World Railway News.. 29th June 2012

www.railwaygazette.com

FRANCE: The 25-year PPP contract covering financing and construction of the mixed-traffic high speed line bypassing Nîmes and Montpellier has been formally signed...

RAILWAY GAZETTE TV: Rail transport will still be the most environmentally-friendly mode of transport in the next decade, despite advances in energy efficiency...
See The Greener Railway webinar HERE

GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has signed a €160m contract for 38 Alstom Coradia Lint regional diesel multiple-units, which will be used on Dieselnetz Südwest services

ETHIOPIA: State railway development agency Ethiopian Railways Corp has signed contracts for the construction of a new railway network in the north of the country


International Railway Journal

BRAZILIAN mining giant Vale has been granted environmental licenses for its huge $US 19.5bn project (called S11D) to develop a new iron-ore mine at Serra Sul to the south of its existing Carajás mine

THREE subsidiary companies - Traintic, Trainelec and DTQ4 - set up by CAF, Spain, are being merged into one unit called CAF Power & Automation which will design and produce electric power distribution, communications and control systems for all types of rolling stock.



www.progressiverailroading.com US Railroad News

Harrison takes helm as Canadian Pacific's CEO; CN intends to continue pursuing legal action against Harrison

Industry leaders respond to transportation bill's compromises

Alaska Railroad's transit funding less shaky under transportation bill

AAR: Both carloads, intermodal loads climbed for U.S. roads in week No. 25

Sound Transit's board adopts $2.1 billion light-rail budget, schedule

Patriot Rail installs Schultz as EVP, chief administrative officer

Farmrail System obtains temporary FRA waiver for Oklahoma line

Rail supplier updates from Wabtec, Bombardier, Alstom, Thales, Wartsila and Pricelock (June 29)


NEWS UPDATE:
Congress passes major surface transportation bill
Today, the House and Senate passed a major, two-year surface transportation reauthorization bill (H.R. 4348).
The bill now is on its way to President Obama for his signature.
“This measure includes historic reforms — cutting red tape and consolidating or eliminating nearly 70 federal programs,” said Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, in a prepared statement.

The bipartisan legislation would fund federal highway, transit and safety programs at current funding levels through the end of fiscal-year 2014, which would allow states to plan and undertake transportation projects.

www.railway-technology.com Latest Headlines...

BNSF to improve rail capacity in Oklahoma
US-based freight transport firm BNSF Railway (BNSF) is planning to invest $92m in Oklahoma during 2012 for railway maintenance, capacity improvements and expansion projects.       
                   
Beijer Electronics to deliver rail equipment to Washington metro rail network
Westermo, a subsidiary of Beijer Electronics, has won a SEK30m ($4.27m) order from Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in the US to deliver IP communication solutions for 364 rail cars.       
                   
SEPTA to tap breaking energy from trains
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has started a project to capture breaking energy from subway cars and trains on the Market-Frankford Line and supply it back to the regional electric grid.       
                   
Bombardier wins order for 150 additional rail cars from BART
Bombardier Transportation has won a $266m order from the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) to deliver 150 additional rail cars.       

India's railway investments to 2017: a bumpy ride?
In March 2012, India announced its biggest railway budget in history to tackle network capacity and safety issues. Looking into some of the most significant Indian railway projects from now until 2017, Railway-Technology asks whether the measures will be enough to modernise a network that is still one of the most dangerous in the world.       

Siemens to show products and solutions for urban mobility at InnoTrans 2012.

Cities are facing the huge challenge of reconciling growth and quality of life. And energy-efficient and sustainable mobility that is attractive to passengers is playing a key role in their plans. Mobility within and between cities will therefore be Siemens' main theme at InnoTrans in Berlin, the world's largest trade fair for transport technology. The company will be showing solutions and products from a single source: rolling stock specially designed for maximum energy efficiency; ultramodern rail automation that ensures optimum utilization of line and vehicle capacities; technology for optimizing complete operational processes and reducing downtimes and operating costs; and, last but not least, Smart Grid solutions for intelligent traction power supply networks. Siemens provided information on this extensive portfolio at a pre-press conference in Vienna in the runup to this year's InnoTrans trade fair for the railway industry.



Siemens Picture the Future - Mobility research looks into the future of mobility in Australia. It delivers a technology blueprint could help Australia achieve seamless mobility by 2030.