciona Infraestructuras and its local partner Mostostal Warszawa have been awarded a 217.7m zloty contract to build a 1.5 km extension of Warszawa metro Line 1 from Stodowiec, including new stations at Stare Bielany and Wawrzyszew.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... Spanish company Acciona Infraestructuras and its local partner Mostostal Warszawa have been awarded a 217.7m zloty contract to build a 1.5 km extension of Warszawa metro Line 1 from Stodowiec, including new stations at Stare Bielany and...

Suburban consultation.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... ON MAY 26 Iarnrod Eireann began the formal consultation process for a Railway Order giving powers to re-open the disused Glounthaune-Midleton line as part as its embryonic Cork commuter network (RG 7.04 p390). Being funded from the Irish...

Northstar Corridor Development Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BNSF Railway and the state of Minnesota on May 9, paving the way for the start of commuter rail services between Minneapolis and Big Lake in 2009.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... Northstar Corridor Development Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BNSF Railway and the state of Minnesota on May 9, paving the way for the start of commuter rail services between Minneapolis and Big Lake in 2009. NCDA will pay...

Mumbai Metro underway.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... INDIAN Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh formally laid the foundation stone for the first line of the Mumbai Mass Rapid Transit System in a ceremony at Vikhroli on June 21. Construction of the 11 km Versova-Andheri-Ghatkoper route is...

BKV picks Metropolis.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... BUDAPEST transport operator BKV confirmed on May 22 that it had ordered 170 Metropolis metro cars from Alstom Transport and Ganz Transelektro at a cost of [euro]247m. The order covers 15 four-car trainsets to operate the initial 7.3 km...

Valencia Line 1 gets [euro]300m upgrade.(CITY NEWS)
July 1, 2006... VALENCIA metro operator FGV is embarking on an upgrade programme for its 80 km Line 1, which is to receive [euro]300m up to 2010 for improvements to infrastructure, power supplies and customer facilities, including accessibility. The train...

Entreprise du Metro d'Alger has selected an Alstom-led consortium for a [euro]225m turnkey contract to build the city's first light rail line (RG 4.06 p176).(City News in Brief)
July 1, 2006... Entreprise du Metro d'Alger has selected an Alstom-led consortium for a [euro]225m turnkey contract to build the city's first light rail line (RG 4.06 p176). Construction of the 16.3 km route with 30 stops is expected to take 30 months. Serving...

Metro do Porto has ordered a further 30 light rail vehicles from a consortium of Bombardier Transportation and Vossloh-Kiepe for [euro]115m.(City News in Brief)
July 1, 2006... Metro do Porto has ordered a further 30 light rail vehicles from a consortium of Bombardier Transportation and Vossloh-Kiepe for [euro]115m. The bi-directional Flexity Swift cars are due for delivery in 2008-09. May 27 saw the opening of the...

Ceremonies were held at the site of the future False Creek station on June 12 to mark the start of tunnel boring work on the Canada Line automated metro in Vancouver (MR06 p47).(City News in Brief)
July 1, 2006... Ceremonies were held at the site of the future False Creek station on June 12 to mark the start of tunnel boring work on the Canada Line automated metro in Vancouver (MR06 p47). Twin bored tunnels 2.5 km long will run under False Creek and...

Tianjin Metro Chairman Guo Huaizhi officially inaugurated the city's reconstructed Line 1 in a ceremony on June 12.(City News in Brief)
July 1, 2006... Tianjin Metro Chairman Guo Huaizhi officially inaugurated the city's reconstructed Line 1 in a ceremony on June 12. Now extended to serve 22 stations, the line is expected to carry up to 2 million passengers/day.

Canadian Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon announced the start of work on a C$47m upgrading programme for the Stouffville line of Toronto's GO Transit commuter rail network on May 25.(City News in Brief)
July 1, 2006... Canadian Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon announced the start of work on a C$47m upgrading programme for the Stouffville line of Toronto's GO Transit commuter rail network on May 25. To be completed by the end of 2007, the work includes grade...

Africa.(INTELLIGENCE)
July 1, 2006... Africa: Last month Ghana's Minister of Harbours & Railways Prof Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi told the second meeting of the Joint Committee of Burkinabe & Ghanaian Railway Experts in Ouagadougou that the Canadian International Development Agency...

Australia.(INTELLIGENCE)
July 1, 2006... Australia: With effect from June 1 Genesee & Wyoming and its equal joint venture partner Wesfarmers completed the A$1.3bn sale of their Western Australia operations and assets of the Australian Railroad Group to QR and Babcock & Brown (RG 3.06...

Bangladesh.(INTELLIGENCE)
July 1, 2006... Bangladesh: A government contract to study the feasibility of double-tracking and electrifying the 321 km Dhaka-Chittagong route has been awarded to Hyderabad-based consultancy Balaji Railroad Systems and Australian firm SMEC International.

Canada.(INTELLIGENCE)
July 1, 2006... Canada: On May 25 the 300 km of the Hudson Bay Railway between Sherritt Junction and Lynn Lake in Manitoba was formally handed over to the Keewatin Railway Co, owned by first nation groups which paid C$4.9m for the assets on April 1. VIA Rail...

Czech Republic.(INTELLIGENCE)
July 1, 2006... Czech Republic: Transport Minister Milan Simonovsky attended a ceremony on May 23 to mark the breakthrough by contractor Metrostav of the 1365 m southern bore of the tunnel beneath the Vitkov hill to increase capacity in Praha (RG 1.06 p42)....

Europe.(INTELLIGENCE)
July 1, 2006... Europe: On July 1 the new general contractual framework for the use of freight wagons comes into force. Created by UIC, the International Union of Private Wagons and ERFA, it sets out rights and obligations of wagon owners and operators which...

India.(INTELLIGENCE)
July 1, 2006... India: The Hassan-Mangalore rail link was commissioned on May 5, and by May 28 had handled 100973 tonnes of freight to and from New Mangalore Port. The Railway Board has approved plans by Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corp to permit...

Japan.(INTELLIGENCE)
July 1, 2006... Japan: On June 20 Hankyu Holdings announced it had acquired a 63.7% stake in Hanshin Electric Railway Co for [yen]249.8bn. Hanshin will become a wholly-owned part of Hankyu on October 1, through a swap of 1.4 Hankyu shares for 1 Hanshin share.

Netherlands.(INTELLIGENCE)
July 1, 2006... Netherlands: Transport Minister Karla Peijis has announced that the national roll-out of the OV-chipkaart smart card will be delayed until January 2008, because of technical problems during trials in Rotterdam. The ministry's commitment is...

Portugal.(INTELLIGENCE)
July 1, 2006... Portugal: On May 16 Arriva announced an agreement to acquire a 21.5% stake in Barraqueiro SGPS. The family-owned bus and rail operator runs Fertagus rail services in Lisboa and has a 34% share in the Metro Transportes do Sul concessionaire.

Spain.(INTELLIGENCE)
July 1, 2006... Spain: Passenger services resumed between Balaguer and La Pobla de Segur on June 4 following completion of a 10-month programme of track renewals and other work on the 62.5 km route. This has accounted for 34% of the [euro]60m that FGC is...

Angola.(Market)
July 1, 2006... Angola: Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co is to supply the Benguela Railway with two SDE16N locos powered by Cummins QSK60-L engines rated at 1640 kW.

Bosnia.(Market)
July 1, 2006... Bosnia: Funded by a [euro]67.7m loan from the Spanish government, Patentes Talgo is to supply BHZJK with nine trainsets of nine cars each with passive tilt for 220 km/h operation; four will be for overnight services.

Canada.(Market)
July 1, 2006... Canada: CN has exercised an April 2005 option with EMD for 50 SD70M-2 high-horsepower locomotives to be delivered in the second half of 2007. The 4300 hp locos will increase capacity for the opening of the first phase of a C$30m intermodal...

China.(Market)
July 1, 2006... China: Nortel has signed a framework agreement with the Ministry of Railways for the supply of seven GSM-R switching centres, supplementing two deployed in 2005.

Czech Republic.(Market)
July 1, 2006... Czech Republic: On May 3 CD General Manager Josef Bazala signed a KC1.7bn contract with Skoda subsidiary CKD Vagonka for three 471 double-deck EMUs which will be used on suburban services around Ostrava from early 2007.

Finland.(Market)
July 1, 2006... Finland: VR Ltd has awarded Talgo Oy a [euro]40m contract to supply 20 double-deck passenger coaches for inter-city duties. Deliveries are scheduled to take place between autumn 2007 and spring 2008.

France.(Market)
July 1, 2006... France: Parkeon announced on June 13 that it had been selected by RATP to supply ticket vending and smart card recharging machines worth up to [euro]35m for installation at Paris metro and RER stations.

Germany.(Market)
July 1, 2006... Germany: ZAO Transmashholding has bought Fahrzeugtechnik Dessau for an undisclosed sum. The German firm produces bodyshells, cabs, door modules and other rolling stock components.

Italy.(Market)
July 1, 2006... Italy: On June 12 Ferrovie del Sud-Est signed a [euro]45m order with PESA Bydgoszcz for 13 three-car DMUs. To be delivered to Bari in 2007-09, the units will have a top speed of 120 km/h, 21 first and 134 second class seats, and two toilets,...

Netherlands.(Market)
July 1, 2006... Netherlands: Angel Trains has selected Vossloh to install Alstom ETCS Level 2 equipment on 19 G1206 and G2000 diesel locos for use on the Betuwe Route and Rotterdam port complex.

Serbia.(Market)
July 1, 2006... Serbia: ZS has awarded Hungarian firm TriGranit a [euro]170m contract to complete the long-delayed construction of Prokop station in Beograd, which began 30 years ago. The project includes 128000 [m.sup.2] of office space and should be...

Spain.(Market)
July 1, 2006... Spain: ADIF has awarded Talleres Alegria a [euro]4.9m contract to supply 38 expansion devices for bridges on high speed lines. Plasser Espanola is to supply a high speed track recording vehicle for [euro]2.6m.

Sweden.(Market)
July 1, 2006... Sweden: Forest products company SCA has awarded Hector Rail a 10-year contract to carry timber between the Ostersund and Sundsvall areas from January 2007.

United Kingdom.(Market)
July 1, 2006... United Kingdom: Leasing company Angel Trains has signed a [pounds sterling]15m contract for Brush Traction to replace the Paxman Valenta diesel engines in 25 Class 43 HST power cars operated by GNER with MTU 16V4000R41 engines, by November...

USA.(Market)
July 1, 2006... USA: By the end of 2007 FreightCar America is to supply Norfolk Southern with 400 AutoFlood 111 aluminium bottom-discharge wagons and 1200 hybrid stainless steel/aluminium open wagons; these are designed to withstand the repeated application of...

Algeria.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... Algeria: A consortium of Semaly and Ingerop has been awarded a [euro]9.6m contract to design, tender and supervise construction of a 9 km tramway in Constantine on behalf of Alger Metro Co. Running from Place des Martyrs to the Rhumel...

Argentina.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... Argentina: Bids were due to be opened on June 12 for the refurbishment of 85 metro cars with Siemens equipment operating on Buenos Aires Line C as well as 64 cars with GE equipment. The government has set a budget of 119.6m pesos for the work...

Austria.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... Austria: On May 31 Bombardier Transportation Austria rolled out its tenth three-car Class 400 EMU for Wiener Lokalbahnen. This completes a 2004 order for four additional units which followed an initial batch of six ordered in 2000.

Belgium.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... Belgium: Brussels Transport authority STIB has placed an order with Windhoff for two OB 40 powered crane vehicles for maintenance work, and four KW 40 crane vehicles for rail transport. They will be delivered in the third quarter of 2007. ...

Canada.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... Canada: On May 24 the Mayor of Toronto officially launched a C$90m project to provide a second platform to relieve pressure on the current single island platform at Toronto's Union subway station, which was built in 1954 to handle 25000...

China.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... China: Skoda has won a KC30m contract to supply Changchun Railway Vehicles Co with 80 asynchronous traction motors which will be used on 20 trams being built for the city's tramway, which is being modernised in readiness for the 6th Asian...

France.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... France: Free travel and a concert marked the opening of Grenoble tram Line 3 on May 20. The 9.5 km route with 16 new stops starts at the university on tracks shared with Line B, then runs west to serve Condillac and Porte des Glairons,...

Germany.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... Germany: Tram-train services between Kassel and Melsungen began on June 1. Following a Europe-wide call for tenders, DB Regio AG and Regionalbahn Kassel have been selected by NVV to operate the Kassel RegioTram network for six years from 2007....

India.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... India: The national government has approved the Bangalore metro project, and will contribute 15% of the Rs64bn cost to match the Karnataka government's contribution. Japan Bank for International Co-operation will lend 45% of the cost, with the...

Israel.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... Israel: Tel Aviv municipality has agreed to pay 100m shekels over the first six years towards the Red Line project (MR 03 p54), and 75m shekels over 15 years. The franchisee will pay 6.8m shekels in property taxes, and this will be transferred...

Mexico.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... Mexico: Mexico City metro operator STC has taken delivery of the last of 45 nine-car rubber-tyred trainsets for Line 2, built by CAF and Bombardier.

South Africa.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... South Africa: On June 6 Department of Transport spokesman Collen Msibi said plans are being drawn up to devolve responsibility for commuter rail services to provincial governments and local transport authorities 'to improve service delivery and...

Sweden.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... Sweden: On June 8 Bombardier announced a [euro]26m order from Storstockholms Lokaltrafik for another nine 2650 mm wide Flexity Swift low-floor bi-directional LRVs, to be delivered between March and August 2008.

United Kingdom.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... United Kingdom: Trelleborg Industrial has won a [euro]1.5m contract to supply Metronet SSL with Metalastik secondary suspension springs for the refurbishment of around 400 D78 cars used on London Underground's District Line. The hourglass...

USA.(Metros)
July 1, 2006... USA: Clark County Department of Aviation has signed a $43m contract for Bombardier to supply a 366 m automated peoplemover with six CX-100 vehicles for Terminal 3 of McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Siemens is to supply AC...

Egypt.(Finance)
July 1, 2006... Egypt: Minister for International Cooperation Fayza Abul-Naga has announced that the World Bank is to lend US$270m to fund railway development in 2007-08.

France.(Finance)
July 1, 2006... France: The European Investment Bank has agreed to provide an initial tranche of [euro]60m of a [euro]120m loan towards the cost of building the 15.4 km light rail route in Le Mans with 30 stops and 23 LRVs. Total cost of the project, due to be...