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Posted by PNWRMNM on Friday, December 2, 2016 8:43 PM

blue streak 1

Sydney Australia having capacity problems.

Nothing a fare increase or two can not fix!

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Saturday, December 3, 2016 7:01 PM
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Posted by blue streak 1 on Saturday, December 10, 2016 8:13 PM

The new Gotthard base tunnel the longest rail tunnel in the world begins service tomorrow morning about 0600 local (  its already Sunday there ) 

http://www.rtands.com/index.php/track-structure/worlds-longest-rail-train-tunnel-ready-to-begin-service.html?channel=

 

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Posted by MikeF90 on Sunday, December 11, 2016 4:50 PM

A little more detail on the opening of Gotthard Base tunnel passenger service from Deutsche Welle:  http://www.dw.com/en/first-passenger-train-travels-through-gotthard-base-tunnel-the-worlds-longest-rail-tunnel/a-36725053?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf

Bravo!

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Posted by Buslist on Thursday, December 15, 2016 7:30 AM
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Posted by schlimm on Thursday, December 15, 2016 8:44 AM

Buslist

Interesting!  I wonder how much is a consequence of the Brexit disaster and subsequent pound crash?

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Thursday, December 15, 2016 6:55 PM

The UK's electrification of the west coast lines has come under fire for mismanagement.  One big item was the attitude that the experienced engineers did not know that things had changed.  So it is over engineered and the costs have sky rocketed and completion dates moved out or might never be complete. ( another re inventing the wheel ? )  As well EMUs and electric train sets are almost idle with no CAT to run under.

There also may be requirement to purchase dual mode locos ( diesel & electric ) to pull some train sets with the problem of not being able to make proposed electric schedules. 

https://www.nao.org.uk/report/modernising-the-great-western-railway/

 

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Posted by Victrola1 on Friday, December 16, 2016 2:19 PM

"While Chinas railway system has gone a long way in breaking records for length andspeedexperts are now warning of new challengesgiven that two factors crucial to the original success have shifted."

http://en.people.cn/n3/2016/1215/c90000-9155329.html

Will China's position as a major player in high speed rail be challenged?

 

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Posted by MikeF90 on Friday, December 16, 2016 2:33 PM

Victrola1
Will China's position as a major player in high speed rail be challenged?

Quite possibly by the Japanese SCMaglev technology.  The latest episode of NHK Japan Railway Journal featured the maglev which just broke 600 kph in a test run.

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Posted by schlimm on Friday, December 16, 2016 2:53 PM

Victrola1

"While Chinas railway system has gone a long way in breaking records for length andspeedexperts are now warning of new challengesgiven that two factors crucial to the original success have shifted."

http://en.people.cn/n3/2016/1215/c90000-9155329.html

Will China's position as a major player in high speed rail be challenged?

 

 

The shifts do not sound harmful to their competitiveness.

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Posted by schlimm on Friday, January 6, 2017 12:19 PM

New China HSR line opens.  

"The final section of the Kunming-Shanghai service opened on December 28, 2016. This new high-speed line finally connects the Yunnan Province of Southwest China to the nation’s high-speed rail network. 

The distance between Kunming and Shanghai is 1,500 miles. This is comparable to traveling from Chicago to Salt Lake City, which currently takes 34 hours by train on the California Zephyr. This new high-speed line in China cuts travel time from 35 hours to a half days journey (11 hours). "

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Posted by Buslist on Thursday, January 12, 2017 11:50 AM

Not being reported on this side of the pond but many passenger passenger services in the U.K. are being severely disrupted. The reason is the plan by several of the franchise holders to eliminate guards and go to one person operation. The RMT, the union representing the guards is striking (on and off?) these operators including the Southern, a major component of the south of the river third rail network. Scott land seems to be affected as well. I tried to find a good summary article, may somebody will have better luck.

Meanwhile Trenitalia ( the major Italian operator,) has purchased the C2C operation, the old London, Tillbury and Southend.

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Posted by MidlandMike on Thursday, January 12, 2017 10:23 PM

What is a guard?  Is that the person who checks the tickets?

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Posted by Buslist on Thursday, January 12, 2017 11:14 PM

MidlandMike

What is a guard?  Is that the person who checks the tickets?

 

a conductor on this side of the pond .

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Posted by Buslist on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 10:59 AM

Some photos appeared on Face Book this weekend of (I wouldn't say substantial yet) rust damage on Eurostar coaches and powercars. I keep forgetting that they are around 20 now. Eurostar has announced that they will scrap some of the TGV based sets as the ICE s are phased into service. Presumesbly they will mix and match cars between train sets to keep the best cars in service.

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Posted by schlimm on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 2:47 PM

Buslist

Some photos appeared on Face Book this weekend of (I wouldn't say substantial yet) rust damage on Eurostar coaches and powercars. I keep forgetting that they are around 20 now. Eurostar has announced that they will scrap some of the TGV based sets as the ICE s are phased into service. Presumesbly they will mix and match cars between train sets to keep the best cars in service.

 

Is that from salt-sprayed air?

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Posted by daveklepper on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 2:32 PM

would better maintenance have prevented this damage?

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 8:23 PM

Not only US with bridge fires.  New Zeland has a major steel bridge appears destroyed

http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/australia-nz/new-zealand-suffers-second-south-island-line-closure.html?channel=541

This puts KIWI rail in a precarious position since it also is dealing with the earlier 2016 earthquake damage not yet fixed.

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 8:37 PM

Haifa funicular reported to have been closed due to fire.  DAVE  ? ?

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 9:27 PM

BNSF service bulletin.  Note how snow cleared appears to be a Jordon spreader ?

http://domino.bnsf.com/website/updates.nsf/updates-service-consumer/007B3A47335F44FC862580C0007DE9B2?Open

Uncofirmed reports Amtrak using bus to take passenger the long way around -- Shelby and Whitefish by way of Missoula ?

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Friday, March 3, 2017 9:28 AM

Liverpool UK had a landslip cutting off station for at least a week.  This appears to be similar to the CSX landslip in Baltimore a while back.

http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/main-line/landslip-set-to-close-liverpool-lime-street-for-nine-days.html?channel=524

 

 

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Posted by krtraveler on Friday, March 24, 2017 3:56 PM

Nothing to see here or here. How about that conventional wisdom?

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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 2:17 AM

[quote user="blue streak 1"]

Haifa funicular reported to have been closed due to fire.  DAVE  ? ?

[/quote above]
 
Did not get the news.   Will investigate
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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 2:52 AM

 Still checking, meanwhile:

On Wednesday, March 22, 2017 11:03 AM, Steve Sattler <sattler31@gmail.com> wrote:
 Before WW1, the Ottoman Empire, in order to compete with the French 1898 J&J railway :: Jaffa to Jerusalem  -planned to build a railway from the North [Damascus, Constantinople and Allepo, and connections from Germany] through Afula, across the hills of the Shomron to Jerusalem.  Meanwhile a pilgrim and military railway [1300 kms long] from Damascus to Medina [but didn't get to Mecca] was running up/down East Palestine[through Derra and Amman]. This essential railway was also connected to Haifa port through Afula. [We call this section:The Emek line--it is alive today]
Sections of the line were finished through to Nablus and a little further south.
         When  WW1 broke out and Turkish Military Pashas {Generals} needed a good railway line for their 4th, 7th [The Yildrim {lightening} good quality very mobile force] and 8th Armies to get South quickly. They quickly re-routed the tracks from South of Nablus   to Tulkarim and then South to BeerSheva. If fact their master plan to attack and neutralize the [British] Suez Canal-in their three thrusts at the canal [1915/1916]  from Gaza and ElArish ---were failures because their railway service from Afula was incomplete. Their armies had to march from the Gallil/Afula past Gaza, The Sinia and then fight at the canal.  Tired, and hungry soilders do not fight well!
        So, from over 1914,1915+,  1918 and then the British 20s -in West Palestine  there are left-over tracks across/near/into The Shomron. Some of these tracks lead to stone quarries, some to small stations, and some were simple and temporary lines for logistical support for the EEF troops in that big [and unique and very successful] push of September/October 1918!   {those 300+ kilometer Australians--The DMC}
 
The Shmoron area today is a mixture of Israel Military, Jewish settlement populations, Arab villages, Palestanian Authority areas and many historic sites  over-laid by new roads, fences and closed-off areas.
Sybil {of beth Shemesh} and Hans-Henrik {A Danish explorer} took their lives into their hands and went out to find traces of these lost railways in 1999.
Their article is interesting reading.
 Steve Sattler
 http//www.landsvig.dk/ramwb.h tm
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Posted by daveklepper on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 8:04 AM

[quote user="daveklepper"]

[quote user="blue streak 1"]

Haifa funicular reported to have been closed due to fire.  DAVE  ? ?

[/quote above]
 
Shalom, David
 
There was a fire 2 months ago--it burn't up several carriages and some of the stations.
The Carmelit is shut down--till they fix it--about 2 years!
They will also renovate the whole system , over the 2 years.
 
The fire was probably from an electrical fault........
 
Steve
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Posted by blue streak 1 on Thursday, June 15, 2017 6:20 AM
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Posted by MidlandMike on Thursday, June 15, 2017 8:37 PM

According to the article, Isreal plans to spend over $34 billion ( @ 1 shekel = .28 US$ )

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Posted by Buslist on Thursday, July 20, 2017 12:12 PM

blue streak 1

UK is putting on hold further expansion of electrification due to cost over runs and lack of supplies.  Also note that article states system is at capacity much of day.  That may be the reason that supplies are in short supply ?

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news.html

 

 

 

Those delayed projects are now canceled. 

http://m.railjournal.com/index.php/europe/britain-cancels-major-electrification-projects.html 

 

Let's follow the U.K. model as some have suggested!

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Posted by schlimm on Thursday, July 20, 2017 3:29 PM

Buslist

 

 
blue streak 1

UK is putting on hold further expansion of electrification due to cost over runs and lack of supplies.  Also note that article states system is at capacity much of day.  That may be the reason that supplies are in short supply ?

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news.html

 

 

 

 

 

Those delayed projects are now canceled. 

http://m.railjournal.com/index.php/europe/britain-cancels-major-electrification-projects.html 

 

Let's follow the U.K. model as some have suggested!

 

The UK cuts are part of continued austerity by the failing Theresa May government and a Brexit-damaged economy.

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Posted by Buslist on Friday, July 21, 2017 12:16 AM

schlimm

 

 
Buslist

 

 
blue streak 1

UK is putting on hold further expansion of electrification due to cost over runs and lack of supplies.  Also note that article states system is at capacity much of day.  That may be the reason that supplies are in short supply ?

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news.html

 

 

 

 

 

Those delayed projects are now canceled. 

http://m.railjournal.com/index.php/europe/britain-cancels-major-electrification-projects.html 

 

Let's follow the U.K. model as some have suggested!

 

 

 

The UK cuts are part of continued austerity by the failing Theresa May government and a Brexit-damaged economy.

 

Has nothing to do with Network Rail's mismanagement and its inability to accurately estimate the costs, even to the point where that ability has been part of the question sessions in Parlement. Note the mention of cost overruns in the OP. This whole thing was falling apart long before the Brexit vote. 

Suggest you invest some time reading the official Journal of the UK's Railway Study Association. Espically Roger Ford's "informed sources" colum. 

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