MASS Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA), which owns Bangkok's metro network, has approved construction of the 21.6km Brown Line for an estimated Baht 45bn ($US 1.45bn).

 

The route will be developed as a monorail and will include 22 stations, running from Kae Rai via Ngam Wong Wan Road and Kaset-Navamin Road to Lam Salee. It will offer interchanges with the planned 35.5km Pink Line at Kae Rai, which will also be a monorail with a tender set to be announced by the end of September, the under-construction 23.5km Purple Line, which is due to open in 2015, on Rattanathibet Road, the planned Red Line commuter service at Bang Khen prison, and the Green Line at Kasetsart University.

 

MRTA confirmed that it plans to use pillars built by Expressway Authority of Thailand in the middle of Kaset-Navamin Road for the project after an elevated highway extension project was abandoned in favour of the monorail.

 

The Brown Line plan will be submitted to the Transport Ministry in September for final approval, and if secured, design work is expected to be completed in 2016 with a tender for the construction contract expected to be announced in 2017. The line will take three years to build and is scheduled to open in 2021.

 

Meanwhile, C H Karchang Public Company, which secured the Baht 13.17bn ($US 423m) civil works contract for the 12.6km extension of Bangkok Metro's Green Line in March 2012, and the Baht 2.24bn trackwork contract earlier this year, has awarded Alstom a €14m contract to design and construct trackwork and a third-rail electrification system for the project.

 

The extension will add nine stations to the line from its existing terminus at Bearing to Samutpakran and will carry up to an additional 57,000 passengers per day. Alstom will also design and construct a new depot for 40 three-car trains which will serve the extended line.

 

Construction of the Green Line extension is due to commence by the end of 2014 and be completed in 2017.

 

 

MTR Corporation has awarded Aecom a contract to design the cross-harbour tunnel on Hong Kong's North South Line (NSL), which forms part of the new Shatin – Central Link (SCL).

 

Under the contract, Aecom will produce reference designs and tender documentation and provide support to MTR during the tendering and construction stages. The project includes a 280m-long cut and cover tunnel on the western side of the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter, a 200m cut-and-cover tunnel adjacent to the seawall at Hung Hom station, and a 1.4km immersed tube tunnel beneath Victoria Harbour, which will link the two cut-and-cover sections.

 

The $HK 6.9bn ($US 890m) SCL comprises two sections of new railway: the 11km six-station NSL between Tai Wai and Hung Hom in Kowloon, due to be completed in 2018, and a 6km, four-station extension of the East Rail Line between Hung Hom and Admiralty on Hong Kong Island, which will open in 2020.

 

 

Shanghai's Metro Line 2 is turning a new page with a library taking literally an online approach.

 

Passengers will be able to select a book at one station, and return it to any of the other stations with customized bookshelves.

 

Readers do not have to pay a deposit or any rent for the books and magazines they take. Instead, they are encouraged to donate 1 yuan (16 US cents) to charity at the bookshelf.

 

"Now you can read a real book, rather than staring at the cellphone through the metro ride," said Zou

 

Shuxian, a spokeswoman for the Aizhi bookstore, which initiated the project jointly with Hujiang.com and Shanghai Metro Line 2.

 

"This will encourage more people to read on the Metro and improve the atmosphere of the whole city," said Chen Kuang, a spokesman with Shanghai No 2 Metro Co Ltd.

 

The Chinese Academy of Press and Publication released a survey recently that said the general public between the ages of 18 to 70 read 4.39 books in 2012, much fewer than in Western countries.

 

The program announced its official kickoff on Aug 18, after a trial operation over a period of months.

 

It has been a resounding success with office workers. Waiting lines have developed during rush hour.

 

"Most people returned the books after reading, and many left a coin for our charity initiative," said a staff member for Aizhi at the Nanjing Road West Station.

 

"Even if some books are not returned, we believe the overall benefit is worthwhile," another staff member surnamed Li said.

 

All the books have green tape on the cover to inform people about the program. "Also to remind people it is borrowed and should be returned," Li said.

 

Hujiang.com, an online education provider, and Aizhi, a bookstore chain, joined hands to launch the project last year. It called on people to donate their used books to the 20 Aizhi bookstores at the metro stations.

 

The program allows Hujiang to publicize its educational program.

 

The public offered more than 100,000 books in eight months. Many were given to schools in less well-off areas. The rest, and magazines, were used for the program.

 

The trial operation began near office buildings in Zhangjiang, a high-tech park in Shanghai, and then expanded to the Metro.

 

"We also have a few shops along Metro Lines 3 and 4, and we hope to expand the service," she said.

 

"It is a great idea to have books used rather than leaving them to gather dust," said Yue Tingting, a PR official with Hujiang.

 

"You can't force people to read by regulations, but it is sensible to encourage people to read," said Huang Yuning, head of the literature department at Shanghai Translation Publishing House.

 

The digital age has seen book sales decline, but this shows there may be a twist in the tale, said Feng Tao, an editor and colleague of Huang.

 

In order to encourage more people to read, the General Administration of Press and Publication of China plans to issue a guideline promoting reading.

 

 

The proposed high-speed rail linking Kuala Lumpur to Singapore will not be built along the existing North-South highway in peninsula Malaysia, said the head of the country's Land Public Transport Commission, Syed Hamid Albar.

 

Mr Syed Hamid said the high-speed rail is expected to pass through Nusajaya in Johor state before crossing the straits into Singapore.

 

Speaking to Channel NewsAsia, he disclosed that technical teams from both sides are now ironing out details, including the modality and cost structure.

 

He said: "There are two parts. One part is the cost of building up to Singapore, how much is the the Singapore portion, the other part is on operating. Our Prime Minister has talked about whether Singapore is interested in an operating company for the high-speed rail, as even though coming into Singapore, the distance is very short it's very costly."

 

The pricing of tickets, said Mr Syed Hamid, will be market-driven and affordable, and probably benchmarked against the average economy airline ticket.

 

So far, several consortiums have shown interest in bidding for the multi-billion dollar project. They include MMC Gamuda, UEM and YTL Corporation.

 

 

NEW DELHI - A day after 37 people were killed after being hit by a speeding train while crossing the tracks at a remote station in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, the central government Tuesday blamed the state government for the tragedy.

 

"The Bihar government is responsible for the tragedy and it also failed to control an angry mob which went on a rampage following the mishap, and set afire at least three trains and vandalized the Dhamara station," Indian Minister of State for Railways Adhir Chowdhury told the media in the national capital.

 

The mishap happened when the victims, mainly Hindu pilgrims on their way to a local fair, were crossing railway tracks at the remote Dhamara station, some 200 kms from state capital Patna.

 

The superfast Rajyarani Express mowed them down, killing at least 37 people on the spot and injuring 40 others who have been admitted to a nearby hospital. Some of the injured were in serious condition, according to a senior police official.

 

Indian Railways officials have said that the speeding train did not slow down at the station as it was not a scheduled stop.

 

Moreover, the train, which plies between Saharsa and Patna, was on track No 3 which was a non-stop track, they said, adding that the driver of the train has been nearly lynched by an angry mob and admitted to a hospital.

 

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar have appealed for calm.

 

"It is the rarest of rare incidents," the Chief Minister said.

 

The Chief Minister has also announced a compensation of two lakh rupees ($4,000) each for the families of those killed in the incident.

 

The state-owned Indian Railways operates 9,000 passenger trains, carrying 18 million people daily.

 

In India, many people are run over every year by trains because of unmanned crossings. More than 1,200 people were reportedly killed in rail mishaps in India in the past five years.

 

 

Railway construction plays an irreplaceable role in infrastructure. Especially as economic growth declines, infrastructure investment becomes key, and large-scale projects more common, as we've seen in countries like Brazil and Mexico.

 

But the Brazilian government, which is eager to build its first high-speed railroad connecting Sao Paulo, Campinas and Rio de Janeiro, has added an extra condition requiring that operators are not allowed to participate in the bid if they have had major accidents in the latest five years.

 

The fatal Wenzhou crash of two years ago has thus shut the door for Chinese high-speed rail companies that wanted to enter the Brazilian market. This issue highlights the export dilemma of China's high-speed rail technology.

 

Many indicators show that China has a solid foundation to export its high-speed rail technology.

 

It has built a primary network of high-speed railways of over 10,000 kilometers, the largest in the world. From 1954 to 1993, 105 foreign aid projects in Asian and African countries led by what was then the Ministry of Railways have enriched China's experience in rail export.

 

And with competitive advantages of high quality and low cost, China has made dramatic achievements in exporting railway transport equipment to the external market, which unprecedentedly reached $14.32 billion in 2011.

 

International marketing is the only road left to the prosperity of China's rail industry. But what really matters is when and how to hit the road.

 

The overseas expansion of the rail industry can be divided into three dimensions.

 

The first is trade in goods, which is mainly the export of transport equipment including locomotives, carriages, signal systems and rails. The second is trade in services, which is mainly the construction of railways in foreign countries. The third is trade in capital goods, which is running entire railway systems in foreign countries.

 

At each level, more strict requirements emerge. In the third case, it is not only necessary that the rail exporters, which include fundraisers, equipment manufacturers and contractors, must make sure their technologies and management are qualified, it also requires exporters satisfy importers' demands in project planning, social management and business environment.

 

For now, import countries that are desperate for the advantages of high-speed rail are in an unbalanced position when dealing with exporters. Their conditions are not qualified to handle such massive projects.

 

Many import countries cannot afford the gigantic investment in railway construction, and they often impose overly strict requirements on the bidders, whose risks are much higher, but the expected revenue is unacceptable.

 

What's more, the ineptitude of the importers in management makes the railway less efficient and secure in operation after the handover, which will damage the exporters' reputation.

 

Under such circumstances, China's rail industry has to lower its expectations, not blindly seeking high-level cooperation or exporting the most advanced equipment and systems. Otherwise, the risk of massive losses will be very high.

 

As for the Brazil project, there are still uncertainties in the whole plan.

 

Even if the project can be accomplished as expected, the build-operate-transfer model is likely to drag the operator into a deficit mire.

 

It is also possible that once Brazil's foreign investment policy puts more restrictions on operations, the operator might have to lose the right to operate the railway and bear the brunt of the blame if some major accidents happen.

 

China should resort to a more feasible strategy which is based on the first two levels of export. It is not necessary to compete for the highest level of cooperation if the project bears high risk.

 

China should be aware that unpractical plans and requirements demanded by importers will prove troublesome, and participation in the competition at the right time will produce more reciprocal results than blindly meeting the requirements of importers.

 

 

Railway passengers can now cancel or return tickets at any railway stations across the country from this September 1.

 

Until now, passengers could only make the changes at the departure stations or at stations where they bought the tickets.

 

According to new regulations, those who return tickets more than 48 hours before departure will be charged 5 percent of the fare, according to the railways' operator, China Railway Corp.

 

Those cancelling tickets between 24 to 48 hours will lose 10 percent, while 20 percent will be charged for those returning the tickets less than 24 hours before departure, the company said.

 

Previously, the railways deducted only 5 percent across the board for all cancellations.

 

Chinese passengers tend to book more tickets than needed, such as asking friends to book online during peak travel seasons when tickets are in short supply, or even tickets for different classes on the same train, denying many others.

 

It invariably leads to high cancellation numbers, especially 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

 

According to railway authorities, the new regulations are aimed at cutting down the high cancellation rates and ease the demand during the peak seasons.

 

Cancelling tickets have also become much easier since the start of online ticket sales in late 201l, shortly before the Spring Festival travel peak, a time when millions of Chinese take the train during the biggest holiday of the nation.

 

From January to mid-July this year, there was a 77.6 percent rise in ticket cancellation compared to the same period last year.

 

The Spring Festival peak saw that triple the average daily level, and a 110 percent rise compared to the same time last year. The pre-summer vacation period also saw the rate of cancellation double over a year ago.

 

About 74 percent canceled their tickets less than 24 hours before departure, while only 15 percent cancelled their tickets more than 48 hours in advance.

 

The new regulations are expected to change all that.

 

Meanwhile, with the new school semester to start next Monday, rail authorities in Shanghai have opened student-only windows at its three major rail terminals — Shanghai Railway Station, Shanghai South and Shanghai Hongqiao railway stations.

 

Students with valid ID cards will get discounted tickets.

Recently, a visually impaired man was prevented from taking the subway for the 11th time in Beijing when taking his guide dog with him. This triggered another round of discussion on whether the visually disabled should be allowed to use guide dogs when taking public transportation. Li Dong has the details.

 

On July 22 this year, a visually impaired man was stopped by staff at Tian Tongyuan subway station. This marked the 11th time he was rejected by the Beijing subway. Customer service says guide dogs are forbidden on public transportation.

 

"Sorry, guide dogs are not allowed on the subway."

 

Ping Yali, a gold medal winner in Beijing's 2008 Paralympics says she that she had been optimistic about the temporary regulations issued that year, which enabled disabled people to bring their guide dogs with them when taking public transportation. But Ping Yali says the new policies were discontinued after the Paralympics finished.

 

"At that time, I thought that it wouldn't be long before the temporary policy was made into more perfected regulations. But when the Paralympics was over, the policy halted too."

 

According to the Law of China on the Protection of Disabled Persons, a visually impaired person who brings a guide dog into a public place shall abide by the provisions of the state.

 

Currently, regulations in Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Chongqing Municipality authorize people with visual disabilities to bring their guide dogs with them when taking public transportation.

 

But the current regulation in Beijing stipulates that guide dogs are still regarded as pets and subsequently, their owners are not allowed to take them into markets, stores, restaurants, public gyms and other public community facilities.

 

In May, 2006, the China Disabled Person's Federation authorized the Dalian Disabled Person's Federation and Dalian Medical University to establish China's first guide dog training base.

 

Surveys by the base show that 16 million Chinese people suffer from blindness and visual impairments, so there are many potential users of guide dogs.

 

But there are few guide dog organizations in the country and only four to five guide dogs can be offered annually.

 

Meanwhile, more than 50,000 people apply for one of the highly trained canines every year.

 

Statistics released in 2008 show the United State has 10,000 guide dogs, Britain has 4,000 and Germany 1,100.

 

Chinese universities and colleges have no courses on guide dog training. Although some grads have majored in zoology, they have to learn how to train guide dogs by themselves.

 

 

South Korean and US troops are taking part in joint military drills which will last for 11 days, ending on 30 August.

 

Here, South Korean security forces are seen taking part in an anti-terror and anti-chemical drill session in Seoul, the capital.

 

These exercises, which feature drills including the handling of chemical and biological attacks, form part of a regular joint exercise between US and South Korean soldiers to prepare for potential emergencies on the volatile Korean Peninsula.

 

The Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills are computer-simulated war games involving 30,000 American and 50,000 South Korean troops.

 

North Korea, with which the South is still technically in a state of war following the 1950-1953 conflict, on Tuesday criticized the military drills but in milder language than that previously seen from the regime of Kim Jong-un. This is being seen as a sign of a slight thawing in tensions between the two sides.

 

Pyongyang typically uses warlike rhetoric to condemn the South Korea-US exercises, which it has in the past described as a rehearsal for an invasion.

 

 

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BUDAPEST Transport Centre (BKK) has selected CAF as its preferred bidder for a contract to supply 37 low-floor LRVs with an option for 87 additional vehicles.

 

The tender, which was launched in February, stipulates that 25 of the new LRVs must be 32-36m long while the remaining 12 vehicles will be 56m long, slightly longer than the 55m Siemens Combino already in use in Budapest.

 

In assessing the bids, BKK allocated 62% of points to price and 28% to technical standards. The remaining 10% covered design, ergonomics, the price of the onboard energy storage system, and the penalties offered for late delivery.

 

Five companies submitted bids, of which Pesa, Škoda and Stadler were disqualified for different reasons. The cheapest bid came from a consortium of Škoda and Alstom, while the runner-up was CAF, followed by Siemens (in a consortium with Astra Rail, Romania), and Stadler.

 

Of the two valid bids, the €90.4m offer from CAF was accepted, being cheaper than Siemens €115m bid. CAF will supply its Urbos LRV, similar to those currently being delivered to the Hungarian city of Debrecen.

 

The European Union is financing 99.3% of the value of the order, which means that deliveries must be completed by the end of 2015, the deadline for concluding projects financed in the current seven-year EU financial period.

 

The shorter vehicles included in the option will need to be capable of catenary-free operation as the City of Budapest intends to remove the overhead catenary on Kossuth tér, which surrounds the Parliament building.