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CREIGHTON BRANCHLINE, KZN (2)
News from Railways Africa - Tue, 08/10/2010 - 00:45
Boon Boonzaaier elaborates:
“I would like to give some background on the development of the rail trips in southern KZN: “We met a local farmer, Dudley Smith, for the first time when Bushveld Train Safaris (BTS) ran their first trip to Kokstad. Dudley was elected to the Ingwe town council, situated at Creighton, but including towns such as Ixopo, Donnybrook, Underberg, etc. Dudley was accompanied by another farmer, arranging bird safaris into the area.
“We invited them to ‘see their part of the world from the railway line’ and Dudley got the idea to lure tour trains to this area to involve the locals and create jobs. This led to the building of new municipal offices next to the railway line – even with a platform forming part of the building and connecting doors fro passengers to use the toilet and bathroom facilities! This beautiful building was opened around 2001 (I think) and we actually stood over one night, socialising with the locals, who served supper in the lapa, also next to the platform.
“That night we discussed many opportunities and the next day Dudley took me on a tour to show me local industries already being started to draw tourists. One of these was weaving blankets in the former goods sheds at Donnybrook station. Part of the project was the renovation of Underberg station and we also ran down that line and arranged for our passengers a trip up Sani Pass into Lesotho. What an incredible opportunity!
“Unfortunately, Transnet shortly thereafter banned passenger trains from using this line and for the next few years we were unable to include this route again. Dudley had plans to invite Shongololo and Rovos Rail as their (mainly) overseas passengers had the money to boost industries and jobs in the Southern Drakensberg.
“In the meantime Dudley continued meetings with the provincial government, Transnet and even the European Economic Commission. As ‘Plan B’, four coaches were acquired from Transnet and a 19D locomotive as well. These were used for local trips, especially to Riverside, along the Ingwangwana River.
“The main event was probably the annual Aloe Festival trip when thousands of aloes flowers turn the slopes of this gorge into a kaleidoscope of red and orange. There were also races between canoeists and the train and much more.
“In the meantime, at Ixopo, Julian Perreira wrestled the former narrow-gauge line back from nature after the line was closed in 1984 due to washaways (remember the Damoina hurricane?), rescued NGG11 no 55 from Weenen station, and brought the line back to life as ‘Paton’s Country Railway’..
“We did not stop trying and in April 2006 suddenly got permission to travel again over the line! Unfortunately my goodbye from the residents was a stone through my compartment window on Saturday evening, somewhere near Donnybrook. Fortunately I was on my back, reading a book, and the stone hit the book and not my face. The compartment was covered with shattered glass and we have learned the best way to get rid of these little pieces of glass and avoid being scratched all over your body, is to get into a shower!
“On Sunday morning we were able to join Julian on the trip on the narrow gauge line – what a wonderful opportunity! On Sunday afternoon our last trip through the gorge was during a thunderstorm and we were unable to arrange a photo session.
“By the end of 2006 all private trips were stopped by Transnet, but the guys at Creighton and Ixopo did not give up. Dudley got European funding and a new train was refurbished in the Rovos Rail workshops while GMAM 4074 was overhauled at Mason’s Mill.”
Categories: Prototype News
CREIGHTON BRANCHLINE, KZN (1)
News from Railways Africa - Tue, 08/10/2010 - 00:40
The following statement was received by stakeholders in January 2010:
“At a recent meeting held in Creighton between various role players with an interest in the continued use of the Cape-Natal Branch Line the policy surrounding this infrastructure was explained.
“The commercial operations on this line have been suspended. The points of direct relevance to the Cape-Natal Branch Line impacting Ingwe Municipality are:
a.. It is the intention of Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) to exit the branch line and transfer the network to the Department of Transport (DoT).
b.. The Pietermaritzburg-Kokstad & Donnybrook-Underberg sections are in Phase 1 of this initiative which has already commenced.
c.. The branch line will be offered on a concession basis to interested parties.
d.. While feasibility studies and sustainability planning is being undertaken the branch line will be maintained by TFR to acceptable standards and the Ingwe Municipality will via its partners (Patons & Umgeni Steam Railway) have access to the line.(It is not anticipated that this phase will take longer than two years by end 2011.)
e.. The Department of Transport to finalise a sustainability plan for the branch line strategy, in line with government policy for:
1. Rural development;
2. Moving more freight off roads and onto rail;
3. Reducing freight logistics costs;
4. Promoting private sector participation in rail operations,
and
5. Increasing road and rail safety.
“This state of affairs is regrettable in that uncertainty regarding the future of this infrastructure has meant that the Ingwe Municipality has been unable to attract an operator for its steam-hauled tourist train the Sisonke Stimela. However the municipality itself has decided to run the train commencing with the first trip as an overnight experience from Creighton to Underberg returning to Creighton. This trip will take place on Saturday & Sunday 20 & 21 February 2010.
“In the meantime restoration of class GMAM 4074 by a skilled team under Marc Bouchier of the Umgeni Steam Railway’s leadership is progressing well and this wonderful locomotive should be in steam by the end of February 2010.”
Categories: Prototype News
UNION OF AFRICA RAILWAYS
News from Railways Africa - Tue, 08/10/2010 - 00:35
The 83rd meeting of the executive committee and the 37th General Assembly of 35-member Union of African Railways (UAR) took place in the Libyan capital Tripoli during the last week of July. Attention concentrated on linking African countries with rail connectivity. Said Mohamed Rached, secretary of the authority set up to implement the railway project in Libya, said the UAR aimed at creating an integrated rail infrastructure in Africa in an effort to underline the freedom of the continent, enable it to rely on itself, establish big economic dynamism and increase trade. The purpose of the UAR, he said, is to facilitate the movement of one billion people safely across the continent.
Secretary-general of the UAR Nafati Al-Ghaoul expressed regret at the union’s financial weakness because member countries do not pay their dues. Despite this, the union has carried out several activities including the consolidation of cooperation with the AU Commissioner in charge of basic infrastructure and energy in studies conducted by experts
appointed by the Union.
Those studies, among others, focus on the unification of training programmes in African centres, the assessment of the process to privatise railways in Africa and the participation of the Union in the integrated project study on the types of transport in Africa in collaboration with the European Union.
The general assembly examined decisions made during previous meetings as well as the vision of African railways by the year 2025. The executive committee comprises a chairman and a representative from each of the five regions of the continent.
The general assembly elected Morocco to chair the UAR for the next two years and host the office of the Union’s executive bureau.
Categories: Prototype News
METRORAIL RESPONDS
News from Railways Africa - Tue, 08/10/2010 - 00:30
From the Cape Argus, 21 July 2010:
by Janis Kinnear.
“Metrorail is aware that its service is under fire. The company’s spokeswoman, Riana Scott, said: ‘Yes, we do acknowledge the problem. No single reason contributes to delays.’ Technical difficulties are often cited for delays.
Scott said these ‘difficulties’ could range from poor railway track conditions, adverse weather, vandalism, fewer carriages caused by a shortage of wheels, to problems with overhead and signal wiring, which is sometimes caused by copper thieves. Scott said the trains’ advanced age – most have been in service for 35 years or longer – meant they were more vulnerable to engine failure and needed more maintenance.
“She said some preventative measures had been put in place in an attempt to minimise delays. These included a maintenance regime to fix ‘habitually problematic’ or ‘culprit’ parts and components that fail most frequently. Another intervention was to contract buses as alternative transport during severe train service disruptions. She said this was a tricky proposition because a large number of buses needed to accommodate all of Metrorail’s ticketholders and existing bus operators were tied to contractual commitments during peak hours.
“In response to complaints from commuters about a dearth of coaches on Peak-hour trains, Scott said it was not a matter of just ‘adding carriages’. Some commuters were particularly angry that service had been so good during the World Cup, when trains ran on schedule and late into the night.”
Categories: Prototype News
FUEL STORAGE: LUANDA LINE
News from Railways Africa - Tue, 08/10/2010 - 00:29
Three fuel storage containers have been installed along the 424km main-line of Angola’s Caminhos de ferro de Luanda (CFL) by the National Oil Company (Sonangol), to facilitate transport and reduce shortage in the region, news agency Angop reports. The information was released by Sonangol storage official Alda da Silva. In the first phase, 240,000 litres of petrol and diesel will be transported to the containers, situated in the localities of Dondo, Lucala (Kwanza Norte) and Malanje.
The total storage capacity of the base is 821,000 litres.
Categories: Prototype News
Wire Wizard at work
News from Railway Gazette International - Mon, 08/09/2010 - 21:00
GERMANY: The OVHWizard from Dr D Wehrhahn Messsysteme für die Qualitätssicherung uses ultrasound to measure the height and position of overhead contact wires to help identify wear.
Measuring runs can be evaluated on site or at the office, with data displayed graphically or tablulated. Deutsche Bahn has certified OVHWizard for use on road-rail vehicles, but the battery-powered unit weighs just 4 kg, making it easy to handle and install on almost any rolling stock including trolleys and light rail vehicles.
Categories: Prototype News
Progress Rail Services completes EMD acquisition
News from Railway Gazette International - Mon, 08/09/2010 - 06:02
EMD: Progress Rail Services announced on August 3 that it had completed the acquisition of Electro-Motive Diesel from Berkshire Partners and Greenbriar Equity Group. The Caterpillar subsidiary paid $820m in cash plus a net working capital adjustment estimated at $108m. EMD is now a subsidiary of Progress Rail.
'The acquisition of EMD is a natural fit as it supports our enterprise strategy to grow aggressively our Energy Power Systems business, of which the rail industry is an important component,' said Caterpillar Vice-Chairman & CEO Doug Oberhelman.
The EMD headquarters will remain in LaGrange, Illinois. John Hamilton will continue as President & CEO, reporting to Progress Rail CEO Billy Ainsworth who said the acquisition 'further strengthens Progress Rail's unmatched portfolio of products and component support of our rail-related services and solutions'.
- Electro-Motive Diesel has formed a partnership with local firm Aman Trading & Engineering to provide Egyptian National Railways with spares, training and technical support for the maintenance of its EMD locomotive fleet. Plans will be developed to rebuild and repower older EMD locomotives to provide an additional 25-30 years of service.
Categories: Prototype News
Composite cab concept
News from Railway Gazette International - Sun, 08/08/2010 - 21:00
EUROPE: A prototype train cab has been developed under a joint industry and academic project which aims to adapt composite technologies used by Formula 1 cars for rail applications.
Racing cars make extensive use of extremely strong and lightweight carbon composites, but these highly specialised materials are uneconomic for rolling stock. Instead the prototype cab uses a sandwich of glass-reinforced plastic around a polymer foam core and aluminium honeycomb. This eliminates the need for steel elements, reducing the part count.
The cab was developed to match the requirements of Bombardier's Spacium trains for Paris suburban services. 'We wanted the lightweight cab to do everything a steel one does', explains Dr Joe Carruthers of NewRail, the railway research centre at the University of Newcastle in the UK. Carruthers compares the prototype cab to an automotive manufacturer's concept car, showing what is now possible and informing future commercial development.
The £450000 project was undertaken by NewRail in partnership with Bombardier and Portuguese composite manufacture AP&M. It was partly funded under the European Commission's De-light transport project, which aims to make better use of lightweight materials. NewRail now hopes to undertake a crash test ahead of commercial application.
- The prototype cab will be displayed on NewRail’s stand at InnoTrans.
Categories: Prototype News
Sri Lankan contracts placed
News from Railway Gazette International - Sat, 08/07/2010 - 21:00
SRI LANKA: The government has signed a contract for China National Machinery Import & Export Corp to build the first phase of the 110 km Matara – Kataragama line along the south coast. The initial section will run 30 km east from Matara to Beliatta, with four stations, and is to be built with Chinese financial assistance.
A second phase will take the line to Hambantota, and the final stage will complete the line to Kataragama. President Mahinda Rajapaksa wants the first stage to be completed by the end of this year. He has also instructed Sri Lanka Railways to seek private sector assistance for a national programme to renovate stations and upgrade level crossings.
Categories: Prototype News
Urban rail news in brief
News from Railway Gazette International - Fri, 08/06/2010 - 21:00
Société de transport de Montréal has decided to re-tender the procurement of up to 1053 new metro cars. CAF will be allowed to participate along with a consortium of Alstom and Bombardier, after a special board meeting on July 14 confirmed that CAF had demonstrated ‘full compliance with applicable requirements’.
Lyon transport authority Sytral has renewed Keolis’ contract to operate the city’s public transport network. The six-year contract, worth €2bn, will take effect on January 1 2011.
On July 9 Brazilian savings bank Caixa Econômica Federal confirmed 54 loans totalling R$9·9bn for urban rail projects in 11 of the 12 cities hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The main recipients are São Paulo (R$2·86bn), Belo Horizonte (R$1·47bn) and Manaus, which will receive R$1·54bn towards its R$2bn light rail and BRT projects. The Amazonas state government plans to relaunch a R$1·3bn tender to build a 20 km light rail route in Manaus by 2013.
UK Transport Minister Norman Baker opened the newly-extended Manchester Metrolink depot at Queen’s Road on July 15; the £10·5m facility can now provide stabling and maintenance for 80 trams.
Alstom delivered the first of 53 additional Citadis 302C low-floor trams to Rotterdam operator RET on June 23.
Transdev has been awarded a six-year contract worth 800m dirhams to operate and maintain the 20 km Rabat-Salé tram network in Morocco, which is due to open by 2011. The contract, which took effect on June 15, includes an option for a further six years.
Tunnelling started on a 2·1 km extension of Sofia metro Line 1 from Mladost 1 to Tsarigradsko Shose on July 8. The Metro Mladost Union joint venture has 39 months to complete the 223m leva construction contract, including two stations, which forms part of an 11 km nine-station extension to the airport. Six companies have reportedly submitted bids to design metro Line 3 from Knayevo to Vasil Levski (MR 6.09 p9).
The province of British Columbia has issued a request for qualifications to build the proposed 11 km Evergreen Line linking Coquitlam with Port Moody and Burnaby in Vancouver. Construction of the design-build-finance project may start next year for completion in 2014.
Categories: Prototype News
Port of Quebec, terminals and CN work together to reduce Quebec City-Toronto transit times by 30 per cent
CN News Releases - Thu, 08/05/2010 - 22:00
Latest Corporate News from CN
Categories: Prototype News
DART PPP attracts four consortia
News from Railway Gazette International - Thu, 08/05/2010 - 20:00
IRELAND: Iarnród Éireann announced on August 3 that four consortia had submitted responses for the prequalification phase of the DART Underground public-private partnership project. The deadline was July 20.
The consortia are:
• BBI: comprising Balfour Beatty Capital Ltd, BAM PPP Investments Ireland bv and Iridium Concesiones de Infraestructuras SA;
• City Connect: comprising Macquarie Capital Group Ltd, Cintra Infraestructuras SA and Global Via Infraestructuras SA;
• NascRail: OHL Concesiones SL, Soares da Costa Concessoes SGPS SA, Allied Irish Banks plc, Bombardier Transportation (Holdings) UK Ltd and Pierse Contracting;
• Toto: Toto Construzioni Generali SpA, Societa Italiana per Condotte d’Acqua SpA, Ansaldo STS SpA, Condotte Immobiliare SpA, Torrena Scavi SpA and Rocksoil SpA.
IÉ will now assess the submissions. The PPP contract to design, build, finance, commission and maintain a 7·6 km twin bore tunnel connecting the Northern and Kildare rail lines, with six stations and associated facilities would last for 25 to 35 years including design and construction. Award is due by mid-2012, with the start of DART passenger services through the tunnel envisaged by the end of 2018.
Categories: Prototype News
Trenitalia awards contract for 50 high speed trains
News from Railway Gazette International - Thu, 08/05/2010 - 07:31
ITALY: Trenitalia has selected a joint bid from Bombardier Transportation and AnsaldoBreda for a contract to supply 50 high speed trainsets.
The board met on August 5 to approve the order, which should see a prototype completed within 300 days and entry into service by 2013.
As well as getting a higher technical score than Alstom's rival submission, the joint bid came in cheaper at €30·8m rather than €35m per eight-car trainset.
'A good race ended with high scores by both competitors', said FS Group Chief executive Mauro Moretti, who has been critical of the quality of trains delivered in Italy in recent years (RG 7.10 p66). He added that the order was an important milestone. 'This shows that there are various ways to buy trains: go to the dealer and buy sight unseen, or, as we did, strongly support innovation.'
Derived from Bombardier's Zefiro platform as supplied to China but heavily adapted to meet European TSIs, the 200 m long non-articulated trains will have distributed traction and be suitable for running at up to 400 km/h, although the planned maximum speed in revenue service will be 360 km/h.
They will have space for 600 passengers and be suitable for working across borders; Moretti says Trenitalia is looking towards 'the German block, the French block, and also Great Britain and Spain.'
Categories: Prototype News
Manchester Metrolink Phase 3b confirmed
News from Railway Gazette International - Thu, 08/05/2010 - 06:45
UK: Confirmation that Phase 3b of the Manchester Metrolink light rail expansion programme is fully funded came on July 30 when the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities met to agree a £500m contribution from the Greater Manchester Transport Fund. The £1·5bn fund was created in May 2009 by AGMA and Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority.
‘The major transport schemes covered by the Greater Manchester Transport Fund have been prioritised based on their value to the regional economy’, said Lord Peter Smith, Chair of the AGMA Executive. ‘These new Metrolink lines in particular will also be the catalyst for regeneration in several areas’.
Phase 3b includes three extension projects. A 14·5 km route to Manchester Airport is budgeted at £398m and will open in mid-2016. Manchester Airports Group is making a resource contribution with a nominal value of £50m. A 2·4 km route through Oldham town centre is expected to cost £89m, while the 1·1 km extension from Rochdale station to the town centre is budgeted at £35·5m. Both are due to open in spring 2014.
GMPTE Chief Executive David Leather announced on August 4 that contracts to design, build and maintain the extensions had been signed with the MPact-Thales consortium of Laing O’Rourke, VolkerRail and Thales UK. GMPTE has also exercised an option for 14 trams costing £27m as part of a contract for up to 97 vehicles signed with Bombardier Transportation in April 2007. Deliveries are due to start in October 2011.
Categories: Prototype News
China South signs Saudi locomotive contract
News from Railway Gazette International - Thu, 08/05/2010 - 03:29
SAUDI ARABIA: CSR Qishuyan has won a 74·2m riyal order to supply Saudi Railways Organization with 10 diesel freight locomotives. CSR said the contract signed on July 20 is a 'breakthough' as its first order to export main line locomotives to the region.
Acting President of SRO Hamada Bin Abdul Rahman Alabdul Kader said the new locomotives are needed to handle growing freight traffic. The first two will be delivered within eight months of CSR receiving the letter of credit, and the remaining eight will follow over 13 months. The contract includes three years of maintenance and staff training.
Before bidding, CSR undertook an in-depth study of operating conditions in Saudi Arabia, where locomotives must cope with high temperatures and sand storms.
CSR is currently supplying 668 wagons for the North-South Railway, and its Zhuzhou plant has supplied SS56 electric locomotives for suburban services in Iran. China Northern has supplied five DF10DDB locomotives to Saudi Arabia for railway construction projects.
Categories: Prototype News
Joint management of Corridor X agreed
News from Railway Gazette International - Thu, 08/05/2010 - 02:00
EUROPE: The transport ministers of Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia signed a declaration on July 30 agreeing to form a joint company by October to manage freight traffic on Pan-European Corridor X.
Their aim is to provide more competitive freight services between central Europe and Turkey, cutting Istanbul - Ljubljana transit times through faster running and shorter border procedures.
'If we shorten travel time from the present 60 h to 35-40 h, each of our countries will get €50m annually', according to Serbian Minister for Infrastructure Milutin Mrkonjic.
Structures for tri-national decision making and apportioning revenue are to be agreed before the joint company is established. Its main task will be to manage traffic rather than generate a profit. The head office will be in Ljubljana, as Slovenia is the only EU member.
A further meeting is to be held in Istanbul in September to provide Bulgaria, Turkey and Macedonia with the opportunity to join.
- The Croatian government has agreed to provide HZ-Cargo and HZ-Vuva Vlakova with loan guarantees for locomotive modernisation projects.
Categories: Prototype News
Wagon component joint venture agreed
News from Railway Gazette International - Thu, 08/05/2010 - 00:11
USA: Amsted Rail and Faiveley Transport's US subsidiary Ellcon National have announced plans to form a joint venture in which Faiveley Transport will have a majority stake.
Launching on October 1, the venture will integrate Ellcon National's braking portfolio with Amsted Rail's range of bogie and coupler components. 'This strategic agreement gives Faiveley Transport direct access to the global freight market through Amsted Rail', said Robert Joyeux, Chairman & Managing Director of Faiveley Transport.
Categories: Prototype News
Norwegian licence to support north-south growth
News from Railway Gazette International - Wed, 08/04/2010 - 21:00
EUROPE: TX Logistik has been certified to provide rail services in Norway, removing the need to work with a local operating partner.
'We can now link Norway directly to our own network', said board member Raimund Stüer. 'We will be able to offer end-to-end transport from Norway through to Italy from a single source', using two hired Bombardier Traxx Class 185.2 electric locomotives.
TX Logistik is aiming to develop connections between Scandinavia and southern Europe, with Stüer seeing 'great potential' for 'high-quality and reliable rail-based logistics services, particularly with combined transport'.
Established in 1999 and based in Germany, TX Logistik is now 51% owned by Trenitalia. It focuses on north-south freight traffic via the Alps, with safety certificates in Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, and partners in Denmark. The 280 employees include 150 drivers and shunters, and annual revenue totals more than €120m.
Categories: Prototype News
Vossloh to supply Libyan track components
News from Railway Gazette International - Wed, 08/04/2010 - 01:00
LIBYA: General contractor China Civil Engineering Construction Corp has awarded Vossloh contracts to supply rail fastenings and turnouts for 1 300 km of the future rail network in the west of Libya. The two contracts have a total value of €115m and deliveries will run to 2012.
'These two major contracts again reflect the vast acceptance enjoyed by our products worldwide', said Vossloh CEO Werner Andree. 'We are thus further expanding our already strong position in North Africa.'
Categories: Prototype News
Batu Caves by KTMB
News from Railway Gazette International - Tue, 08/03/2010 - 21:00
MALAYSIA: Pilgrims and tourists wanting to visit the Batu Caves and temple complex north of Kuala Lumpur can now use the KTMB Komuter service from Sentul following the opening of Batu Caves station at the end of July.
The 520m ringgit project to double-track and electrify the existing 7·5 km branch line between Sentul and Batu Caves, including construction of three intermediate stations at Batu Kentonmen, Kampung Batu and Taman Wahyu, started in November 2006. The journey from Sentul takes about 15 min. Estimated ridership is 10000 passengers/day.
Categories: Prototype News