THE president of Russian Railways (RZD), Mr Vladimir Yakunin, says he wants to get back into the business of running its freight trains and that splitting up the fleet between the new companies which were spun off from RZD was a mistake.

 

"It's becoming clearer to me that we made a mistake when we decided to privatise 100% of the rolling stock," Yakunin said in a report published by Bloomberg. RZD wants to manage around one-third of national freight wagon fleet and deploy wagons where they are needed. Yakunin says private operators concentrate on the most lucrative traffic while leaving some customers without wagons. He also accused them of occupying freight terminals for too long and causing congestion on some lines.

 

RZD divided the bulk of its freight wagon fleet between two new companies – Freight One and Freight Two - which it set up initially as subsidiaries, with Freight One subsequently being privatised. There are also other private players in the market such as Globaltrans. According to analysis by SCI Verkehr, Germany, there has been extremely high procurement of freight wagons in Russia during the last two years, which has led to a surplus.

 

RZD faces a drop in income next year as the government wants to freeze tariffs for monopolies such as the railway to help reduce the rate of inflation and try to coax the economy out of recession.

 

Yakunin has yet to broach the idea of RZD getting back into the freight business with the government, but he believes it will be possible if an agreement can be reached between all parties involved.

 

 

 

 

 

JUST days after announcing the renationalisation of the Mitre and Sarmiento commuter lines in Buenos Aires, the Argentine government revealed on September 19 that it plans to revoke the FerroCentral long-distance passenger concession and return the services to state control.

 

FerroCentral operates trains from Buenos Aires to Rosario, Cordoba, and Tucuman, as well as the Cordoba – Vila Maria service, carrying around 200,000 passengers per year. The operator was formed in 2005 and is a joint venture between Nuevo Central Argentino and Ferrovías.

 

Under resolution 1093/13, which was issued by the Ministry of the Interior and Transport, responsibility for FerroCentral services will pass to state-owned train operator Sofse. The resolution also decrees that all nationalised infrastructure is transferred to infrastructure manager Adif.

 

Sofse and Adif will be required to carry out an audit of all FerroCentral assets within 60 days of the takeover, and draw up operational and maintenance plans for the railway.

 

"We're going to prove the state is a better train operator than any private company," Argentinean president Mrs Christina Kirchner said on September 17, defending the government's decision to extend state control to a greater proportion of the railway network.

 

In June the government revoked the 30-year concessions for the former San Martin and Mesopotámico and San Martin networks from Latin American Logistics (ALL) and the Ministry of the Interior and Transport announced in February it would make the government's takeover of the Belgrano Cargas network permanent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CENTRAL Japan Railway (JR Central) published the Preliminary Environment Assessment on September 18 for the 286km maglev line from Tokyo to Nagoya.

 

The line will start at Shinagawa station in Tokyo, where underground platforms will be constructed at a depth of 40m, and will serve intermediate stations at Sagamihara (Kanagawa prefecture), Kofu (Yamanashi prefecture), Iida (Nagano prefecture), and Nakatsugawa (Aichi prefecture) before reaching Nagoya, where the line will terminate at a new underground station. Maintenance depots will be constructed at Sagamihara and Nakatsugawa, and power for the line will be drawn from 10 substations.

 

The line will have a design speed of 505km/h and the total length of the route will be 286km, including 246km of tunnel and the 42.8km test track in Yamanashi prefecture. The track centre distance will be 5.8m and the line will have a minimum curve radius of 8000m with a maximum gradient of 4%.

 

The total cost of the project is expected to be Yen 9030bn ($US 91.3bn) including rolling stock.

 

Construction is due to begin next year and JR Central plans to launch commercial services in 2027, reducing Tokyo – Nagoya journey times to 40 minutes, compared with the current 1h 43min trip on the Tokaido Shinkansen.

 

 

 

  

 

SAUDI Public Investment Fund, which is responsible for funding the construction of the 950km railway between the Red Sea port of Jeddah and the capital Riyadh to create a coast-to-coast landbridge, has awarded an eight-year contract consultancy contract to Fluor Corporation and Parsons Brinckerhoff.

 

Fluor will be responsible for project management consultancy, while Parsons Brinckerhoff which conducted the original planning for the project in 1997, will assist with major civil engineering structures such as tunnels and bridges. The new railway will connect with the existing Riyadh – Dammam line which will be upgraded and extended 115km north along the Persian Gulf coast to Jubail as part of the project.

 

When the landbridge is completed an 18-hour transit time is envisaged for container trains running between Dammam and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia's busiest port, compared with a five-seven-day sea voyage around the Arabia peninsula. The landbridge is expected to carry around 8 million tonnes of freight year. A passenger service will also be introduced.

 

Italferr, the engineering subsidiary of Italian State Railways (FS), was recently awarded a €28m 14-month contract to design the landbridge.

 

 

 

 

THE restoration of the war-damaged railway network in northern Sri Lanka reached another milestone on September 14, when the country's president Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa inaugurated the 63km section of the Madawachchi – Kankesanturai line between Omanthai and Kilinochchi, 23 years after the last trains ran.

 

The line has five stations and has been reconstructed for 120km/h operation with colour light signalling. It is served by three Yal Devi trainsper day, which link Kilinochchi with the island's capital Colombo, and additional trains will be introduced as demand increases.

 

Sri Lanka Railways says it expects to reopen the 40km Kilinochchi – Pallai section by December, and the remainder of the line to Jaffna and Kankesanturai will be restored by May 2014.

 

Services ceased on the Madawachchi – Kankesanturai line in 1990 during the country's bitter civil war and the undamaged track was removed for military use. Reconstruction work began in 2009.

 

In May trains returned to the Madawachchi – Madhu Road section of the 106km Madawachchi – Talaimannar line, and the remainder of this line is due to reopen soon.

 

 

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NEW YORK Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has placed a $US 1.8bn order with Kawasaki for an initial batch of 92 two-car M-9 emus for Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) as part of a framework deal which includes options for up to 584 additional sets for both LIRR and Metro-North.

 

The multi-system trains will be similar in appearance to Metro-North's M-8 emus (pictured), 430 of which have been ordered from Kawasaki. The final batch of these trains is currently being delivered to MTA.

 

The M-9s will operate on LIRR's 750V dc electrification system and 11kV ac and 25kV ac systems on the Northeast Corridor.

 

The official LIRR request, approved by the MTA Board last week, notes that the M-9s will replace an equivalent number of M-3 vehicles. Three bidders competed for the order and Kawasaki's bid was deemed the highest-rated proposal with the lowest unit price and overall price.

 

Though the initial order of M-9s will be used by LIRR, the design will include reversible third rail collector shoes to allow for potential future operation on the Metro-North network. LIRR operates with overrunning third rail shoes, while Metro-North utilises shoes running underneath the third rail. Both Metro-North and LIRR have reportedly tested this concept with existing M-7 and M7A emus.

 

 

 

 

FOLLOWING three months of test operation, passenger services began on Xi'an metro Line 1 on September 15.

 

The 25.3km line runs from Houweizhai in the west to Fangzhicheng in the east with 19 stations.

 

CNR Dalian has supplied a fleet of 20 six-car type-B metro trains for Line 1, each accommodating up to 1880 passengers.

 

Line 1 is the second section of the network to be completed, the first being the northern section of Line 2 between Xi'an North mainline station and Qujiang Exhibition Centre, which opened in 2011. The two lines intersect at Beidajie.

 

A 7km western extension of Line 1 from Houweizhai to Xianyang City is due to open in 2016.

 

SINARA Group unveiled a new prototype LNG turbine locomotive at the Expo 1520 exhibition in Shcherbinka, Russia, last week which was developed in partnership with the Russian Railways Research Institute (VNIIZHT).

 

Designated GT1H, the eight-axle dual-unit locomotive weighs 360 tonnes. Instead of a diesel engine the locomotive uses a LNG-powered turbine to power a generator. A transformer on each unit converts the high voltage output of the turbine and the generator to a 500V output for the traction motors and other ancillary systems. The GT1H has a total output of 7.35MW.

 

Like its predecessor, GT1, which was first developed in 2007 and broke a world record for gas turbine locomotives by hauling a 16,000-tonne 170-wagon train in 2011, the GT1H's turbine and generator operates at up to 6000 RPM. However on the new locomotive the turbine and the generator are designed to operate at 3000 RPM as well as 6000 RPM.

 

"Lessons learned from the development of GT1 have been incorporated into this new model," says Mr Valeriy Tolstov, Sinara's technical director. "Nonetheless the principle of generating and transferring electrical energy remains the same."

 

Russia is keen to utilise its abundant supply of natural gas, which is significantly cheaper than diesel, as a fuel source and Mr Valentin Gapanovich, Russian Railways' (RZD) senior vice president and chief engineer, described the project as a "world first" and confirmed that RZD has agreed to purchase 40 of the locomotives.

 

Tolstov said that the delivery schedule for the locomotives would be finalised once the latest round of testing, which is due to commence in November, is concluded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DUBAI Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) signed a Dirhams 105m ($US 28.6m) contract with Serco, Britain, on September 14 for the operation of the Al Sufouh Tramway.

 

The agreement was signed in Dubai by RTA Chairman His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer and Serco director for Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia Mr David Campbell.

 

The contract runs for five years from the opening of the 10.6km first phase, which is due to be inaugurated in November 2014, and also includes a further 15 months of preparation for the start of operations, when Serco will be responsible for recruiting and training staff for the route.

 

Rolling stock and fixed installations will be maintained by a consortium of Alstom and Cofely Besix FM under a 13-year €120m contract signed in February 2012, which includes an option for a five-year extension.

 

For the first phase Alstom is supplying a fleet of 11 Citadis 402 low-floor LRVs, the first of which is due to be delivered to Dubai in December. A further 14 vehicles will be delivered for the opening of the 4km second phase.

 

The line is expected to carry 27,000 passengers per day in the first year of operation, increasing to 66,000 passengers per day by 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

 

URAL Locomotives, the Russian joint venture between Siemens and Sinara, unveiled a prototype 1520mm-gauge ac electric locomotive at the Expo 1520 exhibition in Shcherbinka near Moscow on September 12.

 

The AC 11201 double-unit locomotive was completed in July and has already undergone more than 5000km of testing. Siemens says the locomotive is currently undergoing dynamic testing at the Shcherbinka test track and the authorisation process is due to be completed next April.

 

 

 

 

 

ARGENTINE interior and transport minister Mr Florencio Randazzo confirmed on September 12 that the government is to nationalise the Mitre and Sarmiento suburban lines in Buenos Aires.

 

Both lines were formerly operated by Buenos Aires Trains (TBA), which was stripped of its concession following the accident at Once station in February 2012 which killed 51 passengers and injured more than 700.

 

Since May 2012 the Mitre and Sarmiento lines have been operated on an interim basis by Ugoms, a consortium of Buenos Aires metro operator Metrovías and private train operator Ferrovías, while the Ministry of the Interior and Transport has covered the salaries of TBA staff and also assumed responsibility for planning improvements to the network.

 

On September 12 the government published a resolution (1083/2013) in the official gazette which would transfer the lines to state-owned rail operator Sofse, employing the same legal mechanisms used last year to return Belgrano Cargas railfreight operations to government control.

 

The government has prioritised maintenance and fleet renewal to restore the Mitre and Sarmiento lines to a state of good repair, and in January it placed an order for 409 emu cars from CSR Qingdao Sifang, China, to replace the life-expired train fleets on both lines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pakistani authorities are boosting security for the Railways Ministry to prevent and respond to militant attacks intended to disrupt transportation, damage the economy and cause public panic, officials said.

 

Militants routinely target railway stations, trains and tracks, Akbar Hussain, an official at Pakistan Railways in Karachi, told Central Asia Online. Most of the incidents have occurred in Sindh and Balochistan provinces, where attackers have blown up railway tracks.

 

A total of 16 reported attacks on railway tracks occurred in 2012, according to the annual Pakistan Security Report 2012, compiled by the Islamabad-based think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS).

 

But militants are known for doing more than just blowing up tracks in their efforts to disrupt rail-related activity.

 

Militants August 16 killed three people and wounded 32 others in a rocket attack on the Jaffar Express train in Bolan District, Balochistan Province, where they tried to take 600 passengers hostage, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique told the National Assembly August 29.

 

Security forces killed eight militants involved in the attack during a search operation that followed the terrorist act, Dawn reported August 18.

 

These kind of attacks on railways are undermining the economy and hurting passengers, Baqi Ahmed, a trade union activist working for Pakistan Railways, told Central Asia Online. They're acting solely to destabilise the country for their own interests, he added.

 

Existing security measures

 

Effective counter-militant measures are being put in place to protect passengers and railway infrastructure, Pakistan Railways officials said.

 

Officials are installing modern technology including closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and deploying bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs to secure tracks and trains, Rafique told Central Asia Online.

 

Officials are also working with the Ministry of Information Technology to enhance security measures.

 

Some are already in place. Railway guards are manning all railway installation entry and exit points and checking passengers and their luggage with metal detectors, he said.

 

"Police are not leaving any platform unattended, and there is a strict ban on allowing beggars on the premises," Rafique said. "Passengers are being searched at three places at every railway station to ensure fool-proof security."

 

Railway police also have deployed commandos at every major station and have increased the number of undercover police on trains, he added.

 

Planned improvements

 

As for the improved security, Pakistan Railways plans to hold anti-terrorist training for its police, Rafique said.

 

"No anti-terrorist training was given [earlier] to railway police despite increased security threats prevailing in the country," he said, adding that the service would send 100 police officers for the first phase of the training.

 

The company is also recruiting 600 new police constables, he said, and it has issued motorcycles to officers so they can better patrol the tracks.

 

 

 

Mountainous northeast India would be connected to the railway network of neighbouring Myanmar to link up with the ambitious 81,000 km-long Trans-Asian Railway Network (TARN), an official said.

 

"To connect with the TARN, a 118-km railway track would be laid between (Manipur capital) Imphal and (border towns) Moreh and Tamu (the latter in western Myanmar)," Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Engineer (Construction) Harpal Singh told IANS.

 

"The survey work is now on and it would be completed by March next year," Harpal Singh said.

 

He said that another 257-km railway route from north Tripura's Jawahar Nagar railway station to northern Mizoram's Kolashib and Myanmar's Darlon has been proposed to connect with TARN.

 

"If Tripura and Manipur linked with the TARN, the northeastern states would be the gateway to Southeast Asian countries," Harpal Singh explained.

 

"For the development of northeast India's economy, tourism and people-to- people contacts between the region and Southeast Asian countries, the TARN would play a vital role," he added.

 

The proposed TARN covers 80,900 km of rail lines, including 22,600 km in South Asia, Iran and Turkey. The southern corridor begins in Kunming in China and Bangkok in Thailand and ends in Kapikule in Bulgaria.

 

The length of the route between Bangkok and Kapikule is 11,460 km and provides trans-continental connectivity to China, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Iran and Turkey.

 

Harpal Singh said that as per the 'Vision-2020', prepared by the North Eastern Council, the NFR would connect all the state capitals of northeastern states by 2020. Currently, Assam's main city Guwahati and Tripura capital Agartala are linked with the Indian Railways network.

 

Agartala is one of the newest stations and came on the country's rail map in October 2008.

 

The NFR is one of the 16 railway zones in India. Headquartered at Maligaon in Guwahati, it is responsible for rail operations in the entire northeast and parts of West Bengal and Bihar.

 

Harpal Singh also said that work on a new rail link between India and Bangladesh along Tripura would start later this year.

 

"To ease surface transport between the hilly northeastern states and rest of India and the neighbouring country, thisline would also play a key role," he added.

 

At a cost of Rs 252 crores, India will build a 15-km track linking Agartala with Bangladesh's southeastern city of Akhaurah, which is also an important railway junction connected to Chittagong port, resource-rich Sylhet and capital Dhaka.

 

"Necessary survey and alignment of the railway tracks have been completed. Bangladesh would soon engage the agency for laying railway tracks on their side. We expect the work on the line would start this year," the NFR construction chief added.

 

An agreement for the new railway line was signed between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during the latter's visit to India in January 2010.

 

"The entire cost would jointly born by the ministry of external affairs and the ministry for development of northeastern region. The Indian Railway Construction Company (IRCON) would lay the track on the Indian side," the official added.

 

A steering committee under Radhika Lokesh, an additional secretary in the external affairs ministry has also been formed to implement the new India-Bangladesh railway project, for which a memorandum of understanding was signed in Dhaka on Feb 16.

 

"The NFR is now extending the 135 km railway network up to (southern Tripura's border town) Sabroom. With the establishment of the new railway link, northeast India would be connected to the Chittagong port by rail," Harpal Singh noted.

 

From Sabroom, Chittagong is just 72 km away.

 

Surface connectivity is an important factor as the landlocked northeastern states are surrounded by Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan and China. The only land route to these states from within India is through Assam and West Bengal. But this route passes through over 70 percent hilly terrain with steep roads and multiple hairpin bends.

 

India has for long been seeking land, sea and rail access through Bangladesh for ferrying goods and heavy machinery to the northeast from abroad and other parts of the country.

 

Agartala, for instance, is 1,650 km from Kolkata and 2,637 km from New Delhi via Guwahati and West Bengal, whereas the distance between the Tripura capital and Kolkata through Bangladesh is just about 350 km.