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Latest News Archive
Transtec consortium wins Gotthard tunnel contractALPTRANSIT Gotthard has awarded an SFr 1.69 billion (Euros 1.05 billion) contract to build the railway infrastructure of the Gotthard Base Tunnel to the Transtec consortium, which includes Balfour Beatty, Alcatel-Lucent, and Thales. The contract involves laying track in the two 57km single-bore tunnels and on their approaches, together with signalling and communications, electrification, cabling, lighting, and power supplies.
Once approved by the Swiss Federal Office of Transport, work will begin on the infrastructure installation base. Installation will begin at the southern portal in 2009, and the northern portal in 2012, and is expected to take seven years to complete. The tunnel will be the longest in the world when it opens in 2017.
Administrator called in to solve UIC conflictFRANCE’s Court of First Instance in Paris has appointed Mrs Béatrice Dunogué-Gaffié as provisional administrator of the International Union of Railways (UIC) at the behest of the UIC’s CEO Mr Luc Aliadière. The appointment is for six months, but can be extended if necessary.
The provisional administrator will perform three functions: to manage the UIC in liaison with the CEO, to initiate a financial audit, and finally to convene a general assembly to approve the audited accounts and restore normal operation of the UIC.
The problems at the UIC stem from the adoption of new statutes in 2006 designed to turn the UIC into a truly global organisation. This quickly led to a power struggle between the older European, Japanese and Korean members and the newcomers from Southeast Asia and Africa, who believed too much power resided with the older members. The UIC executive board has 21 members representing all areas of the world, and with only four European members. By contrast, the UIC’s General Assembly is dominated by Europeans who represent 80% of the members.
The first concrete result of the dispute is the retirement of the UIC’s secretary general Mr André Michel.
Dubai light rail contract awardedDUBAI Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has awarded a contract worth Euros500 million to build the city’s first light rail line. The ABS consortium comprising Alstom, Belgium’s largest construction company Besix and Serco, Britain, will build the first phase of the Al Safooh tramway, Parsons will carry out detailed design work on the project, while Systra will act as consultants to RTA.
The 10km line will open in 2011 and will run along Al Safooh Road from Madinat Jumeirah and Mall of the Emirates to Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence. The line will be elevated around Dubai Marina, and interchanges will be built with the Metro Red Line in Shaikh Zayed Road.
Alstom will supply 11 Citadis 402 LRVs, which will be equipped to operate from an APS ground power supply system, obviating the need for catenary.
The 13 stations will be the first light rail stations in the world to be equipped with platform screen doors, which will allow platforms to be air-conditioned.
The contract includes an option to build phase 2 of the line, which will be a 4km extension with six stations. A further 14 LRVs would be required to operate the extended line.
Chinese collision kills 70AT least 70 people have been killed and 400 injured in a collision between two trains in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong. The accident occurred near Zibo just after dawn when a Beijing – Qingdao train derailed, hitting a Yantai – Xuzhou service travelling in the opposite direction.
Within hours of the incident, two senior officials of the Jinan Railway Bureau had been sacked as the Ministry of Railways began its investigation into the derailment.
The accident is the worst on China’s railways since 1997.
Russia and North Korea to restore rail linkNORTH KOREAN railways minister Mr Kim Yong-Sam and Russian Railways CEO Mr Vladamir Yakunin have signed a deal to rebuild the rail connection between the two countries. Reconstruction of the 54km line from Hasan, Russia, to the North Korean port of Rajin was agreed at a meeting between the leaders of the two counties in 2001, but breaks in negotiations have meant progress towards a formal agreement has been slow.
“We have been moving towards this moment for seven years,” Yakunin said. “I am convinced the agreement signed today will serve to strengthen economic ties between Russia and North Korea, and between North Korea and South Korea.”
A Russian-North Korean joint venture will build a new container terminal at Rajin as part of the project. Russian Railways officials refused to be drawn on the cost of the project, or when it will be completed.
TfL to take over Metronet within weeksMETRONET, the public-private partnership (PPP) contractor responsible for maintaining and upgrading two thirds of London’s underground network, is set to be taken over by Transport for London (TfL) within weeks, after the Mayor of London gave his approval for the transfer to go ahead.
PPP administrators will now apply for a court hearing, which will set a date for the staff, assets and contracts to be transferred to TfL.
Metronet was one of two contractors awarded 30-year output-based contracts to upgrade eight underground lines. It went into administration last year after the PPP arbiter ruled London Underground would not be liable to pay Metronet an additional £551 million incurred in the upgrading of the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria lines. Metronet had argued London Underground had forced it to carry out work beyond the scope of its existing contract.
Heralding the transfer of Metronet to TfL as “good news for Tube passengers,” London Underground managing director Mr Tim O’Toole said: “following administration, we will seek to put in place a stable, economic and efficient structure that is better able to deliver TfL’s investment priorities.”
The other PPP consortium, Tube Lines, is still operating and will remain in the private sector.
Construction to begin soon on Chennai metroCONSTRUCTION is to begin on the Chennai metro in July, when civil works start on the on the Rupees 110 billion ($US 2.75 billion) first phase of the project. Two standard-gauge lines will be built in Phase I. A 23km north-south line will run from Washermanpet to Central Station, Teynampet, and Chennai Airport which will be elevated for 14km of its length. This line will be the first section of the network to be completed, with opening slated for 2011.
A second line will run for 22km from Central Station to St Thomas Mount via Poonamallee and Koyambedu.
Chennai Metro Rail has been set up by the state and central government, each making a 20% contribution to the project cost. The remainder is being financed by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).
Foreign investment invited for Beijing – Shanghai high-speed lineCHINA’S Ministry of Railways (MOR) has invited foreign companies to participate in the financing of the 1318km Beijing – Shanghai high-speed line as a groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the start of construction of the Tianjin – Xuzhou – Shanghai section. The Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway Company was set up last December with capital of Yuan 115 billion, although this will cover little over half of the total investment required for the line, which is described as the most expensive construction project in Chinese history.
MOR told China’s Xinhua news agency that public securities offerings would be used to raise finance for the project and reduce the proportion of government investment in the project.
The line is being built to allow operation at up to 350km/h and journey times will be slashed from 12 hours to 4h 37min when the line opens in 2013. Around 160 million passengers are expected to use the service.
The initial section of the line from Beijing to Tianjin is almost complete, and will open in August to coincide with the Olympic Games, which Beijing is hosting.
RZD to build Libyan lineRUSSIAN Railways (RZD) has reportedly secured a $US 3.16 billion deal to build a section of Libya’s coastal railway, which will eventually connect Tunisia and Egypt via Tripoli. According to Reuters, the contract to construct the 500km section from Surt to Benghazi was signed in Tripoli by Libyan officials and RZD CEO Mr Vladimir Yakunin. Yakunin said the line would take four years to build and would involve Libyan subcontractors.
In February, China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) won a $US 2 billion contract to build the adjoining 352km section of the coastal line from Al Khums to Misratah and Surt.
Political deal boosts DB privatisation planPLANS to sell up to 24.9% of shares in German Rail's (DB) operating subsidiary look set to receive the go-ahead after the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which is in coalition government with the Christian Democrat Party, agreed to go ahead with the slimmed-down public offering.
The SPD has backed a plan unveiled by DB last December, which will see the creation of a 100% state-owned holding company with two subsidiaries: infrastructure and operations. Infrastructure will be entirely owned by DB, and therefore the state, with shares being sold only in the operating company.
Mr Ronald Pofalla, general secretary of the Christian Democrat party, said the said the sale could begin within the current legislative period, echoing the views of DB CEO Mr Hartmut Mehdorn, who suggested last month that the IPO could take place as early as September.
The plan being endorsed by the SPD is considerably less ambitious than the proposal initially tabled by DB, which would have seen the sale of up to 49% of the total company. This was thwarted by politicians who feared DB would become a private monopoly while still receiving state funding to maintain infrastructure.
Oman plans first railwayFEASIBILITY studies are set to begin soon for the construction of the first railway in Oman, according to minister of national economy Mr Ahmad Bin Abdul Nabi Macki, who says a consultant has been appointed to carry out the study. The freight-only line will begin west of Muskat in Birka, where a new container terminal will be built, and will run northwest for 200km along the Gulf of Oman shore to Sohar, one of Oman’s principal ports.
In the longer term, a line south to the Gulf of Masirah is also proposed to provide a connection with a new port at Daqm.
The minister said he could not be drawn on how much the project would cost, or when it would be completed.
British passenger numbers reach record levelsTHE number of passengers using Britain’s railways is now at the highest level ever recorded in peacetime, according to the latest figures from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). ATOC says 1.2 billion passengers used the railway in 2007, an increase of 7.8% over the previous year and beat the previous record set in 1946, when the network was one third larger than it is today. Mr George Muir, Director General of ATOC said: “This growth shows that more capacity is urgently needed for the benefit of our passengers, the economy, and the environment.”
Contracts awarded for Algerian light rail linesALGERIA’S state-owned public transport company (EMA) has awarded two turnkey contracts worth around Euros 662 million to build the first light rail lines in the cities of Oran and Constantine.
The Tramnour consortium, which comprises Isolux Corsan, Spain, and Alstom, has been awarded a contract worth Euros 355 million to build Oran’s 18km line, which will have 32 stations. Alstom will supply 30 Citadis LRVs, signalling and telecommunications systems, depot equipment and substations, while Isolux Corsan will be responsible for civil engineering, track, and overhead catenary. The project will take 26 months to complete.
Alstom will play a similar role in the construction of the Euros 307 million light rail line in Constantine, supplying 27 Citadis LRVs and track, power supply, signalling and communications, and depot equipment. Consortium partner Pizzarotti, Italy, will carry out civil engineering. The 8km line will have 11 stations and will open in 2010.
The awarding of these contracts means Alstom is now working on three light rail projects in Algeria, having been selected in June 2006 by EMA as part of a consortium to build a 16.3km line in Algiers.
Britain starts Thameslink train procurementBRITAIN’S Department for Transport has started procurement for 1100 dual-voltage emu vehicles as part of the £5.5 billion project to upgrade London’s north-south Thameslink commuter network. The £1.14 billion order will allow the replacement the existing fleet of 720 vehicles, and the introduction of 12-car trains by 2012.
The contract for the new trains will be awarded in mid 2009 and a train must be ready for mainline testing by late 2011. The first train will enter service in February 2012 and the remainder of the fleet will be delivered by December 2015.
The winning bidder will be responsible for financing the fleet, and will maintain the trains for up to 10 years.
SNCF buys German railfreight operatorFRENCH National Railways (SNCF) says it has signed an agreement to acquire a 75% stake in German open access railfreight operator Import Transport Logistik (ITL) for an undisclosed sum.
ITL had revenues of Euros 45 million last year with an operating profit of Euros 3.7 million. Subsidiary ITL-Cargo operates long-distance freight trains within Germany, as well as international freight services from Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to Germany and the Netherlands.
SNCF poised for European acquisitionsFRENCH National Railways (SNCF) chairman Mr Guillaume Pepy says his company is planning to expand its portfolio with further acquisitions in Europe, after announcing its intention this week to buy the shares it does not already own in French logistics company Geodis for Euros 600 million. In an interview with French daily newspaper Le Figaro, Pepy said: “In a few days we will announce the acquisition of a European rail operator, which will open new doors to us in new countries, notably in Eastern Europe.”
Pepy added that the acquisition of Geodis will make SNCF’s freight division the largest in terms of sales, and will make it one of the world’s five largest logistics groups.
Finland and Estonia to study Baltic tunnelFINLAND and Estonia are to launch feasibility studies into the construction of a railway tunnel about 50km long between the two countries. Helsinki Mayor Mr Jussi Pajunen and Tallinn Mayor Mr Edgar Savisaar have signed an agreement to apply for European Union funding for the studies, and if the application is successful, these could be completed by the end of 2009.
Pajunen said the tunnel is unlikely to open before 2024, although Savisaar added he was certain that the project would go ahead, and that it would be economically viable. The planned study will consider other options, including a new train ferry between Estonia and Finland.
The tunnel would form part of the Rail Baltica project, which aims to redevelop the Helsinki – Tallinn – Riga – Poznan – Berlin corridor and improve rail links between the Baltic states.
Scandinavia awards single-source ERTMS contractThe Swedish and Norwegian rail administrations have awarded Bombardier a framework contract for the specification and development of onboard European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) equipment worth around Euros 30 million.
The initial order is to equip 220 vehicles with ERTMS systems, based on Bombardier’s EBI Cab 2000 range. Further orders in both countries could top up the value of the contract to Euros 200 million as ERTMS is rolled out to new and refurbished vehicles in Sweden and Norway.
Delhi Metro orders more cars for Phase II expansionDELHI Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has awarded Bombardier a Euros 87 million contract to supply an additional 84 Movia metro cars for the Phase II expansion programme, which will extend the network by 60km.
The order follows an initial deal signed in July 2007 for 340 cars, and DMRC has requested a change in the configuration that will take this to 424 cars, formed into 37 four-car and 46 six-car trains.
The trains will be built at Savli in the Indian state of Gujarat, where Bombardier is setting up a facility to manufacture and assemble coaches and bogies.
Soaring costs scupper Munich airport maglevPLANS to build a 37km Transrapid high-speed maglev line from Munich Airport to the city centre look set to be abandoned after Germany’s Transport Minister revealed costs for the project have almost doubled. The Euros 1.85 billion project was given the go-ahead last September, when the Bavarian state government, the federal government and Transrapid’s promoters, Siemens and ThyssenKrupp reached an agreement on funding for construction.
Today Transport Minister Mr Wolfgang Tiefensee conceded the project cost had risen to as much as Euros 3.4 billion, adding that the federal government is unwilling to commit any more than the Euros 925 million it had previously agreed to contribute. “It is obvious that the champagne corks were popped too soon,” he said.
More than Euros 2 billion has been invested in the development of Transrapid technology over the last 30 years, but so far the only commercial application of the technology has been the Shanghai Airport Line. Plans to extend this line to Hangzhou were thrown into doubt in January because of the need to increase the margin between track and housing in densely-populated suburbs of Shanghai, which caused costs to almost double. Nonetheless, Siemens CEO Mr Peter Loescher said Transrapid remains “important export technology,” adding that talks were still underway with China, as well as potential buyers in Qatar and the United States.
Bids to be invited for Turkish high-speed lineTHE TURKISH government is to invite bids on April 15 for construction of the 471km Ankara – Yozgat – Sivas high-speed line, according to a report in the Vatan daily newspaper. The double track line will be built for 250km/h operation and will allow journey times between Ankara and Sivas to be cut from 10h 29min to two hours. The $US 1.36 billion project is due for completion in 2011.
Jordan cancels light rail contractPLANS to build a $US 240 million light rail line between the Jordanian capital Amman and the industrial city of Zarqa have suffered a setback after the government terminated an agreement signed with the consortium of Pakistani, Chinese and Jordanian companies which had been appointed to construct the line. The government says it has revoked the agreement with the Infrastructure Development Company, which had been signed last May, because the consortium had failed to comply with both the implementation agreement and a request for proposals.
The consortium had been given a deadline of February 22 to ensure the financial conditions had been met, and the government had extended this until March 22. Construction was due to begin on the 22.2km electrified line from central Amman to Al Mahatta and New Zarqa in June and the line was expected to open in 2010. The Public Transport Regulatory Commission completed land purchase for the project earlier this month.
Power profits boost Toll takeover planNEW ZEALAND’S Finance Minister Dr Martin Cullen says profits from government-owned electricity company Meridian Energy could be ploughed into plans to return the country’s largest railfreight operator, Australian-owned Toll NZ, to state ownership.
According to Cullen, a dividend of NZ$ 175 million ($US 141 million) from Meridian’s profits will be used to buy back Toll’s rail and ferry assets, which were sold off by the government in 1993. He added that negotiations in recent weeks have brought the two sides closer to agreeing a price, although Toll is said to want $NZ 200 million more than the government has put forward in its latest offer.
RailComm supplies remote control derailers to Belt RailwayRailComm, United States, is to supply a wireless remote control derailer for the Belt Railway of Chicago’s Illinois depot. The derailers will be remotely controlled from two panels inside the depot, which have LED indicators to show the derailers’ current position.
RailComm’s 2.4GHz Spread Spectrum Radiant data radios will be used to link the derailers with the control panels, which have extensive monitoring capabilities to record usage and user data. The recorder logs the name and job of anyone activating the derailer, complying with Federal Railroad Administration reporting requirements and eliminating the need for a manual logging process.
Angola and Zambia to build rail linkTHE first railway to cross Zambia’s western border with Angola has moved a step closer to fruition according to Zambia’s state-owned news agency Zanis, which says the two countries have reached an agreement to build the link. Zambian President Mr Levy Mwanawasa said that by the end of his term in office in 2011, Zambia would build the 1067mm-gauge line from Chingola in the Copperbelt to Lumwana mine in the west of the country and a junction with the Benguela Railway in eastern Angola. The first phase of the project will be a 245km section from Chingola to the new mining town of Solwezi.
On March 16 Northwest Railways, a consortium of financiers from the United States, threatened to withdraw $US 400 million of funding from the project because mine owners had not committed to use the line.
The two countries were once connected by the Benguela Railway, which runs via the Democratic Republic of Congo, although much of the line fell into disuse during Angola’s 27-year-long civil war. The Angolan section is currently being rehabilitated.
São Paulo to invite bids for Airport Express INVITATIONS to tender will be issued in May for a contract to finance, build and operate the Reais 1.44 billion ($US 844 million) São Paulo Airport Express line. The contract will be awarded by August and the line will open by the end of 2011.
The 28km electrified line will start from Luz station in the city centre, running through a new tunnel to Bras and paralleling the existing broad-gauge suburban line F before running into two stations at Guarulhos Airport. The line will be standard gauge to be compatible with the proposed Rio de Janeiro – São Paulo high-speed line and will be largely single track. The 15-minute interval service will be used by an estimated 19,800 passengers in its first year of operation.
The concessionaire will also be required to build a 20.2 km, six-station broad gauge suburban line called Line G, which will run parallel to the Airport Express line from a junction with Line F to Guarulhos. Line G will cost Reais 687 million (including rolling stock) and will open in September 2010. A 10-minute interval service will be run by São Paulo suburban operator CPTM.
TfL to take control of Croydon light railTRANSPORT for London (TfL) has announced that it is to take direct control of Croydon Tramlink light rail network after its £98 million offer to acquire Tramtrack Croydon, the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) concessionaire was accepted.
Under the existing contract, TfL must compensate Tramtrack Croydon for any changes to the fares and ticketing policy. This payment has been increasing on an annual basis and last year totaled £4 million. By acquiring Tramtrack Croydon, which still has 88 years remaining on its concession agreement to operate the 28km network, TfL will no longer be obliged to make these payments.
TfL says there will be no change to the existing fares structure, although it is planning a number of improvements to the network, including doubling the off-peak frequency on the Elmers End – Beckenham Junction line from two trams per hour to four. It is also planning to run additional services on the Wimbledon – New Addington line, and refresh tram interiors.
Euros 4.5 billion for Dutch upgradesTHE DUTCH government is to pour €4.5 billion of public funding into rail projects over the next four years in an effort to sustain the annual 5% growth in passenger numbers. Transport minister Mr Camiel Eurlings wants infrastructure manager ProRail and the country’s principal passenger operator Netherlands Railways (NS) to provide a 'turn up and go' frequency of six intercity and six regional trains per hour on the country’s most heavily-used lines by 2012.
Both NS and Prorail have been invited by the Transport Ministry to submit proposals by next month to be put before parliament. The ministry expects a detailed plan to be ready for implementation from early next year.
Much of the extra funding will be spent on tackling bottlenecks, such as the heavily-congested Schipol Airport – Amsterdam – Lelystad line, which is a priority for four-tracking. ProRail also plans to resignal the tunnels on the approaches to Schipol station to provide 2 minute headways and capacity of 48 trains per direction per hour.
Indian Railways expects to raise $US 345 million from IPOsINITIAL Public Offerings (IPOs) for shares in three profitable Indian Railways (IR) subsidiaries are expected to raise about Rs 15 billion ($US 345 million), provided the government releases 10% of the equity in these companies. This is based on the response to the recent IPO for Rites, IR’s consultancy.
The sale of shares in Ircon International, IR’s engineering subsidiary, is expected to raise the most money: up to Rs 10 billion. The other two subsidiaries are Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, and RailTel.
Contract awarded for Australian heavy-haul lineMINING giant Rio Tinto has awarded Macmahon Holdings, Australia, a $A 65 million ($US 61.3 million) contract to build an extension of its Robe River heavy-haul railway in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The project involves extending the Pilbara Iron-operated Cape Lambert – Pannawonica line by 47km to the new Mesa A iron ore mine. The line will be single track, with a 3km-long loop at Churdy Pool. Construction will begin in June and the line will open in 2009.
Russia to build another Trans-Siberian RailwayA SECOND East-West link across Siberia could be operational by 2015, according to Russian Railways (RZD) CEO Mr Vladamir Yakunin who has announced that development work on the SevSib project will begin this year. Construction is expected to begin in 2010 on the 2000km line from Nizhnevartovsk in Khanty-Mansiisky region to a junction with the the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) at Irkutsk. The line will cost Roubles 230 – 500 billion ($US 9.6 – 20.8 billion) to build and RZD says it will carry 60 million tonnes of freight and seven million passengers per year by 2025.
According to Yakunin, the project will be financed by the state-owned Vneshekonombank (VEB), although he did not disclose the figure the bank would invest. RZD, VEB the Siberian administration and private investors approved a tentative draft agreement on SevSib in Tomsk last month, although it has been reported that potential partners are struggling to agree terms on the project.
SelTrac CBTC for Shanghai Line 7SHANGHAI Shentong Metro has awarded a consortium including Thales two contracts worth Euros 42 million to supply and install SelTrac communications-based train control (CBTC) for the automatic operation of Metro Line 7. The contract covers the initial 28km section of Line 7 from Jinglu Road to Longyang Road, which is due to open in 2010, as well as a 10km extension north from Jinglu Road to Gucun and Luodian.
The consortium of Thales Rail Signalling Soultions, Alcatel Shanghai Bell, and Shanghai Automation Instrumentation is also deploying SelTrac on lines 6, 8 and phase 1 of Line 9. SelTrac is designed to allow functionality to be ramped up in stages and it will initially provide automatic train protection and manual operation, with full automatic train operation planned two stages later. It also allows bi-directional operation with minimum headways of 90 seconds.
Shanghai is planning to have 11 metro lines totalling 400km in operation in time for World Expo 2010, which the city is hosting. It plans to have the world’s largest network by 2012, with 13 lines totalling more than 500km.
“Huge strategic interest” in Toll NZ takeoverTHE government of New Zealand says it has “huge strategic interest” in returning the country’s largest rail operator, Australian-owned Toll NZ, to state ownership. Finance Minister Dr Michael Cullen confirmed that the government is negotiating with Toll, although the two sides have yet to agree a price. The government has reportedly offered Toll more than $NZ 500 million ($US 395 million) although the operator is said to want up to $NZ 1 billion. “I’ve made it clear that Toll has to come back with a significantly better offer if we are to close the gap between us,” said Cullen.
New Zealand Rail Limited was sold by the government in 1993 to the Tranz Rail consortium, which was headed by Wisconsin Central, United States. A decade later when Tranz Rail was sold to Toll, the government bought back the rail infrastructure, which is now the responsibility of Ontrack. The government has been attempting to agree track access charges with Toll ever since, and returning operations to state ownership is considered by the government to be a potential solution. However, a buyout could be averted if the two sides reach an agreement on access fees in this latest round of negotiations.
More Electrostar emus for SouthernBRITISH commuter operator Southern is to receive an additional 11 dual-voltage class 377 Electrostar emus from Bombardier at a cost of Euros 70 million. The four-car trains are being purchased by leasing company Porterbrook and will be delivered in the first quarter of next year. Southern already operates a fleet of more than 180 Electrostar trains.
Dubai metro contracts to be awarded soonDUBAI’S Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) says contracts for the construction of the emirate’s next two metro lines will be awarded in the second quarter of this year. The 49km Purple Line will run from Dubai International Airport to the massive new Al Maktoum International Airport via Al Khail Road, and will include four intermediate stations with airline check-in facilities. The $US 1 billion project will be completed by 2012. Studies are still being carried out on the 50km Blue Line, which will also serve the two airports, running via Emirates Road. It will cost Dirhams 10 billion ($US 2.7 billion) and will open in 2015. In the longer term, RTA expects this line to be extended beyond Dubai International Airport, to serve Palm Deira and other developments on the waterfront.
Dubai’s first metro line, 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, which is also under construction, will open in March 2010. RTA’s Rail Agency is currently planning an extension of the Green Line from Academic City to International City, which will serve new residential developments. RTA also says it is finalising plans for a 15km extension of the Red Line from Jebel Ali Port to Dubai’s border with Abu Dhabi.
Dunboyne line construction approvedIRELAND’S Planning Board has approved a railway order which will allow Irish Rail (IE) to start construction of the 7.5km line from Clonsilla (on the Dublin Connolly – Maynooth line) to Dunboyne and Pace. The Euros 156 million double-track line is the first phase of a project which will eventually see the reinstatement of the line from Dublin to Navan, easing congestion on the parallel M3 highway. When it opens in 2010, dmus will operate a 15-minute interval service between a park-and-ride station at Pace and Dublin Docklands, offering capacity of up to 4800 passengers per hour per direction at peak times. IE expects to reopen the line beyond Pace to Navan in by 2015 at a cost of around Euros 300 million. Passenger journeys of more than 2 million per year are projected by 2016.
Major Belgian rail project approvedSNCB Holding has approved the construction of a new station in Mechelen. The existing station, with 21,000 passengers a day, is the sixth largest in Belgium and is located on the Brussels – Antwerp main line. The new station will be linked to the new high-speed line to be built in the central reservation of the E19 highway to connect Mechelen with Brussels Airport and Brussels.
Work on the eight-year project will start in 2010 and is designed to increase capacity and improve accessibility. There will also be a new bus station, facilities to store bicycles, and a car park.
Switzerland to assist Allgäu line upgradeTHE governments of Germany and Switzerland have signed a declaration of intent to kick-start the long-proposed electrification of the Allgäu line from Munich to Lindau, which forms part of the Munich-Zurich route. Under the deal, the German government will contribute Euros 100 million, while the Swiss government will provide Euros 50 million and the state of Bavaria will fund the remaining Euros 55 million.
Inking the agreement, German Transport Minister Mr Wolfgang Tiefensee said work would begin on the project in 2010 with completion scheduled for 2015. Besides providing a new route for Italy-Germany freight traffic running via the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the electrification of the line will allow journey times for Munich-Zurich passenger trains to be cut from four hours to just three.
The Allgäu line currently carries little freight traffic, with most Italy – Germany freight trains running via Basle or Kufstein in Austria.
Network Rail fined £14 million for engineering overrunsBRITAIN’S Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has fined infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR) £14 million, and ordered it to address systematic weaknesses in its planning and management, after January’s overrunning engineering work in London, Rugby and Glasgow caused major disruption to services.
ORR’s report found that even though good planning and project management were in place, NR failed to ensure adequate site management at Rugby, where the track layout was being revised to allow higher speeds through the station. A shortage of skilled staff meant information provided to NR by contractors was inaccurate, meaning NR was unaware the project was in difficulty until late in the possession.
At Liverpool Street station in London a disused overbridge was being demolished as part of the East London Line project, and electrification equipment was being replaced. ORR found NR carried out inadequate risk assessment and again, failed to provide sufficient site management. In this case, only around half of the contractor’s electrification staff required in the final two days were available on-site and there were problems with the availability of materials.
Risk assessment was also found to be inadequate at Shields Road Junction in Glasgow, where NR was relaying the junction as part of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project. Testing of signalling late in the possession found new equipment to be incompatible with the existing system – problems which ORR says should have been identified and resolved at the design stage.
ORR has also ordered NR to provide a clear plan of how it intends to complete the upgrade of the West Coast Main Line, which is due for completion in December. NR has told ORR that it does not have a robust enough plan to complete this project.
Responding to the fine, NR CEO Mr Iain Coucher said “We are clear that the ORR has said that what at New Year cannot happen again. We agree and accept the findings of this report.” NR now intends to increase its in-house electrification capability; establish military-style ‘command posts’ for major works; and require contractors to reduce their reliance on agency staff for major engineering projects.
Mechel to supply eight million tonnes of rail to RZDRUSSIAN Railways (RZD) has awarded Mechel, Russia, a 20-year contract to supply 400,000 tonnes of rail per year, almost half of RZD’s annual requirement. As part of the deal, Mechel will invest around Euros 500 million to establish a rail-producing mill at its Chelyabinsk plant, which will be completed the start of the new contract in 2010. RZD purchases around 850,000 tonnes of rail annually, although new line construction and the increasing rate of renewals mean demand is expected to reach around 1.1 million tonnes.
Record profit enables Indian Railways to boost investmentINDIAN Railways (IR) has increased its annual profit by 43% from $US 4.4 billion in 2006-07 to a record $US 6.3 billion last year. As a result, railways minister, Mr Lalu Prasad, has announced the biggest-ever spending plan for IR. The Ministry of Railways plans to invest Rs 375 billion ($US 9.5 billion) in 2008-09, an increase of 21% over the previous financial year.
The minister says construction will start in 2008-09 of the first two dedicated freight corridors. He also said feasibility studies are underway for four more lines.
During 2008-09, IR plans to spend Rs 17.3 billion on the construction of new lines, Rs 25 billion on track doubling, Rs 24.9 billion on gauge conversion works, Rs 6.3 billion on electrification, and Rs 6.5 billion on urban projects.
DB to close Berlin – Hamburg line to replace faulty sleepersGERMAN Rail (DB) has decided to close the 285km Berlin – Hamburg main line between March and June next year in order to replace many thousands of defective concrete sleepers. ICE trains will be diverted via Stendal and Salszwedel during the closure which will add 30 minutes to the journey which normally takes 95 minutes non-stop. DB says the temporary closure is preferable to months of disruption on what is one of its best-performing long-distance routes, with an average occupancy per train of 50% compared with the national average last year of 43%.
The sleepers were purchased in the early 1990s but have started to deteriorate prematurely due to faulty manufacture. These sleepers have also been used on other parts of the network where they are also being replaced. The cost of the work is believed to be less than Euros 5 million, and DB has reached an out-of-court settlement for damages with the manufacturer.
British operator in breach of its franchise FIRST Great Western (FGW), which operates passenger services between London Paddington, western England and South Wales, has been told by Britain’s Department for Transport that it is in breach of its franchise for cancelling too many trains between August and December last year and for misreporting these cancellations. FGW has been instructed to produce a plan to remedy the situation.
In the meantime, FGW has agreed to invest £29 million (rather than face a fine) to extend the length of trains on one line, refurbish London commuter trains, provide better compensation to passengers, and sell more low-price tickets.
India to expand 25-tonne axleload operationINDIAN Railways (IR) plans to quadruple the length of lines approved for operation by 25-tonne axleload freight trains next year from 1000 to 4000km. Currently, the whole network is able to accept trains with an axleload of 22.3 tonnes, and 22.9-tonne axleloads are permitted on more than 21,000km.
Although track wear has increased on lines with 25-tonne and 22.9-tonne axleloads, according to data collected by India’s Research Design & Standards Organisation, 25-tonne axleloads can increase payload per train by 12 to 32%, depending on the type of wagon used.
Construction starts on Ho Chi Minh metroCONSTRUCTION of Vietnam’s first metro line began yesterday, when a groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the official start of work on the Ho Chi Minh City metro. The 19.7km, 14-station line from Benh Thanh to Suoi Tien bus station will consist of a 2.6km underground central section with the remaining 17.1km on an elevated alignment. The $US 1.1 billion line is being built with the bulk of the funding from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, which is contributing $US 904.4 million to the project. The line will open in 2014 and will carry 630,000 passengers per day by 2030. The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City envisages a five-line network serving the city by 2020.
Pepy to be next president of SNCFTHE French government has nominated Mr Guillaume Pepy as the next president of French National Railways (SNCF) to succeed Mrs Anne-Marie Idrac. Pepy is currently CEO of SNCF, a position he has held for more than 10 years. Idrac took over as president in 2006 when Mr Louis Gallois resigned prematurely to become head of EADS, the European aerospace and defence group which includes Airbus.
Idrac was appointed to complete Gallois’s term of office, but had hoped to be reappointed as president. She is now likely to be offered a political appointment.
Madrid – Barcelona high speed services beginSPANISH Prime Minister Mr José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero officially inaugurated scheduled services on the 630km Madrid – Barcelona high-speed line yesterday. The opening of the Euros 7 billion line has allowed operator Renfe to slash journey times between the two cities from six hours to just 2h 38min.
A fleet of 350km/h Siemens Velaro E trains will operate 18 trains per direction per day with a half-hourly frequency at peak times. In the longer term Renfe expects to increase the frequency to 25 trains per day. Around 70,000 passengers booked tickets online in the week after they were made available on February 14, and five million passengers are expected to use the service in the first year.
The opening of the final section of the line into Barcelona Sants station was delayed by two months after subsidence disrupted construction work.
Renfe CEO Mr Aberlado Carrillo hailed the opening of the new line saying rail would again become the dominant mode of transport in Spain. He added the opening of new lines to Málaga and Valladolid in December had resulted in unprecedented growth, with the number of rail passengers to Málaga doubling and a 75% increase in passenger numbers between Madrid and Valladolid.
Hitachi goes for international growthHITACHI has announced it is to pursue an ambitious expansion of its business outside Japan, and increase the percentage of its rail business outside its home market from 20% to 50% within 10 years.
Mr Alistair Dormer, general manager of Hitachi Europe Rail Systems, told IRJ that the company had been in discussion with European operators including German Rail (DB), French National Railways (SNCF) and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) about their future rolling stock requirements, and that it expects to start bidding for contracts outside Britain within the next year. He added that Hitachi intends to focus primarily on the market for commuter emus.
Hitachi Rail Systems is already active in Britain, where it has delivered the first three out of a fleet of 25 Javelin 225km/h emus for testing. It is also competing in the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) to build the next generation of long-distance passenger trains, a contract that could involve more than 1500 vehicles. Bids for this will be submitted by May 6.
Prosperous new year for Chinese railwaysCHINA’S railways carried 118.8 million passengers in January, a 23.6% year-on-year increase, according to the Ministry of Railways (MoR). The period from January 18 to March 2 is the peak season on China’s Railways as families visit friends and relatives for Chinese New Year, which accounts for much of the growth. MoR said it expects to see a record 1.42 billion passenger journeys this year, with freight volume expected to exceed 3.31 billion tonnes. Revenues are forecast at Yuan 361 billion ($US 50.4 billion).
China to build Libyan linesCHINA Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has reportedly been awarded two contracts worth a total of $US 2.9 billion to build two lines in Libya.
The first line will run for 352km along the Mediterranean coast from Surt to Misratah and Al Khums. The Dinars 2.2 billion ($US 2 billion) project involves the construction of 26 stations and 55 bridges, and will be completed in 2012. The second Dinars 1 billion project involves the construction of an 810km north-south line from Misratah to Sabha, which will be completed by 2011.
CRCC won $US 12.4 billion worth of overseas contracts in the first 11 months of 2007, making it China’s largest contractor of foreign projects. The company is due to be floated on the Shanghai stock exchange next month.
Chinese rail giant launches share issueCHINA Railway Construction Company (CRCC) will open public subscriptions to its initial public offering on February 25, in anticipation of flotation on the Shanghai stock exchange in March.
The company will issue up to 2.8 billion A shares through the Shanghai exchange, which represents 25.93 of its capitalisation. A further issue of up to 2.07 billion shares is planned for Hong Kong, and the total amount raised is expected to be $US 4 billion.
CRCC will use the funds to expand its manufacturing capacity, invest in new construction facilities, and to invest in railways. It built the Qinghai-Tibet railway, the Shanghai maglev, and the Beijing-Kowloon Railway.
Norway to order large emu fleetNORWEGIAN State Railways (NSB) has invited bids from five manufacturers for the supply of between 40 and 60 emus, with an option for another 100 trains. “This will be the biggest single investment in NSB’s history,” says project leader Mr Emil Eike.
The new trains are needed partly to replace NSB’s oldest trains and to cope with traffic growth. NSB currently operates its passenger services with 182 emus plus 32 locomotives and 170 coaches.
Funding boost for British station upgradePLANS to rebuild the busiest station in Britain outside London has received a boost after transport secretary Ms Ruth Kelly announced almost £400 million of government money would be allocated to the project. Birmingham New Street station currently handles around 17 million passengers per year, double the number it was designed to accommodate when it was last rebuilt in the 1960s. The £598 million project to rebuild the station will increase capacity to 52 million passengers per year, with a new concourse three-and-a-half times the size of the existing area, escalators to all platforms, and significant improvements to the passenger environment at platform level. The station will remain open during reconstruction, which will begin next year. The new concourse will be completed by 2011 and all remaining work will be finished by 2013.
DB sell off to start this yearTHE German government has decided to proceed with a revised plan to sell up to 30% of German Rail (DB) by the end of this year following last year’s rejection of the initial privatisation proposal.
The latest proposal is based on a plan unveiled by DB last December, which will see the creation of a 100% state-owned holding company with two subsidiaries: infrastructure and operations. Infrastructure will be owned entirely by DB, and therefore the state, with up to 49% of the shares in the operating company being sold in stages. The structure of this plan means it does not require the approval of the lower house of the German parliament.
The initial public offering is due to take place in September or October and is expected to raise around Euros 5 billion, most of which will be taken by the government, although a proportion of the proceeds will be allocated to DB.
A previous plan to sell shares in DB, including infrastructure, was blocked by politicians who feared DB would become a private monopoly while still receiving state funding to maintain infrastructure.
Alstom and Ansaldo to upgrade Tunis-Borj Cedria lineA CONSORTIUM including Alstom and Ansaldo STS, Italy, has been awarded a Euros 54 million contract by Tunisian National Railways (SNCFT) to upgrade, electrify and resignal the 23km Tunis Ville – Borj Cedria line. Alstom has a Euros 36 million share of the deal and will be responsible for 105km of electrification, including the provision of a 25kV substation, as well as supervising construction of station platforms. Ansaldo’s Euros 18 million share covers the design, manufacture, testing and installation of signalling and command control systems. This will include computer-based interlocking at Tunis Ville, Tunisia’s busiest station, together with the extension the existing automatic command and control system along the entire length of the line.
The work is part of project to develop an 85km five-line RER-style commuter rail network in the Tunisian capital, which will be completed in 2010.
Moretti sees opportunity for Trenitalia privatisationTHE liberalisation of Italy’s passenger rail market in 2010 could provide an opportunity to privatise Trenitalia, according to the company’s CEO Mr Mauro Moretti. In an interview with the Corriere della Sera newpaper, Moretti said: “It will be an opportunity to privatise and open up high-margin activities, such as high-speed, to the market and raise funds for investment without creating debt.” He added that privatisation could transform the loss-making freight arm of Trenitalia into a profitable logistics company. Moretti also said that FS reduced its losses last year from Euros 2.1 billion to Euros 430 million.
At least one operator, Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV), is preparing to compete with Trenitalia on high-speed services, and has already ordered 25 11-coach AGV trains for Alstom for its services, which will start in early 2011.
More Siemens LRVs for DenverDENVER Regional Transportation District (RTD) has awarded Siemens a $US 184 million contract to supply an additional 55 SD160 light rail vehicles (LRVs) for the 19.5km West Corridor line, which will link central Denver with Golden. The contract, which is Siemens’ biggest ever order for LRVs in the United States, follows two previous orders from Denver and 95 LRVs have so far been delivered to the city. Seven of the last order for 34 LRVs are already in service, and production of the latest order will follow completion of this batch in 2009. The LRVs will be assembled at Siemens site in Sacramento, California and all will be delivered by 2012.
Alstom launches next-generation TGVAlstom today unveiled the prototype of its next-generation high-speed train at La Rochelle, France. The new train, called AGV, has already been ordered by Italian open-access operator NTV, which has ordered 25 trains with an option for 10 more.
The new train has a maximum operating speed of 360km/h compared with the 320km/h achieved by the latest Alstom TGV trains, and is said to consume 15% less energy than comparable products.
Unlike previous generations of TGV, AGV uses distributed power throughout the train, eliminating the need for separate power cars at each end. It has European Rail Traffic Management System signalling equipment, and a new aerodynamic design. It will be capable of seating between 250 and 650 passengers, in formations ranging from seven to 14 cars.
Full coverage of the AGV will appear in the March edition of IRJ.
Bautzen tram test ring opensBombardier opened a new 850m test track for trams and light rail vehicles at its Bautzen, Germany, site, on February 1 for testing and approval of new vehicles.
The facility is expected to help streamline vehicle acceptance, and will be used for type approval, endurance, and simulated line operation tests. It can also be used to provide staff training for the customer.
A low-floor Flexity Classic tram destined for Dortmund was the first vehicle to be used on the track, which was part-financed by the state of Saxony. It is suitable for vehicles of up to 45m long, and can cater for different gauges and power supply voltages. An authentic operating environment includes a section with typical LRV/tram gradient, and a level crossing.
Indian Railways plans to order 1000 electric locomotivesBIDS are to be invited soon by Indian Railways (IR) for an eight-year contract to manufacture 1000 electric locomotives, and then to maintain them for 20 years. The winner of the contract will be provided with a site to build a factory in Madhepura. IR will have a minority stake in the new business.
IR estimates it will need about 1800 new locomotives during the next five years, but Chittaranjan Locomotive Works can only produce 150 locomotives a year, although production is being stepped up to 200 units a year.
England finalises 4500-car rolling stock planEngland is set to gain 4500 new passenger vehicles by 2017 in a massive long-term rolling stock plan issued by the British Department for Transport (DfT) – the biggest programme of its type for several decades. The plan covers rolling stock for England only, as the devolved regions of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland decide their own transport policy.
The plan is a mixture of replacements for life-expired stock, enhanced capacity on existing routes, and new trains for new routes. Key fleets include the long-awaited Intercity Express Programme, which will replace a number of high-speed and inter-urban fleets: at least 1500 cars could be ordered. Following this are 1300 emu cars for the cross-London Thameslink schemes. Of these, 200 were already announced in a departmental commitment to order new trains. The other big cross-London scheme is the east-west Crossrail service, which requires 600 cars.
Other fleets across the country will also benefit, with a further 1100 cars anticipated, and large-scale re-allocations of existing trains will follow, with the aim of eliminating the oldest and least suitable vehicles.
The DfT is also starting a programme to develop a replacement for dmus built in the 1980s, which will be due for replacement by the end of the next decade, as well as testing a tram-train unit for operation on lightly-used rural lines.
French operator joins European BullsTHE European alliance of six private railfreight operators called European Bulls has added another member: VFLI, France. This will plug an important gap in its network of operators between Spain in the west and the rest of its members to the east of France.
The existing six members of European Bulls are Comsa Rail, Spain, Nordcargo, Italy, Rail4Chem, Germany, LTE, Austria, Viamont, Czech Republic, and Fer Polska, Poland.
Bergen buys Stadler LRVsTHE NORWEGIAN city of Bergen has awarded Stadler, Switzerland, a Euros 35 million contract to supply 12 Variobahn light rail vehicles (LRVs) for its first light rail line. The 32m double-ended low-floor LRVs will have capacity for up to 84 seated and 151 standing passengers and a maximum speed of 70km/h. The contract includes eight years maintenance and options for up to an additional 20 LRVs.
When it opens next year, around 26,000 passengers are expected to use the 10km line from the city centre to Nesttun each weekday. Future extensions could take the line to Fyllingsdalen and Loddefjord to the west, and Sandviken/Åsane in the north. The initial Krone 1.64 billion ($US 301 million) section is being funded through road tolls.
Political turmoil threatens Lyon – Turin projectPLANS to build a new line between Italy and France could be in jeopardy following the fall of Italy’s government, according to infrastructure minister Mr Antonio Di Pietro. Di Pietro said the Euros 20 billion Lyon – Turin project risks falling victim to “reckless and irresponsible politics”, following a vote of no confidence earlier this month in the Italian Senate which led to the resignation of Prime Minister Mr Romano Prodi and his government.
The project already has public utility status in France and the European Commission has allocated Euros 672 million towards the project as part of the Trans European Network – Transport (TEN-T) programme. Exploratory tunnels have already been excavated and construction was expected to begin in 2011 with opening scheduled for 2020.
Nanjing orders Metropolis trains from AlstomTHE Chinese city of Nanjing has awarded a consortium of Alstom, CSR Puzhen Rail Transit, and Shanghai Alstom Transport Electrical Equipment (SATEE), a Euros 85.5 million contract to supply 126 metro cars. Puzhen will be responsible for production and testing of the 21 six-car Metropolis trains, while SATEE will manufacture auxiliary inverter and traction equipment.
The fleet will be used on Line 1, which is currently being extended 18km from An de Men to Chengdong Road. The 12-station extension will open in March 2010 and the last of the trains will be delivered by 2011. Alstom has already supplied 120 Metropolis cars for Line 1 and 144 cars for Line 2.
Bids to be invited for Rio-São Paulo next yearBIDS for the construction of a 403km high-speed line from Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo could be invited next year after the Brazilian government decided to include the $US 11 billion project in the country’s Growth Acceleration Plan (CAP). A new feasibility study for the project is now underway and this is due for completion in October. This will be followed by a period of public consultation, and the government expects to invite bids for construction of the line in the first half of 2009.
Valec, the government authority charged with supervising construction, is proposing trains with capacity for 855 passengers operating at 15-minute headways with a journey time of 85 minutes.
Russians to build Saudi lineSAUDI Arabia’s Ministry of Finance has selected Russian Railways (RZD) to begin negotiations for a $US 800 million contract to build 520km of new railway between Riyadh King Khalid International Airport and Az Zabira Junction. The line will form the southern section of the $US 2 billion 2400km North-South Railway project.
"Following the opening of the envelopes with the financial proposals from the parties, the RZD proposal was declared the best,” says Mr Vladimir Yakunin, president of RZD. “Russian Railways’ staff have extensive experience in constructing track in desert conditions.”
The southern section will be primarily for general freight and passenger traffic, while the rest of the North South Railway will be predominantly for heavy-haul mineral freight. It is hoped to complete the railway by 2011.
DB buys British train operatorGERMAN Rail (DB) is buying British passenger train operator Laing Rail for an undisclosed sum. This is DB’s first passenger rail acquisition in Britain, although it recently acquired EWS, Britain’s biggest railfreight operator, from Canadian National.
Laing Rail owns Chiltern Railways, which operates services between London Marylebone, and Birmingham Snow Hill and Stratford-upon-Avon. Laing Rail is also a partner with Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway in the new London Overground franchise, and a partner with Renaissance Trains in Britain’s third open-access passenger operator, Wrexham & Shropshire, which plans to start services to London in the next few months.
Dr Karl-Friedrich Rausch, chairman of DB’s passenger division, said the acquisition “will allow us to substantially strengthen our position in the European market along with providing the basis for future growth.”
Alstom to build South America’s first high-speed lineSOUTH AMERICA’S first high-speed railway has come a step closer to fruition after Argentine President Mrs Cristina Kirchner announced the Alstom-led Veloxia consortium will build the 710km line from Buenos Aires to Rosario and Cordoba.
Alstom will be responsible for overall project management and engineering, rolling stock and train maintenance, installation and deployment of European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) Level 2, communications systems, electrification, and infrastructure maintenance. Consortium partner Iecsa, Argentina, will carry out civil works while Isolux Corsan, Spain, and Emepa, Argentina, will work with Alstom on track construction.
When the line opens in 2011, Buenos Aires – Cordoba journey times will be slashed from 14 hours to just three hours. Nine return services serving seven stations will be operated by a fleet of eight 320km/h TGV Duplex double-deck trains, which have a capacity of 500 passengers. Alstom will manufacture the trains in France before shipping them to Argentina for final assembly at its La Plata site near Buenos Aires.
French transport minister Mr Dominique Bussereau said the Argentine deal could inspire other South American countries, as well as the United States to invest in high-speed rail.
NTV confirms AGV orderTHE world’s first open access high-speed operator has confirmed it will be the first customer to buy Alstom’s new generation high-speed train, the AGV. Italian operator Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV) has ordered 25 11-coach AGVs at a cost of Euros 650 million, together with a 30-year maintenance contract which is not included in this amount. The 300km/h trains will enter service in early 2011 on the Italian high-speed network in competition with Trenitalia. Alstom and NTV will reveal further details of the contract next month.
Argentina to buy Chinese trains?ARGENTINE president Mrs Christina Kirchner has reportedly approved a $US 124 million plan to purchase Chinese-built passenger trains for Buenos Aires commuter services. China’s Xinhua news agency said the Argentine government will procure 24 multiple units and 160 locomotive-hauled coaches through Shanghai Golden Source International Economic and Trade Company, although the manufacturer of the vehicles has not been named. The first trains could be delivered as early as the end of this year.
India To Invest $US 1.5 Billion In StationsINDIAN RAILWAYS (IR) is launching a massive four-year modernisation programme that it says will transform the country’s largest stations. IR will begin its $US1.5 billion investment in the middle of this year, focussing its resources initially on the main stations in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and the other 18 state capitals.
IR chairman Mr K C Jena said he wanted to follow the model adopted for the new stations in Shanghai and Beijing, where there are dedicated areas for boarding and disembarking.
The projects will be implemented as public private partnerships (PPPs), a model which has already been used to improve air and road infrastructure in India but until now has not found favour for rail projects.
Thales interlockings for Finnish lineFINNISH Rail Administration (RHK) has awarded Thales a Euros 12 million contract to supply, install and commission electronic interlockings on the Lahti-Luunmaki line in southern Finland. Thales will supply eight LockTrac 6151 ESTW L90 5 interlockings on the 98km line, which forms part of the Helsinki – St Petersburg route. Upon completion of the project next year, the line will be controlled from the centralised traffic control centre in Kouvola. Thales will also install axle counters and LED signals as part of the contract.
RZD to run Armenian RailwaysTHE government of Armenia will announce Russian Railways (RZD) as the winning bidder of a 30-year concession to run the country’s rail network, according to transport and communication minister Mr Andranik Manukyan. The winning bidder will be revealed next Thursday and Manukyan said RZD was the only foreign company to submit a bid for the concession. He added that RZD will invest $US 230 million over the first five years and $US 240 million thereafter. The minister also said that RZD expects to restart freight services to Turkey in 2009 and Azerbaijan in 2010. “I am convinced that RZD will restore our infrastructure, provide new trains, and repair depots and stations," he said.
China – Germany freight test launchedGERMAN RAIL (DB) and five other railways began test operation of intermodal freight services between China and Germany yesterday, when the train left Beijing on the first leg of its 10,000km journey to Hamburg. The service will take 20 days to reach the German port, running via Mongolia, the Trans-Siberian Railway, Belarus and Poland. The train is being run as part Eurasian Land Bridge project, a joint venture by the six railways to develop a viable alternative to sea and air freight between Asia and Europe.
DB CEO Mr Hartmut Mehdorn said: “We want to demonstrate that that we can get a train like this to its destination quickly, safely, reliably, and under real-life operating conditions. The train will provide experience for the intended launch of regular Eurasian railfreight services, the potential for which is extraordinarily high.”
Construction starts on Chinese lineCHINA has begun construction of a Yuan 41.7 billion ($US 5.6 billion) line in the southwest of the country from the port of Xiamen to Shenzhen, near the Hong Kong border. The 502km line will have capacity for up to 240 trains per day and an operating speed of up to 200km/h, which will allow journey times between the two cities to be slashed from 11 hours to 3 hours when it opens in 2011. It is expected to carry 12 million tonnes of freight per year. The project is being co-funded by the Ministry of Railways and the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong.
RCA and GySEV complete MÁV Cargo purchaseA CONSORTIUM of Austrian Federal Railways’ (ÖBB) freight arm, Rail Cargo Austria (RCA), and Gyõr-Sopron-Ebenfurt Railway (GySEV) has completed its acquisition of Hungarian State Railways former freight division.
RCA and GySEV signed a contract on Wednesday to buy MÁV Cargo in a deal expected to be worth around Forints 102.5 billion (Euros 404 million). The takeover, which is ÖBB’s first buyout of a non-Austrian company, follows a highly-competitive bidding process that saw bids far in excess of the Forints 60-80 billion the Hungarian government initially predicted.
RCA CEO Mr Ferdinand Schmid said the acquisition of MÁV Cargo was of great strategic importance for ÖBB and rebuffed claims by critics that the price being paid is too high.
MÁV Cargo is a potentially lucrative acquisition for its new owner, boasting a 20% share of the Hungarian freight transport market and a turnover of Forints 93 billion in 2006 (up from Forints 86.5 billion in 2005) with pre-tax profits of Forints 2.8 billion. It carried 46.8 million tonnes of freight in 2006, up 6% over the previous year, although its share of the Hungarian railfreight market fell from 94.1% in 2005 to 92.2% in 2006. MÁV Cargo expects 2007 to be another profitable year with an anticipated turnover of Forints 87.7 billion.
SJ to order 20 intercity trainsSWEDEN’S former national rail operator SJ says it will order 20 new intercity emus this year to allow it to strengthen trains on the country’s busiest long-distance routes. CEO Mr Jan Forsberg says he expects SJ to order 20 Regina emus this year to replace X2000 tilting trains on slower and less busy intercity routes. This will allow SJ to concentrate the X2000 fleet on its key routes from Stockholm to Gothenburg, Malmö, and Sundsvaal, where extra capacity is urgently needed.
The new trains will be equipped for 200km/h operation, although software upgrades will allow 250km/h running if required at a later date. Bombardier is currently testing a Regina emu at speeds of up to 275km/h as part of the Green Train research programme. Around 70 Regina emus are already in regional service in Sweden.
Siemens sets up new Mobility divisionSIEMENS has merged its rail transport division (Siemens Transportation Systems) with divisions covering road tolling, road traffic management, airport logistics, and postal automation to form a new division called Mobility. The objective is to bring together everything concerned with passenger and freight transport.
The new division will be headed by Dr Hans-Jörg Grundmann as CEO. Grundmann was a board member of Siemens I&S, one of the divisions absorbed by Mobility. The Mobility division will have a turnover of Euros 7 billion compared with Euros 4.5 billion for Transportation Systems.
Mr Hans Schabert, who was chairman of the board of Transportation Systems, has left Siemens at his own request.
The formation of Mobility is part of a reorganisation of Siemens into three main sectors: Healthcare, Energy, and Industry. Mobility is one of seven divisions in the Industry sector, which has an annual turnover of Euros 40 billion.
Russian Railways exceeds traffic targetIN a report to President Vladimir Putin of Russia, the president of Russian Railways (RZD), Mr Vladimir Yakunin, said that traffic on the railway increased by 2.7% this year compared with a forecast of 1.8%. RZD reported particularly strong growth in the transport of cars (+30%), cereals (+25%), and metals (+17.7%).
Passenger traffic increased by 2.9% to an expected 1.3 billion journeys in 2007. “This means that at least one Russian citizen in 10 will make a return trip by train,” says Yakunin.
RZD increased its acquisitions of motive power and rolling stock in 2007 compared with 2006. RZD purchased 326 locomotives (compared with 277 in 2006), 16,500 freight wagons (8500 in 2006), 912 long-distance passenger coaches (755 in 2006), and 760 commuter cars (740 in 2006). RZD also rehabilitated 11,500km of track in 2007.
China completes its first 300km/h trainTHE first 300km/h train to be built in China rolled off the production line at Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Company on December 23. A fleet of 10 eight-car trains is under construction for delivery by March. The trains will be introduced on the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed line in August, in time for the start of the Olympic Games. Previous trains in the CRH series had a maximum speed of 250km/h.
Chinese cities order metro trains and control systemsTHE CHINESE cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou have awarded a consortium of Siemens and CSR Zhouzhou Electric Locomotive (ZELC), China, contracts worth a total of Euros 431 million to supply metro trains and control systems. Shanghai Shentong Metro Group has placed a Euros 289 million order for control systems and 58 six-car trains for the northern section of Line 11, which will open in 2010. The trains will have a maximum speed of 100km/h and will be assembled by ZELC in Zhouzhou. Guangzhou Metro meanwhile has ordered 30 metro cars from the consortium as part of the extension of lines 2 and 8. With control equipment, the value of this order is Euros 142 million.
Bombardier wins Toronto maintenance contractGREATER Toronto Transit Authority (Go Transit) has awarded Bombardier a five-year contract worth $C 124 million ($US 125 million) to provide maintenance services for the city’s commuter train fleet. The deal includes options for up to an additional 15 years of maintenance services which, if exercised, will take the contract value to around $C 496 million.
In November Go Transit awarded Bombardier a separate five-year deal to provide fleet management services. Both contracts will take effect next June.
DB orders double-deck coaches for Schleswig HolsteinGERMAN RAIL (DB) has awarded Bombardier a Euros 90 million contract to supply 64 double-deck coaches for regional services in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. The order is part of a framework agreement signed in 2003 for up to 298 double-deck coaches with options for a further 300. Including this latest batch, DB has now ordered 523 vehicles under this agreement. The 160km/h coaches will be delivered between next October and October 2009 for use on regional services from Hamburg to Kiel, Lübeck, Travemünde, and Lüneberg.
DB now has more than 1600 Bombardier double-deck coaches in operation or order across Germany.
Algeria awards signaling contractALGERIA’S national railway investment agency (Anesrif) has awarded a Thales-led consortium a Euros 268.5 million contract to modernise signalling and telecommunications equipment on three sections of the Oran – Algiers – Chlef line.
The consortium, which includes Vossloh-Cogifer and CSEE Alger, will design, supply, install and commission the equipment on 440km of double track encompassing the Annaba – Ramdane Djamel, Bordj Bou Arreidj – El Gourzi and Al Khémis – Oued Sly sections. Thales will provide the European Train Control System (ETCS) Levels 1 and 2 for these lines, together with electronic signalling at 30 stations, four control centres, telecommunications and security systems.
The modernisation is part of Algerian National Railways’ (SNTF) network development programme, which was launched in 2005.
AMT orders double-deck coaches for MontrealTHE government of Quebec has awarded Bombardier a $C 386 million ($US 381 million) contract to supply 160 double-deck coaches for Montreal commuter rail operator Metropolitan Transit Agency (AMT). The stainless steel vehicles will have capacity for up to 200 passengers, 30% more than AMTs existing single-deck coaches with GPS-based audio visual passenger information systems.
The coaches will be assembled at Bombardier’s La Pocatiere plant in Quebec and deliveries will begin in the third quarter of 2009.
The order includes vehicles for AMT’s $C 300 million East Train project, which will see the introduction of commuter rail services on the 51km line from Montreal to Repentigny and Mascouche in 2011.
Transmashholding and Alstom reach agreement to set up Russian JVsRUSSIA’s leading rolling stock builder, Transmashholding, has signed an agreement with Alstom to form joint venture companies to produce railway equipment ranging from components to entire vehicles.
Transmashholding is the main domestic supplier of railway equipment to Russian Railways (RZD), which plans major investment in motive power and rolling stock up to 2030. Alstom already has a contract to supply four Pendolino 220km/h tilting trains to Karelian Railways, a joint venture of RZD and VR, Finland.
Bombardier, which already has an agreement with Transmashholding to create two joint ventures to develop propulsion technology and manufacture traction converters, is also discussing closer cooperation with Transmashholding.
Vienna buys 15 more type V metro trainsVIENNESE public transport operator Wiener Linien has exercised an option to buy an additional 15 type V metro trains from a Siemens-led consortium at a cost of Euros 135 million. The 112m-long trains will be delivered between May 2009 and May 2011.
Siemens will assemble the trains at its Vienna plant, and its share of the deal is worth Euros 94 million with the remaining Euros 41 million going to consortium partners Bombardier (Euros 26 million) and Elin EBG Traction (Euros 15 million).
Seventeen of the initial order for 25 six-car type V trains have already been delivered to Wiener Linien, and they will be introduced on Line U2 when it is extended to Stadion next year.
A further 20 trains could still be ordered as part of the framework agreement which was signed in 1998.
Porterbrook orders 27 dmus for British FranchiseLEASING company Porterbrook has awarded Bombardier a Euros 129 million contract to supply 27 class 172 Turbostar dmus for Britain’s London Midland franchise. The 12 two-car and 15 three-car trains will be a lightweight, low-emissions variant of the existing class 170 dmu and will be used on commuter services in the Birmingham area. The trains will be equipped with end gangway doors to allow multiple working. They will be assembled at Bombardier’s Derby plant and will enter service in July 2010.
Railfreight services restored across Korean borderREGULAR railfreight services have started across the heavily-fortified border between South and North Korea for the first time since 1950. A 12-wagon train carrying building materials was the first commercial freight to cross the border, although a test run was made in May.
“Though we start with a cargo train, it will lead to a passenger train service,” says a highly-optimistic Mr Lee Chul, president of Korail, which operates train services in South Korea. A key objective is to start freight operations between South Korean ports and China, Russia and the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Lyon – Turin gets public utility statusCONSTRUCTION of a Euros 20 billion railway from Lyon to Turin has moved a step closer after France granted public utility status to its section of the line. French Rail Network (RFF) will be responsible for the construction of a 79km high-speed line between Lyon and Chambéry, and a freight line from Lyon to a junction at Combe de Savoie. From here a mixed-traffic line will be built to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, where trains will enter the 51km Modane Base Tunnel.
The line will emerge in Italy at Condove in the lower Susa valley, where it will continue on a new 40km alignment to Turin. Italian Infrastructure Network (RFI) will be responsible for the construction of this section.
Exploratory tunnels have already been excavated and construction will begin in 2011 with completion expected in 2020. Journey times for passenger services between Lyon and Turin will be cut from four hours to just 1h 45min and the line is expected to carry 40 million tonnes of freight per year by 2030, double the capacity of the existing line.
Last Month the European Commission allocated Euros 672 million towards the project as part of the Trans European Network – Transport (TEN-T) programme. An inter-governmental commission will meet in Rome next week to discuss the plans further.
Study recommends higher investment in US passenger servicesA STUDY by the United States Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission is calling for $US 357.2 billion investment in passenger services over the next 40 years (around $US 8.1 billion per year), with federal matching funding to aid states in developing rail routes. The report says the federal government should pay 80% of the cost, while the states would pay 20% - the same ratio currently in place for most highway construction. It adds that part of the additional funding required could come from existing fuel taxes on road vehicles.
The study is similar in approach to the National Rail Freight Infrastructure Capacity and Investment Study, released in September, which said $US 148 billion is required to handle growing railfreight capacity needs.
Both studies are part of an effort by the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission to present a comprehensive package of recommendations to Congress.
São Paulo awards train maintenance contractsSÃO PAULO Metropolitan Train Company (CPTM) has awarded two consortia four-year contracts worth a total of $US 276 million to refurbish and maintain commuter trains. Comafer, a consortium including Bombardier, Alstom and CAF, will refurbish and maintain 48 three-car series 2100 emus, while a separate partnership called Cobraman II, which includes the same companies, will maintain 30 series 2000 four-car trains. Both consortia have been providing vehicle maintenance and refurbishment services for CPTM since 2002.
India completes electrification projectINDIAN Railways has completed a Rupees 1.1 billion ($US 29.9 million) project to electrify the 105km Tirupati – Katpadi line. The line was converted from metre gauge to broad gauge two years ago, and the completion of the project will allow Bangalore – Tirupati journey times to be reduced from around 12 hours to less than seven hours. Electric services will be inaugurated on the line on Saturday by Railway Minister Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav.
Rotterdam orders Bombardier Flexity LRVsROTTERDAM public transport operator Rotterdam Electric Tram (RET) has awarded Bombardier a Euros 140 million contract to supply 43 Flexity Swift light rail vehicles (LRVs) for the Erasmus and Caland lines. The 42m-long three-car LRVs are of the same type as the 21 ordered in 1995 for the RandstadRail network, and will have capacity of up to 270 passengers. They will be delivered between June 2009 and February 2010. The contract includes options for an additional 21 vehicles, which may be ordered for use on the Hoekse line.
Construction starts on Kazakh-Turkmen-Iranian linkCONSTRUCTION of a 900km international railway along the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea began on Saturday, when a groundbreaking ceremony was held at Bereket in Turkmenistan. The line will run from north from the Iranian city of Gorgan, 250km east of Tehran, to Bereket in Turkmenistan and Uzen, where it will connect with the Kazakh network. The line is expected to carry 3-5 million tonnes of freight per year and the 698km Turkmen section will open in December 2011.
China to issue record $US 6 billion in railway bondsChina’s Ministry of Railways is to issue Yuan 45 billion ($US 6 billion) of bonds to fund capital investment. This is the largest single amount since railway bonds were first issued in 1995 and will increase the total value of railway bonds to Yuan 113.7 billion.
The money raised will be used to fund the purchase of locomotives and rolling stock and 21 railway projects. These include the construction of a second line between Hailar and the inland port of Manzhouli on the Russian border to relieve freight congestion on the existing 186km line, a passenger line between Zhengzhou and Xi’an, and electrification of the Qinshihuang-Shenyang line.
Study recommends investment in rail signallingSPENDING money on railway signalling enhancements is a more effective method of increasing transport capacity than any other option, according to an independent study commissioned by Invensys Rail Group, Britain. British consultant Credo, looked at road and rail capacity enhancement schemes before reaching its conclusions.
The number of extra people per hour for every £1 million of investment per kilometre that signalling enhancements on commuter lines would generate, ranges from 1801 for ERTMS signalling to 3678 for conventional signalling. On intercity lines the situation is reversed, with 1348 and 1260 people/hour/£1million/km respectively. By contrast, the best figure road schemes manage is 789 for new-build intercity roads.
GE lands British locomotive orderGE Transportation has won its first ever contract to supply diesel locomotives to Britain. Freightliner has ordered 30 JS37ACi Co-Co diesel locomotives, which will feature ac traction motors and dynamic brakes. This is the largest single locomotive order ever placed by Freightliner and marks a significant shift in motive power policy for the operator, which has over 100 EMD class 66 locomotives in its fleet.
The 2750kW locomotives are designed to offer a 7% increase in fuel efficiency over existing diesel locomotives in the Freightliner fleet, achieving 197g/kw/h. By using energy dissipated by the dynamic brakes to drive the auxiliaries, and controlling auxiliaries separately from engine speed, a further 3% improvement in efficiency will be possible.
The ac traction motors are individually controlled by separate inverters, which leads to improved power distribution, while the better torque-speed curve of the ac motors offers higher starting torque and therefore higher starting tractive effort than existing dc designs.
The first of the new locomotives will be delivered in mid-2009.
Angel orders Traxx electrics for B-CargoLEASING company Angel Trains has awarded Bombardier a contract to supply and maintain 35 Traxx multi-system locomotives, which will be leased to Belgian National Railways (SNCB) freight arm B-Cargo. The order is part of a master purchase agreement signed in 2005, and takes the number of Traxx locomotives on order for B-Cargo up to 40.
The 10-year maintenance contract covers preventative and corrective maintenance, which will be carried out by SNCB employees at SNCB workshops under the supervision of Bombardier.
The total value of the contract is Euros 175 million, which includes the initial order of five locomotives and maintenance.
Angel is the second European leasing company to order Traxx electric locomotives this week. Yesterday CB Rail placed a Euros 57 million order for five ac and 10 multi-system locomotives equipped with the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2.
Mexico to launch Punta Colonet project next yearCONSTRUCTION of a 350km line from a new port in northwest Mexico to the United States border could start within a year, according to the Mexican Communications and Transport Ministry. The line will connect a port to be constructed at Punta Colonet in the state of Baja California Norte with Yuma in Arizona. The port will be the largest in Mexico and will be capable of handling 6 million TEU per year. Punta Colonet will relieve the congested west coast ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in the United States.
EWS to revive Channel Tunnel freightENGLISH Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) has unveiled ambitious plans to revive railfreight volumes between Britain and mainland Europe. A network of intermodal services will be launched in January operated by EWS subsidiary Euro Cargo Rail (ECR).
From January, three trains per week will run from Brussels to Daventry in central England, and six trains per week will run between Duisburg and Manchester from February. In March, a new service will be launched between Milan and Manchester operating five times per week. EWS also announced it has acquired Grangemouth intermodal terminal in Scotland, which will allow the reintroduction of through services from Scotland to mainland Europe.
The announcement follows Eurotunnel’s decision in October to slash access charges for freight operators by up to 50%, and introduce a new charging regime based on volume, rather than the commodity being carried. Eurotunnel subsidiary Europorte 2 has plans to start its own freight services from Dunkerque in France to England in partnership with another British operator.
Channel Tunnel freight traffic has failed to reach expectations, peaking at 3 million tonnes in 1997 before tailing off to about 1 million tonnes today.
RATP orders more MF2000 trains for Paris MetroPARIS Transport Authority (RATP) has placed a Euros 189 order for an additional batch of 49 MF2000 metro trains. The trains are being supplied by a consortium of Bombardier, Alstom and Areva, and will enter service on Line 5 between 2010 and 2012.
The order is the second in a framework agreement covering the purchase of 161 trains signed by RATP and the consortium in 2001. The first order for 45 trains was placed in January 2006 and these will enter service on Line 2 from next year. A prototype MF2000 has been on test on Line 2 since January.
The trains feature air-conditioning and CCTV, both a first on the Paris Metro. Furthermore, they are equipped with regenerative braking and are designed to be 30% more energy efficient than previous generations of Paris metro trains.
Alstom will be responsible for overall project management, supply of components and sub-assemblies including traction and braking systems, assembly and testing. Bombardier will supply drivers’ cabs, bogies and painted car bodies, while Areva is providing IT systems.
The delivery of the new trains will allow RATP to replace its MF67 fleet, which was delivered between 1967 and 1978 and currently makes up 40% of the Metro train fleet.
It is expected further MF2000s will be ordered for Line 9.
Private equity firm buys CTL LogisticsONE of Europe’s largest privately-owned railfreight operators has been sold to a private equity group for an undisclosed sum. CTL Logistics, Poland, has been sold by its founder Mr Jaroslaw Pawluk to Bridgepoint, a company which focuses investment in companies valued up to Euros 1 billion. CTL was established in 1992 and operates mainly in Poland, although its German operation has been expanding rapidly since it was established in 2003. The company has 2500 employees, 176 locomotives and 4828 wagons, and had revenues of Euros 285 million in 2006.
Knorr-Bremse wins Australian contractDOWNER EDI Rail has awarded a Euros 140 million contract to Knorr-Bremse to supply and maintain braking equipment and doors for 626 double-deck coaches being built by Downer EDI Rail and Hitachi, Japan, for Sydney commuter rail services. Delivery of the 78 trains will start in 2010 and the maintenance contract will run for 30 years.
The car bodies will be built in China and completed in Australia. The trains are being built for the Reliance Rail consortium which was awarded a public-private partnership contract to provide trains to RailCorp, which operates suburban rail services in Sydney.
Shanghai to build two more metro linesSHANGHAI has unveiled plans to build another two metro lines which will take the network to 13 lines, totaling 500km, by 2012. Line 12 will be 33.6km long with 26 stations, and will run from Hongmei Street in the city centre to Pudong New Area, while Line 13 will be a 13km, nine-station line from the city’s main railway station to Jiading.
The additional lines are part of Yuan 200 billion ($US 26.8 billion) investment in Shanghai’s metro and commuter rail networks. The municipal and regional governments are contributing Yuan 90 billion while the remainder is being funded through loans from banks and the China Life Insurance Company.
Shanghai currently has five operational metro lines totaling around 145km, although Lines 6, 8 and 9 will add another 87.4km when they open on December 28. Currently only around 15% of journeys in the city are made by metro although this is expected to reach 45% by 2012.
Eurostar moves to London St PancrasTHE FIRST scheduled service over Britain’s newly completed high speed line left London St Pancras station this morning bound for Paris. The opening of the 38km northern section of the £5.8 billion line means Eurostar services now run over dedicated high speed infrastructure from central London to the Channel Tunnel, shaving up to 20 minutes off journey times to Paris (2h 15min) and Brussels (1h 51min).
The new line has two new stations, Stratford International in east London which is situated adjacent to the site of the 2012 Olympic Games, and Ebbsfleet south of the River Thames, close to the M25 orbital highway.
Eurostar services to London Waterloo, which ran via conventional lines from Fawkham Junction, were discontinued yesterday in preparation for the move to St Pancras. Eurostar says it has received more than 1.2 million bookings for travel on High Speed 1, up 16% over the same period last year.
Domestic 225km/h services will begin operating from St Pancras to Ashford and Dover in 2009, using a fleet of 29 Hitachi class 395 ‘Javelin’ trains.
More Combinos for BernBERNMOBIL, the transit authority in the Swiss capital Bern, has awarded Siemens a Euros 65 million order to supply an additional 21 Combino light rail vehicles (LRVs). The new vehicles will be the 42m Combino Classic version, which is 11m longer than the 15 Combino Advanced LRVs already in service with Bernmobil with 33% more passenger capacity. The Combino Classic also features improved passenger information systems and wheelchair access, CCTV, and a new seating layout above the bogie modules. The LRVs will be delivered in 2009-10 as part of the Tram Bern West project, which involves extending the light rail network to Brünnen. They will also be used on Line 9.
Construction starts on China – Mongolia – Russia linkCHINA began construction on Saturday of the first phase of a railway that will eventually provide a new international connection between China, Mongolia and Russia. The initial 487km, $US 790 million section from Xinqiu in Liaoning Province to Bayan Ul in Inner Mongolia is due for completion in 2010, and is expected to carry around 15 million tonnes of coal per year by 2025. The second 230km phase will extend to line north Zhuengadabuqi on the Chinese/Mongolian border, while the final section will link the line to Choibalsan, where it will meet the existing 1524mm-gauge line from Bayan-Tumen to Borzya in Russia.
First test runs on Perth – Mandurah lineTESTING of the newly-completed Perth – Mandurah line in Western Australia began this morning, when the first train ran on the Perth – Rockingham section.
Testing of the 72km Southern Suburbs Railway will be carried out at speeds of up to 130km/h in two phases, Perth to Rockingham and Rockingham to Mandurah. The test programme is expected to last 10-18 days. The line was originally scheduled to open in July, although Transperth is not expected to begin running commuter services on the line until the end of December. The project has cost $A 1.6 billion ($US 1.46 billion), $A 50 million over budget.
The underground section of the line beneath Perth city centre, which consists of a 770m twin-bore tunnel and 900m cut-and-cover tunnel, opened on October 15. The completion of the line to Mandurah will effectively double the size of the city’s commuter rail network.
EC approves EWS takeoverTHE EUROPEAN Commission (EC) has conditionally approved the proposed acquisition of Britain’s largest railfreight operator, English Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS), by German Rail (DB).
The EC had previously voiced concerned that the Euros 500 million takeover could weaken EWS’ French subsidiary Euro Cargo Rail (ECR), because DB might not have the same incentive to pursue railfreight in France with the same intensity as EWS. DB has committed to continue EWS’ five-year plan for ECR, and guaranteed fair and non-discriminatory access to driver training and maintenance facilities for other operators in an effort to address the EC’s concerns.
EWS is 31% owned by Canadian National and two private equity firms, Berkshire Partners, United States, and Fay Richwhite, Switzerland. It currently carries around half of Britain’s railfreight volume, although it has lost market share to new entrants since it took over five of the six former British Rail freight companies in the mid-1990s.
Alstom to refurbish Paris RER trainsPARIS Transport Authority (RATP) and French National Railways (SNCF) have awarded a Euros 103 million contract to Alstom to refurbish the interior of 119 emus which operate on Line B of the Paris RER network. The work on the trains, which date from 1980, will extend their life by another 15 to 20 years.
The project involves installing air-conditioning and a passenger information system, and replacing all interior fittings. Initially, one train will be refurbished and tested during the third quarter of 2009. Work on the remaining trains will start in 2010.
Arup consortium wins Copenhagen Cityringen contractTHE Ørestadt Development Corporation, Denmark, has appointed a consortium of Arup, Cowi (Denmark), and Systra to act as consulting engineers for the construction and civil engineering of the Metro City Ring Line, or Cityringen, in Copenhagen. The 16km light metro will be fully-automated and will have 17 underground stations.
Cambodia and Thailand to close missing linkCONSTRUCTION of a rail connection between Cambodia and Thailand is set to start next year after the Asian Development Bank and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed to lend Cambodia $US 80 million for the project. When it is completed in 2010, the 48km line from Poipet in Thailand to Sisophon in Cambodia will allow trains to operate from Bangkok to Phnom Penh. The line forms part of the eastern route of the 5500km Singapore – Kunming Rail Link (SKRL), which was initially proposed by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995.
Further additions to the Cambodian railway network are planned as part of SKRL, including a 254km line from Phnom Penh to Loc Ninh in Vietnam. The project will cost around $US 500 million and the Cambodian Ministry of Public Works says it is currently seeking funding to build the line, which will eventually be extended to join the Vietnamese metre gauge network in Ho Chi Minh City.
Network Rail plans to double spending in 2009-14BRITISH infrastructure authority Network Rail today revealed ambitious plans to double its existing level of spending on rail expansion schemes as part of its Strategic Business Plan for 2009-14. The document, which forms part of the Office of Rail Regulation’s (ORR) continuing review of Network Rail’s prospective budget for the five-year period, suggests £9.6 billion will be required over the period to meet the increasing demands of freight and passenger operators, up from £4.3 billion in 2004-09.
The plan also suggests that operating costs could be almost halved over the 10 years to 2014, while punctuality could exceed 92%, up from 90% today and 78% in 2002. Around £11.4 billion will be spent on renewing track, signalling, structures, and station refurbishment, while 10.4 billion has been allocated for operating and maintenance costs.
ORR will make its final decision on Network Rail’s prospective spending budget for 2009-14 next year.
Bombardier wins first Zefiro high-speed train orderCHINESE joint venture Bombardier Sifang Power has been awarded a $US 1.5 billion contract by China’s Ministry of Railways (MOR) to supply 40 16-car 250km/h emus of two different types. The contract includes 20 overnight trains, which are the first trains from Bombardier’s Zefiro product range and the first 250km/h trains to feature sleeping accommodation.
The remaining 20 day trains will be a development of the eight-car China Railway High Speed CRH1 emus, which are currently being built by Bombardier Sifang Power for Guangzhou – Shenzhen services.
The trains will be delivered between February 2009 and August 2010.
French to expand rail networkPRESIDENT Nicholas Sarkozy of France has announced, during a conference on the environment, that an additional 2000km of high-speed lines will be built in France. Steps will also be taken to expand railfreight, and another 1500km of dedicated tram lines, bus lanes or cycle tracks will be built in provincial cities. At the same time, additional taxes will be imposed on trucks transiting the country and on the most polluting new road vehicles, with the funds generated being invested in public transport.
These initiatives form part of an overall package of measures designed to reduce carbon emissions and pollution. Sarkozy wants to see a reduction of 2 million in the number of trucks on French roads by 2020.
Britain’s Thameslink upgrade project finally launchedNETWORK Rail, Britain’s track authority, has started work on the £5.5 billion project to upgrade the Thameslink cross-London line with a scheme to extend the platforms at Luton Airport Parkway station to accept 12-car trains. The project was originally called Thameslink 2000 reflecting its planned completion date, but has been delayed by numerous planning and funding problems.
Thameslink is designed to increase capacity on the route between Bedford, London, Gatwick Airport and Brighton both in terms of train length and frequency, and incorporate lines to other destinations such as Cambridge, Stansted Airport and several towns south of London. It is due to be completed by 2015.
French to build Moroccan high-speed lineAFRICA’S first high-speed line moved a major step closer to fruition yesterday when French President Mr Nicolas Sarkozy and King Mohammed of Morocco witnessed the signing of an outline agreement to build a 320km/h line from Tangier to Casablanca.
Under a deal the line will be designed, built, operated, and maintained by a French consortium, which includes Alstom and SNCF International. Commercial negotiations are due to be concluded next year, which will allow contracts to be drawn up and signed. The first 200km section of the line from Tangier to Kenitra will open in 2013.
Services on the new line will be operated by a fleet of 18 Alstom TGV Duplex double-deck trains.
The project is a key element of Morocco’s railway master plan, which stipulates the construction of a 1500km high-speed network by 2035. This will consist of two lines, the Atlantic Link, from Tangier to Marrakech and Agadir, and the Maghreb Link from Rabat to Fez and Oujda.
Alstom also signed a Euros 73 million deal today with Moroccan National Railways (ONCF) to supply 20 6MW Prima electric locomotives and maintain them for two years. The 160km/h locomotives will be delivered from 2010 for use on both freight and passenger trains.
Stadler unveils first dmu for VeoliaTHE first of 16 dmus ordered by Veolia Transport in the Netherlands has been unveiled by Stadler, Switzerland, just over a year after the Euros 50 million contract was signed. The trains will be used on the Nijmegen-Roermund line in the province of Limberg from the end of November.
The order comprises ten 2-car and six 3-car articulated dmus. All are equipped with video surveillance systems, toilets, a flat-screen information system and space for bicycles and wheelchairs. The trains have two independent drive systems, a diesel motor with generator and power converter, and a three phase-asynchronous drive motor.
The new trains will replace 25-year old dmus as part of a contract won by Veolia for operating the entire public transport system in Limberg from next month.
Queensland Rail to launch trans-Australian servicesSTATE-OWNED Queensland Rail (QR) says it will start operating intermodal services on the lucrative Melbourne-Perth route as early as next month in competition with former Toll-owned Pacific National. The announcement comes just weeks after Pacific National owner Asciano said it was in talks with Queensland-based mining companies which could potentially lead the operator to challenge QR’s dominance of the coal export market in the state. Australia’s east-west railfreight market is worth around $A 400 million ($US 357 million) and the national government expects it to grow from around 400 billion tonne-km today to 648 billion tonne-km by 2020.
Estonia to split operations from infrastructureTHE Estonian government has approved plans to restructure recently renationalised Estonian Railways (ER) into a holding company with separate infrastructure and operating companies. The plan, put forward by minister of economy Mr Juhan Parts, is intended to make ER’s activities more transparent, and to meet European Union legislation.
If the plan is ratified by parliament, the holding company will be headed by the current ER CEO Mr Kaido Simmermann, although the government has not named candidates to head the operating or infrastructure companies.
Infrastructure investment in 2008-2017 will be around Euros 370 million, which includes Euros 128 million for track renewals. Simmermann has also indicated ER may buy new locomotives and wagons.
Beijing to expand metro to 294kmPLANS to build six more metro lines in the Chinese capital Beijing have been approved by the city’s Municipal Commission of Urban Planning. This will allow work to begin before the end of the end of the year. This will add another 152km to the existing five-line 142km network.
Beijing expects the number of people using the metro to increase from the current 2.2 million per day to about 8 million per day by 2015. The proportion of people travelling by public transport is forecast to increase from 30% to 45% during the same period.
China to start work on Beijing-Shanghai HS line this yearCONSTRUCTION of China’s 1318km high-speed line linking the capital Beijing with Shanghai is due to start before the end of the year, according to the Ministry of Railways. This follows approval last month by the state council of a feasibility study for the project.
The Ministry of Railways estimates the total cost at Yuan 130 billion ($US 17.3 billion). However, China Economic Net, a website controlled by China’s Economic Daily newspaper, says the final cost could exceed Yuan 200 billion.
Trains will operate at up to 350km/h cutting the current 10-hour journey time between the two cities by half.
Bombardier wins Delhi Metro signalling contractDELHI Metro Rail Corporation has awarded a Euros 30 million contract to Bombardier to install its CityFlo 350 signalling system on lines 5 and 6, which are due to open in December 2009 and May 2010 respectively. The two lines total 37km and represent more than half of the Phase 2 expansion of the metro network.
CityFlo 350 includes both automatic train operation (ATO) and automatic train protection (ATP). Bombardier is also supplying 340 Movia metro cars for Phase 2.
Russian Railways certifies Simis interlockingFOLLOWING a one-year trial, Russian Railways (RZD) has certified the Simis electronic interlocking developed by Siemens and its Russian partner Foratec AT for series produc |
