DELHI celebrated the launch of public services on the first section of the third phase of the city's metro network on June 26, when India's minister for urban development Mr Venkaiah Naudu inaugurated the 3.2km extension of Line 6 from Central Secretariat to Mandi House.

 

The extension, which includes one intermediate station at Janpath, has taken two-and-a-half years to complete and was originally due to open in October. Trial operation began last December.

 

Around 70,000 passengers per day are expected to use Mandi House station by 2016 and services will run at minimum headways of 3min 25sec.

 

The underground line is the first phase of the 9.4km seven-station northern extension of Line 6 to Kashmir Gate, which will relieve the congested interchange between Line 2 and Line 3 at Rajiv Chowk.

 

The third phase of construction will add 137km to the Delhi metro network by 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

TEST running will begin soon at Egorshino depot in the Sverdlosvsk region of Russia of what is claimed to be the world's first gas-reciprocating-engine locomotive.

 

The TEM19 locomotive was designed by the Russian Institute of Research, Design and Technological Studies and built by Bryansk Engineering Plant, a subsidiary of Transmashholding.

 

The gas reciprocating engine has a modular design and a multi-functional microprocessor control and monitoring system. The locomotive runs on liquefied natural gas, which is less expensive than diesel and produces fewer pollutants. It is also expected to be cheaper to maintain than a diesel.

 

Around 300 hours of tests will be conducted. Testing is expected to be concluded by the end of the year paving the way for production of pilot batches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE National Economic and Development Authority of the Philippines has approved the sole private-public partnership offer to build, operate and maintain an extension to LRT1 in Manila.

 

Light Rail Manila, a joint venture of Ayala and Metro Pacific Investments, offered a premium of Pesos 9.35bn ($US 213.5m) on top of the project cost of Pesos 64.9bn. The scheme will extend the existing 20.7km Roosevelt – Baclaran line south by 11.7km to Cavite, with 10.5km elevated and the remaining 1.2km at grade.

 

Meanwhile Japan has promised to conduct a feasibility study of the Mega Manila Subway project, following an official visit by President Benigno Aquino III to Japan. The scheme is part of a Pesos 2.3 trillion 2016-2030 transport master plan for the Philippines drawn up by Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).

 

The metro line would run from San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan south via Quezon Circle, Cutiao, Ortigas and Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Dasmarinas in Cavite.

 

This is in addition to a planned Pesos 135bn east-west metro line running from Taguig to Pasay and Makati. The 20km line would have 11 stations and a 16km underground section, with the remaining 4km running on an elevated alignment.

 

 

 

  

 

RUSSIAN Railways (RZD) plans to increase capital investment by 7% from $US 11.4bn this year to $US 12.2bn in 2015, Mr Valentin Gapanovich, senior vice-president of innovative development and chief engineer with RZD, announced at the 9th 1520 railway forum organised by RZD in Sochi last week.

 

There will also be a shift in emphasis from mechanical and engineering investment, where spending will fall from $US 3.7bn to $US 3.4bn, to infrastructure which will see a sharp rise from $US 2.9bn to $US 4.6bn. The redistribution follows the Russian government's decision to upgrade the Trans-Siberian and Baikal Amur Magistral (BAM) main lines.

 

Nevertheless, RZD plans to step up motive power and rolling stock acquisitions next year. Locomotive purchases will rise from 839 units to 886 in 2015 even though RZD expects to invest less, with locomotive spending falling from $US 2.1bn to $US 1.9bn. EMU car orders will increase from 685 to 750 with investment rising in line from $US 478m to $US 521.8m.

 

 

 

 

Rolling stock manufacturer KVSZ has unveiled its prototype DPKr2 diesel multiple-unit in Kyiv, and its first EKr1 Tarpan inter-city electric multiple-unit has entered passenger service with national railway UZ

 

The multiple-units have been developed by KVSZ with the aim of offering domestically-produced passenger rolling stock which could be used to update UZ’s fleet to international standards at a lower cost than by importing vehicles.

 

The DPKr2 DMU is designed for use on commuter or local services, with a maximum speed of 140 km/h. It is being offered as a two-car version with 153 seats or a three-car version with 269 seats, and has air-conditioning and sealed inter-vehicle gangways to cope with hot and cold temperature extremes in Ukraine and Central Asia.

 

The government is to provide UZ with financial guarantees to facilitate an order for 15 units for use in the Carpathian region, and Kazakhstan’s KTZ is also discussing an order. An electric version of the unit is also proposed by KVSZ.

 

On June 24 UZ put the first of two prototype Tarpan (‘Wild Horse’) inter-city EMUs into service on the Kyiv – Lviv route, and the second is to be deployed on Intercity+ services on the Kyiv – Odessa route from July 1. UZ agreed an order for 10 units last year, although finalisation of the contract has been delayed.

 

The 3 kV DC/25 kV 50 Hz Tarpan is rated at 4 MW, with two powered and seven trailer cars. The nine-car EMU is 230 m long and 3 420 mm wide, with stainless steel bodyshells and energy-absorbing features to provide crash protection. There are 128 first, 370 second and 112 third class seats and two wheelchair spaces, a buffet, air-conditioning, retention toilets and provision for the installation of wi-fi.

 

Tarpan is designed to be capable of 200 km/h, however there is currently no suitable infrastructure in Ukraine so it will operate at 160 km/h. Planned testing at up to 220 km/h on the Moscow – St Petersburg line has been cancelled because of the political crisis between Ukraine and Russia.

 

 

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A contract for CSR Zhuzhou to supply four diesel and two electric multiple-units to national operator MZ Transport was signed in Skopje on June 24. Chinese rolling stock group CSR said the contract was its first to supply passenger rolling stock in Europe.

 

Deliveries are scheduled to begin in July 2015. The 140 km/h low-floor articulated units will be tailored to local requirements, including TSI compliance. They will have a capacity of around 200 passengers, including persons of reduced mobility, and will feature air-conditioning and vacuum toilets.

 

What the Ministry of Transport says is the first order for passenger stock for 35 years is being funded using €25m from a €50m loan which the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development has agreed to support network modernisation. This loan has also funded a €13·2m contract for ŽOS Trnava to supply 150 wagons from October, and €10m has been allocated for refurbishing existing rolling stock.

 

 

 

 

PeruRail has ordered four M629 diesel locomotives from Sygnet Rail Technologies to haul passenger services on the 914 mm gauge line from Cusco to Machu Picchu.

 

The 1 800 hp locomotives will incorporate the Sygnet Power Module, a self-contained unit developed by the US company. This contains a Cummins QSK diesel engine along with the alternator, rheostatic braking, cooling and control systems.

 

‘These locomotives will provide PeruRail with excellent performance and an unparalleled level of reliability’, said Sygnet President & CEO David Swanson on June 22. ‘In addition, they comply with the Kyoto Protocol, making them some of the cleanest-emissions locomotives ever delivered to Latin America.’

 

The Secretariat of Communications & Transport has selected a consortium of Constructora de Proyectos Viales de México and La Peninsular Compañía Constructora as preferred bidder to undertake civil works on the first section of the 57∙7 km electrified passenger railway from Mexico City to Toluca.

 

With a winning bid of 10∙15bn pesos, the consortium is to build the 35∙15 km section from Zinacantepec and La Marquesa, including viaducts and tunnels. Work is expected to start during the second half of 2014 and take 24 months to complete.

 

The new line has a total budget of 35bn pesos, and would run from Observatorio, the western terminus of Line 1 of the Mexico City metro, to Zinacantepec in Toluca. Opening is scheduled for December 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A topping-out ceremony for Wong Chuk Hang depot on Hong Kong’s 7 km South Island Line (East) project was held on June 24. The 40 000 m² depot is the first in Hong Kong to be designed for unattended train operation.

 

Completion of the depot structure will enable fitting out, tracklaying and electrification works to be undertaken ready for testing and commissioning of the 10 three-car trainsets being supplied by Changchun Railway Vehicles Co.

 

"I am happy to witness the topping out of Wong Chuk Hang depot which takes us a step closer towards the opening of SIL(E)," said Chu Ching-hong, Chairman of Southern District Council. "I believe the new railway will energise the Wong Chuk Hang area and the whole Southern District, as well as provide residents with a convenient transportation service."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Railway project promoter Qatar Rail has awarded a consortium of Alstom and QDVC the €2bn main contract for the construction of a four-line tram network in Lusail. Opening of the Yellow Line is planned for 2018, with the Green, Red and Purple lines to follow in 2020.

 

The contract was signed in Paris on June 23 in the presence of Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and French President François Hollande.

 

Alstom’s share of the contract is worth €450m, and includes trackwork, signalling, substations, catenary, the APS ground-level power supply system and 35 Citadis trams.

 

The city of Lusail is being developed on a waterfront site to the north of Doha, and is planned to house 200 000 people. The Lusail Light Rail Transit network will connect with the future Doha metro and national rail networks, and have a total length of 33 km, including 7 km underground, with 37 stops.

 

The 100% low-floor Citadis trams will be 32 m long, and offer 'high-end comfort' with passenger information and security systems onboard and at stops. Lusail LRT will be the second tramway in the Gulf region to use APS technology, after the Al Sufouh line in Dubai where testing is now underway for opening later this year.

 

Options for a further 32 Citadis trams could take the total value of the contract to Alstom to €750m. Several Alstom sites will be involved in the project, including Le Creusot, Ornans, Tarbes and Villeurbanne. 'This new order in the Middle East demonstrates the success of our global strategy and the strong links we have with the region', said Henri Poupart-Lafarge, President of Alstom Transport.

 

Civil works partner QDVC is a 51:49 joint venture of Qatari Diar and Vinci Construction Grands Projets. QDVC began earthworks for the cut-and-cover tunnels in 2009, and in 2011 was awarded a €374m design and build contract covering the eight underground stops, a viaduct over a motorway and preliminary works for the depot.

 

 

 

 

 

THE municipal government of The Hague and Arriva have abandoned plans to launch an open-access cross-border service linking the Dutch city with Brussels, which was due to begin operating in December 2015.

 

The Hague's councillor for transport Mr Peter Smit said that the municipality had found it impossible to set up the service, dubbed Lage Landen Lijn (Low Countries Line), which would have offered an alternative to Thalys and NS International services.

 

The main reason for the cancellation is reportedly difficulties finding viable train paths for the service, particularly on the congested section between Brussels North and Brussels South. Other reports in the Dutch press also suggest the service does not have the support of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure.

 

Proposals for the Lage Landen Lijn emerged as a result of dissatisfaction with the now-withdrawn Fyra service, which left The Hague without any international trains to Belgium. The tendering process was managed by The Hague Trains Holding, a limited company registered in the Netherlands which is wholly owned by the municipality of The Hague, with Arriva shouldering all of the financial risk.

 

Following the collapse of Fyra, a cross-border service was reintroduced but this is considerably slower than the Benelux service superseded by Fyra in December 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leasing company Railpool has ordered 35 Bombardier Traxx locomotives with a list price of €135m for delivery in 2015-16, under a framework agreement which includes an option for up to 30 more which would take the value to €250m. Bombardier will also upgrade safety systems on the existing fleet.

 

The order announced on June 25 includes multi-system locomotives to operate on an east–west corridor linking Poland with the Netherlands, and AC locomotives to operate in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary and Romania which will be equipped with ETCS and ‘last mile’ engines and batteries for use in non-electrified terminals.

 

‘These innovative locomotives will facilitate rail operation on new international corridors’, said Ulrich Jochem, President, Locomotives, at Bombardier Transportation. ‘They also allow for a much longer range and for more flexibility in operation than ever before.’

 

 

 

A CONSORTIUM of Qatari Diar Vinci Construction (QDVC) and Alstom was awarded a €2bn design-build contract by Qatar Railways for the Lusail light rail project at a ceremony in Paris on June 23 attended by President François Hollande of France and Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Tani, Emir of Qatar.

 

QDVC has been working on the project since it won the first of two construction contracts for the 33km four-line network in 2007 and 2012. So far, 7km of tunnels and seven underground and four surface stations have been built along with the viaduct to the depot. Under the new contract, QDVC will be responsible for building the remaining 25 stations, the depot, architectural and electro-mechanical works, and project management.

 

Alstom, whose share of the contract is worth €750m, will supply 35 LRVs, and provide catenary-free electrification, power supply, track, signalling, telecommunications and train control.

 

The network comprises 22.7km of at-grade and elevated railway and 10.4km of cut-and-cover construction, plus 10 underground and 26 surface stations.

 

The LRT network will connect with both the planned national railway network and the Doha metro, which is now under construction.

 

The first line is expected to open in 2018 followed by the remaining three lines in 2020.

 

Lusail is a new waterfront city being built to the north of the Qatari capital Doha. It will cover 35 square km and provide homes for around 200,000 people.