Railway Gazette International articles from September 2005

Railway Gazette International archives from September 2005

No away games if you always win at home.(COMMENT)
September 1, 2005... COMPANIES enjoying a monopoly of local public transport in their home markets should not be allowed to operate services elsewhere. Such is the latest transport policy suggestion from the European Commission, which put forward the idea on July...

ETCS delays threaten HSL-Zuid.(COMMENT)
September 1, 2005... WHAT TYPE of train, we wonder, will Dutch operator High Speed Alliance use on the HSL-Zuid high speed line when it opens in April 2007? Or will the line open at all on that date? The reason we ask is an acknowledgement by HSA last month...

African projects deserve support.(COMMENT)
September 1, 2005... CONSULTANTS are to be briefed shortly on the requirements for a feasibility study into a new railway linking Kasese in Uganda with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and eventually Zambia (RG 9.04 p507). The scheme, which would...

Shadow running boosts Swiss confidence in Level 2.(COMMENT)
September 1, 2005... THE RACE is on for the first route to carry passengers in regular service using ETCS Level 2. Strictly speaking, this milestone has already passed as Swiss Federal Railways operated a pilot Level 2 system on its Olten-Luzern line in 2002-03,...

Sibelit enters rail freight arena.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... PLANS to launch an international joint venture to improve the competitiveness of rail freight in the Antwerpen-Basel-Milano corridor were unveiled by four European national railways in August. Fret SNCF, B-Cargo, CFL and SBB Cargo agreed in...

Saudi Railways Organisation.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... Saudi Railways Organisation has introduced a double-stack container service between Dammam and Riyadh, using a fleet of 200 wagons acquired from Freightcar America for 52m riyals. The first 70-wagon train conveying 280 TEUs was dispatched from...

Puerto Montt refurbishment progress.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... PRESIDENT OF CHILE Ricardo Lagos joined EFE President Luis Ajenjo and Mayor Maria Angelica Astudillo on August 5 to reopen the station at La Union. This is the first station to be refurbished under a 2.7bn pesos programme being undertaken...

Nurnberg-Ingolstadt.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... DB Chairman Hartmut Mehdorn announced on August 12 that the Nurnberg-Ingolstadt high speed line will be opened for service in May 2006, although it will not be fully integrated into the national network until the European timetable change in...

Botswana signs resignalling deal.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... CONTRACTS were signed in Gabarone on August 3 for resignalling of the Botswana Railways network. Ansaldo Signal subsidiary Union Switch & Signal has been selected to provide computer-based Direct Traffic Control to replace the now-obsolete...

RFF of France and ADIF of Spain.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... On July 26 infrastructure managers RFF of France and ADIF of Spain launched a joint venture to study improvements on the international rail corridor between Vitoria and Dax, including capacity enhancement at the Hendaye-Irun border crossing....

CSX budget boost.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... ON AUGUST 11 CSX unveiled plans to expand capacity on its main lines between Chicago and Florida and between Albany and New York City. Rising demand has prompted CSX to increase its investment programme, and capital expenditure in each of...

Iran-Iraq links.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... FEASIBILITY and cost studies for two rail links between Iran and Iraq are due to be completed next year, according to Iranian Islamic Republic Railways. RAI confirmed in July that technical design is underway for a 700 m bridge across the...

Australian Transport & Energy Corridor Ltd.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... Australian Transport & Energy Corridor Ltd has appointed Barclay Mowlem to help develop a business case over the next six months for construction of the planned 220 km Dawson Valley Railway linking Queensland's Surat coal basin with the port of...

Freight operators shop for power.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... AS IT LOOKS to enter the Spanish freight market (RG 8.05 p466), Comsa Rail Transport has acquired two 1 500 kW G 1700 BB diesel-hydraulic locomotives from Vossloh, together with two sets of bogies for each loco to permit operation on 1 668 mm...

Faster from Moscow to Kyiv.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... FOUR HOURS were cut from overnight journeys between the Russian and Ukrainian capitals with the launch of the Metropolitan Express on August 1. 'It is less than a year since Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement to launch a high speed...

High speed contracts awarded.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... CONTRACTS WORTH a total of [euro]232.9m have been awarded for civil works on four sections of the Madrid-Valencia high speed line between Motilla del Palancar and Valencia, involving the construction of 46.3 km of new infrastructure. Bids...

JR Central.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... JR Central's 270 km/h prototype N700 Shinkansen trainset (RG 10.04 p678) made its first test run from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka at 10.00 on July 24.

Tunnel to cut gradients.(NEWS)
September 1, 2005... RUSSIA's Far Eastern Railway has approved a 15bn rouble programme to improve capacity on the line from Komsomolsk-na-Amur to the Pacific ports of Vanino and Sovetskaya Gavan. To be completed over the next six years, the work will include...

Vancouver contract signed.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... CONSTRUCTION of a 19 km automated light metro from Vancouver to Richmond and Vancouver Airport is expected to start this month. Completion is scheduled for the end of 2009, ready for Vancouver to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. On August 2,...

Wildenrath.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... Now on test at Wildenrath is the first of 24 GT8N low-floor trams that Siemens is supplying to the MTS network linking Almeida and Seixal in Portugal. The 2 650 mm wide four-section cars are 36.4 m long. The bidirectional steel-bodied cars ride...

Out to consultation.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... THE ANDALUCIA regional government's Department of Public Works & Transport has published for consultation a revised alignment for the second section of metro Line 1 in Sevilla. Running for 4.3 km from Guadaira to Los Quintos southeast of...

Utah Transit Authority.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... Utah Transit Authority began public consultation on August 5 for a 16 km branch diverging from Salt Lake City's TRAX light rail network at Midvale, north of Sandy. Following an existing UP freight line southwest to serve Mid-Jordan and...

TEA-LU passes.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... A SIX-YEAR bill to fund US transport investment projects was approved by Congress on July 29 in the final session before the annual August recess. With lawmakers repeatedly unable to agree on a new measure, a series of 11 temporary...

Kowloon Southern Link underway.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... THREE contracts for construction of the Kowloon Southern Link were awarded by KCRC on August 1 at a cost of HK$3.1bn. Authorised by the Hong Kong government on June 24, the 3.8 km KSL forms an extension of West Rail from Nam Cheong to East...

Alstom and CAF.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... Alstom and CAF have submitted revised tenders for the Valle de Mexico suburban rail project between Buenavista and Cuautitlan (RG 8.05 p464). With technical bids opened on August 11 and financial bids six days later, the Ministry of...

Suburban renewal.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... THE INDONESIAN government expected to sign last month a memorandum of understanding for modernisation and operation of the Jakarta suburban network. Transport Minister Hatta Radjsasa announced on July 20 that South Korean engineering...

Korea Rail Research Institute.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... Korea Rail Research Institute has opened a 2.3 km 'light rail' test track at Kyungsang, as part of a US$50m programme to develop automated light metro technology. KRRI expects the technology to be suitable for small and medium-sized cities such...

Vnukovo airport branch opens.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... RUSSIA's first underground airport station was officially opened on August 7, when trains began running into Moscow's Vnukovo Airport. RZD has been running a shuttle service from the capital's Kievskaya station since August 2004, using 33...

Jerusalem concession signed.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... A SIGNING ceremony was held at the offices of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on July 17 to mark financial close for the 28-year concession to build the Jerusalem light rail network. Transport Minister Meir Shitrit and the then Finance...

A consortium of Siemens, Bombardier and Garza Ponce.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... A consortium of Siemens, Bombardier and Garza Ponce has been awarded a US$244m contract to build an 8.7 km extension of Metrorrey light rail Line 2 in the Mexican city of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. Serving the suburbs of San Nicolas and Escobedo,...

Hamburger Hochbahn AG.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... Hamburger Hochbahn AG has called bids by October for a new generation of metro trainsets, designated DT5, with the aim of having a prototype in service by 2009. HHA plans to invest [euro]300m in a fleet of 75 DT5s to replace its existing DT3...

Madrid's cross-city tunnel makes progress.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... ON JULY 27 work was completed on a 4.5 km tunnel between Atocha and Nuevos Ministerios in Madrid. The bore forms part of the new 7.5 km cross-city tunnel between Atocha and Chamartin that is being built at a cost of [euro]320m to...

Transperth opens Thornlie Spur.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... A FIFTH suburban rail service in Perth was introduced on August 7, when Western Australia's Premier Geoff Gallop inaugurated the Thornlie Spur. The A$75m branch serves a new bus/rail interchange with park-and-ride facilities for 450 cars....

NJT eyes cross-Hudson expansion.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... PROPOSALS for a new $6bn rail tunnel under the Hudson River were approved by the New Jersey Transit board of directors on July 27. Starting from Secaucus, the tunnel would run south of the existing tubes to a new terminus below Macy's...

Argentina.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... Argentina: Under a contract worth 29m pesos, Vialmani has begun work to lower and cover over the first section of TBA's 11 km Once-Liniers route in Buenos Aires. Work between Billinghurst and Medrano streets is expected to take 24 months.

Austria.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... Austria: On August 1 AlpineMayreder and Grund-Pfahl & Sonderbau began construction of 3.2 km of tunnel in Stans as part of the fifth section of the Lower Inn valley line (RG 4.04 p221). The work is to be completed by 2010 at a cost of...

Bolivia.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... Bolivia: As part of its US$6m infrastructure investment programme for 2005, Eastern Railway has replaced three bridges with a combined length of 72 m at Santa Ana, Candelaria and Tiguipa. A new station building has also been completed at Puerto...

Chile.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... Chile: FCAB has taken delivery of 14 diesel-electric locomotives formerly operated by STF of Colombia. The FCAB fleet also includes motive power formerly operated by Queensland Rail of Australia.

Czech Republic.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... Czech Republic: In July 20 one of CD's Pendolino trainsets went to Germany to undertake commissioning tests at up to 220 km/h on the 15 kV AC lines from Augsburg to Donauworth and Dinkel-scherben and between Wurzburg and Fulda. CD has taken...

Ethiopia.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... Ethiopia: On July 27 the government sent draft concession agreements to RITES and Comazar, the two bidders shortlisted to operate the Ethio-Djibouti Railway.

Europe.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... Europe: Bohemiankombi and Kombiverkehr are planning to introduce a twice-weekly container and swapbody service between Lovosice and Duisburg next month. Dutch drivers working for Railion will start their first regular workings into Germany...

TZV Gredelj.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... On July 28 TZV Gredelj delivered to Italian operator FNM the first of three former Croatian Railways Class 1061 locomotives which it is modernising at its Zagreb plant. After being rewired and fitted with new cabs, the locos are being tested...

Hamburg S-Bahn.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... The first of nine Class 474.3 dual-system EMUs for the Hamburg S-Bahn was delivered by Alstom on July 19, under a contract which includes converting the existing Class 474 sets to take power at 15 kV 16 2/3 Hz as well as from the 1.2 kV DC...

France.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... France: Connex subsidiary CFTA Cargo and Bayerische CargoBahn have won a three-year contract worth [euro]3m from Norske Skog to move paper rolls 200 km from Golbey to Offenburg, 20 km across the border in Germany. From October four trains will...

Italy.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... Italy: Trenitalia has increased its stake in TX Logistik AG from 15% to 51%, with the aim of strengthening the Italian operator's position in Germany and Europe.

Japan.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... Japan: By the end of March 2006 a total of 2 865 automatic train stops will be installed by 49 operators at sharp curves with speed restrictions, the Ministry of Transport announced on August 2.

Mozambique.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... Mozambique: On July 22 CFM resumed daily operation of passenger trains in the greater Maputo area on an experimental basis. A commuter service runs for 20 km from the capital to Matola and back in the early morning and evening. A similar...

Spain.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... Spain: FGC has signed an agreement with Seat that will see new cars moving by rail from Martorell to the Port of Barcelona from the end of 2006. A total of [euro]4.5m is to be invested, including construction by FGC of a new siding into the...

Swaziland.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... Swaziland: At a ceremony to mark the completion of modernisation work on the Phuzumoya-Matsapha route, SR announced plans to purchase its own locomotives rather than continue to lease traction from Spoornet.

Syria.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... Syria: On July 7 Hedjaz-Syrian Railway announced the award of a US$54m contract to a Lebanese firm for the construction of a rail link to Damascus International Airport.

USA.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... USA: CSX Transportation has agreed to lease 200 km of track between Evansville, Indiana, and Okawville, Illinois, to Paducah & Louisville Railway Inc which plans to create a short line subsidiary to operate the route. The 20-year lease has an...

Germany.(Finance)
September 1, 2005... Germany: 15 local authorities signed an agreement on July 28 to provide [euro]7.8m towards extending Stuttgart S-Bahn Line S1 from Plochingen to Kirchheim. The Land will provide [euro]16.4m and the city [euro]12.3m; opening is planned for...

Japan.(Finance)
September 1, 2005... Japan: The government announced the sale of 600 000 shares in JR Central (RG 8.05 p466) at a 2.1% discount on the July 25 closing price, valuing the offer at US$4.7bn.

Namibia.(Finance)
September 1, 2005... Namibia: TransNamib is to obtain a 25-year loan worth N$204m from the Export-Import Bank of China to buy 16 diesel locos and 60 tank wagons, overhaul existing wagons, and refurbish its 47 GE locos at a rate of four per year. TransNamib also...

Spain.(Finance)
September 1, 2005... Spain: Under the terms of an agreement signed with the Ministry of Development and the Treasury, a budget of [euro]602.1m haa been set for ADIF until December 31 2005. Of the total, [euro]436.6m is to be spent on maintaining the national...

United Kingdom.(Finance)
September 1, 2005... United Kingdom: On August 18 the Scottish Executive confirmed [pounds sterling]27.6m of funding towards reinstatement of the 21 km Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine route. This will carry passenger services to Alloa and freight trains to Longannet...

USA.(Finance)
September 1, 2005... USA: The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded Los Angeles commuter operator MetroLink a $250 000 grant to evaluate whether it is possible to eliminate 49 level crossings on its 42 km Antelope Valley and 52 km Ventura County lines.

Australia.(Market)
September 1, 2005... Australia: As part of BHP Billiton's US$575m Rapid Growth Project 2 to expand the capacity of its Pilbara iron ore operations from 110 million tonnes per annum to 118 million tonnes by the end of 2006, Barclay Mowlem's Rail Group will extend...

Austria.(Market)
September 1, 2005... Austria: Bombardier and Elin EBG Traction have received a [euro]237m order from OBB for a further 60 four-car Talent EMUs, to be delivered between January 2007 and mid-2008 for use on Wien S-Bahn services and regional routes throughout the...

Czech Republic.(Market)
September 1, 2005... Czech Republic: A consortium led by Skanska has been awarded a KC2.1bn contract to rebuild a 6 km section of the Decin-Praha route to permit speeds of up to 120 km/h by October 2008.

Denmark.(Market)
September 1, 2005... Denmark: Danish State Railways has signed a [euro]55m contract for Bombardier to supply 380 diesel traction modules for the Flexliner DMUs which entered service in 1989-97.

Estonia.(Market)
September 1, 2005... Estonia: Riigi Kinnisvara has won an Estonian Railways contract for the [euro]46m modernisation of railway facilities at the Koidula border with Russia. EU funding is being sought for the scheme, as part of an upgrade of the rail corridor from...

France.(Market)
September 1, 2005... France: SNCF has exercised options worth [euro]550m with Alstom for further TGV vehicles. 24 complete Duplex trainsets and four sets without power cars have been ordered for TGV Mediterranee under a contract agreed in October 2000. Eight more...

Germany.(Market)
September 1, 2005... Germany: Hessische Landesbahn has ordered six Desiro Classic two-car DMUs from Siemens for [euro]15m, to be delivered by December.

India.(Market)
September 1, 2005... India: Hindustan Construction Co has won a Rs2.2bn contract from Ircon International to construct the Pir Panjal tunnel between Laole and Quazigund. The tunnel forms part of a 120 km rail link between Udhampur and Baramulla in Kashmir.

Iran.(Market)
September 1, 2005... Iran: RAI has purchased one four-car and four five-car RTG Turbotrain sets from SNCF.

Israel.(Market)
September 1, 2005... Israel: Following a recent series of level crossing accidents, ISR has appointed consultancy Touchstone Renard to review its safety systems and benchmark them against international standards.

Lithuania.(Market)
September 1, 2005... Lithuania: LG has awarded Siemens a [euro]120m contract to supply 34 diesel-electric locos, with an option for a further 10. The six-axle DE20 locos based on the Euro-runner design will be delivered from the supplier's Munchen plant between...

Netherlands.(Market)
September 1, 2005... Netherlands: Arriva NoordNed has awarded Voith Industrial services a 13 1/2 year contract worth [euro]40m to maintain its rolling stock from October 2006. A workshop will be established in Leeuwarden.

Russia.(Market)
September 1, 2005... Russia: The postal service has placed an order with Vagonmash for over 900 vehicles for mail traffic, which will allow containerised mail to be transported in passenger trains. Deliveries will run to 2014.

Sweden.(Market)
September 1, 2005... Sweden: Banverket has awarded Carillion Rail an SKr86m contract running for five years from July 1 2006 to provide inspection, rapid response, winter precautions and preventative maintenance on the Stockholm-Vasteras Malarbanan.

Lirex EMUs.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2005... The first of 55 X60 low-floor Lirex EMUs being supplied by Alstom LHB was officially launched by Storstockholms Lokaltrafik CEO Lennart Jangalv on August 13. With four six-car units now delivered, the X60s entered passenger service in the...

Minister of Public Works & Transport Randall Quiros.(Pointers)
September 1, 2005... Minister of Public Works & Transport Randall Quiros announced last month that the government of Costa Rica is planning to reactivate the country's rail network to carry freight as part of a programme to save fuel. Trial movements had been...

Trinidad.(Pointers)
September 1, 2005... To relieve growing road congestion, the government of Trinidad is considering restoring rail services on the island, where the entire network was abandoned in the 1960s. Transport Minister Colm Imbert hopes to invite proposals this year for the...

Trans-Kazakhstan.(Pointers)
September 1, 2005... KTZ President Yerlan Atamkulov confirmed last month that construction of the first section of the standard-gauge Trans-Kazakhstan Railway between Dostyk and Aktogai will start in 2006 for completion by the end of 2007, lifting capacity on the...

South Korea.(Pointers)
September 1, 2005... South Korea's Unification Ministry announced on August 3 that agreement had been reached with North Korea to reopen road and rail links across the Demilitarised Zone at the end of October.

Pakistan.(Pointers)
September 1, 2005... Pakistan Railways operated a test train at 142 km/h over the 40 km between Shershah and Shujabad on August 1, as part of a trial for faster inter-city operation once the Rs3.1bn double-tracking of the 121 km Lodhran-Khanewal line is completed...

Brazil.(Pointers)
September 1, 2005... Brazil's Ferrovia Tereza Cristina is developing plans to build a 236 km coastal railway linking the four main ports in Santa Catarina province: Laguna, Imbituba, Itajai and Sao Francisco do Sul.

Montreal.(Pointers)
September 1, 2005... Montreal transport authority AMT is developing proposals for commuter trains to Pointe-aux-Trembles, Riviere-des-Prairies and Repentigny, serving the eastern end of Montreal Island. If the C$92m project is approved by Quebec Transport Minister...

El Salvador and Guatemala.(Pointers)
September 1, 2005... Increased shipping costs through the Panama Canal have prompted the governments of El Salvador and Guatemala to consider a trans-isthmian landbridge service between the Caribbean port of Santo Tomas de Castilla and Acajutla. It would take 30...

Peru.(Pointers)
September 1, 2005... Spain has agreed to lend US$18m towards a $27m project to upgrade the 914 mm gauge Huancayo-Huancavelica route in Peru, for which FEVE has been providing technical assistance.

Switzerland.(Market)
September 1, 2005... Switzerland: Last month SBB Cargo took delivery from Siemens of 12 Class Re474 multi-system electric locos worth SFr66m for use on cross-border services into Italy.

United Kingdom.(Market)
September 1, 2005... United Kingdom: On August 2 Atos Origin announced the signing of a master agreement worth [pounds sterling]48m over five years to provide IT services to Network Rail. It will operate planning systems used to compile timetables and monitor train...

Canada.(Metros)
September 1, 2005... Canada: On July 17 Ottawa city council approved an environmental assessment of the proposed 31 km north-south light rail route from the Rideau Centre to Barrhaven. Bids for the C$675m project could be submitted next year for opening in 2009.