Administrator

FOLLOWING months of negotiations, German Rail (DB) and Siemens have finally put pen to paper on a contract potentially worth Euros 6bn for the supply of new long-distance trains known as ICx.

AUSTRALIAN federal transport minister Mr Anthony Albanese today announced the GoldlinQ consortium, including Bombardier, Downer EDI, Keolis, McConnell Dowell, and Plenary Group, has been selected to build and operate Gold Coast's $A 1.1bn ($US 1bn) light rail network.

RAIL transport in the Australian state of Victoria has received a major boost after $A 403m was allocated in the state's budget to improve existing services and pave the way for network expansion.

THE Board of Swedish iron-ore producer LKAB has approved a SKr 1bn ($US 158m) project to increase the capacity of its heavy-haul rail operations in northern Sweden by 35% to 40 million tonnes a year by 2015 as it plans to open three more iron-ore mines. To achieve this, LKAB will acquire another four IORE electric locomotives from Bombardier to expand the fleet to 17. LKAB has also placed a SKr 400m contract with Kockums Industrier, Sweden, for 300 wagons to add to the 800 already in service.

THE governments of China and Myanmar have agreed to build a rail link between the Chinese province of Yunnan and the Indian Ocean port of Kyaukpyu. The Memorandum of Understanding signed yesterday in Nay Pyi Taw by Myanmar's ministry of rail transportation of China Railways Engineering Corporation stipulates that the 1215km line will be built in five stages over the next three years.

Mitsuo Higashi, director of JR East’s international department, recounts the huge damage inflicted on the railway by the massive earthquake and tsunami of March 11 and JR East’s resolve to get rail services back to normal as quickly as possible.

 

THE International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and its members are to be commended for their bold initiative - known as PTx2 - to double public transport’s market share worldwide by 2025 which in effect will mean a threefold increase in journeys. But there is really little choice as half the world’s population live in cities, many of which are already choked with traffic and the pollution they cause.

 

City stations offer a huge range of commercial opportunities, with consistent sources of revenue from non-rail activities. Keith Barrow talks to SNCB Holding CEO Mr Jannie Haek about the company’s consumer-focused strategy for stations.

 

TRENITALIA has exercised an option worth Euros 128m to acquire a further 50 E464 Bo-Bo electric locomotives from Bombardier. The locomotives will be assembled at Bombardier's Vado Ligure site near Genoa and will be delivered in 2012-13.