All France articles
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Metro Report InternationalParis metro CBTC contract awarded
FRANCE: Paris metro operator RATP has awarded Hitachi Rail a contract to supply lineside communications-based train control technology for Line 12. The framework contract announced on February 27 has been awarded under RATP’s OCTYS (Open Control Train Interchangeable Integrated System) 2030 programme. There is a €20m ...
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In depthComment: Rail needs to find Another Way
Amid geopolitical turbulence, governments in Europe and beyond will need to ramp up their defence spending urgently, potentially squeezing the funding avilable for rail and wider civilian infrastructure. However, a push for more efficiency offers opportunities too, believes our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley.
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NewsFrance begins procurement of replacement night train fleet
FRANCE: The government has called for expressions of interest in contracts to supply locomotives and coaches to renew the national night train fleet. French night trains carried 950 000 passengers in 2024, a 23% increase on the previous year, according to Pierre-Christophe Soncarrieu, deputy director of ...
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Metro Report InternationalParis metro MF19 train unveiled as next order planned
FRANCE: The first MF19 trainset for the Paris metro was unveiled by operator RATP, manufacturer Alstom and transport authority Ile-de-France-Mobilités on February 14. In November 2019 RATP selected a 50:50 consortium of Alstom and what was then Bombardier Transportation to supply up to 410 steel-wheel trainsets ...
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NewsSNCF to use Wabtec automated inspection technologies
FRANCE: Passenger operator SNCF Voyageurs is to expand its use of Wabtec’s KinetiX automated inspection technology. This will add TreadView, WheelView and BrakeView lineside inspection systems to the existing axle maintenance and acoustic bearing monitoring used at 13 depots. KinetiX combines machine vision, laser scanning, acoustic ...
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NewsTrenitalia France sets sights on Marseille in year of expansion
FRANCE: This will be one of the most important years for the Italian national train operator’s French open access business, according to Trenitalia France CEO Marco Caposciutti. From February 14, it will be able to double capacity on its busiest services by operating its Frecciarossa trainsets ...
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NewsSNCF Voyageurs wins France’s first tendered inter-city operating contract
FRANCE: Incumbent SNCF Voyageurs has beaten Spain’s RENFE and high speed start-up Le Train to win the government’s first tendered contract for the operation of Intercités services on the conventional rail network. The contract announced on January 28 runs for 10 years from December 2026. It ...
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NewsSNCF Réseau orders lower emission steel rails
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau has awarded Hayange-based Saarstahl Rail a €1bn contract to supply rail rolled from steel which sister company Saarstahl Ascoval will produce using an electric arc furnace in Saint-Saulve. Along with the use of recycled steel this is expected to cut CO2 ...
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Metro Report InternationalLille orders more metro trains
FRANCE: Métropole Européenne de Lille has awarded Alstom a €210m firm order to supply 15 more rubber-tyre automated light metro trainsets, following on from 27 ordered previously. The trainsets in the latest order will replace the current Siemens VAL208 trainsets from 2028 onwards, enabling Line 1 ...
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NewsFunding finalised for first phase of Côte d’Azur railway enhancement programme
FRANCE: Funding has been finalised for the first phase of the Ligne Nouvelle Provence d’Azur project to upgrade the busy Marseille - Nice corridor to support a 66% increase in the number of daily services. The planned launch of Services Express Régionaux Métropolitains operations around Marseille, ...
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News‘Co-operation between historic operators’ sees Ouigo low-cost trains reach Brussels
EUROPE: In what the two incumbents term ‘a co-operation between historic operators’, SNCF and SNCB have launched a low-cost loco-hauled Ouigo service between Paris and Brussels.
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NewsRER NG trains launched on Line D as Paris fleet renewal accelerates
FRANCE: The renewal of the rolling stock fleet used on the RER suburban network around Paris is continuing, with the latest generation RER NG trainsets entering service on Line D in December. The RER NG fleet comprises two subclasses, Z58000 for Line E and Z58500 for ...
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In depthRegional Railways: Technology offers hope of secondary line revival
Around 17 000 km of abandoned or poorly used lines in France and Germany could be revived using small, frequent or on-demand vehicles as part of a decarbonisation drive. Thanks to rapidly progressing technologies with minimal investment and low operating costs, there is an opportunity to tap political support to make them a reality. Reinhard Christeller reports.
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NewsSNCF orders 22 Oxygène trains for Bordeaux – Marseille route
FRANCE: SNCF Voyageurs has awarded CAF a firm order to supply a further 22 Oxygène trainsets for inter-city services between Bordeaux and Marseille. In 2019 the national passenger operator ordered an initial 28 10-car Z26700 trainsets for the Paris – Limoges – Toulouse and Paris – ...
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Rail Business UKUK firm wins rolling stock electronics export orders
EUROPE: British electronic and electro-mechanical component and systems supplier LPA Group has announced three export orders in the rail sector with a total value of £4m. SNCF Voyageurs has ordered bespoke interior LED lighting for retrofitting to regional and inter-city fleets over the next five years. ...
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NewsRegional passenger services in Grand Est stepped up further
FRANCE: The next stage of the Réseau Express Métropolitain Européen programme to increase local passenger services in the area around Strasbourg has been launched.
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NewsFrench night train fleet renewal tender expected
FRANCE: Tenders are to be called in early 2025 for the renewal of SNCF’s night train fleet. The plans were confirmed to local media by Pierre-Christophe Soncarrieu, the deputy director of the transport ministry’s Trains d’Équilibre du Territoire regional trains division responsible for overnight services. The ...
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NewsParis – Berlin direct high speed train service launched
EUROPE: A daily high speed train service has been launched between Paris and Berlin.
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NewsRefurbished Grand Est double-deck EMU unveiled
FRANCE: National operator SNCF Voyageurs has unveiled the first of the Grand Est région’s TER 2N NG double-deck electric multiple-units to undergo mid-life refurbishment as part of the national OPTER programme. SNCF Voyageurs is to refurbish 125 Bombardier Transportation AGC and 41 Alstom TER 2N NG ...
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NewsProxima high speed train order financing in place
FRANCE: Hamburg Commercial Bank has acted as mandated lead arranger for the financing of 12 Alstom Avelia Horizon high speed trains ordered by new market entrant Proxima. A consortium of banks is providing almost €500m compliant with the Loan Market Association’s Green loan criteria towards the ...