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September 12, 2014

International & UK Railway News Friday 12th September 2014

..Total Railway News

PhotoPhotoPhoto
WCML engineering schedules for 2014/2015.... another 10 UKLIGHTS from Vossloh Espana for DRS...  Hitachi Class 800s under test in Japan...China's high speed boom...and ghost towns??... a look at Dublin and Dubai's Metros with SmartRail World....and the US HSR continues to lobby strongly for high speed rail projects in the USA..


Click on the links....




Headlines
UK
West Coast Main Line engineering works and closure dates in 2014/2015 - Network Rail


Vossloh España receives another order for ten UKLIGHT locomotives


Solihull MP in row over HS2 rail depot plan(Birmingham Mail)


Former MP Andrew Mackinlay slams South West Trains over Chessington South disabled access.(This Is Local London)


East Anglia: Region’s firms urged to bid for HS2 contracts.(EADT24)


Belles & Whistles: Five Journeys Through Time on Britain's Trains – review.(The Guardian)


End of the line for Europe's iconic night trains?(The Guardian)


Hitachi Class 800 trainsets begin testing in Japan - Railway Gazette


Network Rail officially opens ‘biggest railway control centre’ - Railway Gazette





UK Heritage

GWR - Gloucestershire's mainline heritage railway - Broadway bridge: road opens ahead of schedule


International
Australia




DTPLI on YouTube


Premier Denis Napthine and Minister for Roads and Public Transport Terry Mulder announce the start of geotechnical drilling for the East West Link - Western Section.




China
High-speed rail boom in China spawns network of ghost towns.(Want China Times)




Russia


Russian Railways on YouTube.









We are glad to share with you a documentary about the longest railway in the world, the Transsiberian Highway.
The Trans-Siberian Highway construction was almost terminated in 1903 – the Baikal Lake was then crossed by ferries. A complete placing in operation was led in 1916, 25 years after the construction commencement.

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USA

U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx Announces 72 TIGER 2014 RecipientsDemand Demonstrates Need for Greater Transportation Investment through GROW AMERICA Act 
WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced that the Department of Transportation would provide $600 million for 72 transportation projects in 46 states and the District of Columbia from its TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) 2014 program.  
The Department received 797 eligible applications from 49 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, an increase from the 585 applications received in 2013.  Overall, applicants requested 15 times the $600 million available for the program, or $9 billion for needed transportation projects. 


“As uncertainty about the future of long-term federal funding continues, this round of TIGER will be a shot in the arm for these innovative, job-creating and quality of life-enhancing projects,” said Secretary Foxx.  “We're building bridges from Maine to Mississippi.  We're creating ladders of opportunity for the middle-class and those seeking to enter the middle-class by investing in transit, road and rail projects from Los Angeles to Detroit to New York City, increasing access to jobs and quality of life.  For every project we select, however, we must turn dozens more away – projects that could be getting done if Congress passed the GROW AMERICA Act, which would double the funding available for TIGER and growing the number of projects we could support.” 
Projects funded through this round of TIGER support several key transportation goals: 


Improving Access to Jobs and Creating New “Ladders of Opportunity:  Americans are increasingly challenged by longer travel times, which take away from time on the job and at home.  For those looking for work, unpredictable travel times can make finding work and keeping a job even harder.  This round of TIGER invests in projects designed to cut down on travel times, increase predictability and, in some cases, attract new middle-class jobs into communities.  Examples include: 


  • A $24.9 million investment in the construction of a 7.6 mile bus rapid transit line in Richmond will connect transit-dependent residents to jobs and retail centers as well as spur mixed use and transit-oriented development in a city with the highest poverty rate in Virginia.  
  • A $15 million TIGER grant will develop a new bus rapid transit spine for Omaha, Neb., dramatically reducing travel time to major employment hubs in the city.  Roughly 16 percent of the households within a quarter of a mile of the proposed bus-rapid transit route do not currently have access to a vehicle.
  • A $20 million TIGER grant will pay for the modernization of Boston’s Ruggles Station, which will include the construction of a new 797-foot long, 12-foot wide high-level passenger platform between the Ruggles Station headhouse and Northeastern University’s Columbus Avenue parking garage. 
  • A $10.8 million investment in the Wando Welch Terminal Rehabilitation project in South Carolina will help make structural repairs, strengthen the berth, and make related paving and safety improvements. The TIGER funding will also be used for the installation of jacket repairs for damaged piles.
Reversing neglect by repairing U.S. infrastructure, enhancing quality of life and commerce:
  • The New Route 47 Missouri River Bridge Project will replace the decaying, 78 year-old Route 47 Deck and Warren Truss Bridge over the Missouri River in Washington, MO. A $10 million TIGER grant will be put to use to ensure this vital community and economic link continues to serve not only the people of Franklin and Warren Counties but the region as a whole.  With the bridge nearing the end of its useful life, its age and condition create an on-going need for maintenance, resulting in substantial expense to taxpayers and inconvenience to the public. The project includes doubling the travel way from 22 feet to 44 feet, removing the overhead truss, widening the shoulders and adding separated bicycle and pedestrian facilities. 
  • The Three County Roadway Improvements Program will move forward thanks to a $17.9 million TIGER grant that will help Claiborne County, Mississippi improve motor vehicle transportation reliability and safety in an economically-disadvantaged rural region by creating a fully-connected and safe county transportation system that allows direct movement of citizens and goods from rural areas to local economic points of interest. 
Supporting Game-Changing Local Initiatives: The $25 million TIGER grant for the Vision Zero project will bolster New York City’s multi-agency plan to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries by redesigning intersections near schools, creating safer pedestrian access to transit and fill a major gap in the city’s protected bicycle lane network that will connect lower-income communities to industrial zones. 


Helping communities plan for the future:  An example of a project that is utilizing innovative methodologies to plan for the future is the Land Use Connections for Sustainable Schools project in North Texas that will create a program and implementation plan for a regional working group to promote multimodal transportation options to schools, advance long-term planning for school siting, improve transportation safety near schools and encourage coordination between local governments, independent school districts, and transit agencies within the 12-county area for resource efficiency and sustainability.  
The GROW AMERICA Act would authorize $5 billion over four years for much-needed additional TIGER funding to help meet the overwhelming demand for significant infrastructure investments around the country and provide the certainty that states and local governments need to properly plan for investment.  The $302 billion, four year transportation reauthorization proposal would provide increased and stable funding for the nation’s highways, bridges, transit, and rail systems without contributing to the deficit.  The GROW AMERICA Act also includes several critical program reforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of federal highway, rail, and transit programs.  


Since 2009, the TIGER program has provided nearly $4.1 billion to 342 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico – including 117 projects to support rural and tribal communities. Demand for the program has been overwhelming, and during the previous five rounds, the Department of Transportation received more than 6,000 applications requesting more than $124 billion for transportation projects across the country.  Congress provided the most recent funding as part of the bipartisan Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, signed by President Obama on January 17, 2014.  
Click here for additional information on individual TIGER grants. 
Click here for additional information on the GROW AMERICA Act.


www.progressiverailroading.com.

  • House transportation committee members introduce passenger-rail reauthorization bill
     
  • SMART-TD members reject one-man crew agreement with BNSF
     
  • CSX unveils first responder info system; CN earns sustainability honors; UP police garner accreditation
     
  • All Aboard Florida contracts Siemens to build passenger trains
     
  • Another week, another traffic gain for U.S. railroads
     
  • NJ Transit names Yellin deputy executive director, Lavell VP and GM of rail
     
  • Developments abound for rail-served facilities in three states
     
  • Amtrak hosts Memphis meeting for 'Great American Stations' project
     
  • Watco installs CIO, three supply chain services execs
     




  • Join America's Rail Leaders at the Premier Business Event...
     
    Be part of the high speed rail event of the year!

    Get Involved in High Speed Rail Projects...
    Introducing the USHSR PROJECT PIPELINE!
    Accelerating the next wave of high speed rail projects into development 

    Get involved early!
    The USHSR PROJECT PIPELINE will advance projects from conceptual stage to investment-ready status to attract private investment by: 
    • Selecting and presenting projects to develop and move forward
    • Highlighting unique project features, assets, and potential returns
    • Packaging projects with land assets for profitable real estate development around stations
    • Optimizing station locations for highest ridership and real estate development returns
    • Assembling financiers, investors, and development partners to advance projects
    • Building widespread public, business, and political support for the projects


    Advancing rail and real estate projects together
    Projects are currently being selected in regions across America, at various stages of development, and a variety of sizes and conditions. Watch for project announcements. See project presentations at the High Speed Rail Conference, December 2-4 in LA.     


    Bringing the future to California today


    Other Railway Press Releases
    www.railway-technology.com.


    Features
    A distant dream: China's international rail ambitions
    With four international rail projects planned and a promise to Africa for the support of a continent-wide railroad network, China's prime minister Li Keqiang is living up to his nickname as the "railway salesman". In the past, China has always required foreign support for its railway engineering – and even ten years ago French and Japanese companies were behind high-speed rail in China – but with rising debt and international relations at stake, are China's high-speed rail dreams really on track? 

           
    August's top stories: Luxury train to Iran, Perth airport link
    Hungarian Railways to launch luxury Budapest-Tehran train service in October, Network Rail trialed its first battery-powered train in UK, Korea Rail Network Authority planned to undertake Paraguay's light rail project feasibility study. Railway-technology.com wraps up the key headlines from August 2014. 

           
    Japan's high-speed maglev: is the US buying?
    High-speed rail in the US is languishing in the doldrums, leaving important regions like the Northeast Corridor (NEC) underserved. Could an offer from Japan to bring high-speed maglev tech to the NEC, with the promise of connecting Washington DC and New York in under an hour, prove the turning point for America's high-speed apathy? 

             
    Battle lines: the fight for California's High-Speed Rail project
    Cost overruns, public apathy, staunch Republican opposition and a multitude of environmental and legal lawsuits have turned California's dream of a high-speed rail line into a nightmare. With ground finally broken on the $98bn project, we ask if it now has a realistic chance of success. 

           
    High-speed rail for India: Has the time finally come?
    India's rail industry has suffered from decades of low investment and a long-term policy of subsidised fares. Could the newly elected Prime Minister Narenda Modi's majority administration be what the country needs to finally see the implementation of the high-speed service that was first mooted more than thirty years ago?



    Crossrail starts work on last east London tunnel
    Crossrail has started work on the last east London tunnel, which is in close proximity to the London Underground Jubilee line, Docklands Light Railway, River Thames and River Lea.

    Siemens to supply locomotives and coaches to All Aboard Florida rail project
    Siemens will supply locomotives and passenger coaches for the planned All Aboard Florida passenger rail project between south and central Florida, US.

    Southeastern wins contract to continue rail services in London, UK
    The UK Department of Transport has extended Southeastern's franchise deal to continue to operate services between London, Kent and parts of East Sussex until June 2018.

    Stadler set to deliver double-decker train to Aeroexpress
    Stadler Rail is set to deliver the first six-carriage double-decker trains for the Russian railway company Aeroexpress through a ship route from Muttenz BL through Amsterdam to the Baltic Sea.



    SmartRail World
    Dubai Metro’s speedy growth continues as 5 year landmark reached
    On the occasion of its fifth birthday, Angelica Lecart of SmartRail World takes a look at how far the young metro has come. Since its launch on 9th September 2009, following three years of construction it has proved to be one of the most successful, driverless metro lines in the world, accommodating about half a billion passengers since opening. That’s more than the whole population of the USA.
    The metro boasts world-class safety standards with a control centre at Rashidiya that keeps close check of all the trains, tracks and stations. Any issues or faults are detected within just seconds and any major problems will prompt the train attendants to take control of the train manually. In fact, all the staff are carefully trained and know what to do if such an issue should occur, including clear guidelines on how to evacuate riders safely and efficiently if needed.

    Read more »


    Project Focus: Metro Dublin
    Managing Director at Global Transport Forum
    SmartRail World travels to Dublin, to find out more about their ambitious plans to develop a new mass rapid transit system to serve the Irish capital and speak exclusively to its Managing Director, Cormac Rabbitt. First proposed in 2000, as a plan to integrate the transportation strategy for the greater Dublin region and link the airport with the city centre, the project has been buffered by the financial crisis that hit Ireland particularly hard. Though now with renewed economic good news, the plan is now getting back on track. Read to find out more...




    European Commission

    2014 CEF Transport Calls for Proposals

    The 2014 CEF Transport Calls for Proposals, published on 11 September 2014, are the first calls under the CEF in the area of transport. CEF Transport is the successor of the TEN-T Programme.
     
    €11.93 billion has been allocated for the 2014 CEF Transport Call.

    CEF Transport: General context

    The main objective of CEF Transport, as set out in the TEN-T Guidelines, is to help complete the TEN-T Core Network and its Corridors by 2030. A total budget of €26.2 billion has been allocated to co-fund TEN-T projects in the EU Member States for the period 2014-2020: more than three times the amount allocated to the predecessor TEN-T Programme (2007–2013). From this budget, €11.3 billion is reserved for projects in Member States eligible for the Cohesion Fund.








    Asia Pacific Rail 2014 - Event Highlights (Katy Terrapin on YouTube)




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