INTERNATIONAL: Transport Holding of Chongqing, China Railway Company for International Multimodal Transport, RZD Logistics, Schenker China and Kaztransservice have established the YuXinOu (Chongqing) Logistics joint venture to manage rail freight services between China and Europe.

Operations will begin with container traffic between Chongqing and Duisburg. The joint expects to carry 5800 TEU by the end of 2012, with potential clients seen as companies from the electronics, machinery, chemical and aviation sectors in the Chongqing region.

YICHANG - The Hanyi Railway, a section of a major high-speed rail corridor between the eastern metropolis of Shanghai and Southwest China's city of Chengdu, opened on Sunday.

The 293-km Hanyi Railway links Wuhan and Yichang, two large cities in Central China's Hubei province. The railway will reduce travel time between the cities to one hour and 39 minutes, said Yang Tao, an official with the Wuhan railway bureau.

The Hanyi Railway is part of the Shanghai-Wuhan-Chengdu Railway, or Huhanrong Railway, a major east-west high-speed rail corridor outlined in China's national high-speed railway development plan.

The 2,078-km railway will travel through four provinces and two municipalities, connecting the cities of Shanghai, Nanjing, Hefei, Wuhan, Chongqing and Chengdu.

Most sections of the Huhanrong Railway are in operation, with construction on the last section slated to be completed in 2013.

CHINA: The National Development & Reform Commission has approved a public-private partnership contract covering the supply of electrical and mechanical systems and the operation of Hangzhou Metro Line 1.

The first of eight planned metro lines in the city is under construction for opening later this year, with 31 stations on a 48 km north-south route, 41 km of which will be underground.

Hangzhou Metro Group is responsible for civil works on the 22bn yuan project. MTR Corp announced on July 17 that its subsidiary MTR Hangzhou Line 1 Investment Co Ltd had signed a contract with Hangzhou Metro Group to set up a 49:51 joint venture which will invest 8?3bn yuan in the E&M systems and operate the line for 25 years. The framework for the deal had been agreed in January 2009.

'This is an exciting time for MTR as we expand our investment and operations into our third Mainland city, Hangzhou, which will add to and complement the metro lines which MTR already operates in Beijing and Shenzhen', said Jay Walder, CEO of MTR Corp.

CSR Nanjing Puzhen appointed MBD Design to develop interior and exterior styling for the 48 six-car Type B trains ordered for Line 1. The 'smiling' front end is intended to create feelings of 'cheerfulness and gentleness', combined with 'dynamic and flowing lines expressing speed'.

KUALA LUMPUR -- China's leading railways manufacturer, China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corporation Ltd, unveiled a plan Wednesday to set up its ASEAN manufacturing center in Malaysia, citing great market potential in the region as well as the close China-Malaysia relations.

CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co Ltd, a subsidiary under CSR and an active player in Malaysia's mass transit projects, announced the plan of the 50-acre facilities located in Batu Gajah of the Perak State, some 200 kilometers from the capital of Kuala Lumpur.

The company is investing up to 400 million ringgit ($126.7 million) in the "CSR ASEAN Rail Center", which would cover all-in-one scope of work of production, assembly, testing, overhaul and refurbishment, said Luo Chongfu, the company' s Vice President of Investment and Strategic Development.

"We are expecting to generate more than 800 jobs for Malaysians," he said.

"More importantly, it will substantially enhance Malaysian railway technology, know-how and expertise, maximize its localization degree and enrich the human resource pool," he added.

Fu Chengjun, another senior executive of the company, said the new plant is one of the most important to be set up by CSR outside of China.

The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2014, with the annual capacity of the production of 100 to 150 carriages and the overhaul of around 150.

CSR ZELC has won bid for 20 sets of light rail vehicles for Malaysia's AMPANG Line Extension Project earlier this year, and the cars will be among the first to be manufactured by the new plant.

Its EMUs, or modern rail transport vehicles, has been operated in Kuala Lumpur since March.

Meanwhile, the company has decided to set up its regional headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Luo has cited the close bilateral relations between China and Malaysia, geographical advantage as the factors why his company had chosen Malaysia to set up its ASEAN manufacturing center and regional headquarters.

Luo predicted that ASEAN countries would need 1,100 new cars and refurbishment service for another 700 in the next five years, and the new plant in Malaysia would provide advantage for the company to tap into the market.

CSR, based in Beijing and listed on Hong Kong as well as Shanghai Stock Exchange Markets, has been developed into one of the major players in global railway transport industry and is one of the biggest by global sales revenue.

The Federal Government disclosed that it had signed a $1.49 billion contract with China for the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Double Track.

The rail line with Double Formation under Addendum No. 2 (2nd segment) is for the modernisation of the Lagos-Kano railway project.

It also approved other contracts covering the transport, power and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Briefing journalists in company of his colleagues after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, Transport, Idris Umar, Power, Bart Nnaji, and Urban and Housing Development, Ama Pepple, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said council approved contracts including the implementation of Addendum No. 2 (2nd segment: Lagos-Ibadan to the main contract for the railway modernisation project (Phase 1; Lagos-Kano).

Messrs China Civil Engineering Construction Company Nig Ltd which clinched the job, is expected to complete the project in 36 months.

The variation of the scope of work for the contract for design and construction of Abuja Rail Mass Transit Project (Lots 1&3) from the initial work span of 60.67km to 45.245km (Lots 1A &3) upped the amount payable from $841,645,898.00 to $823,540,545.87 payable at the prevailing exchange rate inclusive of 5 per cent VAT and 5 per cent variation on prices.

"The contract is in favour of Messrs China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC), with a completion period of 36 months", Maku said.

On power: Council, in line with accepted best practices in the operation and maintenance of hydropower plants, approved the supply and installation of parts for the 2 x 140MW units 411G3 Generators at Shiroro Hydroelectric Plc, in favour of Messrs AsNDRITZ Hydro GmbH, in the sum of €2,075,754.00.

This is in addition to the N13,326340.68 to be retained by Shiroro Hydroelectric Plc to cover one per cent CISS fees and two per cent Port and Handling charges, with a completion period of eight months.

Council also approved the restoration of four Plant units and balance of plant at Omotosho Power Plc in favour of China Machinery and Engineering Corporation in the sum of USD 10,092,771.15 payable at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of payment, plus N78,753,893.30 for 5 per cent VAT with a completion period of 6 months.

On investment, Aganga said Nigeria has improved in the FDI attraction index to 23rd position making it a first quarter country for FDI attractiveness.

Nigeria is ranked first in the top five host economies for FDI in Africa at $8.91 billion in 2011 in comparision to $6.09billion in 2010, followed by South Africa with $5.9 billion in 2011 and Ghana with $3.2 billion.

Nigeria accounted for over one-sixth of flows into Africa as a whole. Only Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana attracted FDI inflows above $3 billion in 2011.

Meanwhile, Nigeria makes the final list of Common Wealth Association of Public Admnistration and Management (CAPAM). It is the first time Nigeria is partiparting in the international innovations award.

The Ministry of Health made a summation on their midwives services scheme. The scheme is meant to address one of the goals of the MDGs that has to do with the reduction of maternal and infant mortality.

It is a federal government programme by the ministry of health that employs qualified midwives, some of them retired and newly qualified ones.

"So far they have employed 4000 midwives and they are meant to work only in the primary health care centers. They are deployed to states and federal government pays their salaries while the states provide accommodation and transportation to enable them do their work. So far the 4000 midwives have been sent to 1000 primary healthcare centers across the country. Ministry of health submitted this scheme for the innovation award, there were 111 submissions from nine countries, we made it to the semi final of 40 submissions and now the scheme is among the twelve finalists who will make a presentation at his yeas biannual in India.

"The Minister of Health has assured that they will work hard to ensure that they win the award. It is the first time we tried and we are among the finalists", says Pepple who has been representing Nigeria on the board of CAPAM since her days as the Head of Service of the Federation.

BEIJING, July 19, 2012 China's innovative infrastructure solutions provider of customized heavy duty lifting and carrying machinery, today announced that it has entered into three contracts for projects and services in China.

Wowjoint entered into a contract with Zhejiang Xiangshan Fishing Trade Development Co., Ltd. for the sale of a 25 ton marine hoist. This hoist will be used for lifting smaller boats and is an extension of the yacht market that Wowjoint entered last year. The contract value is approximately $250,000 (RMB 1,600,000).

In addition, the Company entered into a leasing contract with No.1 Engineering Co., Ltd. of China Railway 25th Bureau Group. This leasing contract is to provide a 900-ton special launching carrier, Wowjoint's proprietary product. The term of the lease is 10 months, beginning on August 1, 2012. The total payable by the customer under this contract is approximately $930,000 (RMB 5,900,000).

Wowjoint also entered into a service contract with 2nd Bureau of China Railway Co. Ltd., who commissioned Wowjoint to lift 37 rail bridge sections using one of Wowjoint's 900-ton special launching carriers. Service will commence on August 15, 2012. The total value of the contract is approximately $850,000 (RMB 5,400,000).

"We're very pleased with our recent orders from China," stated Mr. Yabin Liu, Chief Executive Officer of Wowjoint. "These new contracts, in addition to the recent contracts we entered with customers from Malaysia and Peru, demonstrate Wowjoint's continued pursuit of diversifying its revenue stream. We are pleased to see an improvement in the domestic Chinese market and we will continue to explore new markets to attain new contracts. We believe our world-class products and services, strong client relationships and our ability to provide unique solutions to our customers will help Wowjoint to continue to make considerable progress in the international markets, as well as in China."

The Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets registered slight increases Tuesday mainly due to strong gains in banking and real estate stocks.

The Shanghai Composite Index edged up 13.23 points, or 0.62 percent, to close at 2,161.19; while the Shenzhen Component Index advanced 19.14 points, or 0.20 percent, to end at 9,560.03.

Both indices opened lower Tuesday due to overnight contractions in US and European markets. The Shanghai Composite Index declined to an intra-day low of 2,141.48 point mark in the morning session. An afternoon rally in the heavily weighted securities, real estate, banking, automobile, cement and coal sectors helped the index finish the day in positive territory.

The Anhui Development and Reform Commission disclosed that the Ministry of Railways would invest 37 billion yuan ($5.81 billion) more in railway infrastructure construction this year in order to boost the rail industry, according to a report by the National Business Daily Tuesday.

This news helped Shanghai-listed China Railway Group tack on 2.34 percent to 2.62 yuan. China Railway Construction advanced 3.10 percent to 4.65 yuan.

The first RMB qualified foreign institutional investor (RQFII) A-share exchange traded fund (ETF), the ChinaAMC CSI 300 Index ETF, started trading at the Hong Kong stock exchange Tuesday, and could inject nearly 5 billion yuan into the domestic markets, according to the Shanghai Securities News Tuesday.

Positive reports about the ETF and hopes that the government would soon roll out favorable policies to spur economic growth helped lift market sentiment Tuesday, say analysts.

Fixed-asset investment in China's railway sector fell 36.1 percent year-on-year to 177.75

billion yuan ($278.68 billion) in the first half of this year, 100.37 billion yuan less than

the same period in 2011, according to the Ministry of Railways.

Investment in railway infrastructure amounted to 148.71 billion yuan, down by 38.6 percent

year-on-year.

The data suggests that fixed asset investment and infrastructure investment continued a

declining trend as of June 2011, Securities Daily reported.

However, fixed-asset investment hit 48.1 billion yuan in June 2012, a new high for the year.

Investment in infrastructure reached 43.23 billion yuan also in June, another new high.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), on Wednesday, approved $1.488 billion (about N236

billion) for the execution of the Lagos-Ibadan double track railway line modernisation

project.

Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, revealed this while briefing journalists on the

outcome of the weekly FEC meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan. He said the

approval followed a memorandum presented to the Council on the railway modernisation

project.

According to Maku, the rail project was in 2006 awarded to CCECC Ltd, a Chinese company, but

could not be completed due to paucity of funds. He said that the project would now be

executed in six phases, saying that the project would cover 2,733 kilometres.

“One major decision we made today was the modernisation of the Nigerian Railway system,”

he said. “For quite a while, Mr President has given a lot of attention to the transport

sector, particularly the development of the railways. The projects in the railways took off

with the rehabilitation of the existent old rail line system. Today, we took a major step to

build a modern rail line between Lagos and Ibadan.

The standard gauge line which we approved today in the council is going to run between

Lagos, Ibadan, Ilorin, Minna, Kano and also there would be a phase that will take off from

Minna to Abuja. The one from Abuja to Kaduna is already under construction. So, today the

Council approved the project and this is a major step by Mr President to modernise the

railway system.”
 
According to him, the project which is expected to be completed in 36 months will generate

more than 5,000 jobs in the country.

In his contribution, the Minister of Transport, Idris Umar, said the project was part of the

second segment of the Lagos-Ibadan railway modernisation project with a distance of 156.65

km.

Similarly, the Minister of the FCT, Bala Muhammed, said the Council also approved a

variation of the scope of work for the contract for the design and construction of the Abuja

Rail Mass Transit project (Lots 1 and 3) from 60.67 km to 45.245 km. He said the cost of the

project had also been revised from $841,645,898 to $823,540,545.87.

He said the project, which would be executed in two segments, was an integral part of FCT

Transportation Master Plan, designed primarily to convey a large number of commuters and

goods between the satellite towns. “Today, council graciously considered and approved the

variation on the scope of contract for the Abuja Rail Mass Transit Project and approved the

reduction of about $17 million,” he said.

The minister disclosed that FCT had secured a soft loan from China for the speedy completion

of the 45 km rail project in 2013. 

Bombardier Inc. is trying a new approach to tapping into China’s rail market – not just

building trains, but selling the blueprints.

The Montreal manufacturer struck a 10-year agreement to licence a variant of the technology

for its Flexity 2 line of trams to a subsidiary of China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock

Corp. Ltd., the biggest player in the railway manufacturing sector.

It’s the first deal like it for Bombardier in the world’s most populous country, which has

been building transportation infrastructure at a fierce rate. The company is making a push

to become a major provider of rail equipment to China, where it is fighting for a piece of

the market with long-time rivals such as Siemens AG of Germany and Alstom SA of France.

Bombardier will supply documentation, training and other assistance in manufacturing and

selling the streetcars to South China unit CSR Puzhen. The company would not disclose how it

gets paid but says the partnership will help it grow strong “local roots” in key Chinese

markets.

This type of licensing-only agreement and other partnerships, however, raise concerns in

some quarters that Bombardier is simply helping China develop its rail expertise so as to

eventually become a major global rival in manufacturing trains and subway cars.

“I don’t think Bombardier is going to get much of a bump on this. Bombardier will regret

it in 10 years when China starts mass producing their own versions,” said Malcolm Johnston,

a transit advocate based in British Columbia.

Bombardier Transportation spokesman Marc Laforge said the key to these types of partnerships

or joint ventures is to stay ahead of the innovation curve.

“Bombardier is a leader in technology and we intend to keep it that way. There’s no way we

feel insecure,” he said.

Martyn Briggs, of London-based consultants Frost & Sullivan Inc., sais China – as well as

India – offer huge opportunities for rail product manufacturers that take the time to

establish a strong presence in markets where there is growing demand for such products as

trams.

“It’s certainly a big opportunity for Bombardier,” he said.

Bombardier has been doing a good job of differentiating itself from rivals like Siemens with

next-generation light rail vehicles that cater to the needs of rapidly growing urban centres

in developing economies like China, Mr. Briggs said.

Bombardier has spent years deepening its presence in China. Among higher-profile projects

are joint ventures to build super-high-speed trains to the Ministry of Railways as well as

deals to provide subway cars to Shanghai and other cities.

“After many years of intense development of metros, Chinese cities are embracing low-floor

trams to complement their urban transit systems. Bombardier is now bringing its state-of-

the-art technology to this new and growing market,” Jianwei Zhang, president of Bombardier

China, said in a news release.
 

A 20-year-old student who risked his life in an attempt to save a suicidal man from being

hit by a train could lose both legs below the knee.

Li Boya is in stable condition at the Second Hospital of Qinhuangdao in Hebei province after

undergoing surgery to save his right leg.

Li's lower left leg was amputated and his right foot damaged. Doctors are hopeful the right

leg can be saved and have transplanted his left foot to the right leg so he will only need

one artificial leg in the future. Good blood flow has been restored after the transplant.

"He is under close monitoring," said Zhang Xu, director of hand and foot surgery at the

hospital. "Post-transplant infections are a big concern. It will take another week to have

the final say on whether the transplant succeeded or not."

Li, soon to be in his second year at Railway Police College in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan

province, had been working as a summer intern at Qinhuangdao's Changli Railway Station.

About 5:40 pm on July 9, seconds before a train arrived, Li saw a man jump onto the tracks

and ran to pull him up. Despite making an emergency stop, the train ran over Li, severing

his right foot and his left leg below the knee.

"He needs a long time for the bones and tendons to recover. Some minor injuries may be

spotted after his condition improves further and more examinations are done," Zhang said,

adding that Li may be transferred to another hospital with better resources, probably in

Beijing, when his condition is stable enough.

The hospital also sent a psychotherapist to help Li and his family cope with the traumatic

experience.

"He is very strong and has a positive outlook," said Liu Wenming, the psychotherapist who

has spent the past week at Li's bedside.

Li's parents arrived from Pingdingshan, Henan province, on July 10. According to a report by

Beijing News, his mother, Yin Li, asked her son if he regretted what he did. Li responded he

would still try to save others in similar circumstances.

The Beijing railway police authority has rewarded Li 200,000 yuan ($31,700) for his heroic

act and promised him a job when he finishes his studies in Zhengzhou.

Li has also won much admiration and public sympathy for losing a leg at such a young age.

There have been offers of donations for medical expenses, but Li's father, Li Song, posted a

micro blog on July 13 saying the family did not need private donations.

Public security and railway authorities have instructed the family to provide Li good

treatment, but it remains unclear to what extent he can recover, the father wrote on the

micro blog.

The man who attempted suicide, Liu Shichen, 41, lay on the ground between the tracks and was

hit on the head when the train passed. He has been unconscious in a hospital since the

incident.

The reason for Liu's suicide attempt remains unknown. Railway police have contacted his

family from Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province. 

It is planned to complete the implementation of the new Baku-Tbilisi-Kars rail project in

2013, Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia Ramaz Nikolashvili told

journalists in Baku on Wednesday.

"It is planned to launch a technical train to the border of Turkey until the end of 2012"

the minister said.

Also Nikolashvili noted the importance of this project in terms of transportation of goods

from China and Central Asia. The new project will annually transport up to 15 million tons

of cargo.

The work is being carried out in accordance with the schedule and there is no problem in its

implementation, Azerbaijani Transport Minister Ziya Mamedov told reporters.

On Wednesday, Baku hosted the fourth meeting of the Trilateral Coordination Council on the

implementation of the new Baku-Tbilisi-Kars rail project.

The transport corridor includes the construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki branch line with a

length of 98km, of which 68km is in Turkey and 30km in Georgia.

A 183-kilometre section of the Akhalkalaki-Marabda-Tbilisi railway will be reconstructed

within the project to increase the capacity to 15 million tons of cargo per year. It is

planned to construct a centre in Akhalkalaki to transfer trains from the track existing in

Georgia to the European one.

Azerbaijan has allocated a soft loan worth $775 million for Georgia to construct and

reconstruct the Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

Tranche A worth $200 million has been allocated for 25 years at one per cent per annum,

includes the work on the project since 2007, Tranche B worth $575 million is for 25 years at

five per cent per annum.

The need for allocating Tranche B is associated with an increase in world prices on

construction and raw materials, revaluation of the current state of the Marabda-Kartsakhi

railway branch and operations in adverse weather conditions, etc.

It is expected that about 30 million tons of cargo per year will be transported through the

Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway annually. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will have a direct route

to the European rail network.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will increase the flow of container, bulk and other types of

cargo from Asia to Europe. The Marmaris project envisaging the construction of a tunnel

under the Bosporus will be implemented during this period. This will open a railway

communication to Europe. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet on Sunday greenlighted plans to

construct a high-speed rail line linking Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean coastline to the city

of Beersheba in the southern Negev desert.

"This is a revolution that we always dreamed about. We are carrying it out. This is huge,"

Netanyahu told ministers at the weekly cabinet session, according to a statement sent to

Xinhua.

The prime minister said he personally notified Beersheba Mayor Rubik Danilovich of the

decision to approve the project, which is slated to cut travel time between the two cities

to 55 minutes.

In parallel, the cabinet announced the inauguration of a rail line linking Tel Aviv to the

southern city of Kiryat Gat, with Netanyahu saying that 32 minutes would separate the

cities.

Israel currently has no high-speed trains, with all traction provided by diesel-powered

locomotives.

The rail lines announced Sunday join a comprehensive multi- billion dollar project to revamp

the country's entire transport infrastructure. Planners aim to make Tel Aviv, the economic

and cultural hub, reachable in 30-40 minutes from all other major metropolitans at the start

of the next decade.

A high-speed rail connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv currently under construction by Israel

Railways will cut travel time between the two cities from 95 to just over 30 minutes and is

scheduled to begin service in 2017.

Earlier this year, the government unanimously approved the construction of a 350 km

passenger and freight line linking Tel Aviv to the Red Sea port of Eilat, a five-year

project offering a new Asia-Europe trade route to compete with Egypt's Suez Canal.

According to plans, the railway will include 63 bridges spanning some 4.5 kilometers and

five tunnels that together will extend some 10 kilometers.

"This is attracting great interest by the world powers such as China and India as well as

others," Netanyahu told ministers at the time, noting that Israel has "strategic, national

and international" interests vested in such a project and that the country "must become a

continental land crossing route and create great power interest."

The premier has suggested that an overland path via the Red Sea to the country's urban

center, including ports in Haifa and Ashdod, could greatly shorten the current route Asian

shippers use to reach the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, saving time and high canal-use

fees.

The government wants to double the Negev's population to 1.2 million by 2025, and hopes such

a rail line would help spur regional development by attracting residents away from the

country 's congested center.

"These are great tidings that will dramatically affect the country for the next 50 years,"

Netanyahu said.

On Sunday, he lavished praise on the transportation and finance ministries for pressing on

with the projects, saying they constitute "a great cultural, social and national revolution

with tremendous consequences."