International & UK Railway News Tuesday 22nd October 2013

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International Railway Journal   DELHI Metro Rail Corporation has awarded Nippon Signal, Japan, a contract worth around $US 38m to supply Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) for Line 8, the city's first driverless metro line, which is currently under construction.   THE Bavarian Railway Authority (BEG) and Rhine-Main Transport (RMV) have awarded DB Regio a contract to operate regional services from Hanau to Kahl (Main) and Schöllkrippen for 12 years from December 2015.   VIRGIN Trains has awarded Alstom a contract worth around €12m to upgrade its entire fleet of 56 class 390 Pendolino tilting emus, which are used on the West Coast Main Line.   HUNGARIAN State Railways (MÁV) is making progress with the upgrading of the railway network around Lake Balaton, a popular tourist destination in the west of the country.       www.progressiverailroading.com US News     BART: Tentative agreement ends strike, NTSB continues accident review CTA proposes $1.38 billion budget for FY2014 NS and UP made 'revenue adequate' grade in 2012, STB says AAR to FRA: Freight railroads are taking steps to improve haz-mat safety FTA allocates $29 million to strengthen transit safety, disaster recovery capabilities September port volume soared in Long Beach, slipped in Los Angeles Hancock, Cox assume leadership roles at AASHTO Rail supplier news from Tata Steel, Alstom, Liebherr-Transportation, Aon, HDR, GE and Hub Group (Oct. 22) www.railway-technology.com Updates     Balfour Beatty and Vinci bag two contracts from Network Rail UK-based infrastructure group Balfour Beatty and Vinci Construction UK have secured two Crossrail contracts from Network Rail, which owns and operates most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain.          Jilin Midas wins aluminium alloy contracts for high-speed trains in China Jilin Midas Aluminium Industries, a subsidiary of Midas Holdings, has secured contracts worth RMB167.5m ($27m) from CNR Changchun Railway Vehicle and CNR Tangshan Railway Vehicle.          Burning cars of derailed train hamper track restoration work in Canada The main rail line to the Pacific coast in Canada remains closed two days after a freight train derailed near a settlement in Gainford in the province of Alberta on 19 October.          BNSF Railway opens new intermodal facility in Kansas North American freight railroad network BNSF Railway has opened its new intermodal facility Logistics Park Kansas City (LPKC) in Edgerton, Kansas, US, with an investment of $250m to support increasing demand of freight rail transportation in the region.       Alstom   Alstom to modernize Virgin’s Pendolino in the UK.   Alstom has been awarded a contract worth over 12 million euros by Virgin to modernize its entire Pendolino fleet (56 trains). The contract includes the refurbishment of the interiors, bar, kitchen facilities and toilets. The work is being undertaken at two Alstom Traincare Centres, Oxley (Wolverhampton) and Longsight (Manchester) in the United Kingdom, and will be performed over a period of eight months.  The trains to be modernized have been running from London to Birmingham or to Glasgow for more than 10 years1. The modernization will enhance the comfort of around 20 million passengers traveling each year on these two lines.  The interiors will be improved by the replacement of spotlights with LED2 lighting that will also help improve energy efficiency, and the improvement of other saloon lighting, including a change to blue luggage rack lighting. The overhaul also includes the application of new vinyl wraps, new decals, new litter bins and a completely new toilet bowl. The toilets will be refreshed, with the toilets for people with reduced mobility also having a new messaging system that tells users when the door is locked. Vestibule venting will be improved and existing carpeting will be replaced. All catering equipment, including chillers, is being replaced, alongside strategic modifications to the kitchen layout to facilitate cleaning. The kitchen design, which was developed by the Alstom team with Virgin, is intended to offer improved service to passengers, while making it easier to clean and to recycle waste. Tim Bentley, Managing Director, Mainline at Alstom UK, said: “this project represents an opportunity for Alstom to improve the Pendolino experience for all of Virgin’s customers and I’m sure that everyone will see a real difference to their journey”. The works will be performed without impact on train availability following the recent completion of the third heavy engineering overhaul of the entire UK Pendolino fleet.