World

No Picture
World

Five Killed in Egypt Wreck

September 19, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

CAIRO, Egypt – The collision of a freight train and a passenger train just north of Cairo in the town of Shebin al-Qanater claimed five lives and injured another 30 people Sept. 4. It was reported that one of the dead was the engineer of the freight train. In August the director of rail service in Egypt was fired after a similar accident killed 58 people in the town of Qalyoub. A public inquiry into that accident is underway amid growing criticism of the goverment for lax rail safety and transport regulation. Mohammed Mansour, Egypt’s new director of transport has

No Picture
World

Channel Tunnel Closed After Smoke Seen Coming From Train

August 21, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

LONDON – Thirty-four people had to be evacuated this lunchtime after a fire started on a lorry that was being transported on a freight train in the Channel Tunnel. Eurotunnel, the operator of the Channel Tunnel, said all services had to be suspended this afternoon due to the small blaze in which nobody was hurt. John Keefe, a spokesman for Eurotunnel, said: “It was a freight shuttle going through with about 34 people on board, who have all been evacuated safely. “Eurotunnel is conducting checks of the tunnel and its equipment. Once these investigations are completed, Eurotunnel will commence a

No Picture
World

Southern Section of Dutch High-Speed Rail Line Receives Certificate of Availability

August 16, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

LONDON – The Dutch government presented the Certificate of Availability for the southern section of a high-speed rail connection between Rotterdam and the Belgian border. The certificate is an important step in achieving The Netherlands’ first high-speed rail link as the southern section is now open for operation. The certificate was presented July 28 to David Gedney, chief executive of Infraspeed and senior vice president operations of Fluor’s Infrastructure business line. The Fluor-led Infraspeed consortium was selected by the Dutch government to design, build, finance and maintain the HSL-Zuid high-speed rail connection for a period of 5 years for construction

No Picture
World

Wabtec to Refurbish Passenger Cars for U.K. High-Speed Trains

August 16, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WILMERDING, Pa. – Wabtec Corp.’s Wabtec Rail subsidiary has signed a $27 million contract to refurbish 103 passenger cars for high-speed trains operated by Great North Eastern Railway Limited (GNER) of London. The project will begin immediately, with deliveries scheduled for 2007-08. “This contract represents an important milestone in the growth of our vehicle refurbishment capabilities at Wabtec Rail,” said Albert J. Neupaver, Wabtec’s president and chief executive officer. Under the contract, Wabtec Rail will refurbish the interior of the cars, including new seating, luggage racks and lighting, and will paint the exterior. The work will be performed at Wabtec

No Picture
World

Trinity Industries Sells European Rail Business

August 4, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

DALLAS – Trinity Industries Inc. has completed the sale of the company’s European Rail business to International Railway Systems S.A. The European Rail business was sold for $30 million plus working capital as defined in the sale agreement and the assumption of leases with obligations totaling approximately $6 million. The financial impact of the transaction will be recorded in the company’s third quarter ending Sept. 30, 2006. The company does not expect a material financial impact to be recorded as a result of the transaction. Trinity Industries, headquartered in Dallas, is one of the nation’s leading diversified industrial companies. Trinity

No Picture
World

ARCADIS To Modernize Polish Rail

August 2, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

ARNHEM, the Netherlands — The Polish operation of international consultancy and engineering company ARCADIS is part of a consortium that has been awarded the contract for the supervision and project management of the modernization of a 37.2-mile long section of the railway. The section to be revamped runs from Skierniewice to Lodz, in Central Poland. The total construction sum for the project will be approximately $280.5 million; ARCADIS’ fees will amount to $3.8 million. The project is part of the 78.9-mile railway line between Warsaw and Lodz, two Polish urban areas with more than 3 million inhabitants. Modernization of the

No Picture
World

Get That Monkey Outta Here

August 2, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW DELHI, India – Officials here are battling a unique problem: They’re trying to keep monkeys out of the city’s subway system. As part of the battle, officials have brought in the langur, which The Associated Press describes as “fierce-looking primate.” The subway system has paid a retainer to a langurwallah – a man who keeps the langur. The decision was made after a monkey made his way into a subway car in June, according to an AP report that cited the Hindustan Times newspaper.

No Picture
World

Death Toll in India Bombings Rises to 200

July 14, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

BOMBAY, India – The death toll in the July 11 serial bombings on Bombay’s commuter trains has risen to 200, with 714 people injured, according to the official estimate released by police. One hundred twenty seven victims have been identified and a further 56 remain unidentified, the estimate said. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks. Indian authorities have said that the Kashmiri militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) may be involved. An LeT spokesman has denied any involvement. The day after the blast, schools, colleges and offices functioned normally in Bombay and the commuter train service targeted in