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May 15, 2008
Siemens scoops "biggest ever" train order

SIEMENS is celebrating what it claims is its largest ever rolling stock order after it was awarded a €1.43 billion contract by Belgian National Railways (SNCB) to supply 305 three-car Desiro Mainline emus for the Brussels RER network.
The 160km/h trains will have a power rating of 2MW and will be dual voltage to allow operation on 25kV systems as well as the conventional Belgian 3kV dc system. The trains will be manufactured at Siemens’ site in Krefeld, Germany, with production beginning next year and delivery running from 2011 to 2016.
The order is the second for Siemens’ new-generation Desiro Mainline, Angel Trains having ordered 16 three-car sets for Germany regional operator Mittelrheinbahn last year.

May 14, 2008
Thalys launches onboard broadband Wi-Fi

THALYS has become the first international train operator to launch wi-Fi broadband internet access across European borders with the inauguration of Wi-Fi services on its trains from Paris to Brussels, Amsterdam, and Cologne. A consortium of Nokia Siemens Networks, satellite communications operator 21Net, and Belgian broadband cable company Telenet designed the system, provided all equipment, and operates the service. The system combines satellite, GPRS and UTMS networks with Wi-Fi technologies to provide uninterrupted, cross-border internet access at speeds of up to 300km/h.
Thalys has already equipped a quarter of its fleet of 26 trains and the remainder of the fleet will carry the technology by the end of the year.

May 13, 2008
Testing starts on Dubai metro

DUBAI marked a milestone in the construction of its first metro line on Monday, when the first test train ran over a 1km section of the Red Line between Jebel Ali Industrial Area and Jebel Ali Free Zone. The testing zone for the driverless trains will be gradually extended over the coming months to include the section from Jebel Ali Free Zone to Dubal, a distance of 4km.
The 54.1km Red Line from Jebel Ali Port to Airport Free Zone will open in September 2009, while the 22.3km Green Line from Festival City to Rashidiya, will open in March 2010. Contracts for the construction of two more lines, the Purple and Blue lines, are expected to be awarded soon.

May 12, 2008
Bosnia close to rehabilitation deal

A DEAL to rebuild part of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s devastated rail network could be signed within a month, according to the country’s Serb Republic government, which says it is close to signing a contract with General Electric, United States. Under the Euros 170 million contract, General Electric will provide equipment for the rebuilding of the Doboj – Banja Luka – Prijedor line, which is operated by Serb Republic Railways (ŽRS).
Bosnia’s other autonomous region, the Muslim-Croat Federation, is also reportedly close to agreeing on a deal for the rehabilitation of railways under its jurisdiction. Bosnia’s railways were severely damaged in the 1991-1995 civil war, and many services have yet to be fully restored.

May 9, 2008
Brussels tunnel contract awarded

BELGIAN infrastructure manager Infrabel has awarded a consortium of Royal BAM Group, Netherlands and Belgian companies Jan De Nul and Franki Geotechnics, a Euros 210 million contract to build a 1.5km tunnel under Brussels. The double-track link from Brussels-Schuman to Josaphat is a key element of the Euros 1.8 billion Brussels RER project, and will connect the Brussels – Namur and Hal – Vilvoorde lines from 2015. The project also involves rebuilding the metro station at Schuman.

May 8, 2008
RZD to sell wagon repair depots

RUSSIAN Railways (RZD) has invited expressions of interest for the privatisation of 22 wagon repair and maintenance depots. Last year the depots repaired a total of 18,540 RZD wagons and more than 20,000 privately-owned wagons.
The privatisation of the workshops is part of Phase 3 of the reform of RZD, one of the aims of which is to develop competition in the rolling stock maintenance and repair sector.
RZD expects to raise at least Roubles 2.6 billion ($US 109.2 million) from the sale.

May 7, 2008
Alstom signs British tilting train agreement

BRITAIN’S Department for Transport (DfT) and Alstom have signed a long-awaited agreement to supply additional coaches for the fleet of 200km/h Pendolino trains used on the West Coast Main Line. The notice to proceed will be followed by a £1.5 billion contract in August to supply four complete 11-car trains, and lengthen 31 existing trains from nine to 11 cars by December 2012. The agreement includes an option to lengthen the remaining 21 trains, which must be exercised by August 2010.
The notice to proceed also includes a 10-year extension of Alstom’s existing contract to maintain the Pendolino fleet, beginning at the end of the current contract term in April 2012.
The Pendolinos are currently used by Virgin West Coast on services from London to Brimingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. Virgin’s franchise ends in 2012.

May 6, 2008
NZ returns Toll to state ownership

AFTER months of negotiations, the government of New Zealand has announced it will return the country’s largest rail operator, Australian-owned Toll NZ, to state ownership. The government will pay Toll $NZ 665 million ($US 523.6 million) for Toll’s rail assets, including 180 passenger coaches, 4200 freight wagons, and one ferry.
Toll Holding’s managing director Mr Paul Little said on Monday that the company did not want to sell and from Toll’s point of view, the deal was a compromise.
New Zealand Rail Limited was sold by the government for $NZ 400 million in 1993 to the Tranz Rail consortium, which was headed by Wisconsin Central, United States. When Tranz Rail was sold to Toll a decade later the government bought back the rail infrastructure, which is now the responsibility of Ontrack. The government has been attempting to reach an agreement on track access charges with Toll ever since.
Ironically, Toll will now be the railway’s largest customer, spending around $NZ 60 million a year. It will also be a customer with a unique knowledge of its supplier’s operations and with trucking operations still bringing in $NZ 200 million in revenue, Toll could potentially be a very competitive rival for the new rail company.

May 2, 2008
Thailand approves budget for $US 11.6 billion rail plan

THE THAI government’s transport mega-project committee has approved a Baht 367.3 billion ($US 11.6 billion) budget for the construction of five double-track lines with a total length of 2644km.
The government plans to invite private companies to invest in the new lines under concession agreements, and it says rolling stock manufacturers will be given priority in the bidding process if they agree to set up manufacturing sites in Thailand.
The new lines are intended to increase rail’s share of the freight market from 2.8% to 10%. News managed by NewsPro.

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