Railway Gazette International articles from March 2006

Railway Gazette International archives from March 2006

The virtuous circle remains elusive.(COMMENT)
March 1, 2006... 'CURRENT market prices are not compatible with an economically sound roll-out.' Not only that, but they are 'much too high to encourage a rapid migration'. Taken from a UIC-CER-EIM declaration, these phrases leave little doubt over the scale of...

High speed creeps on to the UK agenda.(COMMENT)
March 1, 2006... A MODERATE head of steam is building up behind proposals for construction of a high speed line from London to northern England and possibly Scotland. But supporters should be aware that many pitfalls lie ahead before a sod is turned--if...

QR moves on Western Australia.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... JOINT venture partners Genesee & Wyoming Inc and Wesfarmers announced on February 14 that they had 'entered into a definitive agreement' for the sale of Australia Railroad Group's operations in Western Australia to Queensland Rail and Babcock &...

Crossing closures.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... ON FEBRUARY 7 Israel Railways awarded a US$12m contract for grade separation of three level crossings on the Kiryat Gat-Be'er Sheva line by the end of 2007. This marked the start of a US$530m programme to eliminate most of ISR's level...

Loco orders placed.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... RUSSIAN Railways has awarded contracts for almost 800 main line locomotives under its 2006-10 investment programme. Bryansk Machine Works is to supply 277 'sections' to form 2TE25 twin-unit diesel locomotives. The prototype 2TE25L Peresvet...

Parsons Transportation Group.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... On January 29, Stretto di Messina SpA selected Fenice to undertake environmental monitoring services for the Messina Straits bridge and its connecting road and rail links, having signed contracts on January 16 for Parsons Transportation Group...

National Railway Equipment Co.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... After testing a prototype since 2002, Union Pacific awarded a contract to National Railway Equipment Co on February 9 for 60 'gen-set' shunting locos to be used in the Los Angeles area. Each unit is powered by three 700 hp Tier 3-certified high...

French freight ferment.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... WITH THE French government required to open up its domestic rail freight market by March 31 (RG 2.05 p58), operators are lining up to compete with Fret SNCF. After filing an application in November 2004, rail4chem announced on February 13...

Tunnel bids invited.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... EXPRESSIONS of Interest have been called for design teams to undertake engineering services on the proposed Trans-Hudson Express tunnel. New Jersey Transit hopes to have preliminary engineering completed during 2007, with the aim of having...

TGV Rhine-Rhone goes ahead.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... CONSTRUCTION work is expected to get underway in May on the first section of TGV Rhine-Rhone, after the final element in the complex financing package was put in place on February 8. French Transport Minister Dominique Perben welcomed the...

Siemens wins Railjet order.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... THE BOARD of Austrian Federal Railways voted on February 9 to authorise a contract for supply of high speed intercity trains valued at between [euro]250m and [euro]300m. OBB has selected Siemens to provide the trains for its Railjet...

Infraspeed BV consortium.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... A Siemens Type ES64U4 Taurus locomotive set an official Dutch rail speed record of 258 km/h on the HSL-Zuid high speed line on January 21. The Infraspeed BV consortium is due to complete the southern section between Rotterdam and the Belgian...

BNSF spends on capacity expansion.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... UNVEILING a $2.4bn capital programme for 2006 on January 24, BNSF Chairman, President & CEO Matthew K Rose said the railway was planning to invest 10% more than it did in 2005. 'We are increasing our capital investment programme to meet...

Bus and rail operator Arriva.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... Bus and rail operator Arriva announced on February 1 that it had won its first train operating contract in Sweden, covering Skanetrafikken's Pagatag regional services to 47 stations around Malmo, Helsingborg and Ystad. A new subsidiary known as...

TfL to take over suburban services.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... THE UK Department for Transport confirmed on February 14 that it had reached agreement to transfer responsibility for four suburban rail services to Transport for London on November 11 2007. TfL London Rail is to start work shortly on...

Slovak shortlist.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... THIS MONTH is expected to see the announcement of the preferred bidder to take over ZSSK Cargo. Privatisation of the Slovakian freight operator began last year after train operator ZSSK was split into separate freight and passenger...

Modular EMU plan.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... BIDS are being sought for around 400 EMUs to operate regional services in Germany. DB wants the trains to be fully modular, with standard component interfaces permitting equipment from different suppliers to be exchanged. Intended to meet...

Contracts were signed on February 2 for construction of the easternmost section of the planned 'A1' direct rail link between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... Contracts were signed on February 2 for construction of the easternmost section of the planned 'A1' direct rail link between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, which is expected to open in 2010. Participating in the ceremony were (left to right) Moriya...

Tuy Medio line to open in October.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... IAFE President Angel Garcia announced at the end of January that the 41.4 km Tuy Medio suburban line between Caracas and Cua in Venezuela will open on October 15. Named the Ezequiel Zamora Railway after a federalist general born in Cua in...

Spoornet orders electric locos.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... SOUTH AFRICA's state-owned transport holding group Transnet announced on February 13 that it had signed a contract to purchase 110 electric locomotives over the next five years at a cost of R3.5bn. Ordered as part of Spoornet's R35bn...

Belgrano investment proposal.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... A CONSORTIUM of motorway concessionaire SIDECO and Sanhe Hopeful Grain & Oil Group of China has submitted to the Argentinian government a proposal for reviving the 1000 mm gauge Belgrano Cargas network. The plan involves a total investment...

RZD.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... Russian Railways expects to put a prototype double-stack container wagon into revenue operation between Moscow and Astrakhan this month. Built by the Bryansk Machine Works, it has a well floor height 254 mm above rail and can carry two 40 ft or...

Spanish tenders.(NEWS)
March 1, 2006... THE SPANISH Ministry of Development has been authorised to call tenders for further works on the emerging high speed network in the northeast of the country. Tenders are to be called for civil works on two sections of the connection...

Olympic VAL inaugurated.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... ITALY'S first automatic metro was formally opened on February 4 by Transport Minister Pietro Lunardi and Torino Mayor Sergio Chiamparino. Torino residents had their first look at the new line on February 5, when celebrations were held in...

STIF.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... Ile-de-France transport authority STIF has launched public consultations for two extensions to the 8 km Tramway des Marechaux Sud in Paris which is due to open by the end of this year. Top priority is a 16 km route around the eastern side of...

Malaga underway.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... JANUARY 26 saw the start of construction of a two-line light metro in the Spanish city of Malaga, which is due to open in February 2009 at a total cost of [euro]403.7m. The Andalucia regional government has awarded Metro de Malaga a...

CBTC.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... MTA New York City Transit began automatic operation in revenue service on January 17. Two trains equipped with CBTC provide a limited service on the eastern section of the L-Canarsie Line between Rockaway Parkway and Broadway Junction. The...

Shenzhen expands.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... SHENZHEN Metro announced in January that it expected to start work this year on an extension of Line 1 from Shijiazhichuang to Bao'an International Airport, which would add a further 14 stations and double the length of the line (p154). ...

Bush budget backs new rail starts.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... TRANSPORT funding totalling $65.6bn is included in the Bush administration's budget proposals for the 2007 fiscal year, which were announced on February 6. The budget allocates $8.9bn for the Federal Transit Administration, including...

Metro extends to Terminal 4.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... THE PRESIDENT of the Madrid regional government Esperanza Aguirre announced on February 3 that a 2.5 km extension of Madrid Metro Line 8 from Barajas to the new Terminal 4 of the city's airport is to be built at a cost of [euro]52m. ...

Alger awards E & M contract.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... AT A CEREMONY on January 24, Entreprise Metro d'Alger formally awarded a [euro]380m turnkey contract to a consortium of Siemens, Vinci Construction and CAF for electrical and mechanical systems on the Algerian capital's first metro line. ...

Celebrations were held in Bochum.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... Celebrations were held in Bochum on January 29 to mark the opening of two further sections of light rail tunnel, replacing surface tram tracks in the town centre. Totalling 3.6 km, they have been under construction since 1990 at a total cost of...

Beijing starts work on airport link.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... CONSTRUCTION work began in January on the 27.3 km metro line to Beijing Capital International Airport, which is due to be completed in June 2008. Expected to cost 5.4bn yuan, the line is being built by a consortium of five Chinese...

Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa announced on February 16 that 'yesterday we reached agreement' on all substantive issues with the Bombela International Consortium selected as preferred bidder for construction of the Gautrain express rail...

Fleet tendering underway in Santo Domingo.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... THE DOMINICAN Republic's transport agency OPRET announced on January 25 that bids to supply rolling stock for the Santo Domingo metro (RG 12.05 p754) had been received from Alstom, CAF and Siemens. Ansaldobreda and Bombardier were also expected...

Tehran tenders.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... REQUESTS for prequalification for two major rolling stock orders were issued by Tehran Urban & Suburban Railway Co at the end of January, with initial responses required by February 19. TUSRC is seeking an extra 455 cars for use on metro...

Capitol streetcars.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... PLANS are taking shape for a light rail line in the heart of Washington DC as work forges ahead on a 4.3 km pilot project in the suburb of Anacostia. Director of the District of Columbia's Department of Transportation Dan Tangherlini...

NJ Transit.(CITY NEWS)
March 1, 2006... NJ Transit announced last month that it expected to open its northern extension of the Hudson-Bergen light rail line on February 25, serving Weehawken and Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, completing the second phase of the project. Since...

Argentina.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... Argentina: The 150 km between Rio Primero and Sumampa on the Nuevo Central Argentino network is to be upgraded at a cost of 40m pesos. Upgrading of the 150 km between Sumampa and Forres is already in hand.

Asia.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... Asia: Advantage International and Black Sea Transit planned to launch a weekly freight service between the Georgian port of Poti and Almaty in Kazakhstan on March 1, with a transit time of eight days. The companies plan to extend the service to...

Belgium.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... Belgium: In January the transport ministry licensed Rotterdam-based rail4chem Benelux to operate in Belgium, using Vossloh G2000 and EMD JT42CWR locos. SNCB has completed electrification of the 8 km Welkenraedt-Montzen line to increase...

Canada.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... Canada: On January 19 CN announced its C$26m purchase from RailAmerica of the Lakeland & Waterways, Mackenzie Northern and Central Western railways in Alberta, which have a total length of 1180 km. This month CN and CP begin implementing...

China.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... China: The Ministry of Railways and three northwestern provinces are to begin work in the first half of this year on a 30.3bn yuan link between Taiyuan and Zhongwei. Construction of the 752 km electrified double track line will take 4 1/2...

Czech Republic.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... Czech Republic: CD plans to introduce smart card tickets from June, hoping to replace 1 million paper tickets a year.

Europe.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... Europe: The Czech and Austrian transport ministers have agreed to electrify the 11 km Retz-Znojmo line by the end of 2007. The EU will part-fund the extension of Austrian 15 kV AC electrification into the Czech Republic, and OBB will extend its...

France.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... France: RFF has commissioned a [euro]8m control centre at Pagny-sur-Moselle which will eventually control traction power supplies on 4 000 km of overhead line equipment on conventional and high speed routes in eastern France. Replacing a...

Hungary.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... Hungary: On February 6 Railog introduced an intermodal service between Rotterdam and Gyor, initially running four times a week.

India.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... India: By the February 15 deadline, 14 companies had applied to IR for rights to operate container services across the country. Approval is expected by March 31, and the Railways Ministry foresees investment in rolling stock and depots reaching...

Ireland.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... Ireland: Transport Minister Martin Cullen formally launched the Railway Safety Commission on February 8. Established on January 1, it has responsibility for Iarnrod Eireann, Luas and future metro lines.

Kenya.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... Kenya: Transport Minister Chuirau Ali Mwakwere and Rift Valley Railways Managing Director Roy Puffet signed the 25 year Kenya Railways concession on January 23.

Netherlands.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... Netherlands: Construction has begun of a 3 km electrified freight line from Vlissingen Oost harbour to the Vlissingen-Roosendaal main line, due for completion in late 2007. Zeeland Seaports and Westerscheldetunnel are meeting [euro]12m of the...

Slovakia.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... Slovakia: ZSSK has sold its High Tatras funicular and cable car activities to Tatranske Lanove Drahy for KS 185m. The subsidiary of British company Mountain Holiday Ski Resorts has leased the routes since 2003.

Spain.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... Spain: The Ministry of Development has awarded Ayesa a contract to define the alignment of a branch from the Cordoba-Malaga high speed line to Malaga airport, where a station would be built for high speed trains as well as suburban services on...

United Kingdom.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... United Kingdom: The Department for Transport has given the go-ahead for London & Continental Railways to fit out a sub-surface box built in 2005 to contain a replacement Thameslink station serving London's St Pancras and King's Cross termini....

USA.(INTELLIGENCE)
March 1, 2006... USA: Services on CSX Transportation's Gulf Coast line resumed on January 18 after five months of repairs to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Employees and contractors have repaired six major bridges, a yard in New Orleans and more than 65 km...

Algeria.(Market)
March 1, 2006... Algeria: SNTF has ordered 16 GT36CW freight locos and 14 GT36HCW passenger locos from EMD in a US$82m deal.

Australia.(Market)
March 1, 2006... Australia: Lachlan Valley Railfreight has bought 16 Class MZ 3900 hp diesel locos from DSB. The first five of the 140 km/h six-axle Nohab locos built in 1972 were shipped from Kobenhavn on February 14.

Europe.(Market)
March 1, 2006... Europe: In February Bombardier announced a [euro]130m order from leasing firm CBRail for 25 Traxx multi-system electric locos and 10 diesel-electrics, for delivery in 2007-08.

Finland.(Market)
March 1, 2006... Finland: On January 25 VR announced plans to lease rather than purchase 20 double-deck inter-city coaches which are to be ordered from Talgo for delivery in 2007-08.

France.(Market)
March 1, 2006... France: The Rhone-Alpes region has agreed a [euro]260m rolling stock investment programme for SNCF TER services, including the acquisition of 24 double-deck EMUs and 16 dual-mode AGC multiple-units. A total of 62 Corail coaches are to be...

Germany.(Market)
March 1, 2006... Germany: In January DB Regio placed a [euro]70m order with Alstom for 30 Coradia Lint Class 648.3 two-car DMUs. The 60% low-floor 120 km/h units will be delivered from December 2007 to September 2008 for use on regional services in Bayern.

Saudi Arabia.(Market)
March 1, 2006... Saudi Arabia: SRO has requested proposals for the supply of eight passenger trainsets, including maintenance for a minimum of four years. Either five-car DMUs or push-pull sets could be offered.

Spain.(Market)
March 1, 2006... Spain: ADIF has awarded Aceralia a [euro]22.1m contract to supply 14 000 tonnes of RN 45, UIC 54 and UIC 60 rail. In 2006-07 Corus Rail Products is supplying 8000 tonnes of UIC 54 rail in 72 m lengths for [euro]12m. Agrupacion Guinovart...

Sweden.(Market)
March 1, 2006... Sweden: Cubic Transportation Systems has received contracts worth SKr73.3m to expand Skanetrafiken's Resekortet smart card ticketing to encompass rail and bus services in a further four counties in southern Sweden.

Tanzania.(Market)
March 1, 2006... Tanzania: Eight Class 35400 locos have been leased to TRC by Spoornet. The GE U26C locos will be deployed on the Kigoma and Mwanza lines after being converted to metre gauge in Dar es Salaam. Spoornet is currently leasing 69 locos to six...

United Kingdom.(Market)
March 1, 2006... United Kingdom: GB Railfreight has ordered a further five Class 66 locos from EMD, 10 Autoballaster wagons from Wabtec and 140 open and 22 flat wagons from Greenbrier. The vehicles will be leased from HSBC Rail and delivered this year.

USA.(Market)
March 1, 2006... USA: Florida East Coast Railway has ordered four SD70M-2 4300 hp diesel locos from EMD. They will be delivered in the autumn to haul intermodal and aggregate trains. The Greenbrier Companies has received an order from leasing firm Cryo...

Vietnam.(Market)
March 1, 2006... Vietnam: Gia Lam Railway Co has begun assembling 20 diesel locomotives of 1900 hp in partnership with Chinese company Yong Ji Electromechanics. The 230bn dong project is supported by the Assistance Development Fund, and the first five of the...

Belgium.(Metros)
March 1, 2006... Belgium: De Lijn has placed a [euro]21m order with Siemens and Bombardier for an additional six unidirectional and four bidirectional low-floor trams. In 2007 there will be 112 of the vehicles in service in Antwerpen, Gent and along the coast.

China.(Metros)
March 1, 2006... China: Alcatel has signed a [euro]12m agreement to supply KCR with SelTrac CBTC for the HK$8.3bn Kowloon Southern Link extension of West Rail by 3.8 km from Nam Cheong to East Tsim Sha Tsui. KCR will carry out the installation, testing and...

Indonesia.(Metros)
March 1, 2006... Indonesia: The government expects to allocate funding this year for an initial metro line in Jakarta, running from Kota in the west of the city to Lebak Bulus in the south. It plans to allocate [yen]85bn from a Japanese loan to meet 85% of the...

Israel.(Metros)
March 1, 2006... Israel: Jerusalem tram concessionaire City Pass has received its first two US$30m loan instalments from the Leumi and Hapoalim banks. Under the financial agreements signed in January, the banks will provide City Pass with short-term loans...

Spain.(Metros)
March 1, 2006... Spain: To accommodate 700 new metro trainsets and 70 LRVs, Madrid Metro is to build six rolling stock maintenance depots at a cost of [euro]356m. Existing facilities at Cuatro Caminos and Laguna will be extended.

Switzerland.(Metros)
March 1, 2006... Switzerland: Services on Lausanne's 1-8 km rack metro were suspended on January 22 to allow the Ouchy-Flon line to be rebuilt with VAL technology, and extended to Les Croisettes by 2008.

United Kingdom.(Metros)
March 1, 2006... United Kingdom: Mowlem Railways has awarded Balfour Beatty Rail Signalling a [pounds sterling]1.4m contract to design and install signalling equipment at the Docklands Light Railway Beckton depot by September.

UAE.(Metros)
March 1, 2006... UAE: On February 14 Anwar Sger, director of the City of Arabia development, said that negotiations are underway with Bombardier and Malaysian firm Mtrans for a proposed 16 km light metro with 14 stations to link the development to the planned...

USA.(Metros)
March 1, 2006... USA: Los Angeles MTA began operating peak-hour express services on the Metro Gold Line on February 12, cutting 5 min from the Union Station-Pasadena journey by calling at only three intermediate stations. Emerald Mole began boring a 1.6 km...

Africa.(Finance)
March 1, 2006... Africa: On January 24 the World Bank approved three International Development Association Partial Risk Guarantees for up to US$45m and US$15m in support of the Joint Railway Concession in Kenya and Uganda, the first time IDA has provided PRGs...

Bosnia.(Finance)
March 1, 2006... Bosnia: EIB is providing a 20-year loan worth [euro]86m to meet half the costs of rehabilitating the Konjic-Mostar-Capljina and Josavka-Kostajnica lines. Design work will begin this year, with upgrading of the 172 route-km to be undertaken in...

Czech Republic.(Finance)
March 1, 2006... Czech Republic: The EU Cohesion Fund is to provide [euro]79.4m to meet 61% of the cost of modernising the Plzen-Stribro section of the Praha-Nurnberg route.

France.(Finance)
March 1, 2006... France: The RATP board has agreed to provide [euro]26m towards an increase in capital at Transdev, in which it holds a 25% stake.

Hungary.(Finance)
March 1, 2006... Hungary: The state's stake in GySEV was increased from 52.2% to 54.8% at the end of 2005. The Austrian state owns 38.6%, and OBB subsidiary Speditions Holding 6.6%.

Spain.(Finance)
March 1, 2006... Spain: Under an agreement approved by the cabinet on February 3, ADIF is to receive up to [euro]738.3m from central government in 2006 for the management and maintenance of the national network. Under the 2005-10 contract programme signed...

Chinese Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun confirmed in January that the government had decided to make the Beijing-Shanghai high speed line its 'first priority' in the 2006-10 expansion plan.(Pointers)
March 1, 2006... Chinese Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun confirmed in January that the government had decided to make the Beijing-Shanghai high speed line its 'first priority' in the 2006-10 expansion plan, which envisages investment of 1250bn yuan to build...