News – Page 53
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Rail Business UKClass 730 EMU arrives in the West Midlands
UK: ‘Customers will have their breath taken away’ said West Midlands Mayor Andy Street when West Midlands Railway presented its Alstom Aventra Class 730 EMUs in Wolverhampton on February 8. As part of a £700m investment in new rolling stock, operator West Midlands Trains is introducing ...
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NewsCRRC’s Sirius EMU carries passengers with RegioJet
CZECH REPUBLIC: RegioJet has started passenger-carrying trial operations of one of the CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Class 665 Sirius electric multiple-units which was ordered but not accepted by Leo Express. Since February 5, one trainset is being used on two return trips a day on the R23 ...
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NewsIndian government boosts rail spending again ahead of elections
INDIA: Presenting the Indian government’s Interim Budget on February 1 for 2024-25 ahead of elections due in April and May, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that a further increase in capital expenditure of 11·1% to reach Rs111tr or 3·4% of GDP. This in turn will boost ...
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NewsIsrael Railways places rolling stock orders
Source: CLOUDVIEW/Shabtai Tal/Israel Railways ISRAEL: Two orders for the supply of additional rolling stock totalling €1·7bn have been signed by Israel Railways. The first of the two agreements signed on January 22 is a €260m order for Alstom to supply a further 96 double-deck coaches, adding ...
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Rail Business UKYRP Politics In Rail event returns
UK: Young Rail Professionals hosts its Politics In Rail event on February 8 as part of Rail Week.
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NewsMetronom to hand back operating contract
Source: Metronom/Jan Sieg GERMANY: Metronom is negotiating with Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG to terminate its contract to operate Hansenetz regional passenger services in June 2026 rather than in December 2033. In recent months Metronom has faced a series of problems including rising costs and a shortage ...
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Rail Business UKWest Midlands – Manchester rail plan is not a HS2 revival, mayors say
UK: Metro Mayor for the West Midlands Andy Street and his Greater Manchester counterpart Andy Burnham report that they have held constructive talks with the Secretary of State for Transport, Rail Minister and senior officials from the Department for Transport regarding their work to assess how ...
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NewsLobito Atlantic Railway freight capacity contracts signed
ANGOLA: Trafigura and Kamoa-Kakula have signed long-term commitments to use the Lobito Atlantic Railway between the Copperbelt region of DR Congo and Zambia and the Angolan deep-water port of Lobito. In 2022 the Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium of Trafigura, Mota-Engil and Belgian rail operator Vecturis was ...
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Rail Business UKHS2 Phase 2 cancellation raises ‘urgent and unanswered questions’
UK: The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee makes six recommendations in its latest report on High Speed 2, which calls on the government to answer questions raised by its decision to cancel Phase 2. The recommendations are: The Department for Transport should set out ...
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NewsOurense station remodelling contract awarded
SPAIN: High speed infrastructure manager ADIF Alta Velocidad announced on February 1 that it had awarded Copasa, Constructora San José and Syneox Rail a €112m contract to remodel Ourense station as a hub for rail and bus transport in northwestern Spain. The ...
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Rail Business UKElizabeth Line trains to be fitted with real-time driver advisory system
UK: The GreenSpeed connected driver advisory system supplied by Thales company Cubris is to be deployed on London’s Elizabeth Line this year. GreenSpeed will be integrated with existing operational systems, and will use trackside data for onboard calculations to provide real-time advice on when drivers should ...
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NewsTransdev awarded Swedish train operating contract
SWEDEN: Östergötland transport authority Östgötatrafiken has selected Transdev for the next contract to operate Östgötapendeln passenger services. The regional services between Norrköping, Motala and Tranås are currently operated by Finland’s VR, which acquired Arriva’s Swedish activities. They use 18 Alstom Coradia Nordic X61 electric multiple-units, and carry ...
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NewsSaudi Arabia Railways orders its next generation of inter-city trains
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia Railways has signed contracts for Stadler to supply its next generation of passenger trains. The Swiss manufacturer said these would ‘elevate train travel in the kingdom to the next level in terms of passenger comfort, travel experience and reliability’. The contracts signed ...
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NewsDubai backs Karachi dedicated freight corridor plan
PAKISTAN: Plans to establish a dedicated rail freight corridor and economic zone near Karachi are included in two inter-governmental framework agreements signed by the governments of Pakistan and Dubai on January 17. The agreements cover plans for US$3bn+ of investment in railways, economic zones and infrastructure. ...
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NewsMadrid Atocha through platforms contract awarded
SPAIN: High speed rail infrastructure manager ADIF Alta Velocidad has awarded Dragados, Tecsa, San José and Puentes y Calzadas an 83-month contract worth €451·6 m to build low-level platforms at Madrid Atocha station The two island platforms on the 1 435 mm gauge cross-city route from ...
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Rail Business UKTrain operator launches British Sign Language interpretation service
UK: East Midlands Railway has signed up to a British Sign Language service to help deaf passengers communicate with staff. The service operated by InterpretersLive is accessed via an app or link which puts users in touch with an BSL interpreter. The interpreter finds out the ...
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NewsInvestment aims to make Mozambique – South Africa railway more competitive
MOZAMBIQUE: The African Development Bank has agreed financing for state-owned rail and port authority Portos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique to purchase locomotives, wagons and tank containers. This aims to improve the competitiveness of the 88 km Ressano Garcia rail corridor between the port of ...
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Rail Business UKBattery traction trial ahead as TransPennine Express fortunes improve
UK: Overcrowding and short-notice cancellations at state-owned TransPennine Express have declined since the December timetable change, prompting Managing Director Chris Jackson to suggest the operator is in a ‘better place’.
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NewsDanish railway ready for 200 km/h operation
DENMARK: The railway between København and Ringsted via Køge Nord is now ready for 200 km/h running, infrastructure manager Banedanmark has announced.
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Metro Report InternationalFuture Mobility Taskforce launched
EUROPE: Private transport technology companies have formed a Future Mobility Taskforce which aims to inform EU policymakers about innovation and start-ups in the sector. The taskforce was launched when 16 CEOs and founders met Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean in Brussels during January. Train and coach ...