Railways Africa

Indian railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal says eight main-line diesel-electric multiple-unit (demu) sets are to be placed in service in 2013, as well as five electric multiple-unit s (emu). He was presenting his 2013-14 railway budget in parliament. The Hazrat-Nizamuddin-Mumbai AC Express via Bhopal, Khandwa and Bhusawal is to run weekly, as will the Bikaner-Chennai [...]

On 16 March, East Japan Railway’s (JREast) Tohoku Shinkansen began regular operation at 320 km/h between Utsonomiya and Morioka. The series E5 trains, derived from the Fastech 360 experimental sets, were specified to run at 320km/h – the fastest permitted speed for passenger services in Japan – to reduce journey times from Tokyo to Shin-Aomori [...]

According to the Xinhua news agency, a further 3,000km of high-speed lines are due to open in China in 2013, as well as 3,300km of conventional railway. National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) specialist Zhang Jiangyu says 24,000km of new railway will be constructed during the next three years. He predicts that work will start [...]

At a gala function, Malaysia’s Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERL) celebrated its first decade of operation. Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched the service in 2002. According to Dato ERL chairman Sri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, “Malaysia was the first South-east Asian nation to operate a high-speed rail service dedicated to the link [...]

Japan’s first new Shinkansen model in six years, the N700A, has entered service on the Tokaido line. Improved brake performance allows quicker stopping in the event of a major earthquake. Other features include a “fixed-speed running device”. A new cruise control system, it is fed data on gradient and curvature by trackside transmitters. This enables [...]

A joint venture between India’s Tata and Spanish firm Aldesa has been awarded a contract to construct a double track dedicated freight line between Kanpur and Khurja (343km). Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) managing director RK Gupta says the contract is “unique”, being World Bank-funded and required to be complete within a [...]

Indian Railways is considering the introduction of Braille stickers to aid sight-impaired train travellers. In addition, it has been decided to adapt coaches to provide specially designed compartments and toilets for passengers with disabilities. All mail and express trains with modified coaches, known as SLRD (second class luggage rake for disabled) coaches, are to have [...]

In preparation for the running of driverless trains on the 4km, six-station first phase of Singapore’s Downtown Line, Invensys Rail Dimetronic has been verifying the Sirius CBTC and Rail 9000 automatic train supervision technology on a test track in Changchun. In addition to this equipment, Westrace Mark 2 interlockings and platform screen doors are being [...]

The Thai government has announced a 2.2 trillion baht investment in the country’s transport, including large-scale improvement in Bangkok rail services. The current 80km of urban train routes in the capital are to be extended by some 400km of new electrified lines and high-speed service is to be introduced between the capital and the provinces, [...]

According to the Straits Times, the 178km rail network in Singapore is to be increased to about 360km by 2030. Planning is on the basis that 80% of all homes should be 10 minutes’ walk to a station or less. Transport minister Lui Tuck Yew says the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is to extend three [...]