Railways Africa

Bombardier Transportation has signed a contract with the State of Florida Department of Transportation to provide operations and maintenance services for the central Florida commuter rail transit project known as SunRail. The contract is worth about $US195 million. It includes “mobilisation activities”, followed by 10 years of service. Bombardier’s responsibilities, which commence in 2014, will [...]

To help alleviate congestion on an existing main-line serving the Maine intermodal transportation facility, an alternate route is being provided by reconstructing disused sections of former branch lines. Here waiting trains will be assembled and/or disassembled, The project called for close cooperation between the Androscoggin Valley Council of governments, the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council, city [...]

The new $US1.6 billion “Skytrain” in Phoenix, Arizona, began passenger service on 8 April. The first phase of the project runs 3km from the airport’s Terminal 4 – which handles 80% of passengers. A fleet of 18 air-conditioned, driverless Innovia APM 200 vehicles operate at three-minute headways, replacing the bus service which took about twice [...]

On 22 April, Smith-9th Street in New York’s Brooklyn – 79 years old and said to be the highest subway station in the world – is set to reopen. The facility was closed to the public when rehabilitation began in May 2011, in conjunction with rebuilding the Culver Viaduct. Reconstruction included a new and expanded [...]

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) has filed a lawsuit against Clackamas County. The move is aimed at requiring county officials to “follow through on a commitment” to the Portland-Milwaukie light rail project. The suit asks the Clackamas County Circuit Court to retain jurisdiction to supervise the county’s participation in the project until [...]

On 24 March, electric trains resumed service to New Jersey Transit’s Hoboken Terminal across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Marking very nearly the end of post-Hurricane Sandy interim rail schedules, new timetables reflect many improvements made possible by the restoration of a key power substation, NJ Transit said in a statement. “We are adding 21 [...]

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) plans to begin testing liquefied natural gas (LNG) on a number of locomotives later in 2013. It has been working with locomotive builders GE Transportation and Electro-Motive Diesel Inc to develop the natural-gas engine technology that will be used in the pilot. According to BNSF chairman and chief [...]

Amtrak, the USA national passenger rail operator, covered 88% of its operating costs in the 2012 financial year from ticket sales and other revenue. Much criticised for the financial burden it imposes on the country, the agency in fact relies on the federal government for only 12% of its operational financial commitments. However, Amtrak president [...]

Association of American Railroads president and chief executive officer Edward Hamberger told members of the House sub-committee this month that the average American manufacturer spends about 3% of revenue on capital expenditure. By comparison, freight railroads spend about 17%. This year, America’s freight rail companies plan to spend a combined $24.5 billion on their networks, [...]

Canada’s Ottawa light rail transit network is to have Thales’ Communications-based train control (Cbtc) on its new 12.5km, 13-station, east-west Confederation Line. Thales is to design, build and maintain the system, as well as support the installation and commissioning. The CBTC system is semi-automated, which includes automatic train supervision and protection technology “to assist drivers [...]