Posted on 20 August 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Bidding opened on 11 August to tender for the planned $US742 million monorail in Manaus, capital of Brazil’s Amazonas state. The state’s planning department (Seplan) originally intended to open bids on 9 August. “However, some unanswered objections need to be resolved first,” a spokesperson explained. Consortiums Via Verde and Monotrilho Manaus are participating in the [...] [...more]
Posted on 19 July 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Brazil aims to cut the proportion of freight moved by road to 30% of the total goods conveyed. The current percentage is 58. it costs an average $27 per ton to transport goods by rail, less than a third of the $117 per ton cost by road, according to Rio de Janeiro’s Logistics and Supply [...] [...more]
Posted on 19 July 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The Colombian government is to launch an international tender in Jnauary 2011 for the construction of Bogota’s proposed metro system. The preliminary project has been drawn up by a consortium comprised of Spanish firms Sener Ingenieria de Sistemas, Transporte Metropolitano de Barcelona, Advanced Logistic Group, Santander Investment and Colombia’s Incoplan. The municipality of Bogota is [...] [...more]
Posted on 27 June 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
In late January 2010, heavy rains caused flooding and mudslides that damaged the railway into Aguas Calientes, the town located below the citadel of Machu Picchu. This is Peru’s top tourist site, attracting more than 850,000 visitors in 2008. According to the mayor of Cuzco province, Luis Flores, speaking on radio, repairs to the railway [...] [...more]
Posted on 01 June 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
=The Columbian government intends to expand the country’s rail network by at least 500km through concessions and public investment over the next four to five years. Current concessions are held by Red Férrea del Atlántico, Ferrocarril del Altiplano, Ferrocarril del Cerrejón, and Red Férrea del Pacífico (only 70% operative), covering some 1,045km of route. The [...] [...more]
Posted on 24 May 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The Cuban government plans to repair 6,000km of the island’s railway network and acquire new equipment. Vice-president Antonio Enrique Lusson is quoted saying that the country’s decision to restore the rail system, would require “an enormous effort.” Prior to being named first vice-president, General Lusson – an 80-year-old veteran of the 1959 revolution – is [...] [...more]
Posted on 14 May 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Pöyry of Finland, described as a global consulting and engineering company, has been awarded four contracts for development of metropolitan railway projects in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The work involves expansion and modernisation of both the Sao Paulo metro operated by the Sao Paulo metro company CMSP and the suburban railway operated by CPTM (Sao Paulo [...] [...more]
Posted on 19 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Brazil is to build a 511km high-speed railway linking the cities of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Campinas. The estimated cost is $US17.4 billion. An auction is to take place on 2 May 2010 where potential contractors can bid for the opportunity to participate. Seven prominent international companies have indicated interest including Alstom, Siemens [...] [...more]
Posted on 01 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The Chilean operator Metro de Santiago has awarded Alstom Transport a contract to supply an automatic train control system for Santiago metro’s line 1 (27 stations, 20km). The project involves renovation of the existing train control system, including design, manufacturing, installation of the Urbalis solution and its maintenance over three years. The equipment will permit [...] [...more]
Posted on 22 January 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
Fourteen years after privatising its railway, the Bolivian government plans to renationalise during 2010. Former President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada sold the two lines for $US14 million to Chilean consortium Cruz Blanca. The Chileans then sold the western line to an American investor and the eastern line to the Antofagasta Railway. The eastern line is [...] [...more]
Posted on 12 December 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
On 3 December, GE Transportation signed an agreement with America Latina Logistica (ALL) to supply 10 new AC44i locomotives for freight traffic. ALL operates the largest independent general freight railway in South America with a fleet of more than 1,000 locomotives and 21,000km of line connecting Brazil and Argentina. The AC44i locomotives are powered by [...] [...more]
Posted on 06 November 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
South Korean firm Hyundai Rotem has delivered the first of 84 electric trains for the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo. Worth $US160 million, the contract was awarded by the line’s concessionaire ViaQuatro. The unmanned trains are to run as six-car sets on the city’s Gold line – Line 4 – when it opens for service [...] [...more]
