July 2007 in rail transport
This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in July 2007.
Events
- July 1
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– Kampac Oil of Dubai, as consortium leader, is awarded a construction and operation contract for a new railway line in Ghana connecting Takoradi 800 kilometers (500 mi) to Hamile. The contract, valued at $1.6 billion, also includes the rehabilitation of a line between Takoradi and Kumasi as part of the Ghanaian government's plans to connect to northern Ghana.[1]
- July 9
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– German railway operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) reaches an agreement with its train crew employees to end a strike action. The workers were protesting against low wages on the railroad in a series of strikes in the preceding week, causing disruptions throughout the DB system. In the agreement, DB will increase the pay rates for Transnet and GBDA union workers by 4.5% over 19 months, the largest single wage increase for DB since World War II.[2]
- July 11
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– Chicago Transit Authority announces a plan to invest nearly $15 million towards renovation of the O'Hare to Clark/Lake portion of the Blue Line and Chicago to Belmont portions of the Red Line. The work, which is expected to take place in off-peak and overnight hours, will ease commutes by eliminating slow zones due to deterioration on the two lines.
- July 15
- In Shanghai, platform-edge doors caused a fatal accident. A man tried to force his way onto a crowded train at the station for the Shanghai Indoor Stadium, but failed. When the doors closed, he was trapped between the platform doors and the train, leading to his death.[3]
- July 17
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– A freight train en route from Kazakhstan to Poland derails near Lviv, Ukraine. 15 of the train's 58 cars came off the rails; six of the derailed cars caught fire. The train was carrying liquid yellow phosphorus, and a toxic cloud from the derailed cars spread over a 35 mi² (90 km²) area, encompassing as many as 14 villages. The cloud forced the evacuation of about 800 residents, many were taken to local hospitals for treatment. Officials at the scene stressed that the situation was under control and that they are investigating the incident.[4]
- July 18
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– Metronet, holder of the maintenance contract for a majority of the London Underground lines, seeks authority of the Mayor of London to go into Administration following a dispute about responsibility for cost overruns on its contract.[5]
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– Transportation officials in Turkmenistan preside over the opening ceremonies for a 2 km (1.2 mi) long rehabilitated rail connection between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. The ceremonies were jointly held in Serhetabat on the Turkmen side and Turgundi on the Afghan side. The project, begun in early July with a decree from Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, was wholly constructed by Turkmenistan at a cost of US$550,000; officials hope the connection will help foster better relations between the two nations.[6]
- July 19
- July 23
- – Breakthrough of second tunnel under the River Thames on the Docklands Light Railway London City Airport branch extension to Woolwich Arsenal.[8]
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– Train crash in Caracas subway leaves 1 dead, 6 injured. Two subway trains collide in Venezuela's capital. The accident took place in a tunnel near the Plaza Sucre station in western Caracas, Civil Protection chief Antonio Rivero said. Subways are generally equipped with ATP and ATC so such an accident is hard to explain.
- July 24
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– British Government publishes a White Paper on Delivering a Sustainable Railway (the "High Level Ouput Statement") for England and Wales. This promises Government investment of £10bn over the period 2009-14 to generate 22.5% enhancement of network capacity, with total government investment of £15bn over the period. Other investment income is to come from Network Rail efficiency improvements. The principal beneficiaries are the Thameslink Programme and schemes to reduce congestion at Reading and Birmingham New Street stations (the latter being the Gateway Plus project). £150m is allocated for modernisation of 150 medium-sized stations. A previously-announced 1000 new passenger cars (mainly for the London suburban area) are supplemented by a further 300 for provincial city networks. £200m is assigned for a strategic freight network, where 30% growth is predicted. Passenger train operating companies will be required to simplify their fare structure, and to restrict price increases on regular fares to inflation+1%. Cab signalling is expected to be extended. No new lines or electrification schemes are supported and Maglev trains are specifically rejected for future planning. Crossrail was outside the scope of the announcement.[9][10]
References
– A source at the Italian embassy in Riyadh announces that a consortium led by FS, the Italian state railway company, has been awarded a contract to build and implement a new high-speed railway line connecting Jeddah to Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia. The consortium includes Saudi Oger as well as the Russian railway company RZD. However, sources within the Saudi Railways Organization deny in statements to Al Jazeera that any particular consortium has been selected.[7]