In brief
Brockman Iron seeks access to Fortescue’s Pilbara network P
ILBARA region junior miner Brockman Iron is seeking track access rights to Fortescue Metals Group’s (FMG) rail infrastructure under the provisions of the Western Australia Railways Access Code.
The application applies to
approximately 200km of track owned by FMG subsidiary The Pilbara Infrastructure (TPI), to link a branch from Brockman’s Marillana deposits to the export terminal at Port Hedland. Brockman plans to transport
R Geraldo Alckmin, governor of the state of São Paulo, announced on May 9 that the project to build an Airport Express link between Luz station in central São Paulo and Guarulhos International Airport has been cancelled due to lack of interest from the private sector. Alckmin says that the
project in its original form is not an attractive proposition for construction companies. Paulista Metropolitan Trains Company (CPTM) says that
up to 20 million tonnes per year of hematite iron-ore from Marillana for a term of 20 years commencing in 2016, using a third party operator to haul its trains. An independent analysis of the TPI railway infrastructure conducted on behalf of Brockman by Indec Consulting concludes that there is sufficient capacity on the network.
Despite the access move,
Brockman says it will also continue to pursue the construction of the East Pilbara Independent Railway
the line would be targeting a market that could easily be served by the Campinas - Rio de Janeiro high-speed line, which will pass through Guarulhos. Guarulhos Express services would have shared tracks with Line 12 between Brás station in the city centre and Engenheiro Goulart station in the district of Tatupé, before diverging onto a 12.3km branch with new stations at Guarulhos Cecap and Guarulhos International
in an alliance with Aurizon and Atlas Iron. The Western Australian Economic Regulation Authority has directed TPI to amend its costing principles - the regulatory instrument which shows how a railway owner will calculate floor and ceiling costs in respect to third party access.
Analysts have suggested that the access move by Brockman may cause some uncertainty over FMG’s proposed sale of a minority share in TPI.
São Paulo Airport Express project cancelled M
Airport. The line was expected to carry around 120,000 passengers per day with trains operating at up to 160km/h. A PPP tender was launched in January with a budget of Reais 905m ($US 444m), excluding rolling stock. Despite the abandonment of
Guarulhos Express, the state government is still pressing ahead with plans to extend Line 13 from Brás to the airport, although this will be a conventional commuter line serving intermediate stations.
reduce road traffic speeds at crossings.
Montenegro
Macedonian Railways Transport (MZ-T) received the first of three CAF Civity emus last month. The 120km/h regional trains seat 165 passengers and will be used on Podgorica - Nikšic services.
Poland
Infrastructure manager PKP PLK has awarded Astaldi a Zlotys 240m ($US 57.3m) contract to upgrade the 11km Balice Express rail link between Krakow Central station and John Paul II International Airport. The 18-month project involves upgrading the Krakow Central - Krakow Mydlniki section, construction of a second track on the branch from Mydlniki to Balice, and relocation of Balice station closer to the terminal.
Russia
Alstom and Transmashholding (TMH) joint venture TR Trans has opened a production facility for traction equipment at TMH’s Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant (NVEZ). The facility will produce asynchronous traction motors for electric locomotives for Russian Railways.
Spain
MacAndrews, a subsidiary of shipping group CMA-CGM launched a new refrigerated railfreight service linking Bilbao with Murcia in the southeast of Spain last month. The train is operated twice- weekly by Continental Rail, an open-access operator owned by the construction company ACS, and with demand expected to grow quickly the service is likely to become daily in the near future.
United States
Swiss metre-gauge emu on test: Switzerland’s metre-gauge Frauenfeld-Wil Railway (FWB) began testing the first of a fleet of five new ABe 4/8 emus from Stadler at the end of April. The 1.2kW dc three-car trains were designed specifically to meet the operating requirements of the 18km line, which features sections of street running, and each set is equipped with enhanced impact absorption elements and magnetic rail brakes. The emus will enter service in the middle of this year, and will support the introduction of a 15-minute interval peak service between Wil and Wängi in December. Photo: Quintus Vosman
IRJ June 2013
Los Angeles City Council has given its approval to BNSF’s $US 500m Southern California International Gateway project. The new rail link and terminal will significantly shorten the distance for lorries travelling between existing railheads and the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. IRJ
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