International Railway Journal back issues from October 2007:
ERTMS: beyond the point of no return.(This month)
Oct 01, 2007; ... SEVERAL clear messages plus some stark warnings on the future of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) emerged from the conference on the subject staged last month in Bern, Switzerland, by the International Union of Railways (UIC), which attracted a record 750 delegates ....
Canadian Pacific buys DM&E.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... CANADIAN Pacific (CP) is set to extend its operations further into the United States with the announcement that it has agreed to acquire Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern (DM&E), the United States' largest regional railway. Subject to approval by the Surface Transportation Board, CP ...
NS increases order for Sprinter emus.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NETHERLANDS Railways (NS) has awarded a consortium of Bombardier and Siemens a 399 million [euro] contract to supply an additional 32 four-car and 32 six-car Sprinter emus. The order covers the first two options from an initial 248 million ...
Rites wins Tanzanian concession.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... THE government of Tanzania has awarded Rites, India, a 25-year concession to operate the 2700km Tanzanian Railway Corporation (TRC) metre-gauge network from this month. The government will retain a 49% shareholding in the newly-formed Tanzania Railway Limited, while Rites holds the ...
India plans train protection programme.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... INDIAN Railways (IR) is to install 57,000 anti-collision devices (ACD) across its 47,748km broad-gauge network by 2014. The announcement follows successful trials of 2300 ACDs over the past three years. ACD was developed by Konkan Railway and has two components: one for ...
Brazil steps up rail capital investment spending.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... A REPORT by Brazil's government railway watchdog (ANTT) says the country's private railways will invest Reais 3.7 billion ($US 1.99 billion) in 2007, up from Reais 2.5 billion in 2006. ANTT director general Mr Jose Alexandre Resende says most of the money will be spent on locomotives and ...
European railfreight rises 7%.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE International Union of Railways (UIC) says railfreight traffic (tonne-km) carried by its European members increased by 7% in Europe in the first half of 2007. The figures do not include new operators who are not members of the union, and UIC believes ...
SRO invites HS proposals.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... SAUDI Railway Organisation (SRO) has invited the six shortlisted consortia for the Mecca--Medina Rail Link project to submit technical proposals. The six consortia are: Al-Rajhi Consortium, Saudi Binladin Group, Saudi Oger, Saudi Japanese Consortium, Al-Sholah Consortium, and OHL ...
DB reports strong first half growth.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... GERMAN Rail (DB) has announced a 44% increase in earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to 1.35 billion [euro] for the first six months of 2007 compared with the same period in 2006, enabling DB to reduce its net debt by 658 million [euro]. Capital spending rose by nearly 20% during the ...
Finnish-Russian link to get tilting trains.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... KARELIAN Trains, a joint venture of VR Group (Finland) and Russian Railways, has awarded Alstom a 120 million [euro] contract to supply four Pendolino tilting electric trains for Helsinki--St Petersburg services. When the trains enter service in 2010 they will reduce the journey ...
The 15th International Wheelset Congress was opened in the Czech capital Prague last month by Mr Vojtech Kocourek, Czech deputy transport minister, Mr Michael Clausecker, director general of Unife, and Dr-Ing Erder Mingoli, president of the European Railway Wheel Association and CEO of Lucchini Sidermeccanica, Italy.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: THE 15th International Wheelset Congress was opened in the Czech capital Prague last month by Mr Vojtech Kocourek, Czech deputy transport minister, Mr Michael Clausecker, director general of Unife, and Dr-Ing Erder Mingoli, president of the ...
A 17km section of the 144km Cordoba--Cruz del Eje line from Cordoba to La Calera reopened last month.(Argentina)
Oct 01, 2007 ... A 17km section of the 144km Cordoba--Cruz del Eje line from Cordoba to La Calera ...
Australian Rail Track Corporation is to increase clearances on the Parkes--Crystal Brook section of the Sydney--Perth transcontinental line to allow double-stacking of larger containers from Parkes to Perth.(Australia)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Australian Rail Track Corporation is to increase clearances on the Parkes--Crystal Brook section of the Sydney--Perth transcontinental line to ...
CVRD-owned EFVM has opened what it claims is South America's second-largest freight terminal.(Brazil)
Oct 01, 2007 ... CVRD-owned EFVM has opened what it claims is South America's second-largest freight terminal. The rebuilt yard at Costa Lacerda cost $US 232 million to upgrade, and can be used by trains of up ...
The 45 million [pounds sterling] Coventry resignalling programme was completed at the end of August, covering 35km of track on four routes serving the city.(Britain)
Oct 01, 2007 ... The 45 million [pounds sterling] Coventry resignalling programme was completed at the end of August, covering 35km of track on four routes serving the ...
First Great Western is to spend 2 million [pounds sterling] refurbishing sleeper and day cars.(Britain)
Oct 01, 2007 ... First Great Western is to spend 2 million [pounds sterling] ...
The Office of Rail Regulation has approved a bid by Wrexham, Shropshire & Marylebone Railway (WSMR) to become Britain's third open-access passenger operator.(Britain)
Oct 01, 2007 ... The Office of Rail Regulation has approved a bid by Wrexham, Shropshire & Marylebone Railway (WSMR) to ...
The city of Guayaquil has returned the docks at Malecon to Ecuador Railways.(Ecuador)
Oct 01, 2007 ... The city of Guayaquil has returned the docks at Malecon to Ecuador Railways. This will allow the ...
Financial deal boosts Argentine high-speed.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... AFTER two months of intense negotiations, a financial package has finally been agreed for the construction of Argentina's first high-speed line. The agreement between the Argentine government, the French bank Societe Generale, and the Alstom-led consortium that will build the ...
Funding agreed for Munich Airport maglev.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DECADES after Germany's Transrapid maglev system was unveiled, the first commercial use of the technology on home soil is set to go ahead after a deal was reached on funding for the construction of a line in Munich. The agreement between the ...
US needs $US 148 billion for infrastructure, says study.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AROUND $US 148 billion will need to be invested in the United States' railway infrastructure over the next three decades if the network is to meet projected freight capacity demands, according to a study by Cambridge Systematics. The National ...
Brussels Airport PPP stalls.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... THE proposed public-private partnership (PPP) to build new rail links to Brussels International Airport stalled just as Belgian track authority Infrabel prepared to unveil the parties involved. Project Diabolo aimed to build new lines that would place the airport on through ...
Poor maintenance caused derailment.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... POOR maintenance and inspection of points has been blamed for the derailment of a 200km/h tilting emu at Grayrigg, Britain, in February this year. The report from the ...
Leasing companies order Traxx electrics.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... BOMBARDIER has been awarded two contracts worth a total of 265 million [euro] to supply Traxx electric locomotives to European leasing companies. Angel Trains has awarded Bombardier a 225 million [euro] contract to supply 60 Traxx electric locomotives. Angel already has 100 ...
Armenian concession to be signed in January.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... THE planned concessioning of Armenian Railways is to be completed on January 15 2008 according to Armenia's minister of transport and communication, Mr Andranik Manukyan. Bidders had until September 21 to submit detailed expressions of interest: a fight deadline itself extended from the ...
QR to set up private sector partnership?(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... QUEENSLAND RAIL (QR), Australia's last vertically-integrated railway, is expected to initiate a private sector partnership in an effort to improve the efficiency of its freight operations. It is believed to include proposals for freight operator QR National to form a joint venture with the ...
British railfreight operator Freightliner launched its Polish operation in September, when it began running coal trains from Bogdanka in Silesia to Kozienice power station near Warsaw.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Caption: BRITISH railfreight operator Freightliner launched its Polish operation in September, when it began running coal trains from Bogdanka in Silesia to Kozienice power station near Warsaw. Freightliner has bought ...
BLS Cargo, Switzerland, has founded a new German subsidiary called BLS Cargo Deutschland.(Germany)
Oct 01, 2007 ... BLS Cargo, Switzerland, has founded a new German subsidiary called BLS Cargo ...
The modernisation and electrification of the Thessaloniki--Lithoro line in northern Greece was completed last month.(Greece)
Oct 01, 2007 ... The modernisation and electrification of the Thessaloniki--Lithoro line in northern Greece was ...
Hector Rail, Sweden is set to order nine locomotives to cope with increased freight traffic.(International)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Hector Rail, Sweden is set to order nine locomotives to cope ...
The Dutch transport minister was due to announce the rehabilitation of the crossborder Maastricht--Lanaken (Belgium) line last month.(Netherlands)
Oct 01, 2007 ... The Dutch transport minister was due to announce the rehabilitation of the crossborder Maastricht--Lanaken (Belgium) line ...
The planned Ventanilla Port Terminal will be linked to the Central Andean Railway (FCCA) main line via a new 13.2km branch from its existing yard in Callao.(Peru)
Oct 01, 2007 ... The planned Ventanilla Port Terminal will be linked to the Central Andean Railway (FCCA) main line via a new 13.2km branch from its ...
The International Union of Railways (UIC) held its 3rd Energy Efficiency Conference in Portoroz last month.(Slovenia)
Oct 01, 2007 ... The International Union of Railways (UIC) held its 3rd Energy Efficiency Conference in Portoroz last month. More than 200 ...
German states slam DB privatization plan.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GERMANY's regional politicians have threatened to block the national government's plans to sell at least a quarter of German Rail (DB) shares amid fears privatisation could result in service cuts and higher fares. The privatisation legislation ...
Eurostar sets Paris/Brussels--London records.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... CHANNEL Tunnel passenger operator Eurostar set new records for rail journey times between London and Paris/Brussels last month as part of a publicity drive to promote the new British high-speed line from the Channel Tunnel to London St Pancras, which opens throughout in November. ...
Jakarta to build airport line?(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... JAKARTA's main international airport could have a rail link within two years, if plans announced by a joint venture of Indonesian Railway Corporation and state-owned airport operator Agkasa Pura Il come to fruition. The joint venture, named Railink, says the Rupiah ...
SNCF signs freight accord.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... FRENCH National Railways (SNCF) signed an agreement on September 26 with Proxirail for a trial railfreight joint venture in the Centre region of France. The objective is to try to revitalise SNCF's troubled ...
Turkey sets new speed record.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... TURKISH State Railways (TCDD) celebrated a milestone in the construction of the Ankara--Eskisehir high-speed line in September, when an Italian ETR 500 achieved a new Turkish rail speed record of 303km/h. The high-speed measuring train, which is on loan from Italian Rail Network ...
LKAB orders more 5.4MW locomotives.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SWEDISH mining company LKAB has ordered an additional eight IORE 5.4MW electric locomotives from Bombardier at a cost of 52 million [euro]. LKAB already operates 18 of these single-cab Co-Co locomotives, which are used in pairs to haul trains weighing up ...
SBB and Alstom set up workshop JV.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... SWISS Federal Railways (SBB) has agreed a five-year contract with Alstom for a joint venture to operate its freight locomotive and tank wagon workshop in Biel from January 1 2008. The joint venture covers two-thirds of the ...
New IR chairman.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... MR Kalyan Coomar Jena has been appointed chairman of the Indian Railway Board. He will also take over ...
NR cuts renewals contractors.(News)
Oct 01, 2007 ... BRITISH infrastructure authority Network Rail has announced it will reduce the number of contractors it employs for track renewals from six to four by the start of next year. Amey SECO, Balfour Beatty, First Engineering and Jarvis will all carry out both plain line and switch ...
The first batch of 25 passenger coaches from China arrived in Colombo last month.(Sri Lanka)
Oct 01, 2007 ... The first batch of 25 passenger coaches from China arrived in Colombo ...
Freight operator Hector Rail expects to record turnover of SKr 170 million ($US 24.9 million) this year--a rise of 25% on 2006's total.(Sweden)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Freight operator Hector Rail expects to record turnover of SKr 170 million ($US 24.9 million) this year--a rise of ...
Green Cargo has reported profits of SKr 120 million for the first half of the year.(Sweden)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Green Cargo has reported profits of SKr 120 million for the first half of the year ....
A new transport authority encompassing rail, road, and air is to be formed.(Sweden)
Oct 01, 2007 ... A new transport authority encompassing rail, road, and air is to be formed. Known ...
UIC publishes two reports on ERTMS.(News extra)
Oct 01, 2007 ... THE International Union of Railways (UIC) has published two reports on the implementation of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). One is the Atlas of ERTMS Worldwide Implementation and the other is Global Perspectives for ERTMS. The Atlas, which was produced in ...
Five railways head toward GSM-R migration.(News extra)
Oct 01, 2007 ... THIS year is an important milestone in the deployment of GSM-R train radio in Europe. The Netherlands switched over to GSM-R in January and shut down its old analogue radio system. Four more countries--Italy, Germany, Norway and Sweden--will have either migrated full)4 or will be well on ...
French invite ETCS bids.(News extra)
Oct 01, 2007 ... FRENCH Rail Network (RFF) is inviting bids to install ETCS Level 1 on two of the TEN-T freight corridors crossing France, amounting to around 2300km of double-track railway. The aim is to select two to three suppliers initially to undertake one pilot project each. "The best performing ...
New South Wales keen to install ERTMS?(News extra)
Oct 01, 2007 ... RAILCORP, which operates passenger trains in the Australian state of New South Wales, is pushing ahead with a plan to introduce ERTMS in the busy Sydney area. This follows three serious accidents, two of them fatal, which could have been prevented by automatic train protection if it had ...
Spain finally makes progress.(News extra)
Oct 01, 2007 ... ALL lines in Spain will have ETCS levels 1 or 2 by 2020, despite delays in installing it on the Madrid--Barcelona high-speed line. There will be 2326km of Level 1 and 2046km of Level 2 by the end of this ...
ERTMS perspectives.(News extra)
Oct 01, 2007 ... "ERTMS is not our goal, it is satisfying our customers and earning money, and ERTMS is a means to achieve this." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Karel Vinck, EC ERTMS coordinator "There is no new technology that will work exactly as it was designed on paper; this ...
Railcorp is seeking expressions of interest to supply up to four track recording trains.(Australia)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Railcorp is seeking expressions of interest to supply up to four track recording trains. The vehicles will be used to ...
The Victorian government has invited Alstom and Siemens to submit bids for the manufacture of 10 six-car emus for the Melbourne suburban network.(Australia)
Oct 01, 2007 ... The Victorian government has invited Alstom and Siemens to submit bids for the manufacture of 10 six-car emus for the ...
Coote Industrial has acquired Gemco Rail for $A 33.8 million ($US 27 million).(Australia)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Coote Industrial has acquired Gemco Rail for $A 33.8 million ($US 27 million). Gemco provides ...
The Azerbaijan Transport Ministry and World Bank have started negotiations.(Azerbaijan)
Oct 01, 2007 ... The Azerbaijan Transport Ministry and World Bank have ...
Latin American Logistics (ALL) has bought 23 secondhand EMD SD40 diesel locomotives.(Brazil)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Latin American Logistics (ALL) has bought 23 secondhand EMD SD40 diesel ...
Southeastern has awarded the contract to build driver simulators for the 225km/h Hitachi emus, currently under construction, to Corys Tess, France.(Britain)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Southeastern has awarded the contract to build driver simulators for the 225km/h Hitachi emus, ...
Balfour Beatty has acquired structure gauging software provider Laser Rail.(Britain)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Balfour Beatty has acquired structure gauging ...
First-half profits at train and bus operator Arriva fell 35% to 37.5 million [pounds sterling], blamed on the rising costs of bidding for British rail franchises.(Britain)
Oct 01, 2007 ... First-half profits at train and bus operator Arriva fell 35% to 37.5 million [pounds sterling], blamed on the rising costs of ...
Rica, Italy, is supplying electric heaters for new trains being built for the London Underground sub-surface lines.(Britain)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Rica, Italy, is supplying electric heaters for new trains being built for the London Underground sub-surface ...
Balfour Beatty has won a $US 50 million contract for design, supply, supervision of installation, and commissioning of overhead power supply for the 968km Guangzhou--Wuhan high-speed line.(China)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Balfour Beatty has won a $US 50 million contract for design, supply, supervision of installation, and commissioning of ...
Czech Railways (CD) made a profit of CKr 32.6 million ($US 1.63 million) in the first seven months of the year, against extensive losses in recent years.(Czech Republic)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Czech Railways (CD) made a profit of CKr 32.6 million ($US 1.63 million) in the first seven months of the year, against ...
Estonian Railways (EVR) has awarded Sampo Pank, Estonia, the contract to finance the purchase of 450 wagons.(Estonia)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Estonian Railways (EVR) has awarded Sampo Pank, Estonia, the contract to ...
Poyry, Finland, has been commissioned to improve services on the 120km Lahti--Luumaki line.(Finland)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Poyry, Finland, has been commissioned to improve services on the 120km Lahti--Luumaki line. The main aim ...