All open access articles – Page 6
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NewsIndependent operators raise night train competition concerns
EUROPE: Private open access operators RegioJet and RDC have seen higher than expected demand for the overnight services they launched this month, and Snälltåget has set out plans for expansion. However, the ALLRAIL association of independent passenger operators has expressed concern that incumbent state railways may come ...
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NewsRegioJet launches train to Croatia so ‘everyone can afford a holiday’
EUROPE: Czech open access operator RegioJet’s first overnight train from Praha to Rijeka arrived in the Croatian port city on July 1. The seasonal service is to run three times a week until July 11, daily until the end of August, and then thrice weekly until ...
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Rail Business UK‘Now is the right moment to act’ Grand Central says as it announces restart date
UK: ‘We’ve tracked our path forward, we believe now is the right moment to act, for our passengers, our staff and for the business’, Grand Central Managing Director Richard McClean told Rail Business UK on July 1 when the company announced plans for a ‘measured’ restart of ...
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Rail Business UKEast Coast Trains Class 803 production begins
UK: Production of the five Class 803 trainsets which FirstGroup subsidiary East Coast Trains has ordered for its future London to Edinburgh open access service is underway at Hitachi Rail’s Newton Aycliffe factory.
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NewsAlpen-Sylt Nachtexpress links the Alps and the North Sea
EUROPE: RDC Deutschland has opened bookings for the Alpen-Sylt Nachtexpress, a seasonal overnight train between the German North Sea island of Sylt and Salzburg in Austria which will launch on July 4. ‘We believe in the successful renaissance of night trains in Europe’, said Managing Director Dr ...
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Rail Business UKUnion calls for government support for open access operators
UK: The RMT trade union has written to the Secretary of State for Transport calling on the government to intervene to support open access operators Hull Trains and Grand Central. Unlike franchised operators, the open access companies which are owned by FirstGroup and Arriva have not received ...
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NewsRegioJet prepares to launch Praha – Przemyśl service
EUROPE: Independent operator RegioJet has taken delivery of another nine 160 km/h air-conditioned couchette cars from DB. Formerly used on CityNightLine trains, the Type Bvcmz coaches which arrived in late April follow 18 similar vehicles which were acquired in 2019. After they have been refurbished, RegioJet plans ...
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Rail Business UKEdinburgh – London open access service takes shape
UK: With the first of five Hitachi-built trainsets delivered to the UK for fitting out, FirstGroup has appointed the leadership team for its low-cost open access service between Edinburgh and London, which is scheduled to start running from October 2021. Helen Wylde has been appointed as Managing ...
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NewsWestbahn and ÖBB awarded public service contracts to secure operations during the pandemic
AUSTRIA: Both Austrian Federal Railways and open access competitor Westbahn have been awarded emergency public service obligation contracts to ensure the continued operation of Wien – Salzburg trains during the coronavirus pandemic, in a move which the ALLRAIL association of new market entrants said should provide a ...
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NewsFlixTrain halts plans to launch open access service in France
FRANCE: FlixMobility GmbH has decided to postpone indefinitely its plans to launch open access passenger train services on five inter-city routes in France. The company had announced in June last year that FlixTrain-branded services would run on four French domestic routes, as well as between Paris and ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central follows Hull Trains in suspending open access services
UK: Open access operator Grand Central temporarily suspended all services from the end of April 3, as coronavirus restrictions continue to affect its passenger numbers. The London King’s Cross to Sunderland and Bradford operator said it anticipated that the ‘necessary but temporary’ measure would last for an ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central commits to revised timetable, but Blackpool launch likely to be delayed
UK: Asked whether Grand Central was planning to follow the other East Coast Main Line open access operator Hull Trains in temporarily stopping operations because of the coronavirus pandemic, Grand Central Managing Director Richard McClean told Rail Business UK on March 30 ‘we remain committed to providing ...
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Rail Business UKHull Trains suspends services ‘to protect long-term future of business’
UK: Open access operator Hull Trains announced on March 29 that was temporarily suspending services with effect from midnight, in a move which it said aimed to ‘safeguard the future of the business’ in the ‘unprecedented circumstances’ of the coronavirus pandemic. Arrangements have been made for tickets ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central prepares to launch London – Blackpool services
Source: DB Cargo UK UK: The first of five Class 90 electric locomotives to receive open access passenger operator Grand Central’s branding has been unveiled ahead of the launch of London Euston – Blackpool North services this spring. Four of the 175 km/h locomotives hired from DB ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central completes £9m fleet refurbishment
UK: Arriva TrainCare’s Eastleigh site has completed a £9m two-year programme to undertake the mid-life refurbishment of 10 Alstom Class 180 Adelante inter-city DMUs for open access operator Grand Central. The trains have had a full interior refresh, with new seats with ...
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Rail Business UKTake a virtual tour of Hull Trains before booking a ticket
UK: Hull Trains has added a virtual tour of its new Hitachi Class 802 Paragon trainsets on its website, enabling passengers to ‘walk through’ standard and first class facilities before booking a ticket. ‘We discovered that many people want to know what to expect before travelling, especially ...
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NewsLeo Express to operate trains to Wrocław
EUROPE: Czech open access operator Leo Express signed an agreement with Polish regional operator Koleje Dolnośląskie on December 5 to run services between Praha and Wrocław, starting on December 20. Leo Express plans to run three trains a week from Praha and two a week in the ...
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NewsLeo Express goes multimodal
CZECH REPUBLIC: Leo Express has launched a pilot first and last mile service by partnering with peer-to-peer car sharing company HoppyGo. The open access operator has become a minority shareholder in HoppyGo and expects to expand the service to destinations in Poland next year.
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Rail Business UKEast Coast Trains open access recruitment underway
UK: FirstGroup subsidiary East Coast Trains Ltd is recruiting a management team for the launch of its planned London – Edinburgh open access services by May 2021. Appointments are expected to be announced early next year, Steve Montgomery, Managing Director of FirstGroup’s First Rail division, told Rail ...
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Rail Business UKParagon fleet supports Hull Trains’ ambition to be the ‘greatest train operator’
UK: ‘My vision is that Hull Trains will be the greatest train operator in the UK’, Managing Director Louise Cheeseman told Railway Gazette International at the unveiling of the open access operator’s first Hitachi AT300 trainset on November 25. ‘Other operators will come and look at ...