WARRNAMBOOL will have a second railway platform by March making catching the train easier for residents in the city's east.
Minister for Transport, Peter Batchelor, announced a $466,000 contract for civil works had been awarded to Camberwell company Ascon Engineering.
The total cost of Deakin Station will be $1 million, a far greater figure than the $250,000 quoted in 2002.
ANXIETY over memorial flowers left on the tracks of a busy Victorian commuter line caused train drivers to stop work during peak hour today, rail operator V/Line said.
Riding in a luxury railway carriage fitted with oxygen bottles along with comforts such as sleeping berths, armchairs and a TV set, China's Communist leaders are turning up to survey their boldest engineering work - a rail link to Tibet.
PASSENGERS on a city-bound peak hour train had a close call yesterday when a rail car was hit by a protruding piece of metal from a passing freight train. About 100 people were on a TransAdelaide train which was slightly damaged in the 8.15am incident at Eden Hills. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating how the piece of sheet metal came loose and protruded from a container on a Pacific National train.
BLACKWELL, Mo. - An Amtrak train carrying 103 people derailed in eastern Missouri after apparently striking boulders on the tracks from a rockslide, officials said Thursday. About 20 people sustained minor injuries.
A coroner has cleared a train driver of any wrongdoing over the death of a teenage girl in 2002, but recommended that the operator of Melbourne's metropolitan rail network consider reducing train speeds and fencing sections of track.
THE final report into the crash of a Queensland Rail tilt train blames excessive speed and says the driver did not cut the throttle as he entered a bend, possibly because he was distracted. And it confirms that the co-driver was not in his seat when the train crashed off the rails at Beradjondo, north of Bundaberg, injuring more than 120 of the 157 passengers and crew.
The Tasmanian Government is considering the Commonwealth's plan for a joint investigation into the viability of the state's rail system.
Dominique Sutton never used to give much thought to trains, but her latest project has given her new insight. "You don't realise until you get involved how many people are so passionate about rail, and how important it is."
Riding in a luxury railway carriage fitted with oxygen bottles along with comforts such as sleeping berths, armchairs and a TV set, China's Communist leaders are turning up to survey their boldest engineering work - a rail link to Tibet.
Business groups are urging Tasmania's rail operator to suspend plans to close the rail freight network, pending the outcome of a proposed independent evaluation of the service's viability.
The rail operator Pacific National says its threat to close container freight services in Tasmania has come after months of carefully considering its business position.
AROUND 5000 visitors streamed into Werris Creek over the weekend as the town celebrated its rich rail heritage. President of the Australian Rail Museum and organiser of the event, Chris Holley said he was delighted with the massive crowds which had visited the town over the weekend.
The infrastructure debate started in promising fashion. Pushed along by the queues of ships waiting to load coal at Queensland's Dalrymple Bay port, the debate sought to address two questions. First, is Australia's existing infrastructure - ports, roads, rail, electricity and gas facilities and rivers and dams - capable of coping with high economic growth without running into bottlenecks?
RAILWAY warning lights should be installed at a controversial level crossing near Hamilton's mineral sands separation plant by Christmas. The decision comes after 200 workers constructing the Iluka plant went on strike last week after a mini-bus carrying 10 people almost collided with a passing freight train at the crossing.
A move by Queensland Rail (QR) to cut staff at railway stations on the Sunshine Coast has led to strong criticism from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union.
Patrick Corporation has scored a victory in the Victorian Supreme Court against Toll Holdings that could lead to their rail joint venture, Pacific National, being unwound.
Bhopal: A crowded train sped through a railway station in central India, jumped the tracks and crashed into a signal cabin, killing 16 passengers and injuring 100, authorities said.
A YOUNG train enthusiast has been left heartbroken after a railway company refused to let him photograph its trains.
Jason Blackman, 12, was at Flinders St station a fortnight ago when a Connex worker said he could not take photos because he had not filled out a form stating what date and time he wanted to indulge in his hobby.
CHICAGO - A five-car train being used by Chicago Transit Authority workers derailed early Monday, disrupting the morning commute for tens of thousands of North Side residents.
No injuries were reported, and service was fully restored by 12:30 p.m. Investigators did not immediately know what caused the train to derail.
HUTT rail commuters faced long delays yesterday morning when a train from Melling broke down, holding up at least four following trains during rush hour.
Passenger Sandeep Bhim said his train was delayed for an hour between Ava and Petone and staff could have communicated better.
A World War II bomb caused a busy railway line in East Yorkshire to be closed after it was found on a verge close to the line.
The Beverley to Hull line was shut for four hours following the discovery of the device in Hull on Monday afternoon.
SONGKHLA, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- Security has been stepped up to prevent bombing of the railway line in Thailand's southern province of Songkhla after Sunday's explosion near the railway killed two police officers and critically injured a defence volunteer, the Thai News Agency (TNA) reported Monday.
SIER, Colo. Trains on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railway start running each year in late May, as soon as snow is cleared from the tracks at Cumbres Pass. But fall when the aspen trees are a blaze of gold and the Gambel oaks a brilliant red against the dark green mountains is the most popular time for travel on the scenic railroad.
Hybrid cars, trucks and buses have already hit the road. Now, make way for the Green Goat, the world's biggest hybrid. It's a 2,000-horsepower locomotive that radically reduces fuel consumption and emissions of pollutants.
The Green Goat is a diesel-electric hybrid in which the normal massive diesel locomotive engine is replaced by a 290-horsepower inline 6-cylinder diesel truck engine and a 600-volt battery bank. The batteries supply the power needed to drive the electric traction motors on the wheels of this 280,000-pound "goat."
THE need for rail services in Tasmania has been strongly backed by the State Government.
There were 92 sightings for the week which is four less last week. Making a total for the year to date at 3747* sightings (* One weeks sightings missing in March) (Total sightings up to day 274 last year was 4786). On the B/G we saw only three sightings, which were seven down on last week.
The Federal Transport Minister is non-committal over suggestions the Australian Rail Track Corporation take over Tasmania's rail service if Pacific National pulls out.
OLL Holdings and Patrick Corp would generate net earnings of $509 million in the current financial year, according to forecasts made in a bidder's statement filed to the ASX last night.
SOUTHEAST Queensland motorists are being increasingly forced to compete for road space with heavy vehicles bound for the Port of Brisbane.
A key agricultural group representing the grains industry has revealed ailing rail infrastructure between the Darling Downs and Brisbane has forced operators to turn to roads.
THE Norske Skog newsprint mill at Boyer would be at risk when rail operator Pacific National ceased services between Boyer and Burnie, unions said yesterday.
CFMEU pulp and paper workers branch secretary Tim Woods said yesterday the 400 jobs at Boyer were at grave risk.
Pacific National has said it would quit operations, cutting 150 rail jobs.
The federal and Tasmanian governments have resisted pressure from the operator of the state's rail network, Pacific National, for a cash injection.
A report into last year's tilt train derailment near Bundaberg in south-east Queensland has made 11 recommendations.
Queensland is set to become home to the world's largest coal port, as Premier Peter Beattie announces a mammoth funding injection into the State's coal supply network.
Gladstone will become the world's largest coal exporting port by 2010 following a $1.8 billion investment announcement, boosting coal export capacity by 20 million tonnes a year.
POCATELLO - team billowed from the million-pound locomotive's black stack like smoke from a wildfire, and its booming whistle carried through the cool morning air.
A crowd gathered by the old Union Pacific depot Wednesday morning to see and hear the immense steel relic. The spectacle prompted old railroaders to tell stories of days gone by, and children covered their ears and jumped back when one of the world's few remaining steam locomotive engineers sounded a thundering "woo, woo!"
GRAYLING - The Polar Express is coming to town - or rather, the inspiration for the film version of the renowned steam engine train.
The retired Pere Marquette steam locomotive No. 1225 will make multiple stops in Grayling October 15-16.
"This is the first time there will be passenger traffic here since the 1950s," said Barbara Greene of the Crawford County Historical Society. "I think it will bring back a lot of memories for a lot of people. If you've never heard the sound of a steam engine whistle, it's something to hear."
Reporter: Peter Fairchild, ABC South East SA
Started in 1836, the development of South Australia as a colony was rather unique – it was, for example, the only state developed without the aid of convict labour. To support the rapid development of the country, railroads became critical.
The backbone of South Australia’s economy was agricultural and mining goods, and the railways allowed for the easy transportation of these goods
MURRAY Bridge drivers need no longer crawl across the Mannum Road railway crossing.
Railway workers were forced to re-do a "routine rail upgrade" at the crossing yesterday, after a bungled job last Monday and Tuesday left the tracks raised too high.
LOCOMOTIVE drivers leaving Brisbane for Sydney will soon no longer have to stop their trains six times before they reach Casino to get out and manually change signals.
VICTORIAN Nationals leader Peter Ryan says Wodonga residents traveling to Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games next year will be up to $100 out of pocket per trip because of the State Governments refusal not to extend a free public transport offer to country residents.
Mr Ryan said while Games ticket holders in Melbourne would be able to travel free to their chosen event on metropolitan public transport, the same travel offer had not been extended to V/Line passenger services.
Two British firms have been fined a total of $31 million sterling for a train derailment that killed four people and injured 102 five years ago.
Thursday 6 October, 2005 Media Release. From the Minister for Transport
A new independent rail, bus and marine safety investigation unit with wide powers is one of a number of far-reaching reforms introduced into State Parliament today to further improve public transport and marine safety in Victoria.
Transport Minister Peter Batchelor said today the Transport Legislation (Safety Investigations Bill) 2005 would, for the first time, establish Victoria’s own dedicated and expert unit to conduct major investigations into rail and marine safety.
Mr Batchelor said the related Rail Safety Bill 2005 would deliver a new and better approach for regulating rail safety in line with international best practice.
The Victorian Gov't has announced new rail safety legislation to be introduced to Parliament.
Melbourne's rail network has reached bursting point and is struggling to cope with ever-increasing numbers of passengers at peak hour, a secret report has revealed.
14-year-old boy has had his foot amputated after it was run over by a train in Newcastle.
RUCKER Mike Almond accepts that the economics of rail can no longer be ignored. His company, Newcastle-based Mountain Industries, runs 22 trucks and sub-contracts about 100 others for its road freight business, which extends from South Australia to Queensland.
Queensland Rail (QR) says it has settled more than 50 compensation claims from last year's tilt-train derailment near Bundaberg.
Commercial media, politicians and business commentators are describing as a “rail crisis” the September 27 announcement by Pacific National Tasmania that it will cease freight rail services between Hobart and Burnie unless the federal and state governments pledge a $100 million subsidy over 10 years. An October 5 meeting between state and federal ministers projected a two-month study of the issue.
TOLL Holdings has warned it could take legal action to prevent unwilling takeover target Patrick pursuing a merger with freight forwarder FCL - a deal that has already been knocked back once by the competition regulator.
Toll described Patrick's continued discussions with FCL as a "rogue action" designed specifically to frustrate Toll's hostile $4.6 billion takeover offer.
A decline in passenger numbers has forced the operators of the only bus service across the Nullarbor to put an end to the service.
There were 106 sightings for the week which is 14 more than last week. Making a total for the year to date at 3853* sightings (* One weekssightings missing in March) (Total sightings up to day 281 last year was 4892).
VICTORIA'S regional fast rail project — already behind time and over budget — has suffered another embarrassing setback after recent testing of new V/Locity trains built for the project found they were too noisy.
Noisy trains have been added to the list of problems faced by Victoria's behind-time and over-budget fast rail project.
An outback mayor fears a re-allocation of Queensland Rail (QR) staff is signalling a reduction in services to the west.
Naracoorte Lucindale Council says it is seeking a meeting with Local Government Minister Rory McEwen in its bid to take control of Naracoorte's railway land.
British bus and rail operator National Express Group said overnight it is buying Spanish transport company Alsa in a deal worth STG262 million ($631.71 million), allowing it to expand into continental Europe for the first time.
Privately owned Alsa is the largest coach and bus operator in Spain, controlling a fleet of about 1,400 vehicles. National Express currently carries around one billion passengers a year on its operations in Britain and the United States.
BRAD Webb is as proud as punch and why shouldn't he be?
You would be too if your local company was constructing one of the biggest rail container terminals built in Queensland in a generation.
The $47 million complex for Toll Holdings is rising out of the dust at Stuart and nearing completion - far from the boardroom dramas afflicting Toll and its Pacific National rail joint venture operator Patrick Corp.
THE State Government has denied claims that a noise problem with the new fast rail trains will affect the completion date and final cost of the project.
It has been revealed by a 15-month testing process by Dandenong-based manufacturer Bombardier that the trains, which will run between Bendigo and Melbourne, would be too noisy for passengers.
SYDNEY'S new rail timetable will be "finetuned" after six weeks of operation to further improve train running times, the NSW Government said.
Deputy Premier and Transport Minister, John Watkins, today said the new schedule, introduced on September 4, has delivered an average on-time running result of 94 per cent so far.
Further adjustments would be made to improve the system, Mr Watkins said.
Sydney rail commuters will enjoy new air-conditioned carriages sooner, with the NSW government fast tracking delivery of almost 500 carriages.
LABOR'S two large transport initiatives - the duplication of the Calder and the fast rail project - are vital to the future of central Victoria.
Cowra's Lachlan Valley Railway celebrated NSW rail's 150th anniversary in style over the October long weekend.
MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday, 11 October 2005
BELOVED BLUEBIRDS LEFT OUTSIDE TO ROT
The future for South Australia’s iconic Bluebird’s (Barossa Wine Train) looks dim after the cars were removed from shelter at Islington last week and banished to the open yards where they will be targets to vandalism and weather.
TASMANIAN rail workers were to launch a campaign tomorrow to secure the future of the state's train freight service.
MELBOURNE, Oct 11 Asia Pulse - Efforts to reduce noise levels in trains being built for Victoria's fast-rail project will not delay their rollout, Victorian Premier Steve Bracks says.
The V/Locity trains, being built to travel at 160 kilometres an hour, need corrections to reduce passenger noise levels.
Thirty-eight trains are being built by manufacturing company Bombardier in outer suburban Dandenong, at a cost of $535 million.
THE latest exchange of hostilities between Toll Holdings and its target over Patrick Corporation's continued interest in acquiring FCL Interstate Transport Services provides another insight into the defence strategy that Patrick's Chris Corrigan is developing.
Last month the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission announced its opposition to the proposed acquisition of FCL by Patrick, largely because of its belief that it would increase the ability and incentive of the Pacific National Ltd rail joint venture between Toll and Patrick to raise prices and discriminate against independent freight forwarders.
THE queue of ships waiting to load at the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal near Mackay has been growing again as some producers struggle to meet shipment schedules despite an apparent lack of port or rail constraints on them.
The irony in the situation is sweet, as six months ago it was the coal producers blaming the port for export bottlenecks. Now it is some of these very miners who cannot keep up with demand.
The NSW Government is launching a campaign to fight an increase in vandalism and malicious damage on south coast trains.
A spark from a cane train wheel is believed to have started a large fire that burnt through grazing land and cane fields at Mirani, west of Mackay yesterday.
The Bathurst Regional Council and the Canobolas Heritage Railway Society have resolved a long-standing dispute about the ownership of five rail carriages
Train travellers are calling on the Victorian Government to confirm when rail services will fully return between Melbourne and Bendigo.
Officers from the State Government's railway security force had made unwarranted citizen's arrests, taken a passenger in a headlock and made an innocent man squat on the ground in handcuffs for 15 minutes, the Ombudsman has found in a damning annual report.
Rail services in Tasmania cannot be guaranteed during a two-month government study into the industry, operator Pacific National says.
Patrick has signed a $32.5 million "alliance" deal with freight forwarding company FCL in what Toll Holdings described as an "uncommercial and desperate attempt" to frustrate Toll's hostile $4.5 billion takeover offer.
Patrick Corp's action in entering into an alliance with FCL after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission opposed the acquisition of the road and rail freight forwarder arguably breaches one of the conditions of Toll Holdings's $5 billion takeover bid.
Stevedore Patrick Corp will form an alliance with FCL Interstate Transport a month after the competition regulator rejected its takeover bid for the freight forwarder.
A SYDNEY rail commuter with a valid ticket was handcuffed by transit officers and made to squat for 15 minutes after he went through a turnstile, a damning report by the New South Wales Ombudsman said.
The Ombudsman's annual report, released today, strongly criticised the grey-shirted transit officers who patrol trains on the CityRail network.
The report detailed one incident in which a man had a valid ticket but was unable to operate the turnstile, so he went through the turnstile – only to be handcuffed by a transit officer.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) will lift the current speed restriction on the Menangle rail bridge, improving transit times between Melbourne and Sydney.
A safety assessment has recommended speeds can be lifted from the present 40km/h limit to 80km/h from October 31.
Dennington residents are being forced to walk through water to cross the railway line at Drummond Street, say two city councillors who are demanding action.
It's the takeover you make when you're not allowed to take over. Patrick Corporation has announced an "alliance" with FCL Interstate Transport, the freight fowarder it has unsuccessfully tried to purchase.
The 'Greater Freighter', an almost six metre tall High Cube rail van, will be hitting Australia's freight network soon.
The State Government has agreed to pay $106 million to resolve the financial disaster surrounding the Airport Rail Link, a private-sector project that was supposed to be fully funded by private funds but has cost taxpayers $800 million.
AUSTRALIA'S ports, railways and water systems have been starved of funds because state governments have been lured into dubious private sector toll-road deals that often swallow hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies.
The Tasmanian and federal governments have been accused of misleading the public about their knowledge of a looming crisis in the island state's rail network.
Packed train services from the Blue Mountains and Central Coast will become more crowded after 15 CityRail carriages were pulled from service yesterday on safety concerns over rust.
The Tasmanian Liberals have unveiled a proposal for the state's rail network to be returned to public hands.
Rail services in Tasmania will not shut down overnight if government funding cannot be found, operator Pacific National has told a public forum of stakeholders in Hobart.
JUST what do you give a recently wed royal couple who have good looks, charm, the odd castle and a collection of wedding gifts ranging from the lavish to the bizarre?
When it set about finding a goodwill gift for Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, the Victorian Government's choice was simple: say it with a tram.
BALLARAT Mayor David Vendy has told knockers of the multi-million dollar fast rail project to "shut up".
Tasmania's railway system must not be allowed to wither and die. This was the unanimous sentiment expressed by speakers at a forum on the future of rail in Tasmania held in Hobart yesterday.
THE chief executive of Pacific National, the rail freight company owned jointly by Patrick Corp and hostile takeover suitor Toll Holdings, has quit amid claims he was threatened and intimidated by Toll directors.
BLISTERING phone message, coupled with an email barrage from a Toll Holdings director, has left the top management of the Toll-Patrick Corp joint rail venture Pacific National in tatters.
THE driver of an Australia Post van walked away unscathed after a collision with a train at New Town last night.
The accident occurred shortly after 6.40pm on the Bell St level crossing, a police spokesman said.
The Tasmanian Liberals have unveiled a proposal for the state's rail network to be returned to public hands.
BEIJING: It could quite justifiably be called the skytrain.
The just completed railway, which connects Tibet with the rest of China, is the most elevated track in the world.
About 80 per cent of the 1956km line linking Lhasa to the city of Xining in the western province of Qinghai lies above 4000m, says the Government.
The chief executive of Pacific National, Stephen O'Donnell, was told he was "f...ed up" and warned to seek legal advice "because we are coming to get you" by a director of his own company, Mark Rowsthorn.
Paul Little's share-swap bid for his joint venture partner, Patrick Corp, faces a crucial test this week.
A blistering phone message, coupled with an email barrage from a Toll Holdings director, has left the top management of the Toll-Patrick Corp joint rail venture Pacific National in tatters.
PATRICK Corporation is set to ramp up its fight against Toll Holdings' $4.6 billion takeover bid tomorrow.
A train passenger has spent a lonely 45 minutes trapped inside the City Loop after a driver mistakenly made a stop.
NSW Transport Minister John Watkins has no immediate plans to reopen the rail line between Casino and Murwillumbah.
Paul Little insists the fireworks over the fate of Pacific National is little more than a distraction to his $4.9 billion main game: capturing control of Patrick Corporation.
There were 115 sightings for the week which is nine more than last week. Making a total for the year to date at 3968* sightings (* One weeks' sightings missing in March) (Total sightings up to day 288 last year was 4987).
A senior Tasmanian transport bureaucrat who told the Federal Government last year that the Tasmanian rail network needed a $215 million upgrade is to head up a joint study.
Demand for travel on the Ghan passenger train has led to Adelaide-to-Darwin services being doubled full-time - to two trains a week in each direction - starting next March.
TOLL Holdings executive director Mark Rowsthorn has refused to step down from the board of Pacific National, Toll's rail joint venture with Patrick Corp, over claims he threatened and intimidated PN chief executive Stephen O'Donnell.
V/Line has blamed signalling failures and track upgrades for an increase in the number of late trains last month.
An elderly man has died after apparently being hit by a train in Melbourne's east.
Rail freight lobby group chairman Geoff White has launched a stinging attack on the Bracks Government in the lead up to next year's State election - accusing it of having lost its vision for regional rail freight.
There will be more public transport changes along the rail line between Echuca and Melbourne.
New South Wales Planning Minister Frank Sartor believes the trucking industry should make a contribution towards upgrading rail infrastructure linking Port Botany.
ANALYSTS believe Patrick Corp's strident rejection of Toll Holdings' hostile takeover bid appears designed to extract a higher offer rather than persuade investors not to accept it.
20th October 2005
INTRODUCTION
This bulletin summarises major aspects of the proposed national Bill to improve rail safety performance in Australia. The model Bill sets out nationally consistent legal duties and operating requirements on all parties responsible for rail safety and will underpin future national regulations, compliance codes, standards and guidelines.
The reform aims to improve regulatory efficiency and effectiveness through the implementation of a number of regulatory best practices. It does not alter the fundamental approach to rail safety in Australia but rather builds on the existing co-regulatory structure.
The Bill has been developed by the National Transport Commission (NTC) in conjunction with the Rail Legislation Advisory Panel and in consultation with key stakeholders. The model Bill will be submitted to the Australian Transport Council (ATC) for approval in late 2005 following this round of consultation, and consideration of submissions from interested stakeholders.
INTRODUCTION
The NTC has recently released consultation materials explaining proposed changes to the co-regulatory framework for rail safety.
This Bulletin outlines some of the implications for Tourist & Heritage Operators
Police have released railway station security camera footage of a man they believe may be able to provide information that could help solve a recent abduction attempt on a young woman.
A Greek intercity train carrying 140 passengers to Athens derailed near the northern city of Thessaloniki, catching fire and injuring five people, one of them seriously, officials said.
Guyra Shire Council is to approach the Australian Rail Track Corporation to resume responsibility for the lease of three railway stations in the shire.
MELBOURNE, Oct 20 (Reuters) - BHP Billiton Ltd./Plc. (ASX: BHP.ax) BLT.L, the world's biggest miner, said it will spend $1.3 billion to expand iron ore output and rail and port operations to keep up with demand from Asian steel makers.
BHP board's approval comes one day after Rio Tinto Ltd./Plc. (ASX: RIO.ax) RIO.L committed $1.35 billion to its iron ore mine and port operations in Western Australia and Brazil's Caemi Mineracao e Metalurgia S.A. CMET4.SA, an arm of the world's top iron ore miner, CVRD VALE5.SA, set a $760 million iron ore expansion.
A SMALL group of Sydneysiders got to see that other North Shore yesterday as the Indian Pacific passenger train passed through Geelong.
AS entertaining as it is, the slugfest between Toll Holdings and Patrick Corporation will continue to be a rhetorical sideshow until Graeme Samuel has his say.
CALGARY, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Canadian Pacific Railway (TSX/NYSE: CP) welcomed the announcement by the Federal Government concerning the Pacific Gateway.
Fred Green, CPR Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, said: "Today's announcement is a positive development as it reinforces Canada is moving to take full advantage of the tremendous growth of North America's trade with Asia. The federal government has recognized its critical partnership in creating positive economic growth for our country through its investment in transportation infrastructure."
Oct 20, 2005 (TIRUCHIRAPPALLI) — The Indian Central Railway workshop at Golden Rock has despatched three modified ’Cape Gauge’ locomotives to the Sudan Railway Corporation (SRC), as part of an agreement signed between SRC and the Railway Technical and Economic Services (RITES) India.
SHIJIAZHUANG, Oct. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Construction of the coal shipping Qian'an-Caofeidian railway started Friday in Hebei Province, north China.
The 213-km line will be linked with the Datong-Qinhuangdao railway relieve the pressure on the railway which is specialized in shipping coal produced in Shanxi Province to the sea port of Qinhuangdao.
HERE will be more fireworks at today's board meeting of Pacific National, with the man accused of pushing out the former chief executive set to stand for the top job.
The new head of TasPorts is awaiting a clearer picture on the future of the Tasmania's rail network before committing to an expanded role for the state's ports.
FRANK Merlino is waiting for a train that never comes. For more than 20 years he has served as a councillor in the outer-north municipality of Whittlesea, waiting hopefully as planners and politicians have talked up rail extensions for the patches of fresh suburbia sprouting beyond the reach of the Epping station.
HUMANS might be living on the moon before Melbourne's rail network is expanded, according to the timetable of the State Government's public transport chief.
The man at the centre of "threats" that led to the resignation of Pacific National boss Stephen O'Donnell is being touted as the man to replace him.
Patrick Corp chief executive Chris Corrigan says the $4.6 billion takeover offer for his company by Toll Holdings is in disarray.
The NSW opposition is asking the Government to explain why safety incidents on CityRail trains have more than doubled over the past two years.
Thing's are look up, as we had 129 sightings for the week which is another 14 more than last week.
Tensions between Toll Holdings and its takeover target Patrick Corporation appear to have spilled over into a board meeting for their joint rail venture Pacific National.
The farce which is Pacific National spilled into the boardroom yesterday as the feuding directors of Australia's biggest private rail company spent more than 90 minutes in brutal disagreement over the minutes of their meeting last month.
Transport firm Toll Holdings and takeover target Patrick Corp have continued a war of words after clashing at a board meeting of their joint rail venture, Pacific National.
The New South Wales Government has been asked to consider using an existing rail corridor on the north coast as part of plans to upgrade the Pacific Highway.
Commuters will be concerned about an increase in reports of safety incidents on trains, the New South Wales opposition said today.
BLAND, car-dominated new retail centres in Melbourne's growth suburbs are falling short of the State Government's vision of them as vibrant, diverse villages around public transport.
The national rail regulator has warned against the $8 billion merger of Australia's two biggest freight companies, saying they have already abused a near-monopoly to lift the cost of carrying goods across the country.
Two days ago David Marchant was one of the men Toll Holdings wanted to run Pacific National. In his submissions to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Toll's plan to buy Patrick, Marchant lets us know exactly why he would not have taken the job.
Tensions between Toll Holdings and its takeover target Patrick Corporation appear to have spilled over into a board meeting for their joint rail venture Pacific National.
Improved investment in transport is crucial to reshaping our suburbs, writes Trevor Budge.
Melbourne 2030 is like a three-legged stool: remove one of the key props and the whole strategy falls over. The Planning Institute of Australia, the professional planners' association with a national membership of more than 4000, has consistently supported Melbourne 2030 as a far-sighted and realistic long-term reshaping of metropolitan Melbourne.
MORE job losses tipped for Orange Railway Station is 'death by a thousand cuts' for Countrylink according to the Rail, Tram and Bus Union.
Pacific National's customers have accused the dominant rail freight carrier of using its market power to gouge them.
Railway operator Pacific National Tasmania has renewed its warning that State and Federal Governments must buy the rail track if container services are to continue in Tasmania.
SIX-AND-A-HALF years ago, when the Kennett government broke up Melbourne's inefficient public transport network and sold it to foreign private operators, Melburnians were repeatedly promised a system that would rival the best in the world.
A decision on when Wodonga's rail bypass will go ahead is expected within two months after rail companies involved in the project agreed to work together.
A 14-year-old boy suffered minor injuries when he was hit by a train as he ran across railway tracks in Adelaide today.
Police are searching for a man who may have tried to derail an interstate express passenger train in southern NSW.
"Strange signals" from the tracks alerted rail crews to a problem, which police believed could have been potentially catastrophic to an express train.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Clare Martin says 85 per cent of freight carried between Adelaide and Darwin is now transported by rail.
MELBOURNE'S train driver shortage, supposedly resolved by the State Government this year, is still restricting the city's transport network and threatening to disrupt Commonwealth Games transport plans.
New South Wales rail operator CountryLink has warned of severe penalties if anyone is caught tampering with railway tracks.
Toll managing director Paul Little has withdrawn a threat to drop his hostile takeover bid for Patrick Corp if the target company continues an "irrational" defence campaign that could erode the value of its assets.
The Victorian Opposition says the state's country rail services could be shut down during the Commonwealth Games because of a shortage of train drivers.
Dozens of passengers, including two Japanese tourists, were injured when South Africa's luxury Blue Train smashed head-on into another train.
Sydney's Liverpool train station has reopened after earlier being evacuated following the discovery of two suspicious packages.
Australian diplomats in Thailand have warned tourists of the perils of travelling in the kingdom's troubled south following an attack on a passenger train.
RAIL freight giant Pacific National is yet to give an undertaking it will pass on any savings it makes after $1.4billion of public money is spent upgrading the main eastern rail route.
Australian construction company John Holland says yesterday's $560 million deal to upgrade rail freight lines between Sydney and Melbourne will create jobs and boost the economy in regional areas.
A contract for $1.2 million has been awarded to move water and other services for the Wodonga rail bypass.
SHOULD anyone from Citigroup ever get around to calling Don Braid, he will be happy to have a chat. Braid is managing director of Mainfreight New Zealand and, according to the schedule for next week's second annual Citigroup tour of Toll New Zealand, he is due to meet a swag of Aussie analysts on Friday at about 2pm. Only trouble is, no one has told Mainfreight that the Australians are coming. And, anyway, Braid is going to be in Australia for the whole of next week. Which is a shame really, because Braid, a major customer and regular sparring partner of Toll, has something to tell anyone who is prepared to listen.
The Australian Rail Transport Corporation (ARTC) predicts a $560 million upgrade to rail lines between Sydney and Melbourne will reduce truck journeys by 300,000 between the two cities each year.
UP TO 150 people are feared to have been killed when seven coaches of a passenger train derailed in southern India today after a bridge collapsed in heavy rain, a railway official said.
Army divers on Sunday searched for survivors and the dead in the submerged carriages of a train that derailed and plunged into a rain-swollen river in southern India, killing at least 110 people.
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