International Railway Journal - July 2008 - (Page 5)

In brief Asia A new training centre for the International Union of Railways (UIC) was opened in Korea in May. The centre will offer a variety of courses aimed at rail professionals, and hopes to boost international cooperation. Driverless operation for Australian heavy-haul line USTRALIAN mining giant Rio Tinto is to become the first heavy-haul railfreight operator to introduce large-scale driverless operation on its network following successful trials on the Paraburdoo - Tom Price line in January. Rio Tinto intends to invest $US 371 million over the next five years rolling out the technology across its 1300km Pilbara iron-ore network in Australia 29,500 tonnes, and is 2.4km in length. The company is already installing laser object detectors on locomotives in preparation for the introduction of driverless operation, which is part of Rio Tinto’s plan to more than double its production in Pilbara to 320 million tonnes per year by 2012. This will also involve purchasing 40 more locomotives and 2400 wagons. Freight operator SCT Logistics operated the heaviest freight train ever on the interstate network in May when a 6000tonne bulk train left Parkes, New South Wales, for Perth, Western Australia. Work on a $A 500 million ($US 480 million) upgrade of the Jitalen marshalling yard and locomotive depot has started. Around 40km of new track will be built, along with new provisioning tracks, and wagon and maintenance facilities. The work should be completed by December 2009. Research commissioned by Australian Rail Track Corporation suggests that rail is now cheaper than road for freight traffic on all but one of the major interstate routes. Rates per tonne-km are said to be 0.3 cents cheaper by rail on the Sydney - Brisbane corridor. Completion of centralised traffic control has increased capacity on the Muswellbrook Ulan line, a key part of the Hunter Valley network in New South Wales. The system replaces electric staff token working, which required trains to stop at passing loops. A Western Australia. The trains will initially be monitored by radio from the control centre at Seven Mile Yard, Dampier, but eventually train control will be transferred to a dedicated operations centre in Perth, 1300km from the Pilbara ironore network. Rio Tinto operates around 320 trains per week. Each single-driver train comprises more than 230 wagons, weighs Siemens unveils Desiro Mainline IEMENS unveiled the first of its latest generation of regional trains on June 23. The 160km/h Desiro Mainline is being offered as a dmu or emu in two, three or four-car configurations. Production is underway on the first order, which consists of 17 three-car emus for Angel Trains. These will be leased to Trans Regio, Germany, which will take over operation of regional services on the Mittelrheinbahn from Koblenz to Mainz in December. A much larger contract came in May this year, when Belgian National Railways (SNCB) placed a ƒ1.43 billion order for 305 three-car Desiro Mainline S dual- voltage emus for the Brussels RER network. In contrast with the previous Desiro Classic range, Siemens will not offer an articulated version of the train. “We have chosen the single car concept because it offers a more economic price, it makes it easier for operators to add or remove vehicles, and it simplifies maintenance,” explains Mr Michael Kopp, head of Siemens’ Desiro Mainline product unit. “We wanted to offer something different from our competitors, and we decided that the selfcontained vehicle would provide the most flexible configuration.” Wabtec acquires Italian brakes manufacturer ABTEC, United States, has announced it is to acquire Italian brakes manufacturer Poli for ƒ53 million. Poli has annual sales of around ƒ30 million, primarily in Europe. Wabtec says it is trying to become a third force in the railway braking market in Europe, and the acquisition of Poli is part of its strategy to double the size of its business in five years. It expects the transaction to be completed in the third quarter of this year. W Brazil The Brazilian government plans to auction a concession of the 1538km southern part of the North-South railway. Bids will be sought in January next year, with the winner announced in March. A concession for the 720km northern part of the line has already been awarded to mining company Vale. The first 3.28MW diesel locomotive built in Brazil was delivered to MRS Logistics by GE Transportation last month. New EU transport commissioner T HE European Parliament has appointed Mr Antonio Tajani as the European Union (EU) transport commissioner, succeeding Mr Jaques Barrot who had held the position since 2004. Tajani is the Member of the European Parliament for Central Italy, and was appointed as Italy’s EU commissioner in May. He was approved as transport commissioner last month by a vote of 507 to 53. Canada Up to 12,000 freight wagon wheelsets could still be in use in North America, even IRJ July 2008 5

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International Railway Journal - July 2008 Contents This Month News Transit News Market News/Technology News News Analysis Conference Report Korean Railways Face a Bright Future Korean Exports Surge Ahead Ready to Roll in China Velaro Shows Eastern Promise Are You Sitting Comfortably? Compin Meets New Challenges The Fabric of Society Grinding Out a Result Rendezvous Full Contact List The Last Word

International Railway Journal - July 2008

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