French railway news – Page 13
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NewsMerged 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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NewsLe 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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NewsEuropean 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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NewsRENFE 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 depthTrack 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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NewsMarguerite 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 InternationalParis 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 InternationalKeolis 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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NewsFreight 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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NewsGrand-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 InternationalParis 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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NewsCDPQ 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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NewsRailcoop 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 ...
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Metro Report InternationalGrand Paris Express telecoms contract awarded
FRANCE: Société du Grand Paris has selected Nokia to deploy 5G-ready IP/MPLS multiservice, mobile core and radio access network for the automated Grand Paris Express network. The contract announced on December 8 covers lines 15, 16, 17 and 18, which are currently under construction, as well as ...
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NewsAix-Marseille-Provence city region invests in local freight
FRANCE: The Aix-Marseille-Provence Métropole is to invest significant funds in local rail freight services and terminals over the next four years, as part of a strategy to reduce road congestion and associated pollution across the metropolitan area.
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NewsSète – Paris rail motorway launched
FRANCE: A rolling motorway service has been launched to carry unaccompanied lorry trailers between the Mediterranean port of Sète near Montpellier and Valenton to the southeast of Paris. The service has been developed by the government with the aim of reducing road traffic, and is targeted ...
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NewsNovel interior layout in next-generation Paris RER fleet
FRANCE: Paris regional transport authority Ile-de-France-Mobilités and Alstom unveiled the first RER NG EMU at Valenciennes Petite-Forêt on November 22.
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NewsNestlé Waters to use hydrogen last-mile freight trains
FRANCE: As part of a strategy to decarbonise its supply chain, Nestlé Waters is to use a high-power fuel cell generator wagon to enable electric locomotives to haul trains on non-electrified tracks. This will be the first application of fuel cell and renewable hydrogen ‘last mile’ ...
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Metro Report InternationalFormer Prime Minister Jean Castex named RATP CEO
FRANCE: The RATP supervisory board has confirmed the appointment of former Prime Minister Jean Castex as the new Chief Executive of the Paris transport operator, replacing Catherine Guillouard who stepped down at the end of September. Now 57 years old, Castex served as Prime Minister of ...
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Metro Report InternationalDriverless NEOMMA trainsets to operate revamped Marseille metro
FRANCE: The first of 38 rubber-tyred trainsets being built for the Marseille metro was unveiled at Alstom’s Valenciennes-Petite-Forêt plant on November 9.