Passenger rail news – Page 101
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NewsSouth Tirol orders cross-border EMUs
ITALY: South Tirol regional transport authority STA announced on May 7 that it had selected Bombardier Transportation for a €65·8m contract to supply seven electric multiple-units for use on through services from Malles Venosta to Bolzano and Innsbruck or Lienz in Austria. The Talent 3 EMUs will be similar to ...
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Rail Business UKStagecoach goes to court over East Midlands franchise disqualification
UK: Stagecoach Group commenced legal action against the Department for Transport on May 8, following DfT's decision to award of the next East Midlands franchise to Abellio. The NS subsidiary was named preferred bidder on April 10, and the initial 10-day standstill period was extended to midnight on May ...
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Rail Business UKEurostar and DB seek to solve through ticketing issue
EUROPE: Eurostar is working with Deutsche Bahn to resolve a ticketing system compatibility issue which will prevent the German national operator from selling through tickets between Germany and the UK. Last year Eurostar awarded Dutch software company Sqills a contract to provide its S3 Passenger sales, distribution and reservation suite ...
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NewsNürnberg S6 contract awarded
GERMANY: Bayern transport authority BEG has awarded DB Regio a contract to operate the future route S6 of the Nürnberg S-Bahn network. The contract runs from the December 2021 timetable change to December 2030. It covers the operation of around 600 000 train-km/year on the Nürnberg Hbf – Neustadt (Aisch) ...
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NewsKeio Railway special marks start of Reiwa Era
JAPAN: Among the special events to mark the abdication of Emperor Akihito and the accession of Emperor Naruhito, the Keio Electric Railway running west from the capital operated a commemorative limited express service over the transition from April 30 to May 1. Departing from Tokyo’s Shinjuku station at 23.45, in ...
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NewsRostock – Hamburg direct award
GERMANY: The Land of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has decided to directly award incumbent DB Regio Nordost a contract to continue to operate Ostseeküste-West regional passenger services for a further two years from the end of its current contract in December 2019. Announcing the decision on April 30, the Land’s Ministry of Energy, ...
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NewsBeijing suburban route S5 extended
CHINA: Beijing suburban railway service S5 was extended northeast from Huairou Bei to Gubeikou adding three stations on April 30. The maximum operating speed of trains on the commuter route was increased from 70 to 100 km/h at the same time. Route S5 is now 135 km long with stations ...
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Rail Business UKLondon – Bordeaux high speed rail service ‘blueprint’
EUROPE: A ‘blueprint’ for the operation of direct high speed services to and from London was presented to the Mayor of Bordeaux and the President of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on April 29. The proposals are being developed jointly by HS1 Ltd, which manages the high speed line between London and ...
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NewsAlger Houari Boumediene Airport rail link opened
ALGERIA: A rail link to Alger Houari Boumediene Airport opened along with a new terminal on April 29. National railway SNTF operates an hourly service from Alger’s Agha station to Bab Ezzouar and the airport between 05.00 and 21.00, with a price of 80 dinar per adult and 40 ...
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Rail Business UKRDG proposes arms-length body to oversee UK rail
UK: Greater accountability to rail users and devolved authorities is envisaged under proposals from the Rail Delivery Group published on April 30, along with the establishment of an ‘independent national organising body’ to co-ordinate and oversee the entire rail sector. Unveiling its proposals to the Williams Rail Review, which has ...
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Rail Business UKCaledonian Sleeper launches new CAF coaches
UK: London to Scotland overnight train operator Caledonian Sleeper put the first of its new fleet of CAF coaches into service on April 28. The Mk V vehicles built in northern Spain are initially being used on the Lowlander route from London to Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Highlander route between ...
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NewsStadler signs Waldenburgerbahn contract
SWITZERLAND: Baselland Transport and Stadler Rail signed a contract on April 26 for the supply of 10 Tramlink Be 6/8 vehicles to operate on the Waldenburgerbahn. The contract signing follows BLT’s approval on April 17 of a SFr54m credit line to support the purchase. The vehicles have been ordered ...
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Rail Business UKStation Access Map aims to facilitate independent travel
UK: An ‘Access Map’ has been launched to provide rail users with information about accessibility at stations. This includes whether stations have step free or partial step free access; what facilities are available, including accessible toilets and changing places, and alternative accessible stations. Developed by the Rail Delivery Group, train ...
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NewsRocky Mountaineer expands dome car fleet
CANADA: The first four of 10 custom-designed double-deck dome cars which high-end tourist train operator Rocky Mountaineer has ordered from Stadler are expected to enter service shortly, operating from Vancouver to Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff during the 2019 tourist season. Rocky Mountaineer said the order placed in May ...
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NewsVR orders double-deck dining cars
FINLAND: National railway VR Group has awarded Škoda Transtech a €24m contract to supply a further seven double-deck dining cars. They are to be to be produced at the Škoda Transportation subsidiary’s Kajaani factory for entry into service on the Helsinki – Turku and Helsinki – Tampere routes in 2021-22. ...
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NewsNSB Group rebrands as Vy
NORWAY: State-owned train operator NSB Group relaunched as Vy on April 24, bringing its rail, bus and electric car-sharing activities together under a single brand. ‘The name Norwegian State Railways no longer adequately expresses what we do’, explained Chairman Dag Mejdell. ‘The NSB Group operates rail and bus services ...
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NewsLänderbahn confirmed as Ostsachsen II operator for 12 more years
GERMANY: Netinera subsidiary Länderbahn announced on April 1 that it will continue to run Ostsachsennetz II services under its Trilex brand for a further 12 years from December 14 2019. In April 2018 DB Regio subsidiary Start Ostsachsen was selected for the concession by a group of four transport ...
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NewsHauts-de-France starts regional tendering
FRANCE: Proposals to tender the operation of regional passenger services in Hauts-de-France from the end of 2022 were unveiled by the regional council on April 23. Following the lead set by Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur last month, the region is planning to open up local rail services to competition in line with ...
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Rail Business UKVirgin Trains proposes airline model for long-distance rail travel
UK: A complete rethink of the way long-distance rail services in Great Britain are operated forms a key part of Virgin Trains’ submission to the government’s Williams Rail Review of the rail industry. Despite the possibility that Virgin Trains will cease operating rail services in the UK within the next ...
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Rail Business UKCo-operative proposes Wessex open access train service
UK: Ambitious plans to launch a network of open access regional passenger services in western England are being developed by independent not-for-profit co-operative society GO-OP Co-operative Ltd, which hopes to start operations in summer 2020. GO-OP is proposing to offer at least three direct trains each way per day between ...