Railway Gazette International articles from September 2007

Railway Gazette International archives from September 2007

Safety approach will be vital to cross-acceptance strategy.(COMMENT)
September 1, 2007... WE HAVE long argued that true interoperability between railways in Europe must be about more than the introduction of common technical standards. Issues such as compatible safety regimes, train crew standards and possibly even the airline-style...

Rolling stock spending spree.(COMMENT)
September 1, 2007... WHILE POLITICIANS debate its future status, Deutsche Bahn AG is anxious to ensure that its passenger fleet is fit to meet the demands of tomorrow's customers. Important decisions are pending as preparations are made to place contracts worth...

Road charging to fund growth.(COMMENT)
September 1, 2007... ON AUGUST 14 the US Department of Transportation announced that five cities had been selected as 'Urban Partners' to receive federal funding towards local initiatives to tackle rising traffic congestion. Transportation Secretary Mary...

Shinkansen speed ambitions scaled back.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... EAST JAPAN Railway has dropped plans to run Shinkansen services at 360 km/h, at least in the short term. Following completion of trials with two experimental Fastech 360 trainsets (RG 5.06 p262), the company announced on July 27 that it...

Hybrid train enters service.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... JR EAST has begun commercial operations with its Kiha E200 hybrid diesel-battery railcars, putting them into service following a ceremony at Nakagomi on July 31 (RG 7.07 p428). The 100 km/h trains will operate nine 79 km single trips a day...

Armenia starts concessioning.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... THE GOVERNMENT of Armenia has invited prequalification bids for a 30-year concession to modernise and operate the country's rail network, with an option for a further 20-year extension. Minister of Transport & Communications Andranikl...

Ghana revival starts as concessions are signed.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... RECONSTRUCTION and expansion of the rail network in Ghana is expected to get underway before the end of this year, following the award of two 35-year concessions covering the country's Western and Eastern corridors. Transport Minister...

Restructured Transnet to spend.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... INVESTMENT totalling R78bn over the next five years was announced by Maria Ramos, CEO of South Africa's state-owned transport holding group Transnet, on July 23. The money is intended 'to expand the capacity of our ports, rail freight and...

An 8.3 MW gas turbine locomotive which is currently undergoing trials was displayed at the opening of Russian Railways' Innovation Development Centre at Moscow's Riga station last month.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... An 8.3 MW gas turbine locomotive which is currently undergoing trials was displayed at the opening of Russian Railways' Innovation Development Centre at Moscow's Riga station last month. The 300 tonne twin-section GTI-001 loco built by the...

Georgian Railways concession announced.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... ECONOMIC Development Minister Giorgi Arveladze announced on August 16 that the cabinet had approved the transfer of Georgian Railways from the government to UK-based Parkfield Investments Ltd. The concession period was originally announced...

SBB lifts ETCS speed limit.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... UP TO 180 trains a day are now running at 200 km/h on Swiss metals thanks to the introduction of cab signalling with ETCS Level 2 on the new line between Mattstetten and Rothrist. Swiss Federal Railways had intended to operate at 200 km/h...

CD Cargo to split.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... ON JULY 25 the Czech cabinet approved plans to hive off CD's freight business as an independent subsidiary CD Cargo. Target date for the split is April 1 2008, subject to the legislation being passed by parliament in November. The move...

Mendoza bids.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... THE ARGENTINIAN government has invited bids for a turnkey contract to build a high speed line between Buenos Aires and Mendoza, currently 1058 km by rail from the capital. As with the route to Cordoba where the Veloxia consortium has been...

Siemens.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... Siemens announced on August 14 that it had signed a [euro]334m contract to supply CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co with components for 500 heavy haul electric locos to be assembled in China. Due to enter service with Chinese Railways from...

National Express wins East Coast.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... ON AUGUST 14 the UK Department for Transport announced that National Express Group had been selected to operate the InterCity East Coast franchise, which runs to March 31 2015. From December 9 NEG will take over from GNER, which agreed last...

Return of the mountain train.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... ARGENTINA's Transport Secretary Ricardo Jaime visited the city of Cordoba on August 12 to formally open the first stage of a project to restore passenger services over the 144 km metre-gauge route to Cruz del Eje. Aimed primarily at the...

Cadiz progress.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... TWO new double-track sections on the Sevilla-Cadiz route were officially brought into service on July 27 in the presence of Spanish Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez. In addition to track doubling, under a [euro]700m project level...

Midi-Pyrenees renewal plan.(NEWS)
September 1, 2007... RFF President Hubert du Mesnil joined his SNCF counterpart Anne-Marie Idrac in Toulouse on July 25 to sign a rail plan for the Midi-Pyrenees region which will see [euro]820m spent on track renewals and capacity enhancements for TER services in...

Commuter rail authority Metra is seeking federal funding for a $441m project to boost capacity on the 71 km UP West corridor between Chicago and Elburn, including double-tracking, resignalling and junction remodelling.(News in Brief)
September 1, 2007... Commuter rail authority Metra is seeking federal funding for a $441m project to boost capacity on the 71 km UP West corridor between Chicago and Elburn, including double-tracking, resignalling and junction remodelling. Engineering design is to...

Under a 15-year co-operation agreement, China Railway Signalling & Communications Corp has awarded a US$91m contract to Bombardier for supply of ETCS Level 2 train control equipment for the 980 km Wuhan-Guangzhou Passenger Dedicated Line.(News in Brief)
September 1, 2007... Under a 15-year co-operation agreement, China Railway Signalling & Communications Corp has awarded a US$91m contract to Bombardier for supply of ETCS Level 2 train control equipment for the 980 km Wuhan-Guangzhou Passenger Dedicated Line, which...

Mauritanian Transport Minister Ahmed Ould Mohameden signed an agreement on August 3 with China's Transtech Engineering, Sudan's Danfodio Holding and local investors for construction of a 430 km railway linking phosphate deposits at Bofal with the capital Nouakchott at a cost of US$635m.(News in Brief)
September 1, 2007... Mauritanian Transport Minister Ahmed Ould Mohameden signed an agreement on August 3 with China's Transtech Engineering, Sudan's Danfodio Holding and local investors for construction of a 430 km railway linking phosphate deposits at Bofal with...

The agreement under which DB AG will take a majority stake in Spanish rail freight company Transfesa (RG 8.07 p463) was formally signed on July 26.(News in Brief)
September 1, 2007... The agreement under which DB AG will take a majority stake in Spanish rail freight company Transfesa (RG 8.07 p463) was formally signed on July 26. DB Logistics expects the deal to strengthen rail freight's competitive position in southwest...

On August 13 DB placed a contract worth over [euro]1m for environmental studies for the planned 85 km Neubaustrecke linking Frankfurt and Mannheim.(News in Brief)
September 1, 2007... On August 13 DB placed a contract worth over [euro]1m for environmental studies for the planned 85 km Neubaustrecke linking Frankfurt and Mannheim. A contract for technical route studies for the 300 km/h alignment is to follow shortly so that...

Belarusian Railways Director-General Vladimir Zherelo announced on August 1 that the north-south main line connecting the Black Sea with the Baltic states would be electrified throughout by 2012.(News in Brief)
September 1, 2007... Belarusian Railways Director-General Vladimir Zherelo announced on August 1 that the north-south main line connecting the Black Sea with the Baltic states would be electrified throughout by 2012. The 25 kV 50 Hz wires will be extended from...

Line 3 funded.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2007... CHAIRMAN of Tehran Urban & Suburban Railway Co Mohsen Hashemi signed an agreement covering the financing of Tehran Metro Line 3 with the Bank of Industry & Mines on July 25. The bank will provide US$100m to permit work to begin this year on...

On August 21, a tunnel boring machine broke through a shaft wall at the site of the future station at Triangeln in Malmo.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2007... On August 21, a tunnel boring machine broke through a shaft wall at the site of the future station at Triangeln in Malmo. The breakthrough marks a significant milestone in the 17 km Citytunneln project to connect the Oresund fixed link with...

Ufa rehabilitation.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2007... INEKON Group is to invest in track, level crossing and vehicle upgrades for the tram network in the Russian city of Ufa. Under a contract worth [euro]2.2m, four Type T3M trams with Cegelec IGBT-based traction equipment are to be delivered...

Shanghai Line 2 to link the airports.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2007... WORK started on July 25 on the extension of Shanghai Metro's Line 2 from Long Yang Road to Pudong International Airport. Long Yang Road is at present the penultimate station on Line 2 at its eastern end, where an interchange already exists...

The first Piccadilly Line train reached Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow Airport on July 26 as the extension was handed over to London Underground by Balfour Beatty.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2007... The first Piccadilly Line train reached Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow Airport on July 26 as the extension was handed over to London Underground by Balfour Beatty. Terminal 5 is due to open in March 2008, by which time an extension to the...

Madrid's next plan underway.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2007... TENDERING IS NOW underway for projects contained in Madrid's 2007-11 transport infrastructure plan, which was approved by the cabinet of the regional government on August 2 with a total budget of [euro]2.23bn. The metro network is to grow...

Denver backs commuter EMUs.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2007... A UNANIMOUS vote by the board of Denver's Regional Transit District on July 24 paves the way for electric multiple-units to be procured to operate the proposed East Corridor and Gold Line commuter rail routes. Diesel traction had also been...

On July 30 BVG put into service the first of a production build of 20 small-profile U-Bahn trainsets on Line U2 in Berlin.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2007... On July 30 BVG put into service the first of a production build of 20 small-profile U-Bahn trainsets on Line U2 in Berlin. Supplied by Bombardier, the HK06 units follow an initial prototype batch of four Series HK sets delivered in 2001. BVG...

Strasbourg network grows.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2007... THE FIRST extensions to open under Strasbourg's 2007-08 light rail expansion programme (RG 4.06 p202) were due to carry their first passengers on August 25. Line C was due to grow by 5 km from Esplanade to Neuhof Rodolphe Reuss, sharing...

Stockholm invites tram bids.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2007... STORSTOCKHOLMS Localtrafik has called for expressions of interest in a concession to extend, operate and maintain the Djurgarden tram line. The project will see part of the current heritage tramway to Djurgarden expanded into a...

Lok Ma Chau branch opens.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2007... OFFICIALS from Hong Kong and Shenzhen, including Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen and Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp Chairman Michael Tien Puk-sun, participated in the celebrations on August 15 to mark the opening of KCRC's 7.4 km East Rail...

Kwun Tong line to reach Whampoa.(CITY NEWS)
September 1, 2007... REVISED proposals for the HK$33bn Sha Tin-Hong Kong Central Link have been put forward by MTR Corp and KCRC under which the Kwun Tong line, currently operated by MTR, is to be extended to Whampoa. KCRC was chosen to build and operate the...

The New York MTA board has voted to exercise an option for 620 R160 metro cars under a contract signed in July 2002 worth $1.12bn.(City News in Brief)
September 1, 2007... The New York MTA board has voted to exercise an option for 620 R160 metro cars under a contract signed in July 2002 worth $1.12bn. Alstom is to build 360 of the vehicles, with Kawasaki responsible for the remainder. All 620 bodyshells are to be...

Consultation has started on a further feasibility study for a light rail route to connect Macau's casinos with the airport and ferry terminal.(City News in Brief)
September 1, 2007... Consultation has started on a further feasibility study for a light rail route to connect Macau's casinos with the airport and ferry terminal. The 20 km line would run on a mostly elevated formation along the peninsula and out to Taipa Island....

A $115m trackwork contract has been awarded.(City News in Brief)
September 1, 2007... A $115m trackwork contract has been awarded to a joint venture of Twin Mountain Construction Co and Herzog Group for the Rail Runner Express commuter rail extension from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. Existing BNSF track from the Rail Runner station...

Kawasaki Heavy Industries is to extend the test track at its Harima plant in Hyogo Prefecture to facilitate trials of its SWIMO nickel-hydride battery-powered test vehicle (RG 7.07 p423).(City News in Brief)
September 1, 2007... Kawasaki Heavy Industries is to extend the test track at its Harima plant in Hyogo Prefecture to facilitate trials of its SWIMO nickel-hydride battery-powered test vehicle (RG 7.07 p423). The company expects to spend [yen]400m adding 2 km to...

A consortium of Rotem and Mitsui is the preferred bidder to supply 70 suburban EMUs to Wellington by 2010.(City News in Brief)
September 1, 2007... A consortium of Rotem and Mitsui is the preferred bidder to supply 70 suburban EMUs to Wellington by 2010. Terms of the final contract are the subject of negotiations between the consortium and the Greater Wellington Regional Council's rail...

Africa.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... Africa: Railway authorities in Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland have agreed the exchange and training of train crews and an operational partnership that calls for international standards for the repair of locos and rolling stock....

Belgium.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... Belgium: Rather than develop its own risk-management tool, SNCB Holding has agreed to license on a trial basis the Safety Risk Model developed by Britain's Rail Safety & Standards Board to assist in the prioritisation of safety investment.

China.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... China: The first container train left Lhasa on July 1 2007, the first anniversary of the inauguration of the line from Golmud to the Tibetan capital (RG 8.06 p429).

Europe.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... Europe: Czech Railways is planning to introduce an intermodal service between Mlada Boleslav and Kaluga in Russia, carrying components for a Skoda car plant which will start production later this year. Pendolino trains ordered from Alstom...

France.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... France: TER local services in the Rhone-Alpes region are to adopt a regular-interval service pattern from the December 9 timetable change, with the number of services growing by 15% over three years.

Mexico.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... Mexico: On August 9 the government announced that Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec has been granted temporary rights to operate the Chiapas-Mayab railway. Genesee & Wyoming Inc had said on June 25 that it was handing back its 30-year...

Montenegro.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... Montenegro: The first Macosa Class 644 diesel locomotive bought by national operator ZCG from Slovenian Railways arrived in Montenegro during mid-August.

Pakistan.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... Pakistan: PR has introduced online reservations for trains from Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi. Reservation slips can be printed at home and taken to the station e-ticketing counter for inspection up to 1 h before departure.

Poland.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... Poland: PKP Cargo has appointed Berlin-based Drozak Consulting to modernise its purchasing processes.

Russia.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... Russia: Visiting the Siemens plant at Krefeld in Germany on July 20, RZD President Vladimir Yakunin signed the formal go-ahead for construction of the eight Velaro RUS high-speed trains ordered in May 2006 (RG 11.06 p717). The 10-car...

Spain.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... Spain: Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has announced that high speed infrastructure between Camp de Tarragona and Barcelona Sants will open to traffic on December 21.

Taiwan.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... Taiwan: Last month TRA unveiled the first of 160 Class 700 EMUs ordered from Nippon Sharyo and Taiwan Rolling Stock Co. TRA expects the 100 km/h airconditioned units to become its standard commuter fleet, replacing existing stock.

UK.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... UK: E.ON has awarded Jarvis subsidiary Fastline Freight a contract beginning next April and worth [pounds sterling]40m over five years to haul coal to Ratcliffe-on-Soar and Ironbridge power stations. Freightliner Heavy Haul is moving coal to...

USA.(INTELLIGENCE)
September 1, 2007... USA: An $80m project began in July to add a third track between Summit and Devore on the BNSF line over Cajon Pass in southern California. Traffic on the route has doubled to 90 trains a day since 1990, creating a bottleneck on the main line...

Africa.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Africa: GE Transportation is to overhaul eight Tazara locomotives over three years.

Bosnia.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Bosnia: ZFBH has awarded Koncar of Zagreb a contract to modernise 14 Class 441 electric locos, following on from a previous batch of four. All will receive thyristor controls and new cab equipment.

Bulgaria.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Bulgaria: Fuel transport company Bulmarket has bought five Class EA 3000 electric locos from Danish State Railways, which will be refurbished and used to haul raw materials to a bio-fuel plant. The Ministry of Transport has awarded Italian...

Croatia.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Croatia: On August 21 HZ awarded TZV Gredelj a 62m kuna contract to modernise 10 Djuro Djakovic Class 2132 diesel-hydraulic shunters.

Czech Republic.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Czech Republic: A consortium led by Kapsch CarrierCom of Austria has won a contract to install GSM-R on 268 route-km from Kolin via Ceska Trebova and Brno to the Slovak and Austrian borders near Breclav. SZDC plans to have GSM-R on its four...

Egypt.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Egypt: According to Bruno Chingandu, Regional Manager for Sales & Services, GE Transportation is to supply 40 Evolution diesel locos to Egyptian National Railways.

Germany.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Germany: DB Regio has placed two orders totalling [euro]150m for 39 Alstom Coradia Lirex EMUs. The first 12 of the 160 km/h Class 440 sets will enter service on the Munchen-Passau line in 2009, with a further 27 being delivered in 2009-10 for...

India.(Market)
September 1, 2007... India: Timken's Jamshedpur plant has received an US$6.5m contract to supply AP Class E tapered bearings to freight stock builder Titagarh Wagons.

Iran.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Iran: Kryukovsky Vagonzavod is to supply RAI with a further 1000 wagons, following a visit by an Iranian delegation to the factory at Kremenchuk in Ukraine.

Kazakhstan.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Kazakhstan: German firm G Zwiehoff GmbH has won its largest-ever contract, covering the supply of a total of 66 Mercedes Unimog U5000L road-rail maintenance and rescue vehicles 'worth more than [euro]25m' to Kazakhstan by March 2008.

Pakistan.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Pakistan: PR has called tenders for the supply of 75 diesel-electric locos, and options for a funding package. 50 must be assembled locally at the Risalpur Locomotive Factory.

Poland.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Poland: Bombardier has received an [euro]55m order to supply 37 double-deck coaches to Warszawa suburban operator Koleje Mazowieckie, which is funding the purchase in partnership with the Mazowieckie government and European Investment Bank.

Russia.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Russia: The Izhevsk division of Gorkovskaya Railway has taken delivery of four Metrovagonmash RA-1 railbuses for unelectrified suburban lines in Udmurtia. RZD has placed a 2.2bn rouble order with Ural Railway Engineering Plant for 25...

South Africa.(Market)
September 1, 2007... South Africa: DCD-Dorbyl has been awarded a contract to provide 64 three-axle bogies for the 32 Class 15 E electric locos which Venus Railway Solutions will supply in 2008-09 for the Sishen-Saldanha heavy haul iron ore line.

Spain.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Spain: Ansaldo Signal Espana has been awarded a [euro]9.62m contract to install and maintain ETCS Level 2 signalling on the connection between the high speed lines to Sevilla and Barcelona south of Madrid Atocha.

Sri Lanka.(Market)
September 1, 2007... Sri Lanka: This month SLR will begin taking delivery of 100 coaches being supplied by China National Machinery Import & Export Corp over three months at a cost of Rs22m each. They are the first new coaches to be delivered to SLR since 1992, and...

UK.(Market)
September 1, 2007... UK: Last month leasing firm Porterbrook signed a [pounds sterling]164m contract to purchase 37 four-car Class 350 Siemens Desiro 25 kV EMUs for the new West Midlands franchise which Govia will run from November 11 (RG 7.07 p403). The 160 km/h...

USA.(Market)
September 1, 2007... USA: Maryland Transit Administration has awarded Bombardier a $14m contract to overhaul 34 Nippon Sharyo commuter coaches dating from the 1980s. NJ Transit has selected a joint venture of Parsons, Tishman Construction and Arup to manage...

Belgium.(Metros)
September 1, 2007... Belgium: STIB will begin putting the 15 six-car Boa metro trainsets supplied by CAF into service on Brussels Line 1B this month.

Bulgaria.(Metros)
September 1, 2007... Bulgaria: Having received no bids during two previous privatisation attempts, the city of Sofia has lowered to 25m leva the price it expects to obtain from the sale of the Tramcar EAD repair business. Buyers will take on a [euro]13.6m...

Croatia.(Metros)
September 1, 2007... Croatia: In July Zagreb tram operator ZET ordered a second batch of 70 trams from the Crotram consortium of Koncar and Gredelj, which had delivered the last of an initial batch of 70 cars the previous month.

Czech Republic.(Metros)
September 1, 2007... Czech Republic: A build-operate-transfer model has been proposed for the planned [euro]1.6bn Praha metro Line D by Radovan Steiner, city councillor responsible for transport. Construction of the 10-station Line D, or Blue Line, is expected to...

Mexico.(Metros)
September 1, 2007... Mexico: Metro operator STC has awarded Alstom a US$75m contract to supply new traction equipment for 25 trainsets operating on Mexico City Line 8. The contract includes maintenance over a period of 10 years.

Spain.(Metros)
September 1, 2007... Spain: Following the completion in July of a [euro]49m programme to retrofit Series 2000 and 6000 trainsets, all Madrid Metro rolling stock is now air-conditioned. The first of 18 Series 3000 trainsets being refurbished by Tradinsa has...

UAE.(Metros)
September 1, 2007... UAE: Developer Nakheel has appointed Singapore MRT subsidiary SMRT Engineering to operate the 1.4bn dirham monorail under construction at The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. The 5.45 km driverless Hitachi straddle monorail serving four stations is due...

UK.(Metros)
September 1, 2007... UK: On August 2 the Mayor of London announced the abandonment of plans for a 20 km street-running tramway between Shepherd's Bush and Uxbridge in West London. Ealing Council had withdrawn its support for the project, and bus services will...

USA.(Metros)
September 1, 2007... USA: DART has awarded Siemens a $30m contract to supply 24 Sutras thyristor-controlled rectifier DC traction power substations for the 44 km Green Line in Dallas in 2008-10. Options cover a further 14 of the substations, to be produced at...

China.(Finance)
September 1, 2007... China: China Southern Locomotive & Rolling Stock Industry Co is reported to be planning an initial public offering for early next year, with the aim of raising at least US$2.5bn.

France.(Finance)
September 1, 2007... France: The Centre and Limousin regions have agreed to provide 50% of the [euro]4m annual operating cost of a daily return TGV service between Brive and Lille, calling at Juvisy and Roissy. The experimental service will run for three years from...