All France articles – Page 8
-
NewsBeacon Rail buys SNCF electric locomotives
FRANCE: Leasing company Beacon Rail has purchased 12 surplus Alstom Prima BB27300 electric locomotives from SNCF. Built in 2004-09 to operate Transilien push-pull suburban services, the dual-system 1·5 kV DC/25 kV 50 Hz locomotives are being modified them for use by the RegioRail subsidiary of Railroad ...
-
-
NewsConstruction of Orléans intermodal freight terminal to begin
FRANCE: Construction of an intermodal freight hub at Les Aubrais in the north of Orléans is set to begin in July for opening in 2025. Shippers have been requesting such a facility for a long time, SNCF Réseau CEO Matthieu Chabanel said when the infrastructure manager, ...
-
NewsRailcoop confirms Lyon – Bordeaux passenger service to launch in June 2024
FRANCE: Open access operator Railcoop has announced that it intends to launch its long-planned Lyon – Bordeaux passenger service in June 2024.
-
News€100bn rail investment pledge in French long-term transport plan
FRANCE: Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has pledged up to €100bn of investment in the rail network as part of efforts to improve the provision of train services, reduce regional inequalities and support ecological transition goals.
-
NewsDigital freight train innovation project launched
FRANCE: The MONITOR project has been launched to support the development of digital freight trains by combining radio communication between wagons with brake and bogie monitoring sensors and automated brake testing. The aim is to reduce the risks of derailments and untimely brake applications and to ...
-
Metro Report InternationalGrand Paris Express trains combine ‘capacity, fluidity and comfort’
FRANCE: Alstom says ‘capacity, fluidity and comfort for passengers’ will be offered by the 37 automated metro trainsets that it is to supply for the future Grand Paris Express Line 18. The interior design unveiled on February 15 was developed by Alstom’s Advanced & Creative Design ...
-
Metro Report InternationalAlstom unveils next-generation Nantes tram
FRANCE: The first of 61 Citadis X05 trams that Alstom is building for Nantes Métropole is unveiled at the supplier’s La Rochelle plant.
-
NewsResearch to make wagon maintenance more efficient
FRANCE: The Maintenance 4·0 project to improve the efficiency of condition-based and predictive wagon maintenance has been launched by manufacturer Inveho, leasing company Ermewa and French research institute IRT Railenium, building on an agreement signed at InnoTrans in September last year. Maintenance 4·0 aims to combine ...
-
In depthFrance: Developing concepts to revive rural lines
France’s policy of abandoning rural lines has been halted and the stage is set for a revival of lightly used or closed routes. Driven partly by efforts to decarbonise the economy, several low-cost operating and maintenance concepts are being developed with state support, reports Reinhard Christeller.
-
In depthFrance: 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.
-
NewsRENFE 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 ...
-
NewsFranco-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 ...
-
NewsAmsterdam – 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 ...
-
Metro Report InternationalWork 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 ...
-
NewsRolling 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 ...
-
NewsHauts-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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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 ...