All France articles – Page 10
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In depth
France: Start-ups energise the passenger market
Open access passenger operators have so far had limited success in penetrating the French market, but a medley of ambitious entrepreneurs is now tackling the task. Jérémie Anne reports.
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News
RENFE to create French subsidiary
FRANCE: The board of Spain’s national operator RENFE is to seek Spanish government approval for the formation of a French subsidiary to take advantage of the ongoing liberalisation of that market. Announcing its plan to set up a French business on February 2, RENFE said it ...
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News
Franco-Swiss TGV partnership extended for five more years
EUROPE: The TGV Lyria cross-border passenger train partnership of France’s SNCF Voyageurs (74%) and Switzerland’s SBB (26%) has been extended for a further five years. The co-operation dates back 30 years. There are 17 return trips per day across the Genève – Paris, Lausanne – Paris ...
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News
Amsterdam – Barcelona night train plan
EUROPE: Night train start-up European Sleeper has announced details of its proposed Amsterdam – Barcelona service, which has won the backing of the European Commission. The night train is one of 10 proposals selected for a pilot programme which aims to break down practical barriers to ...
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Metro Report International
Work starts on third Toulouse metro line
FRANCE: Toulouse transport operator Tisséo has begun work on the city’s third metro line with a construction of a 30 m deep evacuation shaft in the Sept-Deniers district. Previously referred as Aerospace Express and now designated as Line C, the automated line from Colomiers railway station ...
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News
Rolling stock climate test chamber opens
FRANCE: A rolling stock climate testing chamber which can provide temperatures from -45°C to 70°C and humidity from 5% to 95% has been built at the Centre d’Essais Ferroviaires centre in Valenciennes. This will provide additional testing capacity, as high demand means France’s existing facility at ...
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News
Hauts-de-France unveils Premium EMU
FRANCE: The first of 19 Omneo Premium double-deck inter-city electric multiple-units ordered by the Hauts-de-France région for the Paris – Amiens and Paris – Saint Quentin – Cambrai/Maubeuge ‘Picardie Y’ routes has been rolled out at Alstom’s Crespin plant.
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News
Merged Eurostar and Thalys branding revealed
EUROPE: The branding for the merged Eurostar and Thalys high speed rail businesses was unveiled in Brussels on January 24.
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News
Le Train selects 330 km/h Talgo trainsets for French open access services
FRANCE: Le Train Managing Director Alain Gétraud tells Railway Gazette International about the open access start-up’s plans to acquire a fleet of 330 km/h Talgo Avril S106 high speed trains customised to its requirements.
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News
European Commission investigates state aid to Fret SNCF
FRANCE: The European Commission has begun a detailed investigation into measures taken by the French government in 2007-19 to provide financial support to Fret SNCF, the rail freight subsidiary of Rail Logistics Europe, itself a subsidiary of national operator SNCF. The objective is to determine whether ...
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News
RENFE starts tests before relaunching cross-border high speed services to France
EUROPE: Spanish national operator RENFE is preparing to revive international inter-city services between Madrid, Barcelona, Lyon and Marseille, which ceased in December last year.
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In depth
Track Technology: Modular elements could offer cheaper and more flexible slab trackform
Field trials are expected to start near Marseille in the coming months of a lower-cost modular slab trackform developed by Systra and construction group Stradal as a potential replacement for conventional ballasted track. Technical consultant Jean-Claude Zabée explains the concept to Nick Kingsley.
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News
Marguerite enters service on Mont-Blanc mountain railway
FRANCE: The last of the four metre-gauge electric multiple-units supplied by Stadler to re-equip the Tramway du Mont-Blanc mountain railway entered service on December 21.
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Metro Report International
Paris ticket machines to be replaced
FRANCE: Paris transport operator RATP has awarded the Easier subsidiary of Bolloré Group a six-year contract to supply and maintain customised ticket vending machines across its urban rail network. Replacement of the 2 400 ticket machines at RER and metro stations is set to begin in ...
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Metro Report International
Keolis awarded Dijon multimodal transport contract
FRANCE: Dijon municipality has awarded incumbent Keolis a new contract to operate transport services under the DiviaMobilités brand.
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News
Freight future in doubt as energy costs soar
FRANCE: Rail freight operators are facing a catastrophic future if the government does not offer help with a massive rise in energy costs, according to industry body Fret Ferroviaire Français du Futur.
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News
Grand-Est launches regional express network
FRANCE: Passengers travelling in the Strasbourg area now have access to a much improved network of local rail services with effect from December 11 when the Réseau Express Métropolitain Européen was launched by local authorities and national operator SNCF. Driven by a ...
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Metro Report International
Paris metro Line 13 to be fully automated
FRANCE: Paris transport authority Ile-de-France-Mobilités and operator RATP have given the go-ahead for the automation of metro Line 13. This will be the fourth fully automated line in Paris, after lines 14, 1 and 4, and first with steel-wheel rather than rubber-tyred trains. The 24 route-km line ...
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News
CDPQ completes acquisition of leasing company Akiem
EUROPE: Canadian pension and insurance investor CDPQ has completed the acquisition of locomotive leasing company Akiem from SNCF Group and DWS. Exclusive negotiations with CDPQ began in August following a competitive auction. Closing of the transaction was announced on December 9 following staff consultations and regulatory ...
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News
Railcoop makes progress with DMU fleet but passenger service launch remains elusive
FRANCE: Community interest open access operator Railcoop says that an initial audit by ACC-M of the X72500 diesel multiple-units it has acquired for its planned Lyon – Bordeaux service found that they are in good condition. Railcoop has taken on a fleet of nine DMUs from ...