Road & Rail Transport News & Developments

SportBilly said:

Sounds like good news but can anyone explain why a LRT project for just one city is going to take 15yrs to complete??? Maybe its not going to be 15yrs of continous construction i.e. the phases will be added as the city grows:?

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The LRT project is scheduled to be completed in 2012 and it is 40 KMs of track .
Most subways and LRTs are done in phases and montreal is a good explain of that with a decades long plan . The metro there was started in the early 60's and was still being constructed in the 1980's . the extension of the subway to the olympic park was in the 1974 to 1976 time frame or nearly 15 years after teh start of montreals subway.

you might think going above ground if easier but it of course presents its own problems of crossing developed lands in many cases or making the land suitable for a rail bed.

all that said julius berger nigeria had constructed 80 km of high quality railway in nigeria with concrete high speed rail ties in about a year for a mining project. cutting a rial line without a an urban landscape is different then putting a spur line thru rural areas without passenger stations is another.

SportBilly said:

Thanks for the explanation Jim. Now it makes sense.

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actually Billy here is a bit more of an overview of the project from the Abuja 2014 website . It is 280 KM to the final stage which is huge. the first phase is 60 KM . good to see a Canadian Company involved. With a LRT system like that linking the national stadium to the airport and downtown including the new Nigerian National Arts Centre the Abuja 2014 bid is getting a great number of support project off the books . The games even with the world class sports facilities is going to be a 1 to 2 billion dollar affair if you included these projects.

My theory is that infrastructure like the expansion of the airport , the LRT , the arts centre and the additional sports venues Abuja 2014 are putting in place are going to be further used in support of an Olympic bid.

I find it strange that Abuja did not go subway because it is a young city and the soil geology does not make for hard digging at all. There also could be a component of underground passages involved in the downtown area much like seattle underground bus tunnels which i have personally been thru.

Heres the press release from Abuja 2014



NEWS

ABUJA CITY COMMONWEALTH GAMES BID GETS ANOTHER BOOST

From: Chris Garba, Abuja

The Abuja City Bid for the hosting rights of the 2014 Commonwealth Games got another boost on Monday when the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration announced that it has awarded an $841m (about N107.648b) contract for the construction of a metro rail system, which would be completed in 2012, as a complimentary factor for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Announcing this during the groundbreaking ceremony of the first phase of the project by President Olusegun Obasanjo at the Central Business District, Abuja, as part of the President's Projects Inspection Visit to the FCT, Minister of FCT, Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai, said that when completed, the metro rail system would have the capacity of transporting 20,000 passengers per hour, to any direction in the City.
"Mr President, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this project is designed to provide adequate coverage for all the satellite towns of the FCT and would provide about 280 kilometres, including national railway and FCT local line," the Minister said.
"The contract value of this project is in excess of $841m (about N107.648b), with a completion date of four years, which is a complimentary factor in our Bid for the Commonwealth Games of 2014".
El-Rufai said that for a start, the project was taking off with a distance of 60 kilometres, which made of Lot One, covering Area 10 Garki, the Central Business District, Wuse District, Utako Motor Park, Jabi Life Camp, Karmo, Gwagwa, Kuba, with a short link to Idu Junction, while Lot Three would cover the Abuja National Stadium Complex, Idu and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
Performing the ceremony as part of his Projects Inspection Visit to the FCT, President Obasanjo urged all Nigerians to support the Abuja 2014 Bid, as the Federal Government was determined to bring the Games for the first time to the black continent.
The Project will be handled by two contracting firms, Messrs China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and Messrs CPCS-Transcom International of Canada, and will include Abuja in the league of over 100 cities of the world operating the metro rail system of transportation, which started in London, England in 1863 and Cairo, Egypt in 1987.

ALGERIA Railways
There are a total of 3,973 kilometers of railways. Of that, 2,888 kilometers is standard gauge, with 283 kilometers of that being electrified and 215 kilometers of that being double tracked. There is also 1,085 kilometers of 1.055 meter narrow gauge track

Huawei wins Algeria GSM-R contract FIRST GSM IN AFRICA
[Alger, Algeria -16 March 2007] Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd ("Huawei"), a leader in providing next generation telecommunications network solutions around the world, has announced that Algeria Société Nationale des Transports Ferroviaires (SNTF) has selected Huawei to provide a GSM-R communication solution for the 220 kilometer-long Tabia-Mecheria railway line, an important passenger transport route in Algeria.

Under the contract, Huawei will provide GSM-R network design and engineering services to SNTF, with ALSTOM supplying railway signaling system. Huawei GSM-R solution meets ETCS (European Train Control System) Level-2 standards and is able to support ETCS Level-3. When completed, the Tabia-Mecheria line will be Algeria's first modern railway equipped with world-class GSM-R technologies.

Huawei's GSM-R end-to-end solutions satisfy the demand for communication on railways and strictly comply with European Integrated Railway Radio Enhanced Network (EIRENE) specifications and requirements, the international standards of GSM-R constituted by the Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer (International Union of Railways, UIC).

In January 2007, Huawei's robust GSM-R solution set a new international high speed benchmark after a successfully test on Shanghai's Maglev Railway at high-speeds of 430 km/h. The test demonstrated seamlessly handover algorithm, GPRS applications and Doppler frequency shift cancellation technologies under a highly demanding high-speed environment.

As a world leader in GSM-R technologies, Huawei was the first to apply GPRS technologies into a railway environment, as well as introduced highly reliable next generation core network based on a ALL-IP platform to GSM-R. Huawei is committed to improving the security and stability of each single network element according to the special requirements of railway mobile communication, and adopting disaster recovery solutions such as softswitch and backup architecture in core network design.

"Huawei has been advocating, promoting and investing in GSM-R technologies and innovations for ten years,"said Mr. Tian Feng, President of Huawei Technologies Middle East and North Africa. "We are glad to have the opportunity to work with SNTF on a GSM-R system which enables Huawei to contribute to the railway communication industry in Algeria."

Malaysian firm to build R12bn Soweto-Jo'burg monorail

http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/art...hp?a_id=109049

By: Mariaan Olivier
Published: 15 May 07 - 12:57

Soweto and the Johannesburg city centre will soon be linked by a R12-billion monorail, which can transport over 1,5-million commuters a day, the Gauteng provincial government said this week.

Gauteng would sign a deal for the construction of the hybrid monorial carrier and related infrastructure along a corridor, such as shopping malls and residential areas, with a private investor on Wednesday.

This forms part of the provincial government's plans to implement an integrated transport system and consolidate the province as an economic and logistic hub.

The integrated monorail corridor project, which would be fully financed by a Malaysian company, would source all infrastructure and rolling stock in Gauteng, creating a number of jobs in the province.

The province is South Africa’s fastest growing region, but transport infrastructure has not kept up with the increased number of vehicles on the road.

To alleviate the traffic congestion between Pretoria, Johannesburg and OR Tambo International Airport, Gauteng is building the R25,1-billion Gautrain rapid-rail link. But government has been criticised for not investing in transport systems in formerly disadvantaged areas and that Gautrain was targeting a higher-income group.

Transport will also play an important role in the 2010 soccer World Cup, as three of the official stadiums are located in Gauteng, with Johannesburg, Soweto and Pretoria hosting games.

Gauteng finance and economic affairs MEC Paul Mashatile, the Gauteng Economic Development Agency CEO Keith Khoza and representatives of private investors will unveil more details on the project at the signing ceremony.

Algiers tramway to be put into service in 2009
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21/3/2007 16:31

A 17 km-long line of tramway is expected to be put into service in 2009 in the Algerian capital Algiers, Algerian daily El Watan reported yesterday.
For Algiers, a city with a population of 4 million and fast development, it is quite urgent to improve the situation of public transport in both the downtown and suburbs, according to the daily.
The tramway will provide a transport capacity of 6,800 travellers per hour, with a total of 400 passengers in each tram.
The tramway project is valued at 35 billion dinars (about US$420 million). The construction contract was signed last July between Algiers Metro Company (EMA) and Mediterail International Group.


Mediterail awarded contract to build Algiers' tramway project
30/06/2006

International consortium Mediterail was awarded a 35 billion-dinar contract for the construction of Algiers' tramway project. The deal was signed on Thursday (29 June) with Algiers' Underground Company. Mediterail is composed of France's Alstom, Italy's Todini and Algeria's BTPH. Algerian Transport Minister Mohamed Maghlaoui and the French and Italian Ambassadors to Algiers attended the ceremony. (APS

OBJ flags off $449m rail project in Lagos

President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday in Lagos flagged off the $449million Iddo – Ijoko Light Rail Mass Transit Project being coordinated by the Lagos Mega City Development Authority.


He also granted an approval for the extension of the project to cover Kajola in Ogun State.


While performing the ceremony at the Iddo terminus of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Obasanjo said that Lagos, being the nation’s economic capital, deserved attention and support from the Federal Government in order to improve on its infrastructures and make life conducive for the residents.


He also said the LMCDA was established by his administration when it realised that the Lagos State government alone could not solve the various problems confronting the former capital of Nigeria.


According to him, Lagos was fast assuming the status of a mega city, and currently faced with the problems of sanitation, bad roads, chaotic traffic situation, among others, adding that the situation required an urgent solution.


The enormity of the problem, he said, necessitated his decision to involve Ogun State in the tripartite project that would address the environmental and infrastructural problems affecting the city.


He said the Federal Government would contribute 45 per cent of the cost of the project while Lagos and Ogun states would contribute 40 and 15 per cent respectively.

ALGERIA RAILWAY 4 TRAMWAY ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN 4
CITY ALGIERS , ORAN ,CONSTANTINE AND ANNABA
ALGIERS SUBWAY AND TRAMWAY

http://urbanrail.net/af/alg-line-1-map.jpg
http://www.newpressphoto.com/Newpres...ellepage01.htm
http://sousou582.skyblog.com/ (some picture )
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=160839
http://wall2807.skyblog.com/7.html
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=396171

ALGIERS SUBWAY TO BE DELIVERED IN 2008
Subway of Algiers Maghlaoui: the project will be delivered in September 2008 By: EL MOUDJAHID It: Wednesday March 21, 2007 The Minister for Transport, Mr. Mohamed Maghlaoui, announced the beginning yesterday, in the next days, of the installation of the way of the future subway of Algiers, considered as the most important stage before the delivery of the project, in September 2008. "the cross-pieces and the rails are currently aligned along the layout and their installation will start in the next days", declared the minister with the APS in margin of the top of the NEPAD, which is held in Algiers. At the time of a visit to the building site, last September, Mr. Maghlaoui had announced for the first quarter the 2007 beginning of the installation of the rails on the single line (known as n° 1) which composes the project, before its extension envisaged in 2009. It will connect the Large Post office to Hated El Badr on a course of 9 km serving, in ten stations, the communes of Bachdjarah, El Magharia, Hussein Dey, Sidi Me hamed and Algiers-center. In January 2006, the company of the subway of Algiers (EMA) had signed with the Siemens-Vinci group and CIF, the bearing contract on the fixed equipment, the rolling stocks and interior installations of the stations, ultimate stage before the setting according to the project. The contract must be carried out from here in the fourth quarter 2008 for an amount of 77 billion dinars, civil engineering and equipment included/understood. The exploitation and the maintenance of the Subway will be entrusted, through a contract of delegation of management, at tested company a "of international fame" whose choice is in hand. Three extensions, already studied, must be added and enter to it in servicing 2009. It acts of Hated El Badr (Kouba) - El Harrach, Haï El Badr - Ain Naâdja and Grande Post office - Place of the Martyrs. The average estimated request for transport per subway is estimated in peak hour at 21.000 passagers/heure in the Place direction Martyrs - Haï El Badr. It should, in the long term, reach the 40.000 voyageurs/heure. The traffic should reach in the long term the 150 million travellers per annum, according to EMA'S

CONSTANTINE 3 CITY IN ALGERIA HAVE TRAMWAY UNDER CONSTRUCTION WILL BE DONE BY 2009

MAP CONSTANTINE
http://www.constantine.free.fr/LaVil...line-1-map.jpg


ORAN

Spanish participation in Algeria’s planned Oran tramway project. The Algiers Subway Company is consulting with three Spanish firms, Acciona, Isolux and OHL, on the tram project, and expects to announce its decision by October 2007. Construction work will commence by the end of the year,


ANNABA

233 billion cents for technical survey Tramway

Sunday Sep 17 2006.

The French Belgium engineering office “Simali & techno-raille” will elaborate a survey for the tramway realisation project in Annaba for which the ministry of transport earmarked 233 billion cents.

The project will cover many sub-urban regions in Annaba municipalities. The above mentioned engineering office representative in his intervention in a work session, that the survey focuses on the city centre, and that the project is likely appease the traffic jam in the city, and will contribute to reduce pollution resulting in cars emissions. In one hand, the project president who is Metro-Algérie company representative clarified that the aforementioned company which is to oversee the technical survey follow-up will bear in mind the liveliest regions to ensure a better life for citizens. He noted that the survey will also focus on coastal cities.

In another hand, some executives asked for an exhaustive and accurate survey over all the municipalities. Noteworthy that a ministry of transport representative pointed out that the tramway means not suppressing the other means of transport, but it is meant to support transport network and adapt it with new techniques.


Home

Lagos Unfolds New Metro Bus Scheme
The Punch, April 4, 2007

For the next few months, traffic on the ever busy Ikorodu road stretching from Mile 12 to Ojuelegba and Agbongbon will become more hectic due to the fact that the Lagos state has commenced the first phase of road rehabilitation, expansion and beautification in preparation for the take off of the second leg of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Scheme. The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) which is saddled with the smooth implementation of the project will therefore facilitate the provision of the infrastructure, high capacity buses, as well as the required regulation and monitoring for the operation of the project. Mr. Gbenga Dairo, who is the Project Coordinator and a technical advisor to LAMATA on public and traffic management, at a recent consultative forum between LAMATA and organized private sector gave the hint that about 170 (One Hundred And Seventy) buses would be deployed for the take off of the proposed route with each bus taking 100 (One Hundred) passengers. He further stated that physical segregation of lane for the BRT buses would not run through the entire route, the routing will be such that between Maryland and Fadeyi, there would be provision for segregation while from Jibowu to Ojuelegba, BRT buses will mix with other vehicles. In addition, anywhere a lane is taken for BRT buses, an extra lane would be introduced, also physical barrier will be created along the dedicated lane in other to prevent other vehicles from using it. Other infrastructure that would be put in place to create an identity for the project includes standard bus stops and shelter and streetlight.

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Good to see BRT in action.

i post algiers tramway and the subway
ALGIERS THEY HAVE ELCTRIC RAILWAY PROJECT THAT WILL BE DONE IN 2008


Sensational export success for Stadler Rail: 64 FLIRTs for suburban rail trains in Algiers

Bussnang, Switzerland - On March 18, 2006, the Algerian federal railway (SNTF) declared Stadler Buss-nang AG as the winner of the international tender for the delivery of 64 electrical suburban trains for Algiers. The SNTF will procure 64 4-part FLIRT railcars (Fast Light Innovative Regional Turbo-train), an order worth approximately 600 million Swiss Francs. Delivery will begin at the second half of 2008 and will go until the end of 2010.

LINK WITH PICTURE (FROM ANOTHER SOURCES )


http://www.stadlerrail.com/default.asp?h=1&n=999&id=247&s=2

ALGIERS ELECTRIC RAILWAY (ALGIERS PROJECT = SUBWAY ,TRAMWAY,ELCTRIC RAILWAY)


The minister stated, when visiting his sector’s projects in Algiers, that the electric railway would be launched in 2008. Some 460 passengers will be transported every seven minutes, from Algiers towards two different destinations, namely Thenea and El Afroun, explained Maghlaoui.

In the same context, Maghlaoui visited the workings as regards the construction of a three-way bridge, for cars, trains and electric railroads. Five other bridges are also planned for electric railways, to be built alongside Algiers-Blida line.

As far as the Tramway project is concerned, the minister of Transport said the works launching date has not been determined yet, so the time the project would take would depend on the contract to be signed with the concerned company. The latter will be known soon, says the minister who adds that the first construction site in relation to the Tramway project will be on the level of Bordj El Kiffan, Algiers.

The visitation of Maghlaoui in Algiers was an opportunity for the minister to get informed about the conditions of passenger reception for those coming from abroad at the marine terminal of Algiers seaport. The terminal’s supervisors underlines that 400 passengers towards Algiers are expected, adding that an average of 200 cars are arriving daily.

S. Riad — El-Khabar

2006 (TRAMWAY CONSTRUCTION BEGAN MARS 2007)

ALGIERS SUBWAY FINAL PHASE OF WORK

The subway of Algiers enters the final phase of work After the blow of sending of the installation of the rails This infrastructure will be brought into service in September 2008. It will make it possible to attenuate the difficulties of transport in the capital, while waiting for that work of the section Koriche Emir-Wadi is completed in a few years, for a more important flow travellers. The construction of the subway of Algiers enters its "delicate" phase more with the beginning of work of installation and of welding of the ways on linear of 9 km, the Minister for Transport noted yesterday, Mr. Mohamed Maghlaoui, which visited the building site. The work of this new stage, started symbolically in the presence of Mr. Maghlaoui, indicates the APS, consist in amalgamating under high heat and with a very great meticulousness the ends of the rails aligned on concrete cubes by the use of disposable moulds, according to explanations' of a framework of the French company in charge of the initial work, South-western Travaux (TSO). With a rate/rhythm of realization estimated at 100 meters per day, this operation should be completed at the latest in February 2008, but the minister informed the persons in charge for the building site of?uvrer to complete the work before this time of rigour. Mr. Maghlaoui thus hopes to pass quickly at the following stage which consists in putting the oars (cars) on the rails. The trains are currently built in Spain and must be delivered as from next January. The Company of the subway of Algiers (EMA) had signed, in January 2006, with the Siemens-Vinci group and CIF, the bearing contract on the fixed equipment, the rolling stock and interior installations of the stations, ultimate stage before the setting according to the project, scheduled for September 2008. According to the precise details of the persons in charge for the EMA and TSO, the use of concrete cubes under the rails of the subway is first technological in Algeria. As for the installation of electric cables and indications, it is planned for soon and will parallel to be made the welding rails. Addressing to the journalists at the end of a round in the tunnel, Mr. Maghlaoui expressed his satisfaction in front of "the high degree of accuracy with which this significant work" of installation of the railway is carried out. Work of welding of the rails is ensured by a team mainly Algerian having profited from a special training in this field. The same team should profit from other recycling and training courses for the maintenance of the installations. At the time of a visit to the building site, last September, Mr. Maghlaoui had announced for the 1st quarter the 2007 beginning of the installation of the rails on this single line (known as n°1) which composes the project, before its extension envisaged in 2009. It will connect the Large-Post office to Hated El-Badr on a course of 9 km serving, in ten stations, the communes of Bachdjarah, El-Maqaria, Hussein-dey, Sidi-Me hamed and Algiers-center. Three extensions, already studied, must be added and enter to it in servicing 2009. It acts of Hated El-Badr (Kouba) - El Harrach, Haï El-Badr - Aïn Naâdja and Large-Station - Place of the Martyrs. The average estimated request for transport per subway is estimated in peak hour at 21 000 passagers/heure in the Martyr-Hated Place direction El-Badr. It should, in the long term, reach the 40 000 voyageurs/heure. The traffic should reach in the long term the 150 million travellers per annum, according to EMA'S

[imghttp://img56.imageshack.us/img56/5710/uneic7.jpg[/img]

icosium said:

ALGIERS SUBWAY FINAL PHASE OF WORK

The subway of Algiers enters the final phase of work After the blow of sending of the installation of the rails This infrastructure will be brought into service in September 2008. It will make it possible to attenuate the difficulties of transport in the capital, while waiting for that work of the section Koriche Emir-Wadi is completed in a few years, for a more important flow travellers. The construction of the subway of Algiers enters its "delicate" phase more with the beginning of work of installation and of welding of the ways on linear of 9 km, the Minister for Transport noted yesterday, Mr. Mohamed Maghlaoui, which visited the building site. The work of this new stage, started symbolically in the presence of Mr. Maghlaoui, indicates the APS, consist in amalgamating under high heat and with a very great meticulousness the ends of the rails aligned on concrete cubes by the use of disposable moulds, according to explanations' of a framework of the French company in charge of the initial work, South-western Travaux (TSO). With a rate/rhythm of realization estimated at 100 meters per day, this operation should be completed at the latest in February 2008, but the minister informed the persons in charge for the building site of?uvrer to complete the work before this time of rigour. Mr. Maghlaoui thus hopes to pass quickly at the following stage which consists in putting the oars (cars) on the rails. The trains are currently built in Spain and must be delivered as from next January. The Company of the subway of Algiers (EMA) had signed, in January 2006, with the Siemens-Vinci group and CIF, the bearing contract on the fixed equipment, the rolling stock and interior installations of the stations, ultimate stage before the setting according to the project, scheduled for September 2008. According to the precise details of the persons in charge for the EMA and TSO, the use of concrete cubes under the rails of the subway is first technological in Algeria. As for the installation of electric cables and indications, it is planned for soon and will parallel to be made the welding rails. Addressing to the journalists at the end of a round in the tunnel, Mr. Maghlaoui expressed his satisfaction in front of "the high degree of accuracy with which this significant work" of installation of the railway is carried out. Work of welding of the rails is ensured by a team mainly Algerian having profited from a special training in this field. The same team should profit from other recycling and training courses for the maintenance of the installations. At the time of a visit to the building site, last September, Mr. Maghlaoui had announced for the 1st quarter the 2007 beginning of the installation of the rails on this single line (known as n°1) which composes the project, before its extension envisaged in 2009. It will connect the Large-Post office to Hated El-Badr on a course of 9 km serving, in ten stations, the communes of Bachdjarah, El-Maqaria, Hussein-dey, Sidi-Me hamed and Algiers-center. Three extensions, already studied, must be added and enter to it in servicing 2009. It acts of Hated El-Badr (Kouba) - El Harrach, Haï El-Badr - Aïn Naâdja and Large-Station - Place of the Martyrs. The average estimated request for transport per subway is estimated in peak hour at 21 000 passagers/heure in the Martyr-Hated Place direction El-Badr. It should, in the long term, reach the 40 000 voyageurs/heure. The traffic should reach in the long term the 150 million travellers per annum, according to EMA'S

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