Railway Gazette International articles from March 2008

Railway Gazette International archives from March 2008

Helping business-led railways to share best practice.(COMMENT)
March 1, 2008... If there is one thing that we have learned during the past 20-year maelstrom of railway reform, restructuring, liberalisation, concessioning and privatisation, it is that today's railway managers need to keep a firm focus on the commercial...

Czech passenger reform.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... CZECH REPUBLIC: On January 9 the government approved in principle the Ministry of Transport's plans to hive off the passenger division of Czech Railways as a wholly-owned subsidiary company. The Ministry will complete detailed studies by the...

High speed reaches Barcelona.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... SPAIN: The completion of high speed infrastructure from Camp de Tarragona enabled Spanish national operator RENFE to increase the number of direct services between Madrid and Barcelona each day from seven to 17 each way on February 20. With...

Union Pacific boosts spending.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... USA: Union Pacific announced on February 1 that its board had approved a capital investment budget of $3.1bn for 2008. Of this, no less than $1.6bn will go on maintenance and upgrading of infrastructure, plus a further $840m to increase network...

IR invests.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... INDIA: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh officiated at a ceremony in Jhabua on February 8 to lay the foundation stone for two new railways serving the western part of Madhya Pradesh. Joined by the state's Governor Balram Jakhar and Chief...

Concession talks.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... ETHIOPIA: Chemin de fer Djibouti-Ethopien has begun talks with Kuwait-based Fuad Algarim Group with a view to awarding a 20-year concession to operate the 781 km metre gauge line linking Addis Abeba and the port of Djibouti. A previous...

Heavy haul developments.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... AUSTRALIA: Fortescue Metals subsidiary The Pilbara Infrastructure has lodged an application with Australia's National Competition Council seeking access to Rio Tinto's Robe River heavy haul line. TPI is seeking to operate trains over 210 km of...

Helsinki airport link.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... FINLAND: The cabinet is expected to give approval shortly for the planned Ring Rail Line which will provide a link between the capital's main station and Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Tenders will be called in mid-2009, with completion scheduled...

Alstom withdraws from IEP bidding.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... UK: Alstom will not submit a bid in the Intercity Express Programme competition to supply the next generation of inter-city train, the company has confirmed. A spokesman said Alstom 'follows a specific process in assessing potential...

KTZ announces wiring plan.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... KYRGYZSTAN: Work is to begin this year on the US$100m electrification of the 154 km main line linking the capital Bishkek with Lugovoy in Kazakhstan, KTZ Chief Executive Nariman Tuleev announced on January 31. Logovoy is on the route from...

More Spanish stock.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... ARGENTINA: Under the terms of a co-operation agreement signed in July 2004, the RENFE board has approved the sale of a further 416 locomotives and passenger vehicles to the government of Argentina for [euro]120m. During 2008, the Spanish...

Salt Lake City loco order.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... USA: Utah Transit Authority has ordered a further 10 MPXpress diesel locomotives from Wabtec's MotivePower subsidiary, the manufacturer announced on February 6. The locos will be built at MotivePower's plant at Boise in Idaho, for delivery...

Majors join forces for Mar del Plata bidding.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... ARGENTINA: Alstom and Siemens have joined forces to bid for the project to build a high speed line between Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata, where expressions of interest to prequalify for a turnkey contract were opened in the presence of...

Station rebuild funded.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... UK: Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly announced on February 12 that the Birmingham Gateway project to reconstruct the city's New Street station had obtained the funding needed to proceed. Work is planned to start in 2009 for completion by 2014....

Wagon builder revived.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... FRANCE: Wagon supplier Arbel Fauvet Rail expects to return to profit this year. Since acquisition by investment company IGF Care in January 2007, the renamed IGF Industries-AFR has reaped benefits from investment totalling [euro]20m. This...

Veolia buys Rail4chem.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... GERMANY: Rail4chem is to be sold to Veolia Cargo, the shareholders of the Essen-based private freight operator announced on February 20. Subject to regulatory approval, the transaction will be completed in the first half of 2008. The parties...

Short line upgrades.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... CANADA: Transport Canada and the government of Quebec announced on February 1 the award of grants to co-finance renewal and upgrading work on nine short line and regional railways over the next five years. The federal and provincial...

Trans-Asean progress.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... CAMBODIA: On February 18 the Asian Development Bank confirmed a US$42m loan to support the rehabilitation of the country's 603 km rail network as a part of the Trans-Asean Railway project. ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda joined Cambodian...

Saudi bidding hots up.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... SAUDI ARABIA: Four consortia have been invited to submit final bids this month for a 50-year BOT concession to design, build and operate the 444 km Western Railway high speed line linking Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah. Six of the seven groups that...

Pilbara Iron has taken delivery of 10 GE Transportation ES44DC Evolution diesel-electric locos, supplied to the Rio Tinto subsidiary through United Group Rail.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... Pilbara Iron has taken delivery of 10 GE Transportation ES44DC Evolution diesel-electric locos, supplied to the Rio Tinto subsidiary through United Group Rail. Built at GE's plant in Pennsylvania, they are fitted with GE's GEVO-12 engines...

Quebec shortline upgrade grants.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... Quebec shortline upgrade grants Canada Quebec Project Railway Length km grant C$m grant C$m cost C$m Charlevoix Railway 145 4.2 2.8 ...

Grade separation underway.(MAIN LINE)
March 1, 2008... Israel Railways is currently replacing 33 level crossings across its network. One of the most complex projects involves construction of a bridge to take the line between Na'an junction and Naha-Sorek over a busy motorway and the Sorek river....

Tshiuetin Rail Transportation of Canada.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Tshiuetin Rail Transportation of Canada is to receive up to C$12m of federal funds to continue passenger services providing the only surface transport between Sept-Iles and Schefferville in northern Quebec. The funding runs to the end of 2009.

Network Rail signed an agreement.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... On January 29 Network Rail signed an agreement granting freight operator First GBRf access to the British rail network from June 2008 until December 2016.

On January 24 Czech Railways began selling air tickets at selected major stations under the its CD Sky alliance with Slovak low-cost airline Sky Europe.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... On January 24 Czech Railways began selling air tickets at selected major stations under the its CD Sky alliance with Slovak low-cost airline Sky Europe. Passengers must also buy a rail ticket to get to Praha Ruzyne airport.

French local authorities have approved a 35-year concession award to SNC-Lavalin for the design, construction and operation of a 5.3 km rack railway to the summit of Puy-de-Dome at a cost of [euro]76.4m.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... French local authorities have approved a 35-year concession award to SNC-Lavalin for the design, construction and operation of a 5.3 km rack railway to the summit of Puy-de-Dome at a cost of [euro]76.4m. Due to open in June 2012, the line will...

President John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana has announced government commitments of US$90m towards railway rehabilitation.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... President John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana has announced government commitments of US$90m towards railway rehabilitation. Funds from the Canadian International Development Agency are to be used for feasibility studies into a railway linking the...

Hungarian freight forwarder Masped has received an operating licence for its subsidiary Masped Cargo Private Rail.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Hungarian freight forwarder Masped has received an operating licence for its subsidiary Masped Cargo Private Rail. Last October Masped signed a letter of intent to provide a Hungarian distribution hub for containers arriving at the Slovenian...

US Commonwealth of Virginia.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... The US Commonwealth of Virginia is to provide $40m towards a $57m project to upgrade 80 km of Norfolk Southern track between Manassas and Front Royal.

Kansas City Southern de Mexico is to spend more than US$200m on capital investment projects this year.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Kansas City Southern de Mexico is to spend more than US$200m on capital investment projects this year, including US$100m for capacity enhancement works and track renewals. The programme also envisages the purchase of 35 locos and 600 wagons.

Construction of a 53 km line between Yaiva and Solikamsk in Russia is expected to begin this month.(NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Construction of a 53 km line between Yaiva and Solikamsk in Russia is expected to begin this month. Opening is planned for 2009, with the 9bn roubles cost to be shared equally by the federal government, RZD and local industries.

Manchester and Blackpool get funding.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... UK: The Department for Transport has signed off the remaining government contribution to a [pounds sterling]102m upgrade of the Manchester Metrolink light rail network (RG 10.07 p649). The [pounds sterling]25.7m grant announced on February...

Dulles deal halted.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... USA: Federal funding is unlikely to be forthcoming for the 18.7 km first stage of the Washington Metro extension towards Dulles International Airport. Federal Transit Administrator James Simpson insisted there are 'an extraordinarily large...

SuperCap tests complete.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... GERMANY: Mannheim tram operator MVV and Bombardier have completed four years of trials with a Mitrac Energy Saver which uses double-layer capacitors to store regenerated braking energy (RG 7.06 p405). Long-term results showed that the...

Middle East plans.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... GULF: Ambitious proposals to build urban rail networks have been unveiled by authorities in Doha and Kuwait City. Both projects are intended to complement existing plans for a network of main lines and suburban routes across the Gulf states...

FGC completes upgrade.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... SPAIN: On February 9 Catalan regional operator FGC introduced a new timetable on its metre-gauge route to Martorell, Igualada and Manresa, having completed a [euro]264.7m programme of capacity enhancements to enable trains to operate every 5...

Metro network to double in S$20bn expansion.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... SINGAPORE: Transport Minister Raymond Lim has unveiled plans to double the size of the city-state's metro network over the next 12 years. The announcement follows a year-long review of Singapore's transport needs. Two new metro lines are...

Tunis electrification contract awarded.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... TUNISIA: National railway SNCFT has awarded a consortium of Alstom and Ansaldo STS a [euro]54m contract to electrify the 23 km metre-gauge Tunis Ville-Borj Cedria suburban line at 25 kV 50 Hz. Alstom has a [euro]36m share of the contract,...

BC proposes Vancouver transport plan.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... CANADA: The Premier of British Columbia Gordon Campbell announced a C$14bn transport plan which includes new metro, light rail and bus rapid transit lines on January 14. The biggest project is a 12 km SkyTrain light metro line running...

Cork commuter reinstatement.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... IRELAND: Transport Minister Noel Dempsey officially launched works to reinstate the disued Glounthaune-Midleton line on February 14. A DMU service to Cork will be introduced in early 2009, running half-hourly in the peaks and hourly off-peak as...

Bergen car order.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... NORWAY: The city of Bergen has signed a previously-announced [euro]35m contract ordering 12 Variobahn trams from Stadler Pankow, with an option for a further 20. Closure of the deal was confirmed on January 29 by Stadler, which will be...

Smart card difficulties.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... AUSTRALIA: Sydney's plans to introduce contactless ticketing have been dealt a severe blow after the New South Wales government terminated its contract with supplier ERG. The NSW government had pledged to deliver smart card ticketing by...

Branches on Canaries.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... SPAIN: Work is now underway on the two branches that will form Line 2 of the light rail network in the Spanish city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (RG 10.07 p597). Under a contract worth [euro]11.4m, a joint venture of Acciona Infraestructuras,...

Denver places $184m order.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... USA: Siemens announced its largest-ever US light rail vehicle contract on February 5, a $184m deal to supply 55 SD160 high-floor cars to Denver's Regional Transportation District. RTD has previously ordered a total of 95 LRVs from Siemens....

Sarmiento goes underground.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... ARGENTINA: With a bid of 3.38bn pesos, on January 23 a consortium of Iecsa, Odebrecht, Comsa and Ghella was named as the preferred bidder for the first phase of a project to place underground the 32.6 km section between Caballito and Moreno of...

Melbourne welcomes Mulhouse tram.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... Melbourne's Yarra Trams has leased five low-floor light rail vehicles from the French city of Mulhouse to increase capacity on its East Brunswick-St Kilda route. The first of the Alstom Citadis cars arrived at the Port of Melbourne on February...

Similar to trams now in service in Chemnitz and Sydney.(URBAN RAIL)
March 1, 2008... Similar to trams now in service in Chemnitz and Sydney, the bi-directional vehicles for Bergen will be 32.2 m long, with a floor height of 350 mm throughout.

Test running in fully-automated mode is taking place on a 6.1 km stretch of metro Line 3 in Nurnberg.(CITY NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Test running in fully-automated mode is taking place on a 6.1 km stretch of metro Line 3 in Nurnberg. Revenue operations are expected to begin in June, albeit to an interim timetable. Nurnberg will be the first metro system in the world to...

Construction of Line 1 of the Mumbai metro began on February 8, more than 18 months after the ceremonial laying of a foundation stone.(CITY NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Construction of Line 1 of the Mumbai metro began on February 8, more than 18 months after the ceremonial laying of a foundation stone. The 11 km Versova-Andheri-Ghatkoper route is being built under a 35-year BOT concession between Mumbai...

A 3 km automated peoplemover began operating in Perugia on January 29.(CITY NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... A 3 km automated peoplemover began operating in Perugia on January 29. The cable-hauled system, known as the Red Line because of the red guideway that supports it, serves seven stations. The fleet of 25 cars link Pian di Massiano and Pincetto...

On January 28 PESA Bydgoszcz formally handed over the first of 10 Type 122N trams ordered by Lodz operator MPK.(CITY NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... On January 28 PESA Bydgoszcz formally handed over the first of 10 Type 122N trams ordered by Lodz operator MPK. An onboard battery will enable the trams to run for up to 50 m without external power, allowing them to clear junctions in the event...

During January the Romanian city of Iasi took delivery of 31 metre-gauge trams bought second-hand from Stuttgart.(CITY NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... During January the Romanian city of Iasi took delivery of 31 metre-gauge trams bought second-hand from Stuttgart. The German city ceased metre-gauge tram operations in December, completing its conversion to standard gauge, apart from rack Line...

Metrovagonmash was awarded a contract.(CITY NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... On February 5 Metrovagonmash was awarded a contract to supply 5 additional three-car trainsets for the Kazan metro.

Santiago Metro has exercised an option for 36 cars under its contract with CAF.(CITY NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Santiago Metro has exercised an option for 36 cars under its contract with CAF (RG 11.07 p679), which is now to supply the Chilean capital with a total of 20 nine-car trainsets.

Ireland's Railway Procurement Agency has made a formal application for powers to build the Citywest extension of the Luas Red Line in Dublin.(CITY NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Ireland's Railway Procurement Agency has made a formal application for powers to build the Citywest extension of the Luas Red Line in Dublin. Developers will contribute through a PPP to the 4.2 km branch from Belgard to Saggart which is...

The National Economic & Development Authority of the Phillipines has agreed terms with Universal LRT Corp for the construction of the $1.12bn Manila MRT Line 7.(CITY NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... The National Economic & Development Authority of the Phillipines has agreed terms with Universal LRT Corp for the construction of the $1.12bn Manila MRT Line 7, which will run for 23 km from Tala station at San Jose del Monte in Bulacan to link...

CAF is to supply an additional eight six-car trainsets for Roma metro.(CITY NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... CAF is to supply an additional eight six-car trainsets for Roma metro, an option to a contract signed in 2002.

A one-station extension of Madrid metro Line 7 to Hospital de Henares opened on February 11.(CITY NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... A one-station extension of Madrid metro Line 7 to Hospital de Henares opened on February 11. The three-level station has 90 m long platforms located at a depth of 22 m below the surface.

Bursa Metropolitan Municipality has called tenders for the supply of 30 LRVs with options for 28 more.(CITY NEWS IN BRIEF)
March 1, 2008... Having secured EIB funding for Phase 2 of the BursaRay light rail network (RG 11.02 p707), Bursa Metropolitan Municipality has called tenders for the supply of 30 LRVs with options for 28 more. They must be compatible with the city's Siemens...

Brazil.(MARKET)
March 1, 2008... BRAZIL: IBRD has granted a US$44m loan to improve suburban rail services in Rio de Janeiro and encourage private-sector participation in operations and management.

Czech Republic.(MARKET)
March 1, 2008... CZECH REPUBLIC: CD has inaugurated a train washing and toilet emptying plant at Praha-Odstavne depot. The KC296m facility built by Tchas Ostrava includes a 93 m washer supplied by KMS, Follert and Roediger.

France.(MARKET)
March 1, 2008... FRANCE: On February 14 the management board of Syndicat des Transports d'Ile de France approved operations contracts with SNCF and RATP that specify service standards, funding and investment in 2008-11. STIF will pay SNCF [euro]6bn and RATP...

India.(MARKET)
March 1, 2008... INDIA: Kolkata Port Trust has appointed Rites to advise on increasing capacity on the rail networks serving the docks at Kolkata and Haldia.

Latvia.(MARKET)
March 1, 2008... LATVIA: On January 31 Affiliated Computer Services announced it had won a 13-year contract to supply Riga bus and tram operator Rigas Satiksme with a contactless smart card ticketing system.

Lithuania.(MARKET)
March 1, 2008... LITHUANIA: Nortel and local partner Belam are to supply a [euro]50.5m GSM-R package which will cover 88% of the LG network by 2010.

Poland.(MARKET)
March 1, 2008... POLAND: Warszawa-based independent rail freight company CTL Logistics has sold its 75% stake in CTL Car Transport Logistics to partner Gerald Binz, who jointly developed the business with CTL.

Spain.(MARKET)
March 1, 2008... SPAIN: Catalan regional operator FGC is to form a subsidiary to seek operating licences for the national network, which may include passenger operations. EWS subsidiary Euro Cargo Rail Spain is now able to apply for a safety certificate...

UK.(MARKET)
March 1, 2008... UK: The joint venture of Balfour Beatty and Carillion responsible for main works on Phase 1 of the rebuilding of the East London Line has awarded Thales a [pounds sterling]12.3m contract to supply fixed telecoms infrastructure.

USA.(MARKET)
March 1, 2008... USA: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has awarded Giesecke & Devrient a contract to supply 5 million CharlieCard smart card tickets over three years.

Argentina.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
March 1, 2008... ARGENTINA: The federal government has awarded Martinez y de la Fuente SA a contract worth 28.3m pesos to build a new broad-gauge connection to the Port of Buenos Aires, which by using the existing metre-gauge route should enable 300000...

China.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
March 1, 2008... CHINA: The Ministry of Railways has awarded HLS Systems International a US$19.9m contract to install and maintain ATP equipment on 200 km/h trains.

France.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
March 1, 2008... FRANCE: Tender documentation inviting bids for the PPP concession to build, maintain and operate the 300 km Tours-Bordeaux high speed line (RG 12.07 p745) was delivered to the three shortlisted consortia by RFF on February 14.

India.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
March 1, 2008... INDIA: Simplex Infrastructures has won a Rs4.1bn contract to build a 10.7 km viaduct for the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar elevated metro line now under construction in Mumbai (p127).

Ireland.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
March 1, 2008... IRELAND: The government is to proceed with the planned 5.2 km Interconnector rail tunnel under central Dublin using a PPP model rather than as a project of state transport holding group C6ras Iompair Eireann (RG 6.06 p310).

Israel.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
March 1, 2008... ISRAEL: ISR has awarded Harsco Track Technologies a multi-year rail-grinding contract. Equipment will arrive from the USA next month.

Lithuania.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
March 1, 2008... LITHUANIA: On February 8 LG awarded DB International a [euro]7.1m contract to provide technical assistance for the modernisation of the Vilnius-Kaunas line. Planned 160 km/h running will cut journey times to 50 min. A second agreement with DB...

Poland.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
March 1, 2008... POLAND: PKP PLK has awarded a consortium of Arcadis and Koltech a [euro]4.4m contract to supervise a [euro]300m upgrade of the 65 km Warszawa-Nasielsk section of the route from the capital to Gdynia. Passenger train speeds will be raised to 200...

Spain.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
March 1, 2008... SPAIN: The Ministry of Development has called tenders for electrification at 25 kV 50 Hz of a 75.6 km section of line from Padron to A Coruna forming part of the 155.6 km Vigo-A Coruna high speed corridor. Transport infrastructure funding...

Sri Lanka.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
March 1, 2008... SRI LANKA: Chevron Lubricants Lanka is to pay for a Rs7m modernisation of Kandy station from its social responsibility fund.

Switzerland.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
March 1, 2008... SWITZERLAND: Zurich transport authority ZW has allocated SFr2m towards the cost of capacity improvements on the city's S-Bahn network

USA.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
March 1, 2008... USA: Mid Region Council of Governments has awarded a joint venture of Twin Mountain Construction and Herzog Contracting a $17.5m contract to upgrade 7 km of Santa Fe Southern track for a $250m extension of the Rail Runner Express commuter...

Angola.(ROLLING STOCK)
March 1, 2008... ANGOLA: Through Rites India's Integral Coach Factory has supplied two 1067 mm gauge six-car DMUs, and three self-propelled accident response vehicles.

Australia.(ROLLING STOCK)
March 1, 2008... AUSTRALIA: In January Fortescue Metals placed an order for a further 160 iron ore wagons with China South. 816 were supplied under a previous order.

Austria.(ROLLING STOCK)
March 1, 2008... AUSTRIA: Wiener Lokalbahnen has taken up a [euro]13m option for a further four Bombardier low-floor LRVs for the Wien-Baden line.