In brief Union Pacific tests low-emissions locomotive Britain
In one of her final acts as secretary of state for transport, Mrs Justine Greening has approved the construction of the Ipswich North Chord, which will allow trains arriving at Felixstowe from the north to access the port without a reversal at Ipswich. The project is due to be completed in 2014 and is part of the upgrading of the Nuneaton - Felixstowe corridor, which will allow intermodal services to be diverted away from congested
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NION Pacific (UP) has begun testing an
experimental low-emissions locomotive which will be used to evaluate the performance of aftertreatment technologies, including exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs), and diesel particulate filters (DPFs).
The SD59MX locomotive, which was rebuilt from an Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) SD60M, is being used on workings with a range of up to 320km from its base at UP’s
CEREMONY was held on August 18 to mark the start of construction of the final remaining 21km segment of the 143km Nagasaki - Hakata
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Shinkansen between Isahaya and Nagasaki.
This was followed the next day by the official launch of work on the 113km Kanazawa - Tsuruga section of the Hokuriku Shinkansen. Construction also began on August 25 on the 211km Shin-Hakodate - Sapporo stretch of the Hokkaido Shinkansen.
The final part of the Nagaskai - Hakata
Shinkansen is an extension of a 45km section which is already under construction between Isahaya and Takeo- Onsen. When the two
IRJ October 2012
JR Davis yard in Roseville, California.
Union Pacific engineers worked closely with EMD to reduce the size of the engine in order to accommodate EGR, DOC, and DPF. The 2.24MW locomotive, numbered UP 9900, uses all three aftertreatment technologies simultaneously, and will help UP to develop locomotives that meet the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 4 standard. Indeed, UP and EMD expect the SD59MX to move towards Tier 4 with a
Work starts on Shinkansen extensions
segments are completed in 2022, the journey time from Hakata to Nagasaki will be cut by 28 minutes to 1h 20min.
The Nagasaki - Hakata Shinkansen includes 51km of 1067mm-gauge track between Shin-Tosu and Takeo-Onsen. JR Kyushu plans to introduce the so- called Free Gauge Train, a gauge-changeable emu, to enable through-operation between the 1067mm-gauge and standard-gauge sections. The Free Gauge Train has been under development by the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT) and the Railway Technology Research Institute (RTRI) since 1994.
45% reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions compared with the Tier 2 standard and an 85% reduction in particulate matter emissions based on preliminary analysis. UP and the California Air
Resources Board will jointly analyse the locomotive’s emissions reduction capability over the next 18 months. UP 9900 is the most advanced of 25 units being used by UP to test a variety of emission-reduction systems in northern and southern California.
Vale secures funding for Carajás expansion
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RAZILIAN mining giant Vale announced on August 23 that it has concluded a Reais 3.9bn ($US 1.92bn) financing deal with Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) to fund its Logistics Capacity North (CLN) 150 enhancement project, which will boost iron-ore throughput by 30.4% on the Carajás Railway (EFC) and at the port of Ponta da Madeira.
BNDES will finance 52.3% of the Reais 8bn project, which entails track-doubling on a 115km section of the line, together with the acquisition of new locomotives and wagons, and the construction of a fourth pier and unloading facilities at Ponta da Madeira. The project is due to be completed in 2014.
lines in the London area. The first TBM excavating tunnels for the Crossrail link beneath central London has reached Paddington, having travelled 750m from the Royal Oak portal. A second TBM was launched at Royal Oak on August 21.
Canada
The Canadian Rail Research Laboratory, a partnership between the University of Alberta and the Canadian government, Alberta Innovates - Technology Futures (AITF), the Association of American Railroads (AAR), Canadian Pacific (CP), and Canadian National (CN) was formally launched last month. The research chair is held by Professor Derek Martin from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. It will have a budget of $US 5m over the next five years and will conduct research specifically related to ground hazards and winter service
reliability. Canadian National is to invest $C 12m ($US 12.4m) to expand its locomotive reliability centre (LRC) at Prince George, British Columbia. The repair shop will be expanded by 50% to 4640m2 with four repair bays to handle the increase in locomotive inspections and repairs at the site.
Egypt
Transport minister Dr Mohammed Rashad said last month that a feasibility study will be carried out over the next 6-12 months into the
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