News
NDIA’s Railways Ministry says it expects to begin work soon on a detailed project report for the country’s first high-speed line with the aim of inviting global tenders for the Rs 650bn ($US 11.8bn) Pune - Mumbai - Ahmedabad project by November 2013. A pre-feasibility report jointly conducted by a consortium of Systra, France, Italferr, Italy, and Rites, India suggests annual ridership on the 650km route would be around 1.1 million. Pre-feasibility studies have also been completed on three other corridors: Delhi - Lucknow - Patna (991km)
Indian high-speed project moves forward I
Raghav Thakur Correspondent
Kolkata Howrah - Haldia (135km) and Hyderabad - Chennai (664km). However, the Indian government has decided to concentrate initially on only the Pune - Mumbai - Ahmedabad corridor. Japan Railway Technical Service (Jarts), Systra, and Mott MacDonald are among the companies that have offered to participate in the project. A study conducted by the German Institute of Vehicle Concepts (DLR) indicates the potential for 35 possible high- speed lines in India, ranging from a distance of 289km (Chennai - Bangalore) to 778km (Delhi - Ahmedabad). Meanwhile, the Indian government is also moving ahead with plans to establish a
National High Speed Rail Authority (NHSRA). Parliament is due to process a bill in November creating this body, which will act as a facilitator and regulator for the high-speed network. Draft NHRSA guidelines say that India will seek to implement the high-speed projects as PPPs with two procurement options under consideration. The first involves appointing a single developer to work on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis. The second would see projects tendered as separate contracts. The aim would be to attract more bidders with greater affordability in terms of size and risk allocation.
Funding agreed for Rastatt bypass
G
ERMANY’s Ministry of Transport, Construction and Urban Development and German Rail (DB) have reached agreement to fund a ƒ693m project to construct a 16km 250km/h bypass around the town of Rastatt on the Karlsruhe - Basle line. The objective is to relieve congestion on the Rhine Valley main line, which DB describes as the busiest line in Germany. The route forms part of the principal freight corridor connecting North Sea container ports with Switzerland and Italy. Passengers will also benefit from shorter journey times. The project, which includes the construction of a 4.27km tunnel under the town of Rastatt and the River Murg, is due to be completed in 2022.
Groundbreaking marks start of first Danish HS project
D
ENMARK’s transport minister Mr Henrik Dam
Kristensen officially launched construction of the
Copenhagen - Køge - Ringsted high-speed line on September 6 in a groundbreaking ceremony at Karlslunde. The initial construction works are being carried out in conjunction with the
Plasser supplies track machines to Saudi Arabia: Saudi Railway Company (SAR) has selected Plasser & Theurer to supply 12 machines, which will be used to maintain the North- South Railway. The company will supply four SRM 500 sand removal machines, three Plasser 08-16 SH levelling, lifting, lining and tamping machines for plain track and turnouts, two DGS-90 N dynamic track stabilisers and three PBR 500 ballast regulating machines. SAR will operate the Plasser 08-16, the DGS-90 N and PBR 500 in combination as a mechanised maintenance train enabling all of the machines to work in coordination.
Dutch smartphone trial seeks solutions to overcrowding D
UTCH passenger operators NS Passenger,
Syntus, and Veolia have launched a joint initiative that uses a smartphone app to encourage passengers to travel outside of peak periods. The Free University of
Amsterdam and research institutions are also
8
cooperating in the four-month trial, which aims to reduce overcrowding on peak services, a problem afflicting all three operators.
The test involves giving
600 registered season ticket holders access to a specially- developed smartphone app, which they use to report their
departure and arrival times to the train company. These passengers receive refunds of up to ƒ35 per week if they travel outside the busiest periods.
If the pilot scheme is a success, the system could eventually be rolled out on a national basis.
expansion of the parallel Køge Bay highway between Greve and Solrød to minimise the impact of the project on the surrounding area.
The DKr 10.4bn ($US 1.8bn) line will have a maximum operating speed of 250km/h and will relieve the existing mainline through Roskilde, reducing journey times between Copenhagen and Ringsted from 59 minutes to 38 minutes. Civil works on the 56km double-track route will take place between 2014 and 2016, with tracklaying due to start in 2015. Track, signalling and electrification will be installed between 2015 and 2017, with commissioning due to start at the end of 2017. Test running is scheduled to commence by mid-2018.
IRJ October 2012
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