International Railway Journal - January 2008 - (Page 10) Transit news ONG KONG now has a unified railway network following the completion on December 2 of the merger between Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) and Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTR). MTR now operates all rail services in Hong Kong , including KCRC’s West Rail, East Rail and Ma On Shan Hong Kong merger completed H lines, and light rail services, under a 50-year Service Concession. As part of this agreement KCRC, received a one-off payment of $HK 4.25 billion ($US 545 million), and will receive a fixed annual payment of $HK 750 million together with a variable annual payment based on revenues received from KCR operations. MTR also paid KCRC $HK 7.79 billion for property and other commercial interests. This means KCRC is effectively a holding company for the KCR network, with no rail operations of its own. Around 2.8 million passengers will use the combined 211.6km eleven-line network each day. Orlando commuter rail gets funding J Vienna buys more trains IENNESE public transport operator Wiener Linien has exercised an option to buy an additional 15 type V metro trains from a Siemensled consortium at a cost of ƒ135 million. The 112m-long trains will be delivered between May 2009 and May 2011. Siemens will assemble the trains at its Vienna plant, and its share of the deal is worth ƒ94 million with the remaining ƒ41 million going to consortium partners Bombardier (ƒ26 million) and Elin EBG Traction, Austria (ƒ15 million). Seventeen of the initial order for 25 six-car type V trains have already been delivered to Wiener Linien, and they will be introduced on Line U2 when it is extended to Stadion next year. A further 20 trains could still be ordered as part of the framework agreement which was signed in 1998. Dubai starts first light rail line V C ONSTRUCTION of Dubai’s first light rail line is set to begin this month, as part of the Emirate’s massive public transport investment programme. The 15km Al Sufouh line will have 19 stations and will run from Burj Al Arab along Al Sufouh Road to Jumeirah Beach Residence, serving Internet City, Dubai Marina and Knowledge Village. The completion of the project in September 2009 will coincide with the opening of the metro Red Line, and the two lines will intersect at Shaikh Zayed Road. An extension of the Al Sufouh line along Jumeirah Road to Union House is also proposed. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) plans to build four metro lines totalling 318km, and 270km of light rail lines by 2020. The RTA says future light rail lines will be designed to provide easy connections with the metro. UST one day before it could have lost $US 180 million in federal funding to develop a commuter rail network in Orlando, the state government of Florida struck a deal with freight railway CSX that will allow the project to go ahead. The agreement means commuter rail services will run over CSX’s 98km line from DeLand to Orlando and Poinciana, with the first section from DeBary to Sand Lake Road due to open in 2010. This will require CSX to reroute some freight services away from central Orlando. Half of the $US 615 million project will be funded by the federal government, 25% by the state and 25% by the counties served by the line. Services will be extended from DeBary to DeLand, and from Sand Lake Road to Poinciana in 2013. B OMBARDIER has completed the installation of a CX-100 automated peoplemover for the new third terminal at Beijing Capital International Airport. The 2km peoplemover has a capacity of 4100 passengers per hour per direction, and will open in March as part of Beijing’s preparations for the Olympic Games. Bombardier has supplied 11 CX-100 vehicles for the project. Light rail arrives in Nice and Le Mans ICE and Le Mans have joined the growing number of French cities with an operational light rail network. The ƒ150 million network in Le Mans (pictured) consists of a 12.6km line from University to Antarès via Saint Martin, with a 2.8km branch from Saint Martin to Espal. The city has a fleet of 23 Alstom Citadis 33m-long LRVs, each with a capacity of 200 passengers. Nice’s ƒ330 million Line 1 runs for 8.7km in a U-shape from Nice Nord to Place Masséna in the city centre, N where it turns northeast towards Pont Michel. The Alstom Citadis LRVs used on the line are fitted with nickel/metal hydride batteries, which allow them to run over the sections through Place Masséna and Place Garibaldi where catenary has not been installed (IRJ November 2007 p38). Future additions to the network include Line 2 which will open in 2010 and will run for 10km from the city centre to the port area. A third 6km line from the airport to Lingostière will also be built by 2015. 10 IRJ January 2008
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