January 21, 200817 yr ^It's unfortunate. For the time being, we may still be on the top of the heap, but the lack of a sensible transportation policy and the sheer lack of investment in at least what we have, is one of the things that turns us into a second-rate nation.
January 21, 200817 yr A couple more news briefs, from Argentina and Italy.... ________ Latest News January 18, 2008 Alstom to build South America’s first high-speed line SOUTH 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. January 17, 2008 NTV confirms AGV order THE 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. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 23, 200817 yr http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature3 January 22, 2008 French eastern high speed rail line exceeds expectations Eastern France had to wait while other portions of the nation benefited first from high speed rail service, but riders between Paris and Strasbourg have taken to the rails enthusiastically since service between the two cities began on June 10, 2007, Agence France-Press reported Tuesday. The service, linking Paris' Gare de L'Est with Strasbourg, near the German border, by October had captured a 60% market share, coming at the expense of airline competition, according to French National Railways (SNCF). Air France-KLM unit Air France had already cut back service between the cities last summer in anticipation of the competition. Air traffic between the cities fell 25%, the Strasbourg airport said. SNCF's LGV Est Europeen continues east from Strasbourg to serve southern Germany and Switzerland, running at speeds up to 198 mph. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 1, 200817 yr Our competitors sure are busy...... February 1, 2008 Indian Railways plans to order 1000 electric locomotives BIDS 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. ___________________ January 31, 2008 England finalises 4500-car rolling stock plan England 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. ___________________ January 28, 2008 Political turmoil threatens Lyon – Turin project PLANS 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. ___________________ January 24, 2008 Bids to be invited for Rio-São Paulo next year BIDS 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. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 4, 200817 yr Kuwait plans $11 billion rail investment The Kuwait Overland Transport Union has developed plans for an $11 billion rail network, currently under review by the national cabinet. Approval is anticipated by May. The plan calls for a 150-mile main line extending from Kuwait’s northern border with Iraq to its southern border with Saudi Arabia, estimated to cost $6.59 billion. The remainder of the planned investment would create a four-line, 106-mile metro in Kuwait City, of which 35% would be underground. A 50-50 public-private partnership would finance the program. http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml
February 5, 200817 yr We're falling behind really, really fast.. France unveils super-fast train French President Nicolas Sarkozy has attended the launch of a new high-speed train made by engineering giant Alstom. The AGV (Automotrice Grande Vitesse) train will travel at up to 360km/h (224mph) :strong:, powered by motors placed under each carriage, the company says. The absence of locomotives at either end allows it to carry more passengers. Alstom compares the AGV - successor to the TGV - to the world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, in terms of importance and innovation. ......... http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7227807.stm Published: 2008/02/05 13:41:46 GMT.
February 14, 200817 yr 17 million passengers per year is more than what Chicago Midway Airport or Cleveland Hopkins International sees annually (the 52 million figure is in the category of a JFK or LAX). Imagine if we made the kinds of investments in our rail system that Europe had -- we could have the economic engine equivalent of a Hopkins Airport right in the hear of downtown Cleveland. Ever wonder why European cities rock??? ....... http://www.railjournal.com/latenews.shtml#Feature6 February 13, 2008 Funding boost for British station upgrade PLANS 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. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 20, 200817 yr Spain opens new bullet train link Wednesday, 20 February 2008 Spain's first high-speed rail link between Madrid and Barcelona has become operational, after years of delay. Hitting speeds of 300km/h (186mph), the first AVE train took 155 minutes to cover the 550km (342 miles) to Madrid. A total of 17 trains - each expected to carry some 200 people - will now be operating daily between the two cities. At a price of some 180 euros (£136) return, the new train link competes favourably with air travel, the BBC's Danny Wood in Madrid says. The added advantage is that the train takes passengers right into the heart of Madrid, our correspondent says. "I think it was an excellent trip from Barcelona," one of the AVE passengers told the BBC. The service is operated by Spain's national train company Renfe. The high-speed link between the country's two biggest cities was planned nearly two decades ago, but its completion was delayed by a number of administrative and construction issues. Spain's first high-speed train line - between Madrid and Seville - opened in 1992. The Spanish government now says it will have more high-speed train lines than anywhere else in the world by 2010, our correspondent says. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7254630.stm
February 21, 200817 yr Cool. So Spain has a train that travels across the plain the same distance as which separates Cleveland from Chicago? And it could probably do it in the rain at the same 2.5 hours as they do in Spain. I know, I'm so vane. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 21, 200817 yr Great... now we're not only being outdone in Europe, Africa, South America and the Pacific Rim.... but now in theArctic Rim ??? Iceland ponders passenger rail, light rail lines Twelve members of Iceland's Parliament have co-sponsored a resolution urging the transportation minister to explore two rail projects to serve the nation's capital, Reykjavik. One rail service would link Keflavík International Airport and Reykjavik, while a light rail transit line would operate within the capital region, according to the Iceland Review. Iceland has never amassed any significant rail infrastructure, passenger or freight, in its history. "Iceland is a virgin in train transport," said Stefan Hand, pilot and the chairman of the Iceland Train Association, a group of people campaigning for rail service. The parliamentary resolution was submitted following a competition for the best idea on urban development in the Vatnsmyrin neighborhood in Reykjavik. Only two of the 136 entries submitted failed to recommend an airport-rail link. http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml
February 24, 200817 yr Wikipedia page: "Planned High Speed Rail by Country": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_high-speed_rail_by_country There is also an Ohio Hub Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_Hub
March 3, 200817 yr The Madrid – Barcelona high-speed line opened Feb. 20. There is a high-quality version of the Madrid – Barcelona AVE high speed train video here: http://www.renfe.es/video.html Those are some amazing aerial shots! And all live video. This looks just like what is being planned in California. No wonder the Spaniards liked California. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 8, 200817 yr http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23519203/ http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080307/080307-archaeology-hmed-9a.hmedium.jpg Rome subway site is home to ancient treasures New find includes sixth-century pots and pans, as well as Renaissance fare By Marta Falconi The Associated Press updated 12:50 p.m. ET, Fri., March. 7, 2008 ROME - A sixth-century copper factory, medieval kitchens still stocked with pots and pans and remains of Renaissance palaces are among the finds unveiled Friday by archaeologists digging up Rome in preparation for a new subway line. Archaeologists have been probing the depths of the Eternal City at 38 digs often set up near famous monuments or on key thoroughfares. Over the last nine months, remains including Roman taverns and 16th-century palace foundations have turned up at the central Piazza Venezia and near the ancient Forum where works are paving the way for one of the 30 stations of Rome's third subway line. ....... The $4.6 billion project is due for completion in 2015, but parts of the line are scheduled to open in 2011, sporting high-tech automatic trains transporting 24,000 passengers an hour.
March 26, 200817 yr I need to add this YouTube video. This is a collection of Voyager train videos, shot with some good photographic skills, in the Devon area of the UK where I stayed all last week. I don't quite understand the choice of music to accompany the footage, but it isn't the worst song in the world.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 26, 200817 yr OK, more fast trains in the UK, but this includes freights too, plowing through the snow on the Midlands mainline... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 28, 200817 yr http://www.railjournal.com/latenews.shtml#Feature6-3-28 Latest News March 27, 2008 Bids to be invited for Turkish high-speed line THE 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. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 28, 200817 yr All the videos bring memories of riding the EuroStar trains in Italy. I'm surprised how fast they blow through the stations. You'd think they would at least slow down. I wonder if Rome's third subway line will be smoother than the other two. They twist and turn constantly, probably to avoid all the relics and ruins and historic buildings. https://www.instagram.com/cle_and_beyond/https://www.instagram.com/jbkaufer/
March 28, 200817 yr Eurostar doesn't go into Italy, but I know what you mean! All those relics below the city are a big reason why it's taken so long for Rome's newest subway line to get funded and built. They have to go through an incredible amount of surveying and pilot tunneling before construction could begin. Some private developers don't report archaeological finds because they require stopping construction and incur costs. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 28, 200817 yr Eurostar doesn't go into Italy, but I know what you mean! The schedules in Italy do, in fact, have trains billed as Eurostar. I've ridden them too. They are noted by the abbreviation ES* in the timetables and on the schedule boards in the stations. They are the express runs between major cities. Go to http://www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html and type in a major city pair, like Roma, Firenze for example and see for yourself. In fact, here's a Trenitalia, Eurostar commercial:
March 29, 200817 yr Interesting. When I rode Eurostar from London to Brussels, none of their trains went beyond it. While I didn't ride Eurostar into Paris from London, I did take Thalys into Paris and never saw any Eurostar routes going beyond Paris -- and I did lots of checking of the overall European timetables at http://www.raileurope.com/us/index.htm Is Eurostar in Italy isolated from the Eurostar routes which operate via Chunnel? I also noticed no Italian cities listed among the booking options at: http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/eurostar/index.htm I don't doubt you -- I mean, there's the Eurostar name in that TV commercial. So I wonder if they're separate operations or what?? Speaking of the Chunnel, there are billboards all over London (many along the urban and intercity rail lines -- yes, in Europe they put billboards next to intercity rail lines!), advertising the new high-speed line into London. It touts the trains' 186 mph cruising speed and the 2 1/4-hour run time to Paris. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 30, 200817 yr As near as I've been able to figure, they are separate operations. The Eurostar services in Italy serve the country's major cities but don't make international connections. For example, the international service that connects northern Italian cities with Switzerland is called "Cisalpino", not Eurostar. Other than that, it looks like the international services on Trenitalia are called "EuroCity" (EC). For example, if you search the timetables for Milano, Lyon, you get a TGV, a few "EC" trains (which I think stand for EuroCity) a couple of "R" (Regionale) and even an "EN" (EuroCity Night), but no Eurostar. Milano, Muenche (Munich) shows several "EC" trains. The only ES* is a leg from Milano to Verona, then it's "EC" to Munich. More on Cisalpino from Wikipedia: Cisalpino AG is a railway company operating high-speed trains that interconnects Basel, Geneva, Zürich, Milan, Venice, Trieste and Florence. The company has its headquarters in Muri bei Bern, Switzerland, and is jointly owned by the Swiss Federal Railways, BLS and Trenitalia.
April 9, 200817 yr http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature3-4-9 April 8, 2008 Cubic ticketing links Heathrow airport, London rail options Cubic Corp. says it has provided automated fare collection technology affording passengers a one-ticket ride from London's Heathrow Airport on one of two available rail systems, Heathrow Express and the London Underground. The integrated offering has been available from Heathrow's new Terminal 5 since March 27. At Terminal 5, staff at the Heathrow Express ticket office can offer tickets for either rail company from one ticketing system, offering assistance to those arriving in London. Unattended machines also are available for more experienced travelers requiring less assistance. For those using OysterTM pay-as-you-go, London Underground customers can go straight to the platform, or purchase nonstandard tickets using their card from the ticket office or unattended machine. "Heathrow International Airport already serves millions of air travellers each day from all corners of the earth, and the number of travellers will nearly double with the new Terminal 5," said Steve Shewmaker, European managing director for Cubic Transportation Systems Ltd., Cubic's British subsidiary. "Until now, there has been one ticketing system for Heathrow Express and another system for the London Underground. Merging the two makes it faster and easier for air travelers to purchase their tickets for transport to and from London. Cubic's system is at the very heart of this capability." "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 9, 200817 yr http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature2-4-9 April 7, 2008 New regional trains for western Germany Veolia Verkehr, a German passenger railway operator, has placed a $110 million order with Alstom Transport for 30 CORADIA LINT diesel-multiple-unit regional trainsets. The trainsets will be operated by Veolia Verkehr subsidiary NordWestBahn on the Niers-Rhein-Emscher network in western Germany, connecting Düsseldorf, Duesburg, and Oberhausen. Alstom will manufacture them at its Salzgitter, Germany, plant for delivery in 2009. Each CORADIA LINT DMU consists of two air-conditioned coaches accommodating 136 passengers. Floor height and boarding steps have been configured for platform heights on the Niers-Rhein-Emscher network, making boarding access easier, particularly for passengers with reduced mobility. Alstom’s CORADIA LINT vehicles were introduced in 2000; more than 425 have been deployed in Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Veolia Verkehr already operates 30 of them. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 10, 200817 yr YAY!!! FINALLY!! http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature2-4-10 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- April 9, 2008 Eurotunnel notches first annual profit Fourteen years after establishing rail passenger and freight service between Great Britain and the European continent, Eurotunnel has reported its first annual net profit ever, $1.6 million, for the year 2007. The profit is attributed to Eurotunnel's debt restructuring program, following a revised agreement in 2007 with the company's creditors. The agreement cut Eurotunnel's debt levels from 9.2 billion euros to 4.2 billion euros, as shareholders swapped older shares for shares in a new company called Groupe Eurotunnel. Chairman and CEO Jacques Gounon said, "Now that we finally have the high-speed [rail] link in Britain, we are getting the passenger numbers we should have had 15 years ago." Last year Eurostar passenger service began operating on high speed rail right-of-way between Folkestone and London's St Pancras station, cutting travel times to and from both Paris and Brussels, Belgium. For the first quarter of 2008, Eurotunnel has reported a substantial increase in traffic, contributing to a 15% jump in first-quarter revenue to roughly $296 million. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 10, 200817 yr Also in the UK, this train equipment order is huge -- I'd love to see something of this scale for Amtrak's entire US fleet. Shows what we've come to expect from our federal government.... ________________ http://www.railjournal.com/latenews.shtml#Feature6-4-10 April 9, 2008 Britain starts Thameslink train procurement BRITAIN’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. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 10, 200817 yr As near as I've been able to figure, they are separate operations. The Eurostar services in Italy serve the country's major cities but don't make international connections. For example, the international service that connects northern Italian cities with Switzerland is called "Cisalpino", not Eurostar. Funny, I had this same question a couple years ago an concluded that Eurostar in Italy was just the branding of the top level of domestic service offered by the state railway (Trenitalia)- their version of "Acela Express". I think Italians just call it the "Pendolino" though (after the equipment?). This is pretty much what wiki says: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurostar_Italia.
April 10, 200817 yr Pendolino is the type of train equipment -- it uses a pendulum mechanism that allows the train body to tilt while going around curves so it can take them faster while reducing the centrifiugal force on passengers. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 20, 200817 yr Zoom zoom zoom, indeed. Here's 2:34 worth of 300 km/h on the French TGV network -- single-level trains, two-level (TGV Duplex) trains, and two trains running coupled together to create 16 car trains. When duplexes are coupled together, they carry three times as many people as Transcontinental 747s (about 1,500 passengers) with a crew of a half-dozen people.... Let the speed show begin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CGy2-AptTY&feature=related "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 23, 200817 yr For comparison: Beijing - Shanghai 820 miles Chicago - DC 703 miles Chicago - Atlanta 717 miles Chicago - New York 780 miles A second article, about the link to Hong Kong, follows this article. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hqP-QbH2I5pUHaa7phY2R_DjB5kg Work starts on Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail link: report 5 days ago BEIJING (AFP) — China started building Friday a much-delayed high-speed link set to halve rail travel time between Beijing and Shanghai in a project costing more than 31 billion dollars, state media reported. At a ceremony in Beijing, Premier Wen Jiabao laid the cornerstone for the 1,320-kilometre (820-mile) line, which is expected to be completed in five years, Xinhua news agency said. "The demand for both passenger and cargo transport along this line is huge," said Vice Railway Minister Lu Chunfeng, according to Xinhua, which said the line would cost 220.9 billion yuan (31.6 billion dollars) to build. .......... +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp? pp_cat=12&art_id=64843&sid=18616451&con_type=3 High-speed rail link will slash travel times to Beijing, Shanghai Damon Pang Wednesday, April 23, 2008 Hong Kong will become the staging point for fast-track trips to a host of mainland cities after the green light was given for a HK$39.5 billion rail link connecting the city to Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Due for completion in 2014/2015, when it will be fully integrated with the mainlands rail network, the link starting in West Kowloon will cut travel times between Hong Kong and Beijing and Shanghai from the current 24 and 20 hours to 10 and eight, respectively. .......... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 27, 200817 yr I was about to post a German train video with some cool cityscapes of Frankfurt, but the turd who put it on YouTube disabled the embedding capabilities. Oh well. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 30, 200817 yr http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature4-4-30 April 30, 2008 Alstom inks Argentine high speed rail contract The contract to build the Western Hemisphere’s first true high speed rail system was signed yesterday by Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President of the Argentine Republic, and the Alstom-led consortium that will design and build the system. The 440-mile line will link Buenos Aires, Rosario, and Cordoba and reduce travel time from 14 hours to three. The high speed system is a turnkey project involving infrastructure (including seven stations), electrification, ERTMS Level 2 signaling and train control, and rolling stock and maintenance. Alstom’s share of the contract, which includes project management and engineering, rolling stock, and signaling and communications, is valued at around €1.1 billion. Alstom will manufacture the system’s eight 200-mph, 509-person-capacity TGV Duplex (bilevel)-type trainsets in France and perform final assembly at its Argentine facilities in La Plata (province of Buenos Aires) and Rio Tercero (province of Cordoba). Financing, which is expected to be finalized within the next few months, will be provided by the French bank Natixis. Alstom’s project partners are Iecsa, Isolux Corsan, and Emepa. Iecsa will be responsible for civil engineering with Isolux Corsan, which will also supply electrification. Emepa, Alstom, and Iecsa will handle right-of-way construction, which will occur two phases, Buenos Aires-Rosario and Rosario-Cordoba. Construction is scheduled to take four years. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 30, 200817 yr More choo-choos and projects that apparently we in the U.S. can't afford to do anymore... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- April 29, 2008 Contract awarded for longest rail tunnel A $1.64 billion contract to install infrastructure for the world's longest rail tunnel—the Gothard Base Tunnel in Switzerland—has been awarded to the Transtec Gothard Consortium. The consortium is responsible for completing the infrastructure for two single-track tunnels 35.3 miles in length as well as nearly seven miles of surface track north and south to connect the new tunnel with the existing ail network. Members of the consortium include Alcatel Lucent, Atel Installationstechnik, Thales Rail Signaling, Alpine Bau, and Balfour Beatty Rail. The tunnel is scheduled to be ready for commercial operation in 2017. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 16, 200817 yr http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature2-5-16 May 15, 2008 Siemens wins $2 billion train order from Belgium Siemens announced Thursday that its Mobility Division has received an order from Belgian National Railways (SNCB) for 305 multiple-unit trains valued at more than $2 billion. It's the largest rolling stock order Siemens has ever received. Scheduled for use in Belgium's regional service, the trains will be manufactured at the Siemens plant in Krefeld-Uerdingen, Germany, starting in 2009. Deliveries will take place from 2012 to 2016. The trains will be built to the Desiro ML design. Each will accommodate 280 passengers and will have a top speed of 100 mph. The first trains of this new line are scheduled to enter service for the German rail operator Mittelrheinbahn later this year. Previous generations of the Desiro line are in service in Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Slovenia, the U.K., and the U.S. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 29, 200817 yr http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature2-5-29 May 28, 2008 Brazil advances $9 billion high speed rail plan The government of Brazil has disclosed its plans for putting together an organization to build a $9 billion high speed rail line connecting the international airports of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo and a cargo airport in Campinas in Sao Paulo state. At an infrastructure meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, Cabinet Chief Dilma Rousseff said the government intends to combine a foreign consortium and a local consortium into a single entity to handle the project (the cost of which has been scaled down from an original estimate of $11 billion for reasons not readily apparent). Separate proposals for the two groups will be sought in tenders next February. Rousseff recently visited Japan and South Korea to present the plant to interested builders. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 3, 200817 yr Sigh, another one..... http://www.railjournal.com/latenews.shtml#Feature8-6-3 June 2, 2008 Portugal invites high-speed bids THE Portuguese government has launched its Euros 9.5 billion 10-year high-speed construction programme by inviting public tenders to build the first section of the Lisbon – Madrid line. The 206km Portuguese section of the line will be implemented in two portions, and will be built and operated as a 40-year public-private partnership (PPP) concession. Today’s announcement covers the Euros 1.7 billion Caia – Poceirão section, and bids for the for the Euros 1.6 billion Poceirão-Lisbon section, including a 13km bridge over the River Tagus, will be invited in December. The line will open in 2013 and will be constructed for 350km/h operation to allow a Lisbon – Madrid journey time of 2 hours 45 minutes when the Spanish section is completed. Further tenders will be published in the first half of 2009 covering the Lisbon – Pombal and Pombal – Oporto sections, which are estimated at Euros 2.1 billion and Euros 1.7 billion respectively. The 290km line will be built for 300km/h operation line and journey times will be cut to 1 hour 15 minutes when it opens 2015. Both lines are Trans European Network – Transport priority projects and therefore qualify for European Union funding. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 5, 200817 yr http://www.ready2invest.co.uk/news-and-publications/news-articles/turkish-highspeed-rail-network-to-be-tested-040608.aspx Turkish high-speed rail network to be tested Transport operators in Turkey are to begin testing a new high-speed rail service, it has been reported. According to the Anatolian News Agency, Turkish State Railways (TCDD) wants to open up the line to the public before the end of the year. Therefore, it will begin carrying out trials of the route between Ankara and Eskisehir later this month According to TCDD director general Suleyman Karaman, the infrastructure is already complete, while links to other destinations including Sivas are near completion. He commented: "With the implementation of the high-speed train service, we will build modern station buildings across the country as well." Related developments such as shopping centres and tourist accommodation will also be built near the new stations, Mr Karaman added. This could potentially result in tourism generating more money for Turkey's economy. According to figures cited by TurkishPress.com, revenues from the holiday industry in the first quarter of 2008 were 28.4% higher than they were a year earlier.
June 12, 200817 yr Vay to go, comrades! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- June 11, 2008 Yakunin calls for international rail superhighways THE president of Russian Railways (RZD), Mr Vladimir Yakunin, has called for the creation of what he calls rail superhighways on the 1520mm-gauge rail network serving the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). These would be international corridors having common standards in terms of capacity and technology to ensure a high level of service. Speaking at the Twelfth St Petersburg International Forum, Yakunin said to achieve such superhighways it would be necessary to harmonise transport law in CIS countries, establish competitive through tariffs, coordinate efforts to attract investment, set up logistics operators, and build what he described as “rail ports” in the main industrial and transport centres. Yakunin also called for a unified long-term strategy for balanced rail transport development within the CIS. He said organisations such as the CIS Railway Transport Council and the 1520 Strategic Partnership forum could be used to develop such a strategy. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 12, 200817 yr And how many capitals of U.S. states have electrified rail transportation? I count seven out of 50, and most of those have just one rail line powered by electricity. By the way, the article below refers to demus which is a self-propelled diesel multiple-unit train, and an emu which is a self-propelled electrical multiple-unit train. A unit refers to one rail car. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- June 9, 2008 Electrification and tram-trains for Adelaide THE only Australian state capital without an electrified rail network is to receive $A 2 billion (1.9 billion) investment over the next decade as part of plans unveiled by the government of South Australia. Most of Adelaide’s and 120km commuter rail network will be electrified all passenger lines will be converted from broad gauge to standard gauge. The Noarluga, Outer Harbor, Grange and Gawler lines will be electrified at 25kV ac, and a fleet of 50 emu cars will be ordered. Fifty-eight of the existing class 3000/3100 demus will be converted to electric operation and refurbished. The remaining 12 demus in the TransAdelaide fleet will be refurbished for use on the Belair line, which will remain diesel-operated until an Australian government-funded study determines the future of the steeply-graded Adelaide Hills section of the Adelaide – Melbourne line. Light rail services are also set for a makeover with the introduction of Australia’s first tram-trains. The 12.5km Glenelg – City light rail will be extended to Adelaide Entertainment Centre before joining the Grange Line and running to West Lakes. Another light rail line will be built from Port Adelaide on the Outer Harbor line to Semaphore. Four additional single voltage Flexity Classic LRVs will be ordered from Bombardier for the initial extension to the Entertainment Centre, and another 15 dual-voltage LRVs will be ordered for the West Lakes and Semaphore services. The tram-train project will be completed by 2012. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 23, 200816 yr More about the UK's plans...... _______________ http://www.railnews.co.uk/img/medium/news00226.jpg http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2008/06/21-networkrail-greangauge.html Boost for British high-speed rail plans Posted: 21st June 2008 PLANS to extend high-speed train services from London to the Midlands and North have been boosted by Network Rail, which has set up a study to see if a new line can be justified. The results should be known within a year. Richard Eccles, Head of Route Planning, told a Railway Forum conference in Birmingham that a new lines programme would be looking at the East Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line, West Coast Main Line, Chiltern and Western Main Line corridors. A team had been set up by Network Rail to examine what should be done when network capacity runs out in the next 10 20 years, he said. ......... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 24, 200816 yr And this little blurb about the UK's emerging plans.... http://www.railjournal.com/latenews.shtml#Feature8-6-24 June 23, 2008 Network Rail studies new route options BRITISH track authority Network Rail (NR) is to conduct a strategic review into the case for building a series of new railways across the country’s network. The announcement follows the news that the Office of Rail Regulation is also to study the possibility of significant rail expansion. Five routes are being considered by NR, all radiating from London. They are the West Coast Main Line from London to Glasgow via Birmingham and Manchester; the Chiltern line from London to Birmingham; the Midland Main Line to Nottingham, Derby, and Sheffield; the East Coast route from London to Edinburgh via York and Newcastle; and the Great Western Main Line from London to Bristol and Cardiff. While NR is not prepared to suggest the routes could be new high-speed lines, there have been growing calls for a network of 250km/h to 350km/h routes to be built to add capacity to Britain’s constrained conventional network, which has seen 40% growth in passenger numbers, and 60% growth in freight volumes. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 25, 200816 yr http://www.railjournal.com/latenews.shtml#Feature8-6-25 June 24, 2008 Manchester orders more LRVs GREATER Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) has exercised an option to buy an additional 28 light rail vehicles (LRVs) from a consortium of Bombardier and Vossloh Kiepe, as part of a plan to almost double the length of the city’s Metrolink light rail network. The option, worth £62 million, follows an initial contract signed in April 2007 for an eight vehicles, which was subsequently increased to 12. The latest order will take the Metrolink LRV fleet to 72 by the end of 2009, and GMPTE has further options in the contract to cover future expansion of the network. Bombardier is designing and manufacturing the vehicles at its sites in Bautzen, Germany, and Vienna. Bombardier’s Siegen plant is responsible for delivering the bogies and consortium partner, Vossloh Kiepe is providing the electrical equipment. Earlier this month GMPTE concluded a £575 million deal with M-Pact, a consortium of Thales, Laing O’Rourke and GrantRail, to convert the Manchester Victoria – Oldham – Rochdale line to light rail operation, and build new lines from Trafford Bar to Corlton St Werburgh’s Road, and from Piccadilly to Droylsden. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 25, 200816 yr And then there's this. Note the text in bold.... http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature5-6-25 June 24, 2008 Caterpillar buying Brazilian railroad supplier Caterpillar, Inc., announced Tuesday that it will buy MGE Equipamento & Servicos Ltd., a Brazilian supplier of freight car and locomotive components, for its Progress Rail Services division. Founded in 1991, MGE has about 400 employees. The transaction will mark Progress Rail’s first expansion outside of North America. Reuters quoted MGE’s general director, Ronaldo Moriyama, as saying that Progress Rail has locomotives that can be modified with Caterpillar engines at MGE’s plant in Brazil and then leased throughout South America. Moriyama said the Brazilian railroad market is also strong, noting that the state of Sao Paulo plans to invest $10 billion in railroads by 2010, and a high speed train link between Rio de Janeiro and the city of Sao Paulo is planned. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 25, 200816 yr http://www.ft.com/cms/s/6c2a814c-4185-11dd-9661-0000779fd2ac,dwp_uuid=ebe33f66-57aa-11dc-8c65-0000779fd2ac,print=yes.html High-speed rails Published: June 24 2008 03:00 | Last updated: June 24 2008 03:00 For the first time in more than a century, the UK is considering building a new mainline railway. The public body responsible for railway infrastructure, Network Rail, has announced it is commissioning a review into the future of its five main rail lines. This opens up the possibility of supplementing the network with high-speed rail links like the French TGV trains or the Japanese Shinkansen network. Great Britain, however, is not France or Japan. It is a small island dominated by a small number of cities that are relatively close together. Even without high-speed links, the government's 2006 review of transport found that British cities have relatively good intercity links compared with their rivals. The study made clear that Britain does not need bullet trains. Problems are mounting because of severe overcrowding on lines around London, Birmingham and Leeds. Rather than considering sweeping new lines, these congested pinch-points must be the first target for any new investment in intercity routes. ....... http://www.ft.com/cms/s/b6417628-4185-11dd-9661-0000779fd2ac,dwp_uuid=ebe33f66-57aa-11dc-8c65-0000779fd2ac,print=yes.html Review to focus on a new era of travel By Robert Wright, Transport Correspondent Published: June 24 2008 03:00 | Last updated: June 24 2008 03:00 A new era of travel was foreshadowed yesterday as Iain Coucher, chief executive of Network Rail, which owns and operates Britain's mainline railways, confirmed it was launching a review that could lead to up to five more lines. But the inquiry into the feasibility of new routes is just the latest contribution to a debate that is far more complex than many who yearn for continental super-trains might imagine. Mr Coucher warned that new signalling systems and other improvements would no longer be sufficient to increase capacity. He insisted that not all the lines would necessarily run trains at the 300kph-plus speeds common in France, Germany, Spain and Italy - although that looks to be the most likely option for the majority. Of existing routes, he said: "These transport corridors will be full up. There will be nothing else we can do. We need to say, 'If that's the case, what are the alternatives for new lines?'" .......... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 2, 200816 yr http://www.railjournal.com/latenews.shtml#Feature7-7-2 July 1, 2008 Testing starts on Beijing – Tianjin high-speed line TEST operation was due to begin today on China’s first 350km/h railway, the 115km line from Beijing to Tainjin line. Three trains will operate on the line until July 10, when testing will be stepped-up to four trains running in flights at five-minute intervals. Journey times between the two cities will be cut to just 27 minutes. Trains will initially operate at speeds of up to 300km/h, although the line has been constructed to allow 350km/h running in the future. Five Siemens CRH3 Hexie (Harmony) trains, from a fleet of 60 on order, will be available to operate commercial services when they begin on August 1. Last week a CRH3 train set a new Chinese rail speed record on the line, reaching 394.3km/h. The line is the first section of the 1318km Beijing – Shanghai high-speed line, which is due for completion by 2013. Around half of the estimated Yuan 220 billion ($US 32 billion) funding required for the project has already been raised. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 3, 200816 yr http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/westminster-watch/2008/07/01-libdem-road-air-tax.html Rail News (UK): Road and air tax could fund railway future, says Clegg Posted: 1st July 2008 | From Railnews Jul 2008 print edition No Comments PLANS to build a UK high-speed rail network paid for by emissions-linked charges on road freight and internal flights have been unveiled by the Liberal Democrats. The party would also introduce rolling contracts for train operating companies to increase long-term investment and improve services. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said: “These proposals offer a radical alternative vision for transport in the 21st Century, compared with the tired short-sightedness of both Labour and the Tories. ........ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 3, 200816 yr http://www.railjournal.com/latenews.shtml#Feature7-7-3 July 2, 2008 China starts construction on Shanghai – Nanjing high-speed line A GROUNDBREAKING ceremony has been held to mark the start of construction on the second phase of the 1318km Beijing – Shanghai high-speed line. When it opens in 2012, the 300km Shanghai – Nanjing line will allow journey times between the two cities to be cut from 2 hours to 1 hour 12 minutes. The Yuan 39.5 billion ($US 5.7 billion) project will be completed in 2012, and passenger numbers are expected to reach 26.35 million by 2020. The line will be designed for 350km/h operation at three-minute headways. It will have a minimum curve radius of 7000m and a maximum gradient of less than 2%. Testing began this week on the initial section of the Beijing – Shanghai line, which connects the Chinese capital with the city of Tianjin. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 4, 200816 yr When are we in the U.S going to get off our asses and do something similar to what is described in the article below? There are few examples of true intermodalism in the U.S. like this, thanks in part to our mode-specific trust funds which the federal government uses to finance each mode (except rail) -- as if each mode exists in a vacuum..... __________________ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7489483.stm Page last updated at 10:21 GMT, Friday, 4 July 2008 11:21 UK Air France eyes move to railways Air France is holding talks on a joint venture that could lead to it offering high-speed rail travel. The airline confirmed reports it was discussing a possible tie-up with Veolia, a French utility firm that also runs several rail services. Commentators suggest such a deal would enable the airline to cut fuel costs by moving some services onto the railways. Under the plans Veolia would run trains from Air France's hub airport in Paris to other European destinations. ....... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 15, 200816 yr So what are the world's largest oil-producing nations (Saudi Arabia, Russia, Kazakhstan and Iran) doing that America isn't? Electrifying railroad routes! Check this out: Saudi Arabia – Building new electrified rail line Mecca-Jeddah-Medina. Kazakhstan – Plans to sign contracts to electrify 2,700 km in 2009. Iran – 148 km electrified in 2006; recently signed MOU with Russia to electrify about 400 km more. Russia - Increased electrification from 43% in 2000 to 47% in 2007. So if America electrified 36,000 route miles of mainline railroad, the share of electrified railroad would jump to a measely 20 percent. Consider what the rest of the developed world has: Switzerland -- 93% Japan -- 71% Portugal -- 69% Sweden -- 63% Italy -- 62% Azerbaijan -- 60% South Africa -- 44% Russia -- 43% Germany -- 40% Ukraine -- 37% France -- 36% U.K. -- 29% India -- 27% China -- 26% For more about the 36,000-mile electrification proposal, see: http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4301 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
Create an account or sign in to comment