February 2008 in rail transport

2007, 2008, 2009

This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in February 2008.

[edit] Events

– About 7,000 railway workers in Hungary go on strike to protest for better wages. Almost all train service on MÁV is suspended during the strike. Officials with the Independent Railway Workers Union said the strike would be suspended on February 2 if the union and MÁV reach an agreement. The union alleges that MÁV did not fulfill its obligation to its employees after the sale of MÁV Cargo to ÖBB.^[1]
– The provincial government of Quebec and the federal government of Canada sign agreements to fund rebuilding work to restore service on the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad (SL&A) and Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway (MM&A) in Canada. The agreement itself is valued at $22.8 million and is expected to generate outside investments over $75 million in five years. The project is designed to increase carrying capacities over both lines to the Canada/U.S. border with work over 153 kilometres (95 mi) of track on the SL&A and over 381 kilometres (237 mi) of track on the MM&A.^[2]

– French President Nicolas Sarkozy presides over a ceremony unveiling the new AGV for SNCF. The new train, built by Alstom and intended to be the successor of the TGV, is designed to travel at speeds up to 360 km/h (220 mph) in regular service. Unlike the TGV trains that have electric locomotives at each end, the AGV uses motors on all of the train's bogies and opens space in the end cars for passenger areas. Italian train operating company NTV has also ordered 25 AGV trains for use there.^[3]

– The first AVE train between Madrid and Barcelona in regular operations travels the 550-kilometre (340 mi) distance in 155 minutes. RENFE, the national rail carrier of Spain, has scheduled 17 trains daily between the two cities; the trains have a capacity of 200 passengers each. Railway officials hope to further extend the AVE network with line extensions and new lines radiating from Madrid by 2010.^[4]

– Russian mining company Mechel announces the beginning of construction of a new railway line to haul coal from the Elga region of Yakutia to a point near Ulak on the Baikal Amur Mainline. The new line will extend 315 kilometres (196 mi), travel over 194 bridges and be capable of carrying 25 million tonnes of coal per year. Operations on the new line are expected to begin before September 30, 2010.^[5]

– Officials in Macau announce that they have selected seven companies to present proposals for construction of a new light railway that is planned to be opened by 2011. The selected companies include four from Europe, and one each from the United States, Singapore and Hong Kong. The new line will be fully automated and built on an elevated platform with 23 stations over a distance of 20 kilometres (12 mi); the construction contract is estimated at 4.2 billion patacas (US$525 million).^[6]

– China Railway Construction Corporation launches an initial public offering of stock valued at $5.4 billion, making it the largest offering worldwide so far in 2008. Originally, 2.8 billion shares were to be made available to investors in the Chinese mainland, but cut the number of shares to 2.45 billion in an effort to increase investor confidence.^[7]