nieuwstopic?!

[Steve]

als uw auto door een vrachtwagen aangereden word zal jij met uw stuur niet veel invloed meer kunnen uitoefenen vrees ik. Het enige dat ik voor u hoop is dat je de klap ziet aankomen en als een "zot" kan wegrijden (indien je die kans als zou hebben), zoniet moet je vooral ondergaan vrees ik.

Ik draai altijd mijn wielen volledig naar links van zodra ik stil sta voor een overweg. Dan hoef je helemaal niet meer te sturen als er dan plots iets gebeurt.

Ietwat naïef, vrees ik. Als een voertuig (auto, laat staan vrachtwagen) met een zekere snelheid achteraan op je inrijdt, zal je auto in de eerste plaats in dezelfde richting voortgeduwd worden. De stand van de wielen zal daarbij maar weinig verschil uitmaken, vermoed ik. Besef je wel wat voor krachten vrijkomen bij zo'n botsing?

[rail s]

Contracts July 2008
16 Jul 2008
Germany: Following the rejection of a legal challenge from DB, Hamburger Hochbahn has been confirmed as the winner of a contract to operate regional services in Regensburg and the Danube valley for 12 years from 2010.

Italy: RFI has awarded a consortium lead by Thales a €15m contract to supply security systems including CCTV and access control for 86 stations, 11 control centres and seven police sites.

South Africa: On June 17 Bombela announced that J&J Group and Absa Capital Infrastructure Equity Investments had acquired 8% stakes in the Gautrain concessionaire (RG 6.08 p362). Bouygues Travaux Publics and Bombardier each sold an 8% share and continue to hold 17%.

UK: Network Rail has awarded ?telecoms firm BT a three-year contract worth £30m to replace legacy communications infrastructure with new fixed-line voice and internet services.

Electronic payment company ?CyberSource has been selected to provide payment processing for ticket retailer Trainline.com.

USA: On June 2 Genesee & Wyoming completed its $78·4m acquisition of CAGY Industries, the parent company of the Columbus & Greenville, Chattooga & Chickamauga and Luxapalila Valley short lines.
bron: http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view ... _2008.html

[rail s]

Vom: 16.07.08
Neuer Vorstand Vertrieb bei DB Schenker Rail
Mit Wirkung zum 15. Juli wird Karsten Sachsenröder (44) zusätzlich zu seiner Funktion als Marktbereichsleiter Baustoffe, Industrie und Konsumgüter neuer Vorstand Vertrieb bei der Railion Deutschland AG. Damit folgt er in dieser Funktion dem Vorsitzenden des Vorstandes, Dr. Klaus Kremper, der das Vertriebsressort in Personalunion geführt hat.

Sachsenröder verantwortet seit über 15 Jahren vertriebliche und strategische Aufgaben in verschiedenen Logistikunternehmen mit internationaler Ausrichtung, darunter die zentrale Großkundenbetreuung Europa des DPD. 2004 kam der Diplom-Ingenieur zum Schienengüterverkehr der DB, wo er zunächst den Marktbereich Baustoffe übernahm; 2005 kam der Marktbereich Industrie- und Konsumgüter hinzu. 2007 wurden beide Marktbereiche unter seiner Führung zusammengelegt. Außerdem ist Sachsenröder im Geschäftsfeld Land Transport für den Bereich Rail Logistics and Forwarding verantwortlich
bron: http://www.eurailpress.de/article/view/ ... _rail.html

[rail s]

Pacific transfer approved
16 Jul 2008
COLOMBIA: National concession agency INCO has given its approval for the concession to upgrade and operate the 498 km Pacific rail network to be transferred to a new owner, Ferrocarril del Oeste SA.

The 30-year concession had originally been awarded in 1998 to Tren de Occidente, but in 2006 INCO began legal proceedings to cancel the agreement on the grounds that the concessionaire had failed to meet investment commitments and traffic targets (RG 5.06 p241).

Over the remainder of the concession, the new owners are expected to invest US$12·2m in new locomotives and wagons, as well as upgrading infrastructure between Yumbo and Zamorano. It is hoped to increase traffic from its present level of 30 000 tonnes a month to 600 000 tonnes in the first year of operations by the new owners, with 1·1 million tonnes the target for the third year.
bron: http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view ... roved.html

[rail s]

DB AG: Sack bleibt bis 2013
Diethelm Sack soll bis 2013 als Finanzvorstand im DB-Konzern tätig sein. Der Aufsichtsrat hat nach einem Bericht der Financial Times Deutschland den Vertrag verlängert.

Sack soll demnach sowohl Finanzvorstand der Holding Deutsche Bahn AG wie auch der Tochter DB Mobility Logistics bleiben. Ursprünglich sei der Vertrag des 60-jährigen Managers bis 2011 begrenzt gewesen. Dies sei ein Signal der Kontinuität und der Berechenbarkeit, heißt es laut FTD in Aufsichtsratskreisen.
bron: http://www.eurailpress.de/article/view/ ... _2013.html

[rail s]

Globaltrans to establish Ukrainian subsidiary
Globaltrans is the second biggest freight operator in Russia.
UKRAINE: On July 15 the board of Russian private freight operator Globaltrans approved the creation of a Ukrainian subsidiary.

'In line with the growth strategy we presented during our recent IPO, we believe that Ukraine provides significant current and future opportunities', said Globaltrans CEO Sergey Maltsev. 'We intend to focus on the gondola car segment and to provide competitive and customer-focused transportation services, primarily to large companies operating in the steel, iron ore and coking coal sectors.'

In the May issue of Railway Gazette International Globaltrans Chief Executive Sergey Maltsev explained his plans to exploit the liberalisation of the Russian freight market; read our exclusive interview here.
bron: http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view ... diary.html

[rail s]

Vom: 16.07.08
SSB beschafft weitere DT 8
Die Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG will weitere Stadtbahnwagen vom Typ DT8.12 beschaffen. Eine entsprechende europaweite Ausschreibung wurde heute veröffentlicht.

Die Ausschreibung sieht vor, zunächst 20 Doppeltriebwagen fest zu beschaffen. Die Option über die 40 weiteren Fahrzeuge soll dann innerhalb von 120 Monaten nach Auftragsvergabe abgerufen werden. Die wichtigsten Randbedingungen, die sich aus dem SSB-Netz ergeben, sind maximale Steigungen von 90 ‰, ein kleinster befahrbarer Radius von 45 m sowie eine Fahrleitungsspannung von 750 V DC. Die Doppeltriebwagen mit einer Länge von rund 40 m sollen in Stahl-Leichtbauweise ausgeführt sein.
bron: http://www.eurailpress.de/article/view/ ... _dt_8.html

[rail s]

NTV announces ambitious service pattern in 2011
16 Jul 2008
ITALY: At a press conference in Roma on July 15, Europe's first private-sector high speed train operator Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori outlined details of the services it plans to launch in 2011. Guests at the high-profile event included newly-appointed European Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani, who congratulated NTV on its initiative.

NTV Chairman Luca di Montezemolo said that his company's plans would make good use of the €40bn invested by the Italian government in a national high speed network.

The new company would give passengers choice when they travelled, said Montezemolo, adding that he expected to see 'other players invest in this field in the next few months'.

NTV Chief Executive Officer Giuseppe Sciarrone gave details of services planned for 2011, with a launch envisaged in spring or early summer of that year using the first four of 25 AGV trainsets ordered from Alstom. The first train would be delivered in September 2010, Sciarrone told Railway Gazette International, and this would be used to obtain the necessary European certification.

With the full fleet available, NTV would run 54 services a day, competing directly with Trenitalia's Eurostar Italia network. A total of 16 daily return services would link Milano and Roma, of which three each way would run non-stop in a 3 h timing. Four return trips a day would be made between Roma and Venezia, calling at Firenze and Bologna, and three return workings would join Roma with Bari in 3 h 55 min using the Roma - Napoli high speed line as far as Caserta. There would be 16 trains a day each way a between Roma and Napoli.

Sciarrone revealed exclusively to Railway Gazette International that in the framework agreement signed with Rete Ferroviaria Italiana on January 17 2008 'all the paths we asked for' had been agreed.

Breakeven is envisaged in the third year of operations, and by 2015 NTV is targeting a 20% share of the Italian domestic high speed market with 10 million passengers a yea

NTV shareholders
Totale MDP Holding
54·5%

IMI Investimenti
21·4%

Generali Financial Holdings FCP-FIS
16·1%

Nuova Fourb
5·4%
Reset 2000
2·6%
bron: http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view ... _2011.html

[rail s]

Vom: 16.07.08
Bundeskabinett verabschiedet Masterplan
Heute hat das Bundeskabinett den von Bundesverkehrsminister Wolfgang Tiefensee vorgelegten geänderten Masterplan Güterverkehr und Logistik verabschiedet. Damit bekennt sich die Bundesregierung zu dem Ziel, mehr Güterverkehr auf die Schiene zu verlagern.

Bei der gestrigen Vorstellung des nach umfassender Kritik geänderten Masterplans sagte Tiefensee, es sei „höchste Zeit, dass wir eine strategische Ausrichtung vornehmen und mit konkreten Maßnahmen gegensteuern“. „Würden wir das nicht tun, droht an neuralgischen Punkten der Verkehrsinfarkt“. Schließlich lebe Deutschland von Güterverkehr und Logistik – eine gute Infrastruktur unterstütze die wirtschaftliche Entwicklung. Das Wirtschaftswachstum hänge direkt mit Transport und Logistik zusammen, und das nicht nur in Deutschland, sondern in der gesamten EU, so Tiefensee. Für die 35 im Masterplan genannten Aufgaben, die in den nächsten 10 bis 15 Jahren umgesetzt werden sollen, seien konkrete Verantwortlichkeiten benannt worden, ergänzte der Verkehrsminister. Für den Ausbau der drei Verkehrsträger Straße, Schiene, Wasser wurde das Budget des Verkehrsministeriums für das kommende Jahr bereits um 1 Mrd. EUR auf nunmehr über 10,2 Mrd. EUR erhöht.

Betreffend den Bahnverkehr werden die Fördermittel für den Bau von Umschlaganlagen des Kombinierten Verkehrs von jährlich 62,5 Mio. auf 115 Mio. EUR erhöht. Zusätzlich stehen für die Förderung von Gleisanschlüssen 32 Mio. EUR zur Verfügung. Und zum ersten Mal gebe es ein Paket zum Seehafenhinterlandverkehr: mit 250 Mio. EUR soll die Anbindung der Nordseehäfen den Bedürfnissen angepasst werden, so Tiefensee gestern.

Im Straßenverkehr soll nach dem Willen Tiefensees von 2010 an die Maut nach Fahrzeiten und Stau-Strecken gestaffelt werden. Weiter sollen hoch belastete Autobahnabschnitte und Knotenpunkte mehrspurig ausgebaut, aber auch beschleunigt mit Verkehrsmanagement-Systemen nachgerüstet werden. Durch nationale Konzepte zum Hafen- und Flughafenausbau soll der Ausbau der Infrastruktur koordiniert erfolgen. So soll es unrentable Flughäfen nach den Vorstellungen der Masterplan-Autoren in Zukunft nicht mehr geben.

Die Allianz pro Schiene hat die Verabschiedung durch das Bundeskabinett begrüßt, auch wenn Kritikpunkte bleiben. Für „völlig inakzeptabel“ hält das Schienenbündnis das Masterplan-Vorhaben, Ausgaben für die von der EU geforderte Harmonisierung der Leit- und Sicherungstechnik von den für den Erhalt des bestehenden Schienennetzes gedachten 2,5 Mrd. EUR Bundeshaushaltsmitteln abzuziehen. Weiter würden konkrete Aussagen zum Klimaschutz fehlen.

Kritik kam auch seitens der Speditionsverbände BGA (Bundesverband des Deutschen Groß- u. Außenhandels) sowie BGL (Bundesverband Güterkraftverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung e.V.). Beide bemängeln die zusätzlichen Belastungen des Straßenverkehrs. Dies sei eine einseitige Belastung der externen Kosten.
bron: http://www.eurailpress.de/article/view/ ... rplan.html

[rail s]

Vom: 16.07.08
Bridgepoint will CTL verkaufen
Der Finanzinvestor Brigdepoint will die CTL Logistics wieder los werden; Foto: DVZ-Archiv, Stoss de Faria
Der britische Investor Bridgepoint will offensichtlich die CTL Logistics aus Polen wieder veräußern. Dies erfuhr der DVZ-Brief aus unterschiedlichen Quellen.

Bridgepoint hatte erst zu Jahresbeginn 75 Prozent des Unternehmens von dem damaligen Alleineigentümer Jaroslaw Pawluk erworben. Investiert werden sollten 100 Mio. EUR. Die Zusage wurde aber nicht eingelöst. Anfang des Jahres hieß es aus dem Munde von CTL-Vorstand Matthias Raith in einem Interview mit der DVZ, fürs Erste habe man einen mittelfristigen Konsens „für die nächsten drei bis fünf Jahre, wohin die Reise gehen soll“. Raith zeigte sich damals zuversichtlich, zusammen mit Bridgepoint und den Möglichkeiten, die sich aus der neuen Konstellation ergeben, die Pläne umsetzen zu können. Schließlich, so Raith in dem Interview, benötige man „angesichts der in Europa immer noch instabilen Marktsituation einen langen Atem“.

Da in einem ersten Anlauf ein Verkauf der gesamten CTL-Gruppe nicht erfolgreich war, gebe es Überlegungen, das deutsche Geschäft der CTL getrennt an neuen Besitzer zu geben. Dies würde auch die Übernahmen durch im deutschen Markt tätige Unternehmen kartellrechtlich erleichtern, so der DVZ-Brief.
bron: http://www.eurailpress.de/article/view/ ... aufen.html

[rail s]

Boosting operational efficiency in Urumqi
17 Jul 2008 | Li Hong-Chang
CHINA: Trials with Lean Production techniques at Chinese Railways' Urumqi Railway Bureau demonstrated significant improvements in productivity and the efficiency of railway operations, allowing CR to handle increased traffic with fewer resources.

Li Hong-Chang, Associate Professor, School of Economics & Management, Beijing Jiaotong University. This article is based on a paper delivered by Li Hong-Chang and Rong Chao-He at the 8th World Congress on Railway Research in Seoul.

Significant improvements in productivity and performance have been achieved by Chin­ese Railways in the Urumqi region, following the introduction of Lean Production management tech­niques.

After an initial small-scale experiment at Hami in 2002, Urumqi Railway Bureau implemented Lean Production techniques across the whole of its area between 2005 and 2007. The initial results have proved very promising, and the concept is expected to be introduced elsewhere on the Chinese Railways network over the next few years.

Lean Production
Lean Production emerged in the early 1990s as a socio-technical approach to improving production management, operational performance, supplier co-ordination and customer satisfaction. The concept has its roots in the Kanban management methods pioneered by Japanese firms such as Toyota in the 1950s, and encompasses tools such as flexible operation, team working and a flatter organisational structure, along with just-in-time delivery and reduced inventory. Activities that do not add value to the final product such as excessive production, unnecessary transport of materials, or delays between production stages, are eliminated by simplifying the core business processes.

Lean Production also aims to encourage employee inititative by delegating management responsibility and encouraging people at all level to take more control over their activities. This requires clear processes for performance evaluation, as well as clarification of the responsibilities and rights of different departments at the outset. The overall objective is to achieve a lean and efficient business with a culture of continuous improvement.

At first glance, it is not immediately obvious that Lean Production can be transferred from a manufacturing environment to a railway, which is a more service-oriented business. But in fact the method has much to offer in terms of reducing costs, improving customer satisfaction and helping to build core competences at both managerial and operational levels.

Railway economics
In economic terms, rail provides an intangible spatial movement. Passengers and freight shippers are looking for seamless transport from origin to destination. Timeliness is critical, and users may be willing to pay more for an effective, reliable and fast service. At the same time, many different resources must be brought together to deliver a range of services, leading to a complex allocation process. This needs to be reflected in the organisational structure and management systems.

Furthermore, rail operates in a geographically diverse environment, where the quality of service can be impacted by climatic conditions, such as wind, sand, rain or snow, or other uncertainties, not to mention accidents and external incidents. In an open market, transport demand can fluctuate greatly, making it difficult to optimise the production process. And reflecting the vital role that rail plays in the national economy, China's railway industry still operates under strong government control, bringing yet more external influences.

One major advantage of rail is what we term 'network economy', which combines the economies of scale and scope. Economies of scale reduce the average transport cost as volumes or distances increase. Economies of scope result from the ability to transport many different products using the same resources. The network economy of the rail mode is significantly better than that for other sectors.

There are many areas in which Lean Production can be applied to railways. Amongst the most obvious are:

Performance. Simultaneous prod­uction and consumption mean that it is not possible for a railway to produce in advance and sell its services later. But optimisation of timetabling and train diagramming can enable an operator to improve performance, perhaps changing service patterns to reflect demand. Service densities can be increased, average wagon loadings improved, and locomotive productivity addressed.

Co-ordination. The complex nature of rail transport involves many different working units, a broad management span, and complicated activity chains. Using operational methods such as modularity and standardisation, it is possible to clarify the responsibilities and rights of different functions, identify core business processes and optimise the use of resources.

Uncertainty. Railway operations frequently involve a lot of uncertainties, driven by environmental, market, technical and human factors. All of these can result in disruption to predetermined operating plans. Using Kanban management techniques and teamwork, better maintenance and technical processes can help to improve just-in-time performance, establish standard responses to common causes of disruption, and help the railway respond to incidents more effectively.

Economies. Harnessing network economies can make rail more efficient and cost effective, such as focusing on making better use of existing capacity. In particular, the average cost of transport will fall as the density of traffic on a line increases, expressed in terms tonne-km per km of route. It is also possible to make more productive use of locomotives and rolling stock through better utilisation.

Some form of index is needed to evaluate, reward or penalise staff or production unit performance. But to achieve a meaningful incentive mechanism, it is important to break down aggregate tasks, clarify responsibilities, and make operational norms clear and enforceable. Key performance indicators could include the proportion of non-stop trains operated, the number of temporary speed limits or the frequency of equipment failures. Choosing the right KPIs makes it easier to control and manage resource allocation in terms of productivity and overall transport efficiency.

A practical application
Following initial trials, Chinese Railways selected the Urumqi Railway Bureau for a full-scale trial of Lean Production techniques, which were rolled out over two years from mid-2005. URB began by categorising its resources into four main areas:

transport operations and delivery, including timetabling, dispatching and traffic control;
guaranteed reliability, which is essentially the maintenance and operation of locomotives;
essential maintenance, covering track, signalling and freight rolling stock;
ancilliary services, such as ?electricity and water supplies.
URB used train flow as its primary performance measure. The dispatching centre was put at the heart of the new organisation (Fig 1), and given vertical management rights. Under its leadership a dedicated Lean Production office was established to analyse the production indices, establish performance standards and recommend changes to operating methods.

As a first step, all of the railway sub-bureaux were abolished in March 2005, and their responsibilities re-allocated. A tier of 'station zones' was established to provide a co-ordinating role between the head office and the local stations. Individual stations and depots were also given more rights to develop their own operating rules and assess their own performance.

The first steps to implement Lean Production at headquarters began in January 2006, and the first proposals for efficiency improvement were issued in May of that year. The Urumqi West station zone was reorganised in June, and that at Kuerle in August. A co-ordination meeting for independent siding operators in the Kuerle area was held in December 2006, followed by consultation on further streamlining measures in the first half of 2007.

At the same time a review was commissioned into the restructuring of operations at Alashankou, the break-of-gauge point on the Kazakhstan border, which is handling increasing volumes of international traffic.

Changes to loading procedures at freight terminals were announced in mid-2007, along with more non-stop freight trains. July 2007 saw the launch of an integration plan for the Urumqi North traffic control zone. The process was largely completed with the reorganisation of freight train loading at Urumqi West and changes to the wagon inspection regime.

Process re-engineering
Resource integration is critical to improving structural and operational relationships in the transport chain. URB found that it was possible to reduce the number of organisations in the operating process by integrating them into larger multi-disciplinary teams. Station, yard and siding managements were merged, dispatchers given responsibility for larger areas, and the operations and maintenance departments were consolidated.

Bringing together separate allocations of resources generated economies of scale. For example, integrating the resources allocated to Kuerle into a common pool for the whole region allowed the number of shunting locos to be cut from 4·5 to 3, increasing the utilisation from 60% to 90%.

As another example, in a widely spread region, it was difficult for the railway bureau to allocate resources accurately to match the fluctuating demand for freight loading and unloading at different stations. Within the boundaries of the Urumqi region, there are 601 sidings belonging to other organisations, of which only 164 are regularly active, loading and unloading an average of 4·2 wagons a week, or just 7·6 tonnes per day. Consolidating some of these activities at larger terminals improved the efficiency and productivity of freight handling, and at the same time reduced the amount of shunting required.

Process re-engineering helped to streamline tasks such as train marshalling and operation, vehicle and infrastructure inspection and maintenance, eliminating duplicate functions and activities which contributed nothing to the overall transport value.

As an example the freight department had been responsible for examining the condition of wagon loads, while the wagon department inspected the running gear. But the two groups did not co-ordinate their findings in order to ensure that wagons were in a fit condition before they were loaded. Now the two departments have been consolidated, both the loading condition and running gear are checked as a single activity, reducing the workload and also minimising the need to re-load defective vehicles.

Positive results
By adopting Lean Production, URB has been able to better integrate its transport resources and relate its operations more closely to the needs of its main customers. Following the process of resource integration and moves to optimise the organisation structure, including the creation of the station zones, the performance indices such as tonnage handled, locomotive and wagon productivity, operating revenue and costs have all improved significantly (Table I).

Fig 1. The dispatching command function occupys a core position in the railway transport process.
CAPTION: Consolidating freight loading operations at fewer terminals helped URB to reduce its shunting requirements as well as improving performance.
bron: http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view ... rumqi.html

[rail s]

Vom: 17.07.08
EU-Kommission: Prüfverfahren gegen polnisches und französisches Unternehmen
Güterzug von Sernam
Die EU-Kommission hat zwei Prüfverfahren eingeleitet, die Transportunternehmen im Zusammenhang mit den jeweils staatlichen Bahngesellschaften betreffen. Es geht um eine polnische und eine französische Firma.

Der Kommission liegen keine Informationen vor, dass die Übernahme von C. Hartwig Katowice durch PKP Cargo unter normalen Marktbedingungen vonstatten gehen wird und dass daraus nicht ein unbilliger Vorteil für PKP Cargo erwächst. Dabei geht es um die Frage, ob das gewährte staatliche Darlehen für die Umstrukturierung von C. Hartwig Katowice im Einklang mit den EU-Vorschriften für staatliche Beihilfen zur Umstrukturierung stehen. Weiter wird die Kommission eingehend untersuchen, ob die von PKP Cargo getroffenen Maßnahmen (Erhöhung des Kapitals von C. Hartwig, Umwandlung einer Verbindlichkeit von C. Hartwig in Anteile, Übernahme einer Darlehensbürgschaft für C. Hartwig) dem Unternehmen C. Hartwig Katowice nicht irgendwelche Vorteile verschaffen.
In Frankreich betrifft es die ehemalige SNCF-Tochter Sernam. Es soll geprüft werden, inwieweit Frankreich eine Kommissionsentscheidung aus dem Jahr 2004 umgesetzt hat, mit der eine Beihilfe in Höhe von 503 Mio. EUR für Sernam genehmigt wurde, gleichzeitig jedoch die Rückzahlung eines Betrags in Höhe von 41 Mio. EUR verlangt wurde, die das Unternehmen bereits erhalten hatte. Der Kommission liegen Beschwerden vor, dass die Rückzahlung nicht erfolgt sei. Außerdem soll es vor dem Verkauf noch eine weitere Kapitalspritze der SNCF für ihr Tochterunternehmen gegeben haben, so die Beschwerdeführer gegenüber der Kommission, die als erneute staatliche Beihilfe angesehen werden könnte.
bron: http://www.eurailpress.de/article/view/ ... ehmen.html

[rail s]

Metro to reach Bulacan
17 Jul 2008
PHILIPPINES: Universal LRT Corp signed a concession agreement on June 18 to build and operate the MRT-7 line to link the existing elevated metro network in Manila with San Jose del Monte in Bulacan.

The US$1·23bn project has been approved by the Department of Transport & Communications some seven years after first being proposed. The elevated line will begin at an interchange with Metrostar Express Line 3 at North Avenue in Quezon City. It will then run northwest along Commonwealth Avenue for 23 km to a bus interchange at San Jose del Monte, serving 14 stations.

It is expected to be financed partly through international loans (75%), with the remainder coming from ULC's shareholders. Development of real estate along the corridor is also a requirement of the concession. ULC hopes to begin revenue operations by 2012.

DOTC has also agreed a US$81m contract with DMCI Holdings and First Balfour for the completion of the elevated light rail loop in central Manila, which will involve extending Line 3 from North Avenue around to join Line 1 at Monumento. Four additional stations will be built along the 5·2 km line, which is expected to open in May 2010.
bron: http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view ... lacan.html

[rail s]

Vom: 17.07.08
Entlastung für Straßenverkehre entlang des Rheins
KV Terminal Duisburg-Ruhrort Hafen Foto: Kombiverkehr mbH & Co KG
Die Kombiverkehr KG bietet ab 1. September 2008 erstmals eine Zugverbindung zwischen Basel und Duisburg an. Die neue Verbindung soll eine planbare Alternative für regelmäßige Straßentransporte auf der stark belasteten Nord-Süd-Route entlang des Rheins schaffen.

Die neue Nachtroute in die Region Basel sei unter anderem für die chemische Industrie wichtig, die Gefahrgutsendungen aufgrund der höheren Sicherheit bevorzugt auf der Schiene transportiert, erklärte Reinhilde Priebe, Leiterin Nationaler Verkehr bei Kombiverkehr.

Wechselbehälter, Container oder Sattelanhänger werden im Terminal Basel-Weil am Rhein bis 18.50 Uhr und in Duisburg-Ruhrort Hafen bis 21.00 Uhr angenommen. Die Sendungen werden am nächsten Tag um 12.15 Uhr in Basel, beziehungsweise um 13.05 Uhr in Duisburg bereitgestellt. Ausgenommen davon ist die Freitagsabfahrt ab Duisburg, deren Ladungen am Montagmorgen ab 06.00 Uhr zur Abholung bereit stehen. Zum Fahrplanwechsel Anfang Dezember sind von den Netzbetreibern frühere Bereitstellungszeiten in Aussicht gestellt worden.
bron: http://www.eurailpress.de/article/view/ ... heins.html

[rail s]

Kayseri cars arrive in August
17 Jul 2008
TURKEY: The first cars to operate the 17 km light rail line in Kayseri are set to arrive next month.

The line will serve an east-west corridor across the city from an industrial park to Mimar Sinan with 31 stops. Trams will run at 4 min headways and total end-to-end journey time will be 42 min, according to Kayseray Signalling & Communications Manager Feyzullah Gündogdu.

Construction of the route began in 2006 and opening is scheduled for next year. Already, two extensions are proposed - one at the eastern end of the line to serve new residential developments, and a branch to the south to link to the city's university.

An initial batch of 22 cars is being supplied by AnsaldoBreda, but Gündogdu said that an option was around 20 more was to be signed 'soon'. The main depot facility has capacity for 50 LRVs. The project is being financed by a combination of international loans and central government funding.

Light rail lines are also being planned in two other Turkish cities. The bidding process is underway for construction of a 9 km line in Gaziantep, forecast to open after 2009, whilst a 17 km line is being planned in Samsun for opening in 2011.
bron: http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view ... ugust.html