02 August 2012,
10:09:00
Czech Railways gets more accessible
02 August 2012,
10:09:00
CZECH REPUBLIC: National passenger operator
CD has begun testing a coach which has been refurbished by Slovak company ŽOS
Trnava and made more accessible to passengers with disabilities. The
air-conditioned coach has four six-seat compartments and a 12-seat open area.
The refurbishment included installing a wheelchair lift and an accessible
retention toilet. Other upgrades include 230 V electrical sockets, new tables
designed to be suitable for working or for table-top games, and racks for six
bicycles. A total of 64 coaches are to be modernised at cost of KC1·5bn for use
on EuroCity routes from Praha to Wien, Bratislava, Budapest, Warszawa and
München, as well as domestic inter-city services. The first is expected to
return to traffic later this year, with deliveries running to 2014.
Double-deck sleeping car on test in Russia
02 August 2012,
05:00:00
RUSSIA: Transmashholding's Tver Carriage
Works has completed the first phase of acceptance testing with a newly-developed
Type 61-4472 double-deck sleeping and crew car. Designed to carry 50 passengers,
the coach has a compartment with wheelchair access and secure storage. In
December 2010 Russian Railways awarded Tver Carriage Works a contract to supply
a total of 50 double-deck cars. These will be delivered in 2013 and deployed on
the Moscow – Adler route during the 2014 Winter Olympics. The order includes
four double-deck dining cars, for which a prototype is nearing completion.
Honolulu metro track and electrification contracts awarded
01 August 2012,
16:11:00
USA: Electrification and track supply
subcontracts have been awarded for the $5·2bn Honolulu driverless metro project,
a 32 km elevated line between East Kapolei and Ala Moana Center which is
scheduled to open in phases from 2015 to 2019. On August 1 Siemens
Infrastructure & Cities announced it had won a 'multi-million dollar'
contract to provide 750 DC electrification systems, including 14 rectifier
substations, two substations connected to the utility power supply, and
emergency stop equipment for the depot and 21 metro stations. The contract was
awarded by the Ansaldo Honolulu joint venture of Ansaldo STS and AnsaldoBreda,
which project promoter Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation selected for
the $1·3bn railway systems and rolling stock contract in March 2011. Meanwhile,
LB Foster has won its largest track component supply contract, a $60m deal to
provide the Kiewit/Kobayashi construction joint venture with rails, fasteners,
concrete sleepers and third rail equipment.
All Aboard Florida appoints station planners
01 August 2012,
11:42:00
USA: Florida East Coast Industries has
appointed architects to plan the stations for its proposed 'All Aboard Florida'
inter-city service between Miami and Orlando. The $1bn plan for a
privately-owned, operated and maintained passenger service using FECI lines and
new construction was announced in March, with a target launch date of 2014.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has been named as lead architect and planner to
develop initial concepts for stations and associated transit-oriented
developments in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando. Zyscovich
Architects is associate architect and planner. SOM has experience of metro,
rail, ferry and airport terminal projects, including the design of a redeveloped
Denver Union station with retail, commercial and office space. 'SOM is renowned
for its inspiring, award-winning design, strong track record of fostering public
consensus, and ability to translate infrastructure investment into regional
benefits', said Vincent Signorello, President of Florida East Coast Industries.
Zyscovich Architects has extensive experience in Florida, having undertaken
projects including a rail corridor strategic redevelopment plan for the City of
Miami.
First phase of the Dallas Orange Line opens
01 August 2012,
10:47:00
USA: The first phase of the $1·3bn DART
light rail Orange Line in Dallas opened to passengers on July 30, following an
inaugural train on July 27. The initial section runs for 8·6 km from Bachman on
the Green Line to Irving Convention Center, with intermediate stops at the
University of Dallas and Las Colinas Urban Center. The 6·2 km second phase to
North Lake College and Belt Line Road is under construction for a planned
opening on December 3. Connecting buses will run from the Belt Line stop to
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport until the completion of a 7·5 km
extension direct to the airport, which is scheduled to open on December 15 2014.
Construction of the Orange Line is being undertaken by a joint venture of
Kiewit, Stacy & Witbeck, Reyes and Parsons under design-build contracts.
AECOM is providing DART with technical and management support.
Entity in Charge of Maintenance certified
01 August 2012,
05:00:00
GERMANY: Wagon leasing firm VTG has become
the first company to receive Entity in Charge of Maintenance certification from
German rail authority EBA. Voluntary certification was obtained as a pilot
project enabling EBA to gain experience of the process ahead of European rules
coming into force on June 1 2013 which will require every wagon to be maintained
by a certified ECM. VTG Chief Executive Dr Heiko Fischer said the pilot
highlighted issues with long timescales, internal and external costs and the
constant introduction of new rules, which can ‘quickly negate the successes’ of
liberalisation of the European rail freight market.
Miami International Airport metro extension opens
31 July 2012,
16:35:00
USA: Miami-Dade Transit's Orange Line was
launched on July 28, extending Metrorail metro services to Miami International
Airport. The groundbreaking for the AirportLink Metrorail Extension was held in
May 2009. The 3·8 km elevated branch starts at Earlington Heights station on the
existing Green Line, and terminates at Miami Intermodal Center, a multi-level
interchange with bus, taxi, coach, metro and rail services which is scheduled to
be completed next year. The MIA Mover automated peoplemover provides access to
the airport itself. The $506m project was funded by the Florida Department of
Transportation ($101·3m) and a sales tax introduced under the People's
Transportation Plan ($404·7m). Construction was undertaken by a joint venture of
Odebrecht and OHL's Community Asphalt and Tower businesses. Journey time on the
new section is 4 min. Orange Line services from the branch share tracks with the
Green Line to reach Dadeland South, serving a total of 16 stations. 'With this
new service to the airport, every hotel and business in downtown Miami, Coconut
Grove, Hialeah, Kendall and everywhere else along the Metrorail system will now
be at the front door of Miami International Airport, the largest economic engine
in the region', said Miami-Dade Transit Director Ysela Llort.
Work starts on LGV Bretagne
31 July 2012,
15:52:00
FRANCE: RFF President Hubert du Mesnil
joined Eiffage Managing Director Pierre Berger, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le
Drian and the presidents of the Bretagne and Pays de la Loire regions at
Etrelles on July 27 to officially mark the start of work on the 132 km
high-speed line that will connect Le Mans with Rennes. Eiffage Rail Express is
building the new line, plus 32 km of connections to the existing network, under
a 25-year PPP contract including finance and maintenance. Construction is
scheduled for completion in autumn 2016, and at its height is expected to employ
some 3 000 people a year. Total project cost is €3·3bn, of which RFF is
providing €1·4bn. The balance of €1·9bn is being shared equally between the
French government and local authorities along the route, while the European
Union, European Investment Bank and Caisse des Dépôts have also contributed to
the project.
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